The game development competition rewards top modifications, or “mods,” created for Unreal Tournament 3 with cash and hardware prizes in four preliminary phases and a grand final judging. The mod contest is designed to help independent and aspiring game developers learn Unreal Engine 3 technology and gain recognition for authoring high-quality game experiences.

In this portion of the contest alone, over $100,000 in cash prizes is distributed to winning mod authors. Grand final judging has commenced, and winners receiving $175,000 in cash along with a commercial Unreal Engine 3 license will soon be announced.

“Phase four of the $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest is like graduation of sorts,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “It’s the culmination of long-term game development efforts resulting in outstanding mods we’ve seen evolve from phase to phase. Mod authors have built up their creations, sought feedback from their peers in the Unreal community, received support through previous phase winnings, and now we’re down to where the best and the brightest teams really shine. We’re so pleased to shower these guys with prizes and recognition, and we’re eager to help them all achieve professional success.”

Many exceptional mods are being ported to the recently released Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3 that provides uncompromised access to the same award-winning toolset used by many of the world’s best game developers. UDK games require no additional software for installation, so anyone can easily try them out. Demo versions of Prometheus and The Ball are available now as free UDK downloads. 

Epic Games and Intel will reveal the grand prize winners of the $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas next month. The grand prize winning mod team will receive an Unreal Engine 3 commerical license in addition to a check for $50,000. Runner-up winners will receive $40,000, $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000 in cash prizes. Educational category winners will receive a total of $25,000 in cash.

The Phase 4 Best FPS Game Mod winners are recognized as follows:

1. First place: The Ball: Hueca by Toltec Studios (Prize: $10,000)
2. Second place: Prometheus by Rachel Cordone and The Prometheus team (Prize: $7,000)
3. Third place: Angels Fall First: Planetstorm by the AFF: Planetstorm team (Prize: $4,000)
4. Fourth place: Sanctum by Coffee Stain Studios (Prize: $2,500)
5. Fifth place: Jailbreak by Danny Miller and Jailbreak Team (Prize: $1,500)

The Phase 4 Best Non-FPS Game Mod winners are recognized as follows:

1. First place: The Haunted by Michael Hegemann and The Haunted team (Prize: $10,000)
2. Second place: Archasis II by Jamie Galimberti and the Archasis team (Prize: $7,000)
3. Third place: Hazard: The Journey of Life by Alexander Bruce (Prize: $4,000)
4. Fourth place: Bailter Ray by Zhao Zhang (Prize: $2,500)
5. Fifth place: Steam Racers by Default Games (Prize: $1,500)

Phase 4 winners of Best Graphics in Map are:

1. First place: The Haunted: Lost Temple by Michael Hegemann and The Haunted team (Prize: $5,000)
2. Second place: CTF-CBP3-Antediluvian by Daniel Rozanski (Prize: $2,000)
3. Third place: CDom-CBP3-Saip by Mario Marquardt (Prize: $1,500)
4. Fourth place: DM_AfterInfection by Damian Stempniewski (Prize: $1,000)
5. Fifth place: Angels Fall First: Planetstorm – Space_Ixion by the AFF: Planetstorm team (Prize: $500)

 The Phase 4 Best Use of Physics winners are recognized as follows:

1. First place: Project Swing by Aaron Ash (Prize: $5,000)
2. Second place: DM-RB-Derelict by Remus Brailoiu (Prize: $2,000)
3. Third place: XS Vehicles by Jochem van 't Hull and the XS mod team (Prize: $1,500)
4. Fourth place: Robo Co-Op by Tobias Jacobsen (Prize: $1,000)
5. Fifth place: CarBall 3 by Derek Altamirano (Prize: $500)

 Phase 4 winners of Best Machinima are:

1. First place: The Plan by John Beswick (Prize: $5,000)
2. Second place: Exodus by Luis Santander Sepúlveda (Prize: $2,000)
3. Third place: Cylindric Router (Fright Machine) by Aaron West (Prize: $1,500)
4. Fourth place: Renegade X: The Scorpion Hunt by Totem Arts (Prize: $1,000)
5. Fifth place: Airborn by Steffen Unger (Prize: $500)

Phase 4 winners of Best Level in a Game Mod are:

• First place: Hazard: The Journey of Life by Alexander Bruce (Prize: $2,500)
• Second place: The Haunted: Lost Temple by Michael Hegemann and The Haunted team (Prize: $2,000)
• Third place: CDOM-CBP3-Velocity by Cory Spooner (Prize: $1,500)
• Fourth place: Jailbreak: JB-Makoy by Oscar Crego (Prize: $1,000)
• Fifth place: Bailter Ray by Zhao Zhang (Prize: $500)

The Phase 4 Best Art in a Game Mod winners are recognized as follows:

• First place: Airborn by Steffen Unger (Prize: $2,500)
• Second place: The Haunted by Michael Hegemann and The Haunted team (Prize: $2,000)
• Third place: Angels Fall First: Planetstorm by the AFF: Planetstorm team (Prize: $1,500)
• Fourth place: The Ball: Hueca by Toltec Studios (Prize: $1,000)
• Fifth place: The Crucible by RuneStorm Team (Prize: $500)

The Phase 4 Best Vehicle Set winners are recognized as follows:

1. First place: Angels Fall First: Planetstorm by the AFF: Planetstorm team (Prize: $2,500)
2. Second place: Renegade X by Totem Arts (Prize: $2,000)
3. Third place: XS Vehicles by Jochem van 't Hull and the XS mod team (Prize: $1,500)
4. Fourth place: Steam Racers by Default Games (Prize: $1,000)
5. Fifth place: UnWheel 2: Monaco by Steven Horton (Prize: $500)