Epic iOS game challenge aquires roleplay ip

Epic Games has aquired the rights to use the Fighting Fantasy roleplaying series as the inspiration for apps to be created in the Make Something Unreal Live challenge for iOS.

Make Something Unreal Live is co-sponsored by Epic Games, and Train2Game, and is a unique, independent games design challenge to culminate in a final live showdown and unveiling April 10-15 at the Birmingham NEC in Birmingham, UK. .

The teams will have their apps published to the app store this spring.

Four Fighting Fantasy roleplaying books, authored by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, will be used by those participating in the challenge as the basis for their app, with each team building an app based on a different book.

Teams must adhere to IP guidlines and make regular milestone submissions. Industry veterans will serve as guest mentors for the teams. 

“Steve Jackson and I are delighted to see our ‘Fighting Fantasy’ gamebooks being developed as iOS games by new teams of talented and enthusiastic students. It will be really interesting to see how our IP will be captured and interpreted for the iOS platform,” said Ian Livingstone. “This competition is a great way to showcase the creative talent of a new generation. The evolving games industry is constantly on the lookout for design innovation and new ways of playing. I am really looking forward to playing one of my books as a game."

The teams, sourced from Epic Games and Train2Game, will build their apps using Unreal Engine 3, and appear before 10,000 spectators in the final live showdown.

The winning team will recieve a full source and commercial iOS license for Unreal Engine 3.