5 Epic Games you probably didn’t know were developed by Epic Games

Did you know that Epic Games has done far more than just create Fortnite?

Yeah, Fortnite founder Epic Games has been around for a long time. Founded in 1991, they weren’t always the billion-dollar franchise creator they are now. Starting as a small developer, the company has done everything from first-person shooters to RPGs.

And whatever ZZT was.

Focusing mainly on computer games in their early days, the developer wouldn’t make their first console game until 1995’s Extreme Pinball for the PlayStation. They wouldn’t make their first console-only game until Unreal Championship for the Xbox in 2002. Nearly 11 years after opening its doors.

Before they were a “game store” that you could purchase from, they were in fact exclusively a developer and publisher.

They’ve been around for a long time, yet did you know that Epic Games also developed these five games?

Five games you may not have known Epic Games developed

Age of Wonders

That’s right, the turn-based strategy game was originally an Epic Games developed title. Created in 1999 for Windows, the game was seen as an Age of Empires competitor. It employed the same concepts as its competitor but could never reach the same success, with Epic abandoning the IP and Triumph Studios picking up the game.

Unreal Tournament

The game that everyone talked about but no one I knew played. It was a first-person shooter in a time when first-person shooters were rare, at least compared to today. It was the focal point of the recently developed Unreal Engine, a game-changing engine that is still being used to some degree today with Unreal Engine 5.

Bulletstorm

Here’s a game for you. A game that once brought in Duke Nukem. Make of that as you will. Bulletstorm was a hugely well-received game and did fairly well, but it never reached the heights as a landmark title as the Unreal franchise or the next game…

Gears of War

Seen as Halo’s grittier, cooler, more dangerous older brother for the Xbox, Gears of War was the first time I know of that allowed you to shoot aliens in the face, and then chainsaw them for fun. What a combo. Gears of Wars is often seen as an “Xbox” title, but it’s actually an Epic Games title.

Jazz Jackrabbit 2

Yeah, I’ve never heard of this one either…