Game designing has certainly come a long way. With the advent of more accessible technology, we’ve seen the rise of really stellar indie titles that would not have even made it to release back in the day.
Seeing the wealth of talent out there, it seems that big IP owners are looking to seize this opportunity to give aspiring game designers a chance to work with a big property right from the get-go – if it fits. How times have changed.
Universal, in partnership with Unity Technologies, has opened a worldwide contest for game developers to pitch their best game ideas for 5 of their classic properties: Back to the Future, Turok, Battlestar Galactica, Voltron, and Jaws.
The grand prize winner would receive a one-year consulting contract, to bring their game idea to life, along with US$150,000. Submissions are being judged by a panel of judges that includes Lauren Montgomery, Executive Producer at Dreamworks and showrunner for Voltron; Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer from Venture Beat; Bob Gale, co-creator of the Back to the Future series; and Kate Edwards, CEO of Geogrify and former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association.
The first phase of the challenge involves a pitch, which consists of submitting a game design document outlining the game’s narrative, gameplay design and technical goals. This can be supplemented by additional materials such as story details, art concepts or video capture of a prototype. Lastly, a video pitch must be done, to introduce the team and their vision.
Six finalists would be chosen out of Phase 1 to attend a VIP Mentorship Summit in Southern California, where they would be working with visionaries, engineers, and spokespeople from Universal, Microsoft, Intel and Unity. The details for Phase 2 of the challenge has not been shared as of now.
You can register for the Universal Global GameDev Challenge right now, with more information about the contest and the list of requirements and rules.
Timothy is a freelance photographer and fellow geek. His professional work spans many genres and he shoots on film for leisure.
Natalie
