Epic Games Expects Mobile Gaming for Next Generation of Consoles

Mark Rein, who is the vice president of developer Epic Games, has said that he expects mobile gaming to dominate the future, with the new generation of gaming consoles all featuring mobility as one of the most important features.

Talking to develop Mark Rein took a look into the next few years of gaming hardware, saying “Imagine a future Xbox 360 that is actually a tablet you carry around. It will have more power than 360 does today, with technology like Kinect built right in.”

He added, “Imagine walking into a bar with some friends, propping it up on the table and playing games like Dance Central or Kinect Adventures anywhere you go. Then when you get home that same device will use technology like AirPlay or wireless HDMI to connect to your big screen, you’ll pick up a wireless controller, or use your phone as controller to play games like Gears of War.”

The statements from the Epic executive come just as his company has released a demo, called Epic Citadel, which shows what the Unreal Engine 3 can do when ported to iOS powered devices, like the iPhone and the new iPad Touch.

Epic Games is also working on a full fledged first person video game for the Apple operating system, a role playing game title codenamed Project Sword.

The company has made a lot of money from licensing its Unreal Engine 3, which has powered blockbusters like Bioshock 2, Star Wars, Mass Effect, Borderlands or Batman: Arkham Asylum.

It makes sense for Epic to branch out into mobile gaming, considering the increase in processing power they are currently experiencing and the amounts of money consumers are prepared to spend to game on them.

Recently Epic Games announced that Gears of War 3, their over the should shooter that is exclusive to the Xbox 360, has been delayed to the fall of 2011 from its April launch spot.