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‘Last Year’ Gets Additional Funding From Epic Games
Legend tells of an indie developer who, after realizing it’d be a super cool idea if someone made a video game inspired by the slasher film genre, set out to do just that. That developer was Elastic Games, and come December, it will have been a full year since they raised about $86k to fund a horror fan’s dream project called Last Year.
Last Year is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game that’s headed to PC next fall. In it, a team of five teen archetypes must work together to survive an entire night with a masked murderer who’s exclusively interested in poking people with sharp objects.
As if $86k in public support wasn’t enough to show how badly the world needs a game like Last Year, the two big donations they’ve received in the last 5-6 months ought to do the trick. Elastic might’ve had to invest in some elastic pockets to make room for the gargantuan $260k investment they secured from the Canada Media Fund this summer, as well as the $17k they received this week from Epic Games.
Epic is the creator of Gears of War, a franchise that doubled as an incredibly effective commercial for the Unreal Engine. In an effort to get more developers to use their engine, Epic launched a program to that rewards the most promising Unreal-powered projects with money that I like to think gets crammed into a briefcase that’s been handcuffed to an Epic intern so it can be hand-delivered to a sleep-deprived developer. Or something like that.
“I’m extremely proud to share that Epic Games, creator of the Unreal Engine, has contributed $17,000 USD towards the development of Last Year,” reads a celebratory post on the Last Year Kickstarter page.
“The team at Epic has been keeping an eye on Last Year and it’s incredible to have such a powerhouse developer backing us with their support. We’ve been fairly quiet about our tech and engine plans till now but I’m happy to say with Last Year you’ll be seeing Unreal 4 pushed to the fullest extent. I want to express a huge thank you to the team at Epic for their continued support and believing in us.”
Epic’s Fortnite is heading for another crossover, this time with Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights. The title’s annual Fortnitemares Halloween event will be coming to Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort in a new scare zone, kicking off on August 28.
For those not in the know, Scare zones are themed, open-air areas where guests and actors roam around freely.
This is the first time Fortnite will be featured during the after-hours event, which will run from August 28 until November 1. Tickets and packages are on sale now at the official site.
Per the press release, guests will enter Freaky Fields, a Halloween-inspired living battleground that’s been “overcome with a threatening force.” From there, fans will meet up with the Battle Bus, featuring familiar Fortnitemares characters, including “a few new additions exclusive to Halloween Horror Nights.”
And of course, there will be Fortnitemares merchandise available for fans, including a graphic t-shirt, decal set, and an acrylic collectible piece.
Fortnitemares won’t be the only featured property at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Killer Klowns from Outer Space will also be getting its own scare zone. Sinners, Stranger Things, Hellraiser, and Evil Dead Burn will also be part of the event, though they will be relegated to their own specific houses.
And while it’s early yet, gamers can probably expect Fortnitemares to return to Fortnite this October.
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