Epic Games Once Turned Down The Pitch For An Unreal Remaster

According to publisher Poppy Works on Twitter, Epic Games was once approached for the development of a remaster for Unreal. Ouren, the co-founder of the company, mentioned that Epic refused the pitch for the remaster, calling the games “old” and “not worth it.” Ouren further cited their response as “unprofessional” and found their dismissal towards the games to be “insulting.” 

The post itself was prompted by a different Twitter post by Unreal developer Cliff Bleszinski about a possible Unreal remaster. 

https://twitter.com/Ouren/status/1692036521807815051?s=20

Following the highly successful launch of the fantastic Quake 2 remaster by Nightdive Studios, Bleszinski posted on Twitter hoping for Unreal to get the same treatment down the line. Nightdive Studios are known for their particularly high-quality remasters as well as their remake of the original System Shock. Nightdive Studios have worked tirelessly to bring many old games to life with their definitive versions. 

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Their latest releases include the Quake 1 and 2 remasters, the recently released Rise of the Triad remaster and a remake of System Shock 1. A remaster of System Shock 2 is also in development with a yet unannounced release date.

It should be known @therealcliffyb stuck his neck out for us and we gave it a real go. @TimSweeneyEpic we'd be honored to be the care takers of Unreal, you've seen what we've done with DOOM & Quake, it'd be in good hands @NightdiveStudio https://t.co/STgITlVAxn

— Stephen Kick (@pripyatbeast) August 17, 2023

The CEO of Nightdive Studios, Stephen Kick, also responded to Bleszinkis’s tweet offering to work on an Unreal remaster if Epic Games is agreeable to it. The tweet has since gained traction among many developers and journalists raising their voices for a remaster. 

Unreal Gold is one of the most widely praised FPS games of all time and one of the defining titles for Epic Games as a company. It’s highly regarded in the same breath as FPS games like Half-Life, Doom, and Wolfenstein 3D for its at-the-time radical approach towards a structured FPS campaign. If there’s any game that deserves a remaster, it’s Unreal, especially considering that it’s no longer available for purchase on Steam.