Epic Joins OpenGL Standards Group Khronos

Independent developer Epic Games has joined the Khronos Group, the industry graphics standards consortium that controls OpenGL and other APIs, in part to better establish its Unreal technology on a broad variety of platforms including mobile. As a Khronos Group member, the Gears of War and Unreal series developer joins industry powerhouses like Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Apple, and Sony, as well as fellow game and engine creator id Software. While the Unreal Engine has long been a staple of high-end PC and console games, Epic has recently signaled its intention to broaden its scope. Last month, the company said it would bring Unreal Engine 3 to iPhone, and with its place as part of Khronos it plans to further explore additional platforms. As a member of Khronos' Board of Promoters, the studio will also be able to help shape the direction of standards controlled by Khronos, which include the main OpenGL API -- a cross-platform competitor to Microsoft's Direct3D -- its cousin OpenGL ES for embedded systems, the asset interchange format COLLADA, and others. "Epic's real-world experience and standing in the industry will enable them to bring enormous insight and influence to the evolution of the OpenGL and OpenGL ES specifications that will benefit the entire industry," said Khronos president and Nvidia mobile content VP Neil Trevett in a statement. "Khronos is delighted to have their participation as we create the APIs that enable key gaming engines, such as Unreal Engine 3, to tap into the power of 3D GPU acceleration on a wide range of platforms."