First artwork shows up for Square Enix's Unreal Engine RPG

Hey, remember how Square Enix is working with Epic to bring some new games to a global audience with the Unreal Engine? Here's a look at the studio's first new project with the engine, in which a cowboy is attacked by an owl? Or perhaps Harry Potter graduates to Stephen King's Dark Tower? We'll be straight with you here, this image poses more questions than it answers, though they're undeniably pretty questions.

Andriasang found this artwork on a recruitment page for Square Enix's “New Action RPG,” which isn't giving much more away. Producer Ryutaro Ichimura has told Famitsu, though, that the new game is being developed by a Japanese staff in tandem with international collaborators. This approach, he hopes, will allow the team to incorporate a more global perspective, with international focus-groups employed to help find the title's tone.

While the game's core team is made up of RPG veterans, new recruits will be employed to handle some action elements and Unreal Engine wizardry. But with next-generation platforms reportedly considered for hosting the title, don't expect to be playing for a while yet – giving you plenty of time to work out exactly how this screenshot fits into that “Twin Peaks meets Lord of the Rings” fanfic you've been working on.