Back in early May, Epic Games revealed that it had begun developing Unreal Tournament 4/2014, a moddable, free-to-play, first-person shooter. What will make this installment different from the prior three is that not only is the game free, but the team actually wants fans to help them build the game.
“We’re happy to announce that we’re going to do this together, with you,” Epic’s Steve Polge wrote. “We know that fans of the game are as passionate about Unreal Tournament as we are. We know that you have great ideas and strong opinions about where the game should go and what it should be. So let’s do something radical and make this game together, in the open, and for all of us.”
A small team of Unreal Tournament veterans are currently working on the new installment. Polge confirmed that they would stay true to the franchise’s roots as a competitive FPS, but later admitted that the team would define the basic game and its mechanics. However, he also acknowledged that long-time fans have valuable insight and opinions about how the game should evolve, and will not go unheard.
Now the Unreal Tournament team is giving fans a tour of work in progress on Epic’s Unreal Tournament YouTube channel. The video includes Art Director Chris Perna who warns fans that the “map” is not only unfinished, but doesn’t represent the entire game: it’s just an example of lighting and visual clarity. Also seated in the video is Stacey Conley (community manager), Jim Brown (senior designer) and Josh Marlow (environmental artist).
“We take a look at the first work-in-progress concept art by the Unreal Tournament art team and talk about visual clarity in the new game,” reads the video’s description. “We also answer some of your questions and say hello to our newest team member, Gameplay Programmer Pete Knepley.”
The video posted below is just over 49 minutes long, so you may want to grab a snack before having a seat.
