Epic to unveil Unreal Engine 4 at GDC

Epic Games plans to ‘lead the way’ into the next generation of gaming at the Game Developer’s Conference next week.

The Gears of War and Unreal Tournament developer will preview its “next-generation game technology,” the Unreal Engine 4, to “select licensees, partners and prospective customers during the exhibition.” Said partners will have to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to see the technology.

On Wednesday, March 7, from 2 to 3pm, and again on Thursday, March 8, from 2 to 3pm, Epic will host media breifings ‘announcing the latest news’ from the company. Thursday’s briefing will be a repeat of Wednesday’s.

Additionally, Epic will host a series of keynotes, headlined by “a bevy of talented speakers.” Get the full schedule below, courtesy of Epic.

Tuesday, March 6, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Room 2016, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Level Design in a Day: Best Practices from the Best in the Business tutorial with the industry’s top level designers, including Epic Games Lead Level Designer Jim Brown.

Tuesday, March 6, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Room 3005, West Hall, 3^rd Floor

• Producer Boot Camp tutorial featuring leaders in studio management and game production such as Epic Games Director of Production Rod Fergusson.

Wednesday, March 7, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Room 2009, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Subtracting to Add – Environment Optimization Techniques lecture by Epic Games Senior Environment Artist Kevin Johnstone.

Wednesday, March 7, 11 a.m. – 11:25 a.m., Room 3009, West Hall, 3^rd Floor

• Production Culture: How Two and a Half Artists Completed the FX for Gears of War 3 lecture by Epic Games Senior FX Artist Francois Antoine.

Wednesday, March 7, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Room 135, North Hall

• Back to the Garage: The Return of Indie Development panel featuring independent game development experts, including Epic Games Founder and Technical Director Tim Sweeney.

Wednesday, March 7, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Room 2012, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Gears of War 3: Building a Better Pipeline (Presented by Autodesk) lecture by Epic Games Senior Technical Animator Jeremy Ernst.

Thursday, March 8, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Room 2002, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Bringing AAA Graphics to Mobile Platforms lecture by Epic Games Senior Engine Programmer Niklas Smedberg.

Thursday, March 8, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Room 3014, West Hall, 3^rd Floor

• Forgotten Tales Remembered: The Games that Inspired Leading Innovators panel consisting of industry luminaries, including Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski.

Thursday, March 8, 12:05 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., Room 2006, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Tackling Large Scale Destruction FX: Lessons Learned From RAAM’s Shadow DLC lecture by Epic Games Senior FX Artist Francois Antoine.

Thursday, March 8, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., Room 3014, West Hall, 3^rd Floor

• GDC Microtalks 2012: One Hour, Ten Voices, Countless Ideas back-to-back talks on the theme of “Paying for Time,” featuring thought leaders such as Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski.

Thursday, March 9, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Room 2009, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Evolution of the Cinematic Process: The Gears of War Trilogy lecture by Epic Games Cinematic Director Greg Mitchell.

Thursday, March 9, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Room 132, North Hall

• Re-orienting Development and Accelerating Production to Create Infinity Blade and Infinity Blade II lecture by ChAIR Entertainment Senior Producer Simon Hurley.

Friday, March 9, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Room 2016, West Hall, 2^nd Floor

• Gameplay Data Analysis: Asking the Right Questions lecture by Epic Games Senior Web Developer Ian Thomas.

Friday, March 9, 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m., Room 135, North Hall

• Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer: Advice from Industry Artists two-part panel featuring top talent from world-class studios, including Epic Games Lead Artist Wyeth Johnson.

Friday, March 9, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Room 300, South Hall

• Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer: 1-1 Portfolio Reviews one-on-one sessions with senior artists from half a dozen of the industry’s most successful studios, including Epic Games Lead Artist Wyeth Johnson and Epic Games Senior Environment Artist Kevin Johnstone.