"Sanctum," which was first developed using the "Unreal Tournament 3" game modification toolset, won multiple awards in Epic's $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest. Upon launch of Epic's Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free version of UE3, Coffee Stain Studios took "Sanctum" from a popular "Unreal Tournament 3" mod to a completely standalone game.

Over the course of its transition into a commercial UE3 licensee, Coffee Stain Studios has armed "Sanctum" with more fully featured gameplay and carnage than ever before. The game is poised for a beta release via Steam on March 24 and a full release on April 15.

"We've had our eye on this talented team since the early days of 'Sanctum,' and like previous Make Something Unreal winners, we are so pleased to see Coffee Stain Studios turn their game development dreams into a business," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "We will continue to provide them with excellent tools and technology."

"Taking 'Sanctum' from a 'UT3' mod to a full source UE3 game has been a natural step for us, and Epic has been very helpful the whole way," said Anton Westbergh, co-founder and CEO, Coffee Stain Studios. "Using UE3 gives us the ability to work seamlessly across all disciplines using superior tools and support, and that beats out any other alternative."