About the Author

Matthias Worch

Unreal Engine

Lumen in the Land of Nanite

We made this demo to introduce the world to the future of Unreal Engine 5, showcasing two new technologies in particular: Nanite (virtualized geometry) and Lumen (realtime global illumination). This is a fully playable gameplay demo that runs on Playstation 5 (it even includes an attract mode and a drone).

Mafia 3

‘Mafia III’ Is Free on PS+ and It’s Not Only Good, It’s Important

Another Mafia 3 retrospective that I appreciated. Mafia 3 is probably not free when you read this, but it’s available as a “Definitive Edition”, which is an easy way to get the entire experience (with all DLCs) for cheap.

“I always like when there’s an excuse (we use the term “news peg” around here, thank you very much) to talk about a great game from the last couple of years. Mafia III, Hangar 13’s ambitious, laudable open-world crime game from 2016 has been free on PS+ this month, and will be for the next few days. If you haven’t played it, I encourage you to do so—it’s a good game, and maybe more pressingly, an important one, a rare example of a big budget game that says something, in a clear, powerful voice, about race in America.”

My Games, Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine

I started working with Epic in 1998, shipping the Unreal Mission Pack and Unreal 2. I started working for Epic Games in 2018 as the design lead of the Special Projects group, which makes all of our forward-looking tech demos. We frequently collaborate with partners on genre & boundary-pushing projects, as well.

I’ve occasionally moonlighted on Fortnite.

A few of the projects I’ve shipped with Epic are listed below.

Mafia 3

Steve Gaynor and Austin Walker talk Mafia 3 on the Waypoint Podcast

This was a great, thoughtful and complementary podcast on Mafia 3 that I deeply appreciated.

“We chat about everything from the game’s dynamic gunfights and cinematic car chases to its handling of race and history. We talk about the continuity of open world games that Mafia 3 exists in—yes, including Far Cry 2. We consider the impact the game will have on future designers—including on Gaynor, himself.We even dig into the secret post-credits ending, and talk about what implications about the future of the series that stinger holds.”