GT Will Continue With Unreal

GT Interactive announced Thursday that it has obtained exclusive global publishing rights for two new Unreal titles from Epic MegaGames: Unreal II and Unreal Tournament.

Legend Entertainment will develop Unreal II on Epic's behalf. Legend is already currently working on the Wheel of Time, a fantasy action/RPG using the Unreal engine, as well as the official Unreal Level Pak with ten new levels for the original Unreal game.

Unreal Tournament on the other hand will pit the player against the "hardest criminals in the galaxy in multiple new kinds of contests and settings," according to the press release. Several new weapons and a wide variety of difficulty modes will be included. Battles can not only take place with AI-controlled bots, but with human players as well, the ultimate goal being to become the Unreal Grand Master.

"We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with Epic MegaGames," said Ron Chaimowitz, chairman and CEO for GT Interactive. "Unreal took the gaming world by storm with its ground-breaking gameplay and breathtaking graphics. We believe Unreal Tournament, which offers a completely new experience, has the potential to broaden the audience for multiplayer online entertainment, while Unreal II could raise the bar for 3D action once again."

"A big part of Unreal's huge success on PC and Mac was due to the unwavering support it got from GT Interactive," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic MegaGames. "With Unreal Tournament, the Unreal Level Pack, and Unreal II, we are building on our relationship with GT and working hard to turn the Unreal product line into a successful ongoing franchise. We're very excited about having Legend Entertainment work with us to help extend the Unreal universe. Their work on Wheel of Time is nothing short of spectacular, and the experience they've gained using and extending our Unreal Engine will ensure that Unreal II is truly going to be a blockbuster sequel to Unreal."

"We are excited to be working with Epic and GT on Unreal II and the Unreal Level Pack," said Michael Verdu, chairman of Legend Entertainment. "We have a talented creative and technical team applied to these franchise products. For Unreal II, we'll be combining new technology, innovative game design, and Legend's strong art production capabilities to create a cutting-edge action game. Unreal fans won't be disappointed by the results; this game is going to rock."

Both games are set for release sometime in 1999.