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Video games by developer/publisher From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Epic Games is an American video game and software developer based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, Maryland. After releasing one game under that name, ZZT (1991), Sweeney renamed the company to Epic MegaGames in early 1992 "to make it look like we were a big company" even though it had no other employees or offices.[1] Over the next few years, the company continued to make PC games, largely self-published, including the side-scrollers Jill of the Jungle (1992) and Jazz Jackrabbit (1994). They additionally published titles by other developers such as Epic Pinball (1993) by Digital Extremes and Tyrian (1995) by Eclipse Software. Epic also slowly expanded in size, reaching 8 employees by 1994.[1]
Beginning with the 1996 game Fire Fight, Epic ceased its publishing and self-publishing operations, and after the release and success of Unreal (1998) renamed itself in 1999 to Epic Games and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina; it and a temporary office in Canada during Unreal's development were the first time the company had a central office for their employees.[1][2] After the name change, the company focused almost solely on the Unreal series of shooters for the next few years, and expanded from PC games to console games. In 2006 the company launched its Gears of War series of games, and in 2010 the company moved into mobile games with the Infinity Blade series after purchasing Chair Entertainment. Epic returned to retail publishing in 2015 for its own titles, and has solely self-published since. In addition to games, Epic develops and licenses the Unreal Engine, which is also used as the game engine for many of its own games, and runs the Epic Games Store, a digital video game storefront for Microsoft Windows and macOS.[1]
Sweeney described the history of the company in 2016 as four eras: the shareware era from founding through 1997 as the company grew to 15 employees; the Unreal era from 1998 to 2005 as the company focused on developing that franchise through external publishers and grew to 25 employees; the Gears of War era from 2006 to 2011 as the company shifted focus to console games and grew to around 200 employees; and the current era where the company moved back to PC games and self-publishing, spinning off or closing some of its subsidiary developers such as People Can Fly and Big Huge Games.[3] This latter era has instead become dominated by the multi-platform Fortnite Battle Royale and related games, which is one of the most-played video game franchises of all time with over 350 million registered players.[4] Epic Games has developed around 40 games since 1991 and published over 20 more, and has multiple games under development.
Epic Games has used the names Potomac Computer Systems, Epic MegaGames, and Epic Games; the name given for the company is the one used at the time of a game's release. Many of the games under the Epic MegaGames brand were released as a set of separate episodes, which were purchasable and playable separately or as a group. In many cases the initial episode of a game was freely distributed as shareware to drive interest in the other purchasable episodes.[1] Titles are listed for games that gave individual names to their episodes instead of episode numbers.
Title (Episodes) |
System | Release date | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ZZT ("Town of ZZT", "Caves of ZZT", "Dungeons of ZZT", "City of ZZT") |
MS-DOS | January 15, 1991 | Potomac Computer Systems | Potomac Computer Systems | [5] |
Best of ZZT ("The Secret of Headhunter Isle", "Royal Treasures") |
MS-DOS | 1992 | Epic MegaGames[a] | Epic MegaGames | [7] |
ZZT's Revenge ("Ezanya", "Fantasy", "Crypt", "Smiley Guy", "Manor", "Darbytown") |
MS-DOS | 1992 | Epic MegaGames[a] | Epic MegaGames | [7] |
Super ZZT ("Lost Forest", "Monster Zoo", "Proving Grounds") |
MS-DOS | 1992 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [8] |
Adventure Math | MS-DOS | 1992 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [8] |
Kiloblaster ("Death of a Starship", "No Way Out", "The Final Battle") |
MS-DOS | 1992 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [8] |
Jill of the Jungle ("Jill of the Jungle", "Jill Goes Underground", "Jill Saves the Prince") |
MS-DOS | June 1992 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [8] |
Dare to Dream ("In a Darkened Room", "Search of the Beast", "Christian's Lair") |
Windows | 1993 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [9] |
Silverball | MS-DOS | December 1993 | Epic MegaGames, Digital Extremes | MicroLeague | [10] |
Xargon ("Beyond Reality", "The Secret Chamber", "Xargon's Fury") |
MS-DOS | January 15, 1994 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [11][12] |
Jazz Jackrabbit ("Turtle Terror", "Ballistic Bunny", "Rabbit's Revenge", "Gene Machine", "The Chase Is On", "The Final Clash")[b] |
MS-DOS | July 30, 1994 | Epic MegaGames | Epic MegaGames | [2] |
Extreme Pinball | MS-DOS, PlayStation | October 1995 | Epic MegaGames, Digital Extremes, High Score Entertainment | Electronic Arts | [16][17] |
Fire Fight | Windows | June 24, 1996 | Chaos Works, Epic MegaGames | Electronic Arts | [18] |
7th Legion | Windows | August 26, 1997 | Epic MegaGames, Vision Software | MicroProse | [19] |
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 ("Formerly a Prince", "Jazz in Time", "Flashback", "Monkey Trouble") |
Windows, macOS | May 7, 1998 | Epic MegaGames, Orange Games | Gathering of Developers | [20][21] |
Unreal | Windows, macOS | May 22, 1998 | Epic MegaGames, Digital Extremes, Legend Entertainment | GT Interactive | [22][23] |
Age of Wonders | Windows | November 16, 1999 | Epic MegaGames, Triumph Studios | Gathering of Developers | [24] |
Unreal Tournament | Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast | November 30, 1999 | Epic Games, Digital Extremes | GT Interactive | [25][26] |
Unreal Tournament 2003 | Windows, macOS, Linux | September 30, 2002 | Epic Games, Digital Extremes | Infogrames | [27][28] |
Unreal Championship | Xbox | November 12, 2002 | Epic Games, Digital Extremes | Infogrames | [29] |
Unreal Tournament 2004 | Windows, macOS, Linux | March 16, 2004 | Epic Games, Digital Extremes | Atari | [30][31][32] |
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict | Xbox | April 18, 2005 | Epic Games | Midway Games | [33] |
Gears of War | Windows, Xbox 360 | November 7, 2006 | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios | [34] |
Unreal Tournament 3 | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | November 19, 2007 | Epic Games | Midway Games | [35] |
Gears of War 2 | Xbox 360 | November 7, 2008 | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios | [36] |
Shadow Complex | Xbox 360 | August 19, 2009 | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Microsoft Game Studios | [37] |
Infinity Blade | iOS | December 9, 2010 | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Epic Games | [38] |
Bulletstorm | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | February 22, 2011 | Epic Games, People Can Fly | Electronic Arts | [39] |
Gears of War 3 | Xbox 360 | September 20, 2011 | Epic Games | Microsoft Studios | [40] |
Infinity Blade II | iOS | December 1, 2011 | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Epic Games | [41] |
Gears of War: Judgment | Xbox 360 | March 19, 2013 | Epic Games, People Can Fly | Microsoft Studios | [42] |
Infinity Blade III | iOS | September 18, 2013 | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Epic Games | [43] |
Shadow Complex Remastered | Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | December 3, 2015 | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Epic Games | [44] |
Robo Recall | Windows | March 1, 2017 | Epic Games | Epic Games | [45] |
Fortnite Battle Royale[c] | Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch | September 26, 2017[d] | Epic Games | Epic Games | [46][47] |
Fortnite Creative[c] | Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch | December 13, 2018 | Epic Games | Epic Games | [48] |
Battle Breakers | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | November 13, 2019[e] | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment | Epic Games | [50][51] |
Fortnite: Save the World[c] | Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | June 29, 2020[f] | Epic Games, People Can Fly | Epic Games | [52][53][54] |
Lego Fortnite[c] | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, Nintendo Switch | December 7, 2023 | Epic Games | Epic Games | |
Rocket Racing[c] | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, Nintendo Switch | December 8, 2023 | Psyonix | Epic Games | |
Fortnite Festival[c] | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, Nintendo Switch | December 9, 2023 | Harmonix | Epic Games | |
Fortnite Ballistic[c] | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, Nintendo Switch | TBA[g] | Harmonix | Epic Games |
In addition to publishing many of its own games, Epic published several titles by other developers in the early 1990s as Epic MegaGames before ceasing publishing operations. In 2020, it launched Epic Games Publishing as a new publishing wing.
Title (Episodes) |
System | Release date | Developer(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brix | MS-DOS | 1992[h] | MicroLeague | [8][55] |
Castle of the Winds ("A Question of Vengeance", "Lifthransir's Bane") |
Windows | 1992[i] | SaadaSoft | [56][57] |
OverKill ("Edrax", "Gallifrey", "Hoth", "Voltair", "Pax Verde", "Unknown!") |
MS-DOS | 1992 | Tech-Noir | [8][58] |
Ancients 1: Death Watch | MS-DOS | 1993 | Farr-Ware | [59] |
Electro Man | MS-DOS | 1993[j][k] | X LanD Computer Games | [60] |
The Adventures of Robbo | MS-DOS | 1993[k][l] | X LanD Computer Games | [60] |
Solar Winds ("The Escape", "Universe")[m] |
MS-DOS | 1993 | Stone Interactive Media | [8][61] |
Zone 66 ("Foreign Shores", "Ice Wind", "Desert Heat", "War Plains", "Highway Fury", "Plantation Crash", "Hell", "Final Frontier") |
MS-DOS | 1993 | Renaissance | [8][62] |
Ken's Labyrinth ("Search for Sparky", "Sparky's Revenge", "Find the Way Home") |
MS-DOS | March 21, 1993[n] | Ken Silverman | [64][63] |
Epic Pinball | MS-DOS | November 6, 1993 | Digital Extremes | [1][2] |
Ancients II: Approaching Evil | MS-DOS | 1994 | Farr-Ware | [65] |
Heartlight | MS-DOS | 1994[k][o] | X LanD Computer Games | [60] |
Epic Baseball | MS-DOS | February 1994 | MicroLeague | [66][67] |
One Must Fall: 2097 | MS-DOS | October 10, 1994 | Diversions Entertainment | [68][69] |
Radix: Beyond the Void | MS-DOS | July 1, 1995 | Neural Storm Entertainment | [70][71] |
Tyrian ("Escape", "Treachery", "Mission: Suicide", "An End to Fate") |
MS-DOS[p] | September 14, 1995 | Eclipse Software | [72][73] |
Title | System | Release date | Developer(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fall Guys | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | March 2, 2021[q] | Mediatonic | [74] |
Alan Wake Remastered | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | October 5, 2021 | Remedy Entertainment | [75][76] |
Rocket League Sideswipe | iOS, Android | November 15, 2021 | Psyonix | [77] |
Kid A Mnesia Exhibition | Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS | November 18, 2021 | Namethemachine / Arbitrarily Good Productions | [78] |
PC Building Simulator 2 | Windows | October 12, 2022 | Spiral House Ltd. | [79] |
Rumbleverse | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | August 11, 2022 | Iron Galaxy | [80] |
Touch Type Tale | Windows | March 28, 2023 | Pumpernickel Studio | [81] |
Alan Wake II | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | October 27, 2023 | Remedy Entertainment | [82] |
Title | Cancellation date | Developer(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
Bulletstorm 2 | 2012 | Epic Games, People Can Fly | [83] |
Gears of War: Exile | 2012 | Epic Games | [84] |
Infinity Blade Dungeons | 2013 | Epic Games, Impossible Studios | [85] |
Paragon | 2018[r] | Epic Games | [88] |
Unreal Tournament | 2018[s] | Epic Games | [91] |
Spyjinx | 2020[t] | Epic Games, Chair Entertainment, Bad Robot | [92][94] |
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