Codemasters, developer and publisher of award-winning video games, today announced the EGO Game Technology Engine as the distinctive new name for Codemasters Studios’ proprietary middleware.

With a new name befitting its accomplishments and future potential, the EGO Engine is the evolution of the Studios’ core technology, the first generation of which, called Neon, powered the creation of award-winning racer DiRT.

Central to the creation of all games at Codemasters Studios, the EGO Engine is a continuous multi-platform project that has already benefited from almost three years of development within Codemasters’ Central Technology unit.

Following the successful deployment of the base technology in DiRT, the enhanced middleware is now being utilized in the development of GRID to drive the title’s highly detailed new damage and physics systems, and the massive environments that will become battlegrounds in Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

"Officially naming the EGO Engine takes our middleware from having a project title to becoming a tech brand," said Gavin Cheshire, VP, Codemasters Studios.  "Developing the engine, even through its initial phases, has been lengthy and a major investment for Codemasters. Not every third-party is in a position to devote resources to such an ambitious project and stay competitive. However, at Codemasters, we’ve invested in the technology and the support infrastructure to ensure all titles have an impressive and competitive edge."

"With the EGO Engine we have technology that is specific to our needs and one that doesn’t force us to compromise," said Bryan Marshall, Chief Technology Officer, Codemasters Studios.  "Particularly for Operation Flashpoint 2, we simply could not fulfill the ambitions we have for the game with any off-the-shelf middleware; certainly not one that enabled us to develop across the major fifth generation consoles simultaneously with PC, rather than as an afterthought, and no one was doing that."

On-going development of the EGO Engine formed part of the £40.5m ($84.3m) Codemasters invested in game design and technical development in the 12 month fiscal period to June 30, 2007, an increase of over 150% over the previous year.

"We made significant investments in our own cross-platform, multi-genre development solution in anticipation of the next generation console transition," said Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters.  "Now we are in a position to rev mature middleware technology to get the most from today’s leading game systems.  The EGO Engine is already making its mark on the industry with award-winning, multi-million-unit selling titles."