Unity 5 announced, brings 'massive update' to game developers

Unity 5—billed as "a massive update" to the multiplatform game engine and toolkit—was unveiled today at Game Developers Conference 2014.

Unity Technologies, makers of the suite, said Unity 5 will overhaul the game's audio toolset and deliver upgraded lighting and and a physically based shader system. It now is a 64-bit engine with this release, Unity Technologies added.

Of note, Unity 5 will also include the launch of a cross-promotion network for mobile games called Unity Cloud, "enabling mobile game developers to run full-screen interstitial ads in their mobile games, as well as exchange ad units with other Unity developers."

This afternoon, Unity Technologies released the following 5-minute video showcasing the new features and capabilities of the engine.

The last full version, Unity 4, launched in November 2012. Unity supports development on all mobile OSes, plus Windows, MacOS and Linux, the PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Games developed with Unity range from acclaimed indie titles like Gone Home, to mobile hits like Temple Run, to the upcoming Wasteland 2 on PC.