Unrealthe first-person shooter that introduced Unreal Engine to the world and its multiplayer-focused sequel unreal tournament They have been preserved through the Internet Archive and are freely available for download with the blessing of developer Epic Games.
“We can confirm that Unreal and unreal tournament are available on Archive.org and people are free to link to and play these versions independently,” an Epic spokesperson told Polygon.
Unreal debuted in 1998. Designed by Cliff Bleszinski, who would go on to games like gears of war and Lawbreakersand programmed by Tim Sweeney, the now billionaire founder and CEO of Epic Games, the first-person shooter was an almost immediate hit thanks to its detailed graphics and fast-paced gameplay. unreal tournament followed in 1999, shifting focus to multiplayer arenas and spawning multiple sequels. A reboot of sorts was planned, but it never made it past a 2014 public pre-alpha that ended in 2017, as Epic's development priorities shifted to fortnite. And we all know how that turned out.
Despite a complete disappearance of the zeitgeist, unfortunately aided by Epic itself removing the games from all online stores when the servers were shut down in 2023, the Unreal series is an iconic piece of video game history that worth preserving for future generations. And while dedicated fans will always be ready to step in and do the hard work to save these abandoned classics, it's great to see a major corporation like Epic at least not do anything to hinder those efforts.