FBI and other US agencies licence Unreal engine

The FBI and other US government agencies have signed a licensing deal with Epic to use the engine for training programmes.

The report, found on Virtual Heroes via the BBC, states the agencies will use the engine to support the technology on web browsers, consoles and handheld devices.

It is part of a "long-term agreement" but full financial terms weren't disclosed; however statement said that one agency agreement - the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) - was worth more than $10m USD.

IARPA said they will use the engine to build "serious games" that are "designed to help intelligence analysts tackle instinctual biases that might colour their findings," whatever that means.

Previously, America's Army 3 was developed for the US Army as a recruitment tool by Virtual Heroes.

The BBC also reports the importance of the technology in training, and the military's acceptance of the technology as a tool.

Colonel Robert "Pat" White, the deputy commander of the US Army's Combined Arms Center-Training said "[L]eaders know it's better to practice something first before you do it for real in live training. Live training is where our highest risk and greatest expense comes from."