"Game Developer's Fortnite Walking Dead Project: A New Era for Studios"

The games industry has been facing significant challenges, with layoffs, studio closures, and funding issues becoming increasingly common. Enrique Fuentes, CEO and co-founder of Teravision Games, experienced this firsthand with the release of their asymmetrical horror game, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, inspired by the 80s movie. Despite positive reception (IGN rated it a 7, praising its entertainment value) and high viewership of its trailers, Teravision found it challenging to secure their next project in 2024.

Fuentes explained, "As you know, 2024 was a pretty tough year for the whole industry. So it was a little bit slow for us to close our next project." Despite their previous collaborations with major companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Xbox, finding a follow-up project proved difficult. With time pressing, Teravision turned to a new approach: developing games within Fortnite using Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN). In less than a year, they released three UEFN games, with their fourth, Courtyard King, launching today.

Courtyard King, developed in partnership with Skybound, the company co-founded by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, is a King of the Hill-style multiplayer PvPvE game. Set in The Walking Dead's iconic prison location, players battle both each other and NPC zombies for control of territory. The game leverages official The Walking Dead assets in UEFN, including character models of Rick Grimes, Negan, and Daryl Dixon. Moreover, Teravision collaborated with Skybound's writers to develop the game's narrative and dialogue.

Fuentes noted the shift in project timelines: "Instead of a multi-year project like Killer Clowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months." He emphasized the growing trend of user-generated content (UGC) in gaming, especially within platforms like Fortnite. "UGC, it’s one of the biggest things in gaming right now," he said, highlighting how UGC created by professional studios like Teravision is a newer, yet promising concept.

The transition to UEFN was smooth for Teravision's engineering team, thanks to their background in Unreal Engine. "It made sense because we come from an engineering background and it was a platform where we could experiment in and assume some of the risk," Fuentes explained. Their first UEFN project, Havoc Hotel, a roguelike shooter set in a hotel, became a modest hit, leading to the successful Havoc Hotel 3, which remains one of Fortnite's most popular games.

Martin Rodriguez, Teravision's game designer, emphasized the advantages of using UEFN, a modified version of Unreal Engine 5. "For us, it just removes some of the work that we would’ve done otherwise and allows us to focus on just making better games and explore different new creative ideas," he said, noting the streamlined and more "drag and drop" processes.

The game design team faced unique challenges adapting to UEFN's environment. LD Zambrano, Teravision's creative director, explained that while traditional game design focuses on clear objectives and competition, UEFN games thrive on context and unusual interactions. "They’re weird situations and interactions that don’t necessarily translate into a very clear competition, but they still work," he said, likening UEFN games to playground activities where creativity and social engagement are key.

Zambrano described Courtyard King as an infinite game, where there is no final winner. Players can join or leave matches at any time and even switch teams, creating dynamic and unpredictable gameplay that mirrors the themes of The Walking Dead.

Fuentes sees UEFN as a viable model for indie developers, allowing them to experiment without significant financial risk. "This is now a viable model where you can actually support an 80-person studio like we do, and we can assume the risk," he said. "It’s something that if you have the right ideas, the right creativity around it, if you understand the market well enough and you have the right thinking, execution becomes possible and it doesn’t take years, it actually takes weeks, maybe months. I think this is a dream come true for indie developers."