Epic Games, a month after approving the free play of certain old Unreal games, has publicly recognized and thanked a dedicated community of fans. These fans have been working tirelessly for years to ensure the continuation of these classic titles. Just last month, Epic gave the green light to free versions of Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament, two iconic first-person shooters from the Unreal series, which are now accessible via the Internet Archive. A spokesperson at that time stated that people are free to independently link to and play these versions, making it possible for players to enjoy these old gems without spending a dime. However, it is even more heartening to see Epic now give a shoutout to the OldUnreal community, which offers more than just links to free game downloads.

Epic's Acknowledgment and the Legacy of Unreal Games

"Before we became renowned for Fortnite, you might have been familiar with another game that kickstarted it all," Epic Games writes. "From 1998 to 2010, we released nine titles in the Unreal franchise, with Unreal Tournament being one of them. The rest, as they say, is history.While Unreal Tournament is no longer in active development by Epic Games, servers for some versions of UT remain active thanks to a passionate community of developers and fans who provide patches and maintenance. We want to express our gratitude to the community at [OldUnreal] for their unwavering support in keeping this legacy alive."The OldUnreal community has been actively involved for years. In fact, on the page for its Unreal Tournament patches, it is stated that it took over the maintenance of the Unreal Tournament code base after reaching an agreement with Epic Games in 2019. This has been an ongoing passion project. The main patch for the first game was created to offer all Unreal players a brand new, thoroughly overhauled and fixed version of their beloved game. Along with bug fixes and new additions, it is still possible to join older servers with this version.Epic is likely highlighting the OldUnreal community now because Unreal Tournament features in the latest episode of the Prime Video series Secret Level. This will undoubtedly pique the curiosity of both new and veteran players, inspiring them to give these games a try. It is refreshing to see the developer shine a light on the community and direct players towards a new and improved way to play the old games.For those seeking more games similar to Unreal Tournament, be sure to check out our picks for the best FPS games. There are a plethora of options available that offer similar gameplay experiences and excitement.