Unity 5 GDC revealed, then not. Did Polygon jump the gun?

 

A pretty common journalistic practice is the news embargo.  Basically a number of journalists are given advance access to information and a date which is the earliest time they can reveal that information.  Everyone once in a while someone jumps the gun and breaks the embargo; often by mistake, sometimes on purpose.  Often when you see a new story pop up, followed a little while later with a 404 error this is what happened.  They released early and got a take down notice.

 

Right now, with the GDC going on, it’s a common time for game dev related news releases, so this one makes sense.  Polygon seems to have done just that, although the link is now dead, this reddit post caught the news and posted this cached link.  As they say, the cat is now out of the bag.  Why people say that and why they are stuffing cats in bags in the first place I’m not exactly sure.  Anyways, here is the text of what was announced:

 

Unity 5 — billed as “a massive update” to the multiplatform game engine and toolkit — was unveiled today at Game Developers Conference 2014.

Unity Technologies, makers of the suite, said Unity 5 will overhaul the game’s audio toolset and deliver upgraded lighting and and a physically based shader system. It now is a 64-bit engine with this release, Unity Technologies added.

Of note, Unity 5 will also include the launch of a cross-promotion neetwork for mobile games called Unity Cloud, “enabling mobile game developers to run full-screen interstitial ads in their mobile games, as well as exchange ad units with other Unity developers.”

The last full version, Unity 4 launched two years ago. Unity supports development on all mobile OSes, plus Windows, MacOS and Linux, the PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Games developed with Unity range from acclaimed indie titles like Gone Home, to mobile hits like Temple Run, to the upcoming Wasteland 2 on PC.

 

Of course it is all pure speculation at this point, so except more details to emerge.  Or of course this could all turn out to be completely bunk.  In some ways I am kinda hoping it’s bunk as that’s a pretty underwhelming list for a major release.  A .5 release I could see, but not a full revision.  Improved audio tooling is nice and I am certain 64bit support will appeal to some but… it’s just so blah.


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