Java is actually not that bad – Java with LWJGL gets you within a factor of 1.6 to C++ performance, while actually being "write once run everywhere" (for PC, at least). That’s good enough.
Maybe on a Hotspot VM with JIT, while using frivolous amounts of memory for good GC performance.
You're not allowed to do JIT on consoles or mobile and you're memory constrained. A PC-only game engine is going to be a tough sell these days.
Also, unless you're bundling a JVM (not sure about the legals here) you have to make your Windows (i.e. primary) customers install the obnoxious Oracle Java runtime.
You're not allowed to do JIT on consoles or mobile and you're memory constrained. A PC-only game engine is going to be a tough sell these days.
Also, unless you're bundling a JVM (not sure about the legals here) you have to make your Windows (i.e. primary) customers install the obnoxious Oracle Java runtime.