14 DAY TRIAL // Epic Games has talked a bit more about its new Unreal Tournament free-to-play first-person shooter that's in development right now, confirming that it will include, at first, the deathmatch game mode and a few other team-based experiences, although at some point in time it might get the vehicle-based combat modes of Unreal Tournament 2004 and 3.
The Unreal Tournament franchise is one of the classic franchises that shaped the games industry, innovating in terms of first-person shooters but also helping Epic Games establish itself as an independent studio and start licensing its Unreal Engine technology to other developers around the world.
After a few contradicting statements, Epic has confirmed that it's currently working on a new Unreal Tournament game that will be made by the studio with help from other Unreal Engine 4 users and fans of the series.
While talking about the content in the new title, Senior Programmer and Project Lead Steve Polge has said that fans should expect at first regular game modes, although vehicle ones can also be released at some point in time.
"We are focusing first on implementing a polished and updated version of the arena Deathmatch and team game modes. After that, we’d love to work with our community to bring the vehicle-based combat of UT2004 and UT3 to the new Unreal Tournament," he told PC Gamer.
Polge also has emphasized that with the new game, the series is going back to its roots and might reinvent the whole genre of competitive first-person shooters.
"We wanted to bring back Unreal Tournament in collaboration with our passionate fans and mod community. Community-created content and mods have always played a huge part in the appeal and success of the Unreal Tournament series. With Unreal Engine 4 now available to everyone, we see a unique opportunity to re-invent the competitive FPS."
During this special development process, Epic will share its ideas with fans on the dedicated forums, where other Unreal Engine 4 users can pitch in their own mods and make their voices heard. Through subsequent alpha and beta stages, fans can see these ideas in action and, depending on feedback, Epic and its partners will make the necessary changes.
"Design questions will be discussed on the forum and in regular Twitch streams, and the decision process will be inclusive and transparent. Players will be able to make their voice heard, and participate meaningfully in setting the direction of development," he added.
"We will release playable alpha versions and use those to get hands-on feedback from players as well. Epic realizes that we are ultimately responsible for making sure that the core game is awesome and we’ll get there with the contributions of our community."
As of yet, Epic doesn't have a concrete start period for the Unreal Tournament alpha.