EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCES UNREAL UNIVERSITY, NOVEMBER 8 & 9, 2003, AT NORTH
CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL SUPPORTS "$1,000,000 NVIDIA MAKE SOMETHING UNREAL." CONTEST
RALEIGH, NC - October 13, 2003 Epic Games, co-creator of the award-winning
Unreal. game franchise, today announced the details for their inaugural Unreal
University, the first intensive workshop devoted to learning how to create mods
(a new game or add-on created with tools from the original title) using the
Unreal Game Engine. The university will take place on November 8-9, 2003 at
North Carolina State University, and will attract modders from across the
country who want to learn how to develop their own content using the Unreal
Technology. Unreal University is being sponsored by Epic Games, NC State's
Center for Digital Entertainment, NVIDIA, AMD, Alias. and Atari, Inc. People
interested in finding out more about Unreal University can visit
www.makesomethingunreal.com; registration, schedule information and other
specifics can be accessed at cde.ncsu.edu/uu. The cost of the seminar is $25,
which includes meals and a t-shirt.
The Unreal University class presenters will include Epic Games developers and
artists, as well as Jason Busby, creator of the www.3dbuzz.com site and the www.masteringunreal.com
site. To help modders before, during and after the course, the 3d Buzz Mastering
Unreal site contains more than 100 hours of free downloadable Video Training
Modules (VTMs) geared toward educating users on how to program and build content
using the Unreal Game Engine.
Participants of the Unreal University will get an overview of the Unreal Game
Engine's techniques and technology, as well as insider secrets on how to
maximize their skills to create professional-level game content. The valuable
tips and tricks learned at the seminar can be used to create mod entries for the
"$1,000,000 NVIDIA Make Something Unreal" contest, a year-long
competition that rewards the best and brightest in grassroots mod design.
Unreal University is one of a number of events, including the
"$1,000,000 NVIDIA Make Something Unreal Buzz Tour," that is
supporting the "$1,000,000 NVIDIA Make Something Unreal" contest
sponsored by Epic Games, Digital Extremes, NVIDIA, Atari, Inc., AMD, and Alias.
The contest, which runs in three parts, had more than 400 entries in its first
round. The second phase of the contest has begun accepting entries, with winners
announced this winter. The third and final phase will conclude in April 2004,
with the finalists being announced at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in May,
2004. The grand prize winners will be announced shortly thereafter. In total,
winners will receive cash prizes totaling US$500,000, and more than $300,000
worth of high-end PCs that feature the combined processing po! wer of NVIDIA's
GeForce FX graphics, the NVIDIA nForce2 platform and AMD Athlon
processors, and more than $30,000 worth of Maya. Software. Along with money and
a loaded PC, the grand prize winner will receive a commercial Unreal Game Engine
license (valued at $350,000).
Unreal University will also showcase Unreal Tournament 2004, the latest
Unreal title from Epic Games, which builds on the success of last year's smash
hit, Unreal Tournament 2003. The new title marks the return of the fan-favorite
"Assault" mode, completely reinvented and updated with new technology,
as well as the introduction of an all new game mode, "Onslaught,"
which pits players in wide-scale vehicular warfare across massive battlefields.
Unreal Tournament 2004 includes additional upgrades, such as new characters,
weapons, skins, maps, voice-over-IP capabilities, software rendering and other
technology improvements, while also including all of the content from U! nreal
Tournament 2003 and its free downloadable bonus packs. Unreal Tournament 2004
will ship for Holiday 2003.
About Epic Games
Epic Games Inc, based in Raleigh, NC and established in 1991, is a developer of
cutting-edge computer and video games. The company is best known as the creator
of hit PC 3D action games Unreal and Unreal Tournament, both award-winning
blockbuster hits having each sold more than 1 million units each. Epic is also
well known as creator of the Unreal Engine which it has licensed to several
major game developers. To date over 10,000,000 games have been sold that
utilized Epic's Unreal Engine technology and the number is growing steadily each
year. Prior to their 3D success, Epic Games was well known for the hit shareware
games Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit and Epic Pinball. Additional
information can be obtained through Epic's Web site at www.epicgames.com.
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corporation is a ! market leader in visual computing technology dedicated
to creating products that enhance the interactive experience on consumer and
professional computing platforms. Its graphics and communications processors
have broad market reach and are incorporated into a wide variety of computing
platforms, including consumer digital-media PCs, enterprise PCs, professional
workstations, digital content creation systems, notebook PCs, military
navigation systems and video game consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa
Clara, California and employs more than 1,700 people worldwide. For more
information, visit the Company's Web site at www.nvidia.com
.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all
platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive
entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include
hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driv! er, Enter the Matrix,
Neverwinter Nights, Stuntman, Test Drive., Unreal. Tournament 2003,
and Unreal. Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard
Sports, Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer,
Civilization., Dragon Ball Z. and RollerCoaster Tycoon.. Atari, Inc. is a
majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext
5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information,
visit www.atari.com.
About the NC State Center for Digital Entertainment
The Center for Digital Entertainment at North Carolina State University is an
informal, multi- disciplinary center whose focus investigates the scientific,
engineering, social and educational challenges of digital entertainment. Faculty
from the colleges of Engineering, Design, Education and Humanities and Social
Sciences collaborate on a wide range of research and educational initiatives
that focus! on new modes of entertainment and interaction in digital media. For
more information, visit the CDE Web site at cde.ncsu.edu
About Alias
As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias develops
award- winning software, custom development and training solutions for the film
and video, games, web, interactive media, industrial design, education and
visualization markets. In 2003, the company was awarded an Oscar for Technical
Achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its
development of Maya software, the professional 3D animation and effects package.
Alias also offers a powerful range of services for new to advanced users in the
most demanding environments. Learning Tools and training, support, and
professional services help meet rigorous production deadlines. Entertainment
customers include: Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., CNN, Core Design Limited,
Digital Domain, Disney, Electronic Arts, In! dustrial Light & Magic, Factor
5 LLC, Midway Games, Nintendo, Pacific Data Images (PDI), Pixar, Sega, Sony
Pictures Imageworks, Square Co., Ltd., Warner Feature Animation and Weta Ltd.
Alias is a registered trademark of Alias Systems, a division of Silicon
Graphics Limited in the United States and/or other countries worldwide.