Epic Games awards more than $42 million in grants for developers

Epic games has handed out over $42 million in Epic MegaGrants to more than 600 developers as part of its program to accelerate the work of talented teams working with the company's Unreal Engine tools.

Launched a year ago, Epic has set aside $100 million for the Epic MegaGrants program for teams working with its game engine, 3D graphics tools, and open source software. That largesse reflects the sentiment of Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who has often voiced his support for encouraging small developers, as well as sharing the riches that Epic has earned from its multibillion-dollar Fortnite game.

This announcement follows an earlier round of support where Epic Games gave grants to more than 200 recipients. Epic also said that Advanced Micro Devices has extended its support to Epic MegaGrants with the generous contribution of 200 AMD Ryzen 7 3800X desktop processors to give away to new and existing recipients.

Applicants don't have a deadline, and hardware is given away as available based on project merit. Creators in games, entertainment, architecture, and many other industries are encouraged to apply for an AMD processor now via online submission. Developers can also get support via Magic Leap, which is giving away Magic Leap One spatial computing hardware to grant winners.

Here is a short selection of projects that benefit from this round of MegaGrants:

Independent games

D.A.N.G.E.R. Team. by On3D Studios

From Colombia-based On3D Studios, D.A.N.G.E.R. Team. is a stylized action game where the player controls a team of three spies. You can play it alone or with a partner via co-op.

Dreamscaper by Afterburner Studios

From a three-person team comes Dreamscaper, a roguelite action role-playing game about lucid dreaming. Play as Cassidy, dive into her subconscious, and use lucid powers to take on the surreal nightmares she wrestles with to save her. Dreamscaper is coming to Steam Early Access in August 2020.

F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch by TiGames

Players will journey into the winding city dieselpunk streets of F.I.S.T., an action-focused Metroidvania title from Shanghai-based TiGames.

Hundred Days — Winemaking Simulator by Broken Arms Games

Hundred Days puts you in charge of managing a small, abandoned winery, from selecting the types of vines you want to grow to naming your final product. Take care of your vineyard, learn to follow the rhythm of the seasons, harvest, label your bottles, and sell them on the market.

Slice Back by Atomic Kraken

With a neo pixel art style, Slice Back is a side-scrolling “hack and slashimi” game.

Enterprise applications

ORamaVR by ORamaVR

Combining principles in neuroscience, spatial computing, and artificial intelligence, ORamaVR hopes to rapidly accelerate human learning in health care through an array of immersive VR medical training simulations.

Self-service Publication for Cloud-streaming by PureWeb

PureWeb's self-service and fully managed high capacity cloud platform will provide users with the tools necessary to build, publish, and manage their pixel streaming applications for webmobile-based users.

Simbotic AI by Vertex Studio

Generating infinite amounts of synthetic data for AI models and providing highly realistic environments for intelligent agents to acquire experience, Simbotic AI is a modern 3D simulation engine and AI platform designed to bridge the gap between simulation and the real world.

Tools and open source

DeepMotion VR Avatar Tracking by DeepMotion

DeepMotion's VR Avatar Tracking solution brings to life realistic full-body motion and interaction with as little as two or three trackers. Motion Brain, which uses the latest in AI and physics simulation, can generate a full-body avatar that moves with you and interacts naturally with its virtual environment.

Godot Engine

A free and MIT-licensed open source game engine developed by contributors around the world, Godot Engine offers a complete editor, dedicated 2D and 3D engines, animation tools, multi-platform exports, plugins, and a free asset store.

Livestreaming of high-res, mesh-based laser scan data by Cintoo

Cintoo is developing a new cloud-client solution that aims to change the way people use terrestrial laser scans and computer-aided design models in industries such as manufacturing and energy. The Cintoo Cloud platform makes terrestrial laser scans fully cloud compatible and available anywhere — viewable in a web browser, shareable, and distributable — by using a point cloud-to-mesh technology. Those high-resolution, mesh-based laser scans will soon be streamed from Cintoo Cloud directly in Unreal Engine to create richer experiences.

Education

Free online Unreal Engine 4 game development for computer science undergraduates by Ball State University

This project supports the creation of free online content to teach computer science and software development concepts using game programming, focusing on Unreal Engine technology.

Unreal Python repository and tutorials by Muhammad A. Moniem

Users can learn, understand, and master Python scripting for the Unreal Engine with a step by step guide, complete with real-world production samples.

Beyond the Stars by S1T2

Beyond the Stars is an education program that combines interactive storytelling, health research, and school curriculum to inspire children to adopt healthy living habits while considering the impact their actions have on the environment. In the story, children embark on a journey to reclaim the lost knowledge of the Pacific.

Media and entertainment

Glimmer by Sequin

Sequin AR provides augmented reality consulting, creative, broadcast production, and custom Unreal Engine software development services to media companies. Glimmer, an Unreal Engine plugin, makes it easier for non-developers to manage augmented and immersive reality content.

Faraday's magnets by ScienceVR

ScienceVR asks what would happen if we could see the “invisible forces” around magnets? This experience empowers VR learners to see the math around magnets.

Zen Universe by ZenArt VR

Bulgarian-based ZenART uses Unreal Engine and advanced photogrammetry techniques to capture natural and historic landmarks, turning them into explorable interactive VR experiences. These feature narrative, puzzle-solving, and minigames. The first two Zen Universe locations, Tales of the Rocks and Olympus: Home of the Gods are available now in Steam Early Access.