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LithTech
LithTech is a game engine developed by Monolith Productions and comparable with the Quake and Unreal engines. Monolith and a number of other video game developers have used LithTech as the basis for their first-person shooter games.
Monolith initially developed the engine for Microsoft before purchasing the rights to it and licensing it to other developers via subsidiary LithTech Inc. The licensing company was renamed to Touchdown Entertainment in 2003 and later absorbed into Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment after its acquisition of Monolith.
The last version of LithTech offered for licensing was Jupiter EX, initially released in 2005, however Monolith has continued to use LithTech technology in their games, including Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, released in 2014.
After the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the studio started working on a new engine (based on LithTech technology) for larger-scale battles called "Firebird".
Originally the LithTech engine was supposed to be called DirectEngine, as Monolith was developing it for Microsoft to be included as a 3D engine for use with Microsoft's DirectX technology. When Microsoft decided not to use the engine Monolith bought back the rights to it and continued development on their own. They changed the engine's name to Lithtech and licensed it to other companies. In the following years, the LithTech team was split off into a separate company, LithTech Inc., which was renamed Touchdown Entertainment in March 2003. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V1.
Starting with LithTech 2.0, LithTech Inc. began the process of creating many different versions of the engine. Monolith released their game No One Lives Forever (NOLF) featuring this version of the engine, however it was later revised to LithTech 2.2. The game received an upgrade to LithTech 2.2 in a patch release. The LithTech team then continued to improve version 2.2 for its licensees, resulting in the 2.3 and 2.4 iterations.
LithTech cooperated with RealNetworks in developing a custom version of LithTech 2.2 called RealArcade LithTech (or LithTech ESD). Among its features it supported streaming media for in-game billboards/ads, and could be used with RealNetworks' gaming site. At one time, RealArcade LithTech could be licensed by developers if they signed an agreement with RealNetworks. This engine was used on an internally developed title, Tex Atomic's Big Bot Battles. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V2, and seemingly lumps in Talon.
LithTech Inc. developed a different engine specifically for Monolith's title, Aliens versus Predator 2. LithTech Talon was based on LithTech 2.2, rather than LithTech 2.4. Because of this choice, LithTech 2.4, RealArcade LithTech, and LithTech Talon became largely incompatible with each other. However, reviewers still thought of it as inferior to Unreal or id Tech.
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LithTech
LithTech is a game engine developed by Monolith Productions and comparable with the Quake and Unreal engines. Monolith and a number of other video game developers have used LithTech as the basis for their first-person shooter games.
Monolith initially developed the engine for Microsoft before purchasing the rights to it and licensing it to other developers via subsidiary LithTech Inc. The licensing company was renamed to Touchdown Entertainment in 2003 and later absorbed into Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment after its acquisition of Monolith.
The last version of LithTech offered for licensing was Jupiter EX, initially released in 2005, however Monolith has continued to use LithTech technology in their games, including Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, released in 2014.
After the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the studio started working on a new engine (based on LithTech technology) for larger-scale battles called "Firebird".
Originally the LithTech engine was supposed to be called DirectEngine, as Monolith was developing it for Microsoft to be included as a 3D engine for use with Microsoft's DirectX technology. When Microsoft decided not to use the engine Monolith bought back the rights to it and continued development on their own. They changed the engine's name to Lithtech and licensed it to other companies. In the following years, the LithTech team was split off into a separate company, LithTech Inc., which was renamed Touchdown Entertainment in March 2003. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V1.
Starting with LithTech 2.0, LithTech Inc. began the process of creating many different versions of the engine. Monolith released their game No One Lives Forever (NOLF) featuring this version of the engine, however it was later revised to LithTech 2.2. The game received an upgrade to LithTech 2.2 in a patch release. The LithTech team then continued to improve version 2.2 for its licensees, resulting in the 2.3 and 2.4 iterations.
LithTech cooperated with RealNetworks in developing a custom version of LithTech 2.2 called RealArcade LithTech (or LithTech ESD). Among its features it supported streaming media for in-game billboards/ads, and could be used with RealNetworks' gaming site. At one time, RealArcade LithTech could be licensed by developers if they signed an agreement with RealNetworks. This engine was used on an internally developed title, Tex Atomic's Big Bot Battles. In 2024 the Monolith website christened this incarnation as V2, and seemingly lumps in Talon.
LithTech Inc. developed a different engine specifically for Monolith's title, Aliens versus Predator 2. LithTech Talon was based on LithTech 2.2, rather than LithTech 2.4. Because of this choice, LithTech 2.4, RealArcade LithTech, and LithTech Talon became largely incompatible with each other. However, reviewers still thought of it as inferior to Unreal or id Tech.