Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, the collaborative Comcept/Team Ninja/Spark Unlimited action game, isn’t just undead, it’s also Unreal. Tecmo Koei has licensed Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games Japan for use in the new zombie-filled spinoff.
“In the past I have been involved with numerous projects built upon Unreal Engine 3, so I understand its benefits and reliability,” Keiji Inafune said. “Unreal allows us to focus on making the game fun, and to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in the shortest time possible.”
Ichigaya Development Group 1 studio head Yosuke Hayashi pointed to Unreal’s potential usefulness for refining gameplay, saying that “Unreal Engine allows us to quickly and efficiently iterate on countless ideas, and ‘YAIBA’ is now taking on a life of its own.”
Of course, these are both marketing-y press release quotes, but they point to UE3 as a choice made to keep development quick and economical.
