Local Tech Wire

CARY, N.C. – is going big time into mobile games, launching “Project Sword” for Apple’s iPhones and iPads.

Mike Capps, president of Epic Games, took the stage at Wednesday’s during which Apple CEO Steve Jobs later rolled out a series of other new products and updates. Capps played a brief demo for the crowd.

Chair, an award-winning Epic subsidiary, is developing the game exclusively for Apple.

"If you’re jaw isn’t on the floor, it should be," Capps said about the new title, according to g4TV.

Chair Entertainment Creative Director Donald Mustard and Capps unveiled Project Sword just minutes into the Apple event.

“Project Sword” will be out this holiday season for the iPhone and iPad as well as iPod Touch.

“This is a testament to the sheer power of iOS devices as up until now, Unreal Engine 3 has typically been used to create high-end gaming experiences on game consoles and computers,” Capps said of the Apple gear. “And we’re not just keeping it to ourselves. We’re putting Unreal Engine 3 technology into the hands of game developers all over the world, and we can’t wait to see the apps they make next.”

Epic made available “Epic Citadel,” a game develop “app,” through Apple’s App Store.

Early reviews of “Project Sword” were impressive.

"[I]t looks seriously fantastic. I certainly never thought I’d see graphics like that on a mobile game," raved The Escapist.

"Powered by the exact same Unreal technology that runs Gears of War (and practically every other game this generation), Project Sword is an action-RPG that allows players to explore a fully 3D world in hopes of taking down the ‘legendary god-king,’ wrote John Funk at The Escapist website, which is based in Durham.

"Combat is controlled either by "slashing" your finger across the screen, or dragging-and-dropping special attacks (like a boot to the face) for less-twitchy players," he added.

Gaming website PlaySwitch described "Project Sword" as "medieval-style sword-slashing adventure where combat plays a central role. "

“A gorgeous 3D world filled with an impressive amount of detail,” is how TechRadar described Project Sword.

Epic is best known for hits mega-selling hits "Gears of War" and "Unreal Tournament" franchises as well as the globally used Unreal game development engine.

A team of programmers, artists and testers developed Epic Citadel in two months.

The app can be

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