Sega was spearheading the open-source engine project, and Sony absolutely could not be left out.
Spending a little money to secure a co-founder's seat would not only grant them immediate access to the most cutting-edge graphics technology documentation but also prevent Sega from sabotaging PlayStation in the underlying code.
Nobuyuki Idei cared that the alliance would not be without Sony's influence, while Ken Kutaragi valued Carmack's underlying code.
PlayStation's development tools were not as powerful or user-friendly as the set Sega had been refining since the Mega Drive era. With Carmack coordinating the API interfaces for the general-purpose engine, the difficulty of game development on PlayStation would be drastically reduced, making third-party manufacturers more willing to develop games for Sony.
The list of names continued to unfold.
The Japanese third-party giants lined up one after another:
Konami, Square, Enix, Namco.
The lineup left the Western media in the audience stunned.
Two of the three major console manufacturers, along with Japan's four top third-party software companies, had all invested in this project.
Konami's presence was the most surprising.
In recent years, Konami had been acting like a real dog in the industry.
Kazumasa Kozuki had shifted massive resources into the pachinko business last month, strictly controlling the budget for the Game Development Department.
They were always the first to reap the rewards but the last to do the groundwork.
Konami had always kept its distance from this kind of thankless, low-level technical research.
Had they suddenly changed their tune today?
In the VIP seats, Konami's representative sat steadily.
Kazumasa Kozuki's calculations were sharper than anyone else's.
He knew Konami's internal culture leaned toward conservatism; if they kept this up, their technical prowess would inevitably fall behind.
Allocating a huge sum of money to develop a 3D engine that could rival Sega's Model 3? The Board of Directors would never approve it.
But now, there was a bargain to be had.
Sega, Sony, and id Software were footing the bill, building the framework.
Konami only needed to make a modest investment to legitimately allow its development teams to learn and adopt this cutting-edge engine from day one.
With this as their foundation, they could ensure their technical prowess remained in the top tier while drastically reducing overhead. This amount of money was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the profits from Pachinko arcade machines, yet it bought them seamless access to the world's most advanced 3D graphics rendering technology.
It was a guaranteed win.
The addition of Square and Enix confirmed David's earlier speculation. These two RPG giants had already been paving the way for next-gen development. Namco's reasoning was identical to Konami's: they were all seeking the optimal balance between technology and cost.
Beyond the co-founders on stage, a large group of third-party manufacturer representatives sat in the audience.
The producers from Koei and Falcom stared at the large screen, nodding repeatedly. Their funding was limited, and their development teams had always been small. Every time they faced a cross-platform port, their programmers were worked to the bone. Koei made historical simulation games with massive amounts of data, but graphics had never been their strong suit.
With every new console launch, Koei had to spend a fortune researching hardware specifications.
The UE Engine's focus on cross-platform compilation and unified interfaces was a lifeline tailor-made for small and mid-sized teams like theirs. If the engine worked well, the cost of cross-platform development would plummet.
One codebase, compiled for three versions: Jupiter, PlayStation, and PC.
Development costs would be slashed.
They were the project's most fervent supporters.
On the other side, an EA executive leaned back in his chair, his face a mask of indifference.
EA had a massive internal technical team and a mature, proprietary engine. Sports games required a specific physics engine, so EA built their own. No matter how good this open-source project was, EA couldn't control it.
Pay to build someone else's empire? EA wouldn't stand for that.
Their strategy was clear: don't get involved, don't invest.
When the engine was finally finished, if it was good, they'd use it for free. If not, they'd stick with their own.
"Taking and using" was the most reliable business model.
Carmack ignored the scheming corporate representatives in the audience.
He cast aside social niceties, focusing directly on the technical logic.
On the whiteboard, he drew several nodes and connected them with lines.
"The Core Layer will only retain the basic math library, memory management, and multithreaded scheduling," Carmack said, tapping the whiteboard sharply with the tip of his marker. "The Renderer, Physics System, and Audio Module will all be made into pluggable modules. This will future-proof us against changes in hardware architecture."
"We'll adopt a DCO mechanism. Developers only need to sign off to confirm the originality of their code submissions, making the process extremely lightweight. This will do the most to alleviate the copyright concerns of individual developers."
He erased the lines he had just drawn and wrote the words "Asset Store" in their place.
"Technology is one thing; content is another," Carmack said in a steady tone, expounding on the theory Takuya Nakayama had used to convince him a year ago. "The Foundation will provide an official Asset Store. Artists and level designers can put a price on high-definition textures, polygonal models, and lighting preset schemes for sale. Game companies will be exempt from licensing fees for the engine in the early stages. Once the game is released and its total revenue reaches a certain threshold, the Foundation will collect a royalty fee."
As soon as this revenue-sharing model was unveiled, the independent developers and representatives from small and medium-sized studios in the audience couldn't sit still.
Free upfront, with royalties only after making a fortune.
This was far better than paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a one-time commercial engine license, drastically reducing their cash flow pressure.
Carmack tossed the whiteboard marker into a nearby pen holder.
"The Foundation will issue detailed rules and legal terms later."
He walked to the edge of the stage, looking at the media and peers below.
"The core code for Quake is already finalized. The rest of the work has been handed over to John Romero." Carmack crossed his arms over his chest. "From now on, I will focus my main energy on the open-source engine community project. I will take the position of Chairman of the UE Technical Committee."
This statement carried far more weight than all the commercial terms mentioned before.
The world's top graphics programmer was stepping back from his daily development work at id Software to devote himself full-time to the architectural evolution of an open-source project.
The industry professionals in the audience erupted in cheers.
David scribbled notes furiously in his notebook.
This wasn't just a software tool release; it was a fundamental reshaping of the gaming industry's core logic. Capital, technology, and developers were being forcibly bound together by this engine called UE.
The lights on the main stage flared back to life.
Carmack dragged his whiteboard offstage without a backward glance.
The presentation ended with brutal efficiency. No sentimental closing remarks, no group photos with executives.
Paul stuffed his camera into his bag and let out a long breath.
"Sega and id have played a masterstroke," Paul said, shaking his head. "They've dragged Sony and the other Japanese giants onto their side. Nintendo's probably about to flip a table over this."
David stowed his voice recorder.
"The technical barriers have been torn down," he said, staring at the empty stage. "Small and mid-sized teams won't have to waste their energy reinventing the wheel anymore. The number of games we'll see at next year's E3... it's going to be a terrifying figure."
The noise in the hall swelled.
Representatives from various companies huddled in urgent conversation, while journalists rushed to the press center to break the news.
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