Saw this this morning and I am excited in a way I can’t fully elucidate. Unreal Engine is my favourite game making product by a fairly long stretch – its abstractions (first-class state, for example) have always been elegant, and the ability to mod is nothing short of incredible. Opening up the development of the game itself is a logical next step, but it was logical ten years ago.I’m glad to see that after the long darkness that was Gears of War they’ve returned to that community.
I think it’s probably a better historical moment for it; openness in the creative process has never been richer, and I expect some absolutely fascinating things to come out of the process.