Unreal mods take top honors

Two Unreal Tournament mods have taken the top slots in the Make Something Unreal contest. Red Orchestra and The Journey won out over three other finalists named in the fourth round of competition.

Red Orchestra developers will receive $50,000 in cash as well as an Unreal Engine license (said to be worth $350,000). The first-person-shooter mod puts players in a combat simulation set on the eastern front of World War II. In addition, Friedrich "Fiezi" Kirschner won $25,000 for his work on The Journey, a short animated film that won in the "Best Non-Interactive Real Time" movie category.

This round completes the Make Something Unreal contest, hosted by Epic Games and sponsored by Nvidia Corporation, Atari, Digital Extremes, AMD, and Alias. Competition is open to individuals and nascent development crews. "The contest has been a great event to be a part of and an incredible learning experience. All the late nights, tight deadlines, and hard work have given the team invaluable experience that will, no doubt, help us in the future," said John Gibson, lead programmer and producer for Red Orchestra.