Epic boss Mark Rein has revealed that the first Unreal Engine 4 powered game will launch at some point next year. Could this signal a next-generation launch on the horizon?

When asked by Joystiq when the first Unreal Engine 4 game will ship he said, ”I don’t know. For sure something next year, I just don’t know exactly when. Until we’re really clear on when the game is going to be finished, when the partner wants to put a line in the sand and market it, we don’t really have those kinds of dates.”

The UE4 is being designed with the next-generation in mind, so it stands a chance that the flagship title will either be on PC, the next PlayStation or the next Xbox. If this is the case then Epic is expecting the next-generation of consoles to launch at some point next year, which would fit nicely with every other rumor that has surfaced so far. Or it could be a PC exclusive.

Based on what has been shown so far the engine looks stunning. My only issue is that it’s all just tech, making it impossible to know just how well the engine will run a complete game. Sure, it has all the bells and whistles required to blow people away, but in a hectic firefight or action sequence will people actually stop to look how the light is reflecting off a surface? The sensible answer is no.

Later in the interview Rein added, ”It’s certainly important for us to have our flagship game. That’s the game for which we develop the engine. Gears of War was the game for which Unreal Engine 3 was developed, and so shipping that has a huge significance for licensees and for us. I think, for Unreal Engine 4, there’ll certainly be a couple of games.”

Source: Joystiq