Check out inspiring Epic MegaGrant stories from all around the globe
October 21, 2022
Since 2019, Epic MegaGrants has supported 1,813 projects across six continents and 92 countries. We wanted to commemorate that by highlighting a handful of amazing recipient stories with the video below.
Omno | Studio Inkyfox
The first story the video dives into features solo developer Jonas Manke, who founded Studio Inkyfox in the small town of Werther, Germany. He quit his day job as an animation artist, mostly working in the film industry, to make Omno. Manke initially started experimenting with Unreal Engine before deciding to pursue solo game development full time. This third-person fantasy adventure game became one of the first Epic MegaGrant recipients, which then went on to garner “very positive” reviews on Steam, and ended up winning Best Indie Game at 2021’s German Developer Awards. Beyond the financial support, Manke credits the MegaGrant for being a big morale booster.
Green Fairy VR | CONICAL
The next project takes us to the southern hemisphere in New Zealand, where we step into CONICAL’s offices. The Auckland-based studio received a MegaGrant that allowed them to develop Green Fairy VR, a fantastical virtual reality experience designed for children. CONICAL continually built upon the IP and created an augmented-reality experience. The Green Fairy eventually got picked up on TVNZ as an animated show. The studio is now developing an upcoming game called Faeborne that leverages the IP, establishing CONICAL as a pioneer in the transmedia space.
Faeborne | CONICAL
Founder of CONICAL Alejandro Davila stated that the Epic MegaGrant allowed them to bolster the quality of their project and paved the way for the studio to receive additional seed funding. CONICAL Art Director & Project Manager Brad Thomson stated, “It’s given us the opportunity to create a video game studio and do something we’re passionate about.” He added, “Without that, I don’t think we would have come this far.”
Snacko | Bluecurse Studios
The next Epic MegaGrant recipient is Bluecurse Studios. Based in Edmonton, Canada, the developer is composed of husband-and-wife duo Jordan Gonzalez and Erisa Liu, respectively. The couple is working full time on their first game, Snacko. Described as a “farming cat-venture” title, the passion project has players fixing up a ruined island. Inspired by their real-life cats, Snacko features a cute and retro art style. Initially fueled by a vocal online fanbase, Snacko received a MegaGrant, which the duo credits for solidifying their pathway to securing a publisher along with providing the team more development runway and a confidence boost. Snacko is currently set to release on Nintendo Switch, Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Kibwe | FX Animation Studio
Finally, the last project highlighted in the video features an upcoming animated movie coming out of Maputo, Mozambique. Spearheaded by husband-and-wife duo Nildo and Halima Essá, who run FX Animation Studio, the inspiration for Kibwe derived from a desire to create animated content that kids in the Mozambican community could identify with. Developed using Unreal Engine 5, when it releases, it will be the first animated feature film out of the country and will be a part of the studio’s new IP, The Troublemakers.
The duo credits the Epic MegaGrant for allowing them to tell their story the way they wanted to tell it, without having to make compromises to appeal to foreign investors. Elaborating on the goals for the project, Nildo exclaimed, “We wanted to be able to put Mozambique on the map and we wanted people to know where we are and who we are.”
For more amazing MegaGrant stories, visit unrealengine.com/MegaGrantStories.
The duo credits the Epic MegaGrant for allowing them to tell their story the way they wanted to tell it, without having to make compromises to appeal to foreign investors. Elaborating on the goals for the project, Nildo exclaimed, “We wanted to be able to put Mozambique on the map and we wanted people to know where we are and who we are.”
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