During this year’s GDC, Epic Games gave out more than a half a million dollars in Unreal developer grants. According to a press release that was sent out earlier today, over thirty developers, artists, and programmers were all chosen for an Unreal dev grant after Epic Games got to see their incredible creations all through the use of the popular Unreal Engine 4.
For those who are unaware of the Unreal Dev Grants, Epic Games has placed a $5,000,000 development fund to provide financial grants to those that show off an incredible and innovative project built around Unreal Engine 4. Those who signup could have a chance of winning anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 with no strings or requirements attached. Developers can continue on with their project, publish it however they would like, or scrap it completely to use the funds without any restrictions or obligations to Epic.
As mentioned, there were plenty of winners from this year’s GDC event and if you missed out on who won or their project and concept idea, take a look at the winners and their projects down below. While we don’t know what the future holds for some of these titles and winners, regardless, we would like to know what your favorite project is from the winners listed down below by dropping a comment.
Giant
Milica Zec & Winslow Turner Porter III
Giant is an emotional, critically acclaimed VR film revealed at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, showing on Oculus. Drawing on director and co-creator Milica Zec’s personal experiences as a child in war-torn Serbia, Giant transports the viewer into the life of a family struggling to survive in an active war zone. Follow @milicazec and @Giant_VR on Twitter.
Thunderbird
Innervision VR
Thunderbird is an immersive first-person adventure game designed and created by a team of two – a father and son. Thunderbird takes players on a fantastical journey and was recently the winner of “Best VR Experience” at the recent Vision Summit. Follow @InnervisionVR on Twitter and check out gameplay trailers on Innervision Games’ YouTube channel.
Astroneer
System Era
Astroneer, the upcoming sci-fi adventure game from System Era Softworks, is a game of aerospace industry and interplanetary exploration where players must find a way to dig out a life on one of a multitude of harsh new worlds while discovering oddities, raising questions, and uncovering mysteries. Follow @astroneergame on Twitter and read more on Astroneer on the official website.
Obduction
Cyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INKH_iBak8
Obduction is Cyan’s highly anticipated spiritual successor to Myst and Riven and is scheduled for release in June 2016 on PC. Follow @cyanworlds on Twitter and check out the teaser trailer on Cyan’s YouTube channel.
GRIP
Caged Element
Caged Element’s GRIP is a futuristic combat racer inspired by the Rollcage games from 1999/2000. It combines furious speed with intense action to create unforgettable racing moments. The game is currently on Steam right now! Follow @gripvideogame on Twitter and check out the Early Access launch trailer on GRIP’s YouTube channel.
Traverse
Mad Cow Studio
Traverse is a massively multiplayer online sandbox game currently in development by Mad Cow Studio. The game combines many elements from various game styles, ranging from class-based character specialization and action-based combat to voxel-based planet shaping. Find out more on Traverse on the official website.
Voidrunner
Reality Arts
RealityArts’ Voidrunner is a multiplayer flight game currently planned for release on PC, Mac and consoles. Follow @VoidrunnerGame on Twitter and view Voidrunner’s cinematic and gameplay trailers on their YouTube channel.
Way to the Woods
Anthony Tan
Way to the Woods is an adventure game created by 16-year-old Anthony Tan, based in Australia. Way to the Woods, which first gained notoriety after Tan released images of the project on Reddit, is currently being developed for PC. Follow @anthony_tan on Twitter and take a look at the highly praised art from the game here.
Ashen
Aurora44
Ashen is a third person action RPG from Aurora44. At its core, Ashen is about forging relationships and allowing players to guide those they trust to their camp to come together in order to survive. Follow @aurora44games on Twitter and check out the announce trailer on Xbox’s YouTube channel.
Terror Web
Sam Macaroni
Terror Web is a virtual reality first person shooter game where the player finds themselves fighting to survive against giant spiders in the destroyed streets of a city. Terror Web was created by YouTube personality Sam Macaroni with the help of his partner Tim Montijo, and currently has a demo playable on the HTC Vive. Follow @sammacaroni on Twitter and check out his videos on his YouTube channel.
Project Genom
NeuronHaze
NeuronHaze’s Project Genom is a sci-fi MMORPG set in an alien world that allows players to participate in the battle for the survival of humankind. Follow @pgenom on Twitter and view the trailer on Project Genom’s YouTube channel.
Project Moss
Former Bungie Developers
The Seattle-based team behind Project Moss is comprised of former Bungie developers working on an upcoming game for VR platforms. Look out for more information about this project in the future.
Perception
Deep End Games
Perception is a new narrative horror adventure from Deep End Games, a studio comprised of developers who previously worked on the BioShock and Dead Space games. Perception offers a bold and fresh take on first person narrative games, and tells the story of a blind heroine who uses her other senses to unravel mysteries of an abandoned estate that haunts her dreams. Follow @thedeependgames on Twitter and view the Perception gameplay trailer on Creative director Creative Director Bill Gardner’s YouTube channel.
Probuilder
Six by Seven Studio
Six by Seven Studio’s Probuilder is a popular Unity plugin for geometry tools that has been ported to UE4. Find out more on Probuilder on the their thread on the UE4 forums.
RUINER
Reikon Games
RUINER is a brutal action shooter set in the year 2091, created by Reikon Games. It’s a story-driven game created in the spirit of cult cyberpunk anime. Follow @ruinergame on Twitter and watch the gameplay teaser trailer on RUINER’s YouTube channel.
Wartile
Playwood Games
WARTILE is a real time strategy game for PC and tablets from studio Playwood Games in which players must lead a small band of miniature figures to battle on the battle board. Follow @wartilegame on Twitter and find out more details on the game on the official website and Kickstarter page.
Shape of the World
Hollow Tree Games
Shape of the World is an ephemeral first-person exploration game from Hollow Tree Games. The game is set for release on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Mac later this year. Follow @shapeoftheworld on Twitter and check out the official trailer on Shape of the World’s YouTube channel.
Rense De Boer
Rense De Boer
Rense is an artist building content that uses photogrammetry as its foundation, in turn, creating breathtaking technical demos that will fully utilize 4k displays. View more of Rense’s work on his official website, and check out his video, “Building a 4k experience, on YouTube.
UE4Arch
UE4Arch
UE4Arch utilizes UE4 to create hyper-realistic virtual creations that can be experienced in virtual reality. UE4Arch was also the first company to create interactive photo realistic archviz projects for UE4 and is at the forefront of this market. Follow @ue4arch on Twitter and find out more details on UE4Arch on the official website.
Nebula: Sole Survivor
Bruno Gruber de Araujo
NEBULA: Sole Survivor is an exploration-focused role-playing game from Bruno Gruber de Araujo that combines action and RPG elements. The sci-fi shooter will have players killing hordes of aliens and solving mysteries to find their way out of this godforsaken rock! Follow @solidmesh on Twitter for the latest updates and support the game development on Patreon.
Aurora
Jason Connell
Jason Connell’s Aurora is an upcoming minimalist short story is told through captivating music and visuals. Follow @artenvelope on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest developments and to see the latest clips from the game.
Brookhaven Experiment
Phosphor Games
Phosphor Games’ Brookhaven Experiment is a virtual reality survival shooter for the HTC Vive. Players will have to use the weapons and tools provided to survive terrifying waves of horrific monsters in an attempt to figure out what caused the beginning of the end of the world. Follow @phosphorgames on Twitter and check out the announcement trailer on Phosphor Games’ YouTube channel.
Dungeon Architect
Ali Akbar
Dungeon Architect is a plugin for the Unreal Editor created by Ali Akbar. The plugin helps in streamlining the level creation process and allows designers to quickly create levels procedurally (or manually) by blocking out volumes and having the plugin build the environment automatically around it. Find out more details on the plugin on the UE4 forum and watch it in action on Akbar’s YouTube channel.
Submerge
Ice Bird Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKE4jyS1Ulw
Submerge is a fast-paced, tactical survival game from Ice Bird Studios. The RTS game is set underwater and focuses mainly on thrilling multiplayer matches. Follow @submerge_game on Twitter and watch the gameplay trailer on Submerge Gameplay’s YouTube page.
Deliver us the Moon
KeokeN Interactive
KeokeN Interactive’s Deliver Us The Moon is a game set in the near future, where Earth’s resources are nearly depleted and players must traverse the moon, explore abandoned facilities and perhaps even uncover some secrets and hidden agendas with the information you gather. Follow @keoken on Twitter and find out more about the game on the official website.
Dries Deryckere
Dries Deryckere
Dries is Game Graphics student at Howest University in Belgium and the creator of the Destructible Car in Unreal Engine. Follow @theturtletim on Twitter and check out his video of the destructible car on Vimeo.
Adam Hovarth
Adam Horvarth
Adam is an AR developer and an active member of the UE4 community. He was spotlighted in the media for his amazing creation of an AR fight scene using a UE4 plugin. Watch the AR fight scene video, along with other UE4-powered videos on Horvath’s YouTube channel.
Solitairica
Righteous Hammer
Righteous Hammer’s Solitairica is a mix between a card game and RPG battler. The mobile game is slated to release on iOS later this year. Follow @righteoushq on Twitter and check out Righteous Hammer’s official website for more details.
Peter Newton
Peter Newton
Peter is an experienced instructor who provides online tutoring sessions for UE4. He is currently working on A.I.-related projects. Follow @PeterLNewton on Twitter and watch his UE4 tutorials on his YouTube page.
Michael Allar
Michael Allar
Michael is a hero within the UE4 community. He is an avid user of UE4 and takes advantage of all that the engine has to offer. Follow @michaelallar on Twitter and read more on his blog.
