Epic launches design contest for students and aspiring developers

Epic Games has teamed up with Intel to kickstart another round for of its ‘$1m to make something Unreal’ competition.

The competition challenges aspiring developers to build a mod for the PC version of Unreal Tournament 3 in a wide range of categories.

A total prize fund of $1m is up for grabs. The first time the studio ran the competition, World War II shooter Red Orchestra and its developer Tripwire was ‘discovered’; the team won $80,000 in cash, computer hardware – and eventually saw their game released at retail.

“To all you aspiring game developers out there – this is your chance to get in the big leagues. We have categories for all kinds of creatively talented people including programmers, artists, 3D modelers, designers and even aspiring film directors,” commented Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games.

“You get to use the same world-class Unreal Engine 3 toolset we used to create Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War. Unreal Engine 3 is used by many of the industry’s leading game companies, so this is truly a chance to prove your worth and get your foot in the door of the game business while having your work potentially exposed to millions."

Universities and students are invited to participate as well.

“We look forward to being part of this year’s competition,” said Dr. Peter Raad, founder and executive director of The Guildhall at SMU. “Unreal Engine technology has been a cornerstone of our program and has been a big part of us sending more than 180 artists, level designers and programmers since 2004 to work at more than 70 video game studios around the world.”