EA Motive could be using Unreal Engine for the development of its Iron Man project, as hinted by a recent job listing for the studio. The gaming industry is currently going through a major shift as in-house engines are being dropped for Unreal. Electronic Arts and its studios are at the epicenter of this transition, but it's still unclear whether each EA project will be made on Unreal or something else. EA Motive's Iron Man is just the latest example.
Electronic Arts has historically prioritized in-house engines for its biggest game releases. In 2012, EA said its Frostbite 2.0 Engine was being built for the PS4 and Xbox One generation of consoles, though it was Frostbite 3.0 that would ultimately serve that role. Yet Frostbite's limitations have proven extreme. Mass Effect: Andromeda, Battlefront 2, and Anthem are prominent examples of frustrations with Frostbite. Those were all very expensive lessons.
EA Motive may be moving on. A job listing for a Senior Level Designer at Motive is stirring up a conversation about Iron Man's development. The position asks for applicants to have a "familiarity with an advanced game engine like Unreal." That isn't an outright confirmation that Iron Man is being made on Unreal, of course. EA Motive can't exactly ask for experience with Frostbite, which is only available in-house. But it is eyebrow-raising amid EA's broader engine shift.
While there's no official confirmation of EA's engine plans for future projects, there are reports of several upcoming games being developed on Unreal instead of Frostbite. Mass Effect 4 is rumored to be built on Unreal Engine 5. The next Sims game is rumored to be using Unreal. Respawn's Star Wars games are built on Unreal. Perhaps Iron Man will be the next EA project to not be on Frostbite.
Frostbite is still heavily in use within EA, though. EA Motive specifically, still uses the engine. The Dead Space remake launches in a week and is built on Frostbite 3.0. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is also being built on Frostbite. The future of the Frostbite engine is, at least outside of EA, entirely unclear.
Obviously, for video game players the engine a game is built on matters very little next to the quality of the project itself. Dead Space's release will be more indicative of EA Motive's capabilities than any news regarding Frostbite or Unreal. Still, it's also true that Frosbite has a negative reputation and Unreal has a positive one right now. Confirmation of Iron Man being built on Unreal would, at the very least, build up some excitement it otherwise may not have received.
Iron Man is currently in development.
Source: Gaming Bolt