Today, Codemasters announced the new name for the studios' latest proprietary middleware. Titled EGO Game Technology Engine, the technology is the latest iteration of Neon, which powered DiRT. The middleware, which has seen nearly three years of development, will be used in both Race Driver: GRID and Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

"Officially naming the EGO Engine takes our middleware from having a project title to becoming a tech brand," said Gavin Cheshire, VP, Codemasters Studios. "Developing the engine, even through its initial phases, has been lengthy and a major investment for Codemasters. Not every third-party is in a position to devote resources to such an ambitious project and stay competitive. However, at Codemasters, we've invested in the technology and the support infrastructure to ensure all titles have an impressive and competitive edge."

"With the EGO Engine we have technology that is specific to our needs and one that doesn't force us to compromise," said Bryan Marshall, Chief Technology Officer, Codemasters Studios. "Particularly for Operation Flashpoint 2, we simply could not fulfill the ambitions we have for the game with any off-the-shelf middleware; certainly not one that enabled us to develop across the major fifth generation consoles simultaneously with PC, rather than as an afterthought, and no one was doing that."

"We made significant investments in our own cross-platform, multi-genre development solution in anticipation of the next generation console transition," said Rod Cousens, CEO of Codemasters. "Now we are in a position to rev mature middleware technology to get the most from today's leading game systems. The EGO Engine is already making its mark on the industry with award-winning, multi-million-unit selling titles."