Unreal dev contest winners score publishing deal

A team of aspiring developers have landed a publishing deal with THQ just months after winning the 2010 Unreal Engine game design contest.

Michael Hegemann and The Haunted Team, who last year emerged victorious from the Make Something Unreal competition, will see their winning game published across the world in a matter of weeks.

Their game, The Haunted, is scheduled for an October digital release across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

The Haunted Team was awarded $50,000 and a full UE3 commercial licence for winning Make Somethig Unreal last year.

The competition provides young game designers the chance to break onto the industry spotlight armed with cash and free reign over a high-end engine.

The Haunted’s commercial release will be a testament to Unreal’s ability to create commercial product from bedroom and classroom coding.

"The winners of the contest are an extremely talented group of individuals and we are thrilled to bring their first video game to the market," said Maleea Barnett of THQ division ValuSoft.

"The Haunted is a suspenseful thriller that delivers a rich blend of combat and action/adventure, set in eerily dark environments and is guaranteed to have horror enthusiasts and hardcore gamers at the edge of their seats throughout the entire nail-biting experience."