Epic Games

The services will be offered as part of the studio's Epic Online Services suite, which is available to use with any game engine and supports Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. The new voice chat service is cross platform and supports both one-on-one and party chat in lobbies and during in-game matches, The Verge reported on Tuesday.

The latest chapter also comes with a revamped Battle Pass system that uses battle stars, reducing the level grind and making individual items easier to nab. The story trailer shows Fortnite's denizens reacting to the arrival of a huge UFO that hovers ominously over the island and consumes the Zero Point energy source, Engadget reported.

The real-time 3D creation platform Unreal Engine 5 will deliver the freedom, fidelity and flexibility to create next-generation games that will blow players' minds. "Groundbreaking new features such as Nanite and Lumen provide a generational leap in visual fidelity, while the new World Partition system enables the creation of expansive worlds with scalable content," the company said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims the company's name "looks and sounds virtually identical" to Unreal and said that was "no coincidence", Engadget reported on Monday. Epic also said in the suit that the two companies are competing in the same market and suggested the similarity could cause confusion, the report said. Nreal released its Nreal Light mixed-reality glasses in South Korea last year and it plans to launch them in the US this quarter

According to The Verge, a 222-page confidential document, filed as part of the Epic vs Apple trial, reveals a broad effort to compete with Steam during 2020 with free games, Fortnite promotions, and more. The documents also show that Epic offered Sony $200 million for at least four first-party PlayStation games last year, ahead of a bigger push by Sony to bring more of its PlayStation games to PC.

According to documents made available (via Android Police) during the Epic Games vs Apple trial, Psyonix, which was acquired by Epic Games, is planning to create a next-generation launcher for Rocket League that would bring the full experience to all platforms, including mobile.

Under the subject line "iOS as an open platform," Sweeney emailed Cook directly to make the case for allowing other app stores to distribute software on iOS, reports The Verge. "The App Store has done much good for the industry, but it doesn't seem tenable for Apple to be the sole arbiter of expression and commerce over an app platform approaching a billion users," read the email that was made public during the trial.

Founded in 2014, ArtStation provides a platform for creators across games, media and entertainment where they can develop and share their portfolios, post and discover job opportunities. "The ArtStation leadership team brings tremendous talent and an unparalleled track record of supporting a vibrant creator community and ecosystem," said Epic Games vice president and general manager Marc Petit said in a statement.

According to The Verge, expert Ned Barnes testified that "information from Apple's Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis group show the App Store had a 77.8 per cent operating margin in 2019, and 74.9 per cent in 2018". Apple has contested that interpretation of the data, saying "we don't have a separate profit and loss statement for the App Store".

The Fortnite developer views Microsoft's xCloud service as competition to its PC offerings, and the company is deliberately not offering Fortnite on xCloud as a result. Joe Kreiner, Epic's Vice President of Business Development, was questioned over why Fortnite isn't available on xCloud and confirmed it was a deliberate choice, The Verge reported.