Over the past few months Unreal Engine 4 creator Epic Games has been awarding grants to developers working with its popular middleware. Plenty of virtual reality (VR) projects have been featured in this new scheme so far including Untold Games’ Loading Human and White Lotus Interactive’s XING: The Land Beyond. Today, Epic Games is announcing a new round of grants, handing out $150,000 USD in funding. Among the recipients are a handful of other VR developers and projects.
Digital Cybercherries, the team behind the Oculus Rift compatible throwback title, NewRetroArcade, has been awarded $13,000. NewRetroArcade allows players to interact with gaming platforms from the 80’s including arcade cabinets, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and even the Nintendo Game Boy. The developer has today announced a new project in a co-op shooter named HYPERCHARGE which is on its way to PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox One, though it’s yet to be confirmed if this title could support VR.
German developer Rafaele Picca has also been granted $10,000 to help work on his underwater VR experience, Deep Echo. The title allows players to control a DSM-V Mark 4 submarine, exploring the ocean floor in search of the blackbox of Saratogas sister ship, the Lexington. A full version of the experience is expected to launch with support for the Oculus Rift.
Elsewhere, VR enthusiast Heiko Fink has been awarded $12,000 for his work in integrating the Perception Neuron motion capture suit, which can be used for full body control in VR experiences, into Unreal Engine 4.
Other successful teams that aren’t working in VR include Sinister Cyclops Game Studio, which is working on 2D platformer Spartan, and Retro Invasion developer THR3AKS. VRFocus will continue to follow Epic Games’ work in VR closely, reporting back with the latest updates from the company.
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