For the past two years, GamesBeat has partnered with Epic Games to help showcase the best titles using Unreal Engine at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The Unreal E3 Awards honor the most creative, beautiful, and fun games that use Epic’s freely-available engine under the backdrop of the most important industry event in the U.S.
We’re happy to announce that this relationship is continuing. We’ll be giving out more Unreal E3 Awards at this year’s show, which takes place from June 13 to June 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. And we want to see your games.
Last year, we gave props to Gears of War 4 for its technical prowess. We singled-out LawBreakers for its addicting gameplay, and we were in awe of Abzû’s beauty. Now, we’re ready to see which games will win one of our nine awards this year.
Any game shown at E3 that uses Unreal Engine is eligible. Throughout the event, GamesBeat staff will be checking out those titles on the show floor. We’ll then pick winners for each of our nine categories, which you can find listed below.
And we’re not just giving out placards and good feelings. Each winning team will receive a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card provided by NVIDIA.
Do you think your Unreal game can stand out? Check out the nine categories below and email e32017@unrealengine.com to submit your game for consideration.
Above: The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti .
2017 Unreal E3 Awards categories
Eye Candy
This award is given to the most visually impressive Unreal Engine game at E3 2017 and rewards the use of leading-edge graphics that push the medium of interactive entertainment forward.
Best Hook
This award is given to the game that features the most compelling mechanics or intuitive design. Nominees will make us consider the possibilities of interactive entertainment and inspire others to think about the medium from a new perspective.
Most Addictive
This award is given to the experience that our judges simply can’t put down. Nominees will make players forget about their surroundings and compel them to focus on the intended experience. The winner is simply awesome and will lead to fun-induced sleep deprivation.
Best Sequel
This award is given to the most impressive project that is a part of an established IP with an energetic fanbase. Nominees will push their franchises forward while exciting both existing and new players about their worlds’ potential.
Best Original Game
This award is given to the project with huge potential as an all-new IP. Nominees will spark interest in not just gameplay, but through original characters, worlds and the potential that is put on full display during E3 2017.
Biggest Buzz
This award is given to the project that creates the most talked about moment of E3 2017. From a major game reveal to an undeniably impressive demo or a major twist that flips the industry on its ear, this award goes to the Unreal Engine team or project that produces the most buzz.
Best VR Game
This award is given to the VR experience that delivers the best overall experience. With the newfound capabilities of VR on full display, this project places people in truly believable worlds that excite the senses and inspire imaginations. Nominees will reinforce best practices of VR design and demonstrate how the medium is delivering all-new experiences.
Outstanding Gameplay
This award is given to the game that offers the most fun experience overall. Nominees will be equally as intuitive as they are innovative while providing players with a sense of wonder and enjoyment. This is a game that will move hardware units — be it VR headsets or consoles — right off the shelf.
Unreal Underdog
This award is given to the team that pushes the limits to achieve an amazing showing for their game or experience at E3. Focusing on not just the product, but the people and process behind it, this award acknowledges a team’s perseverance to make a big splash at the show.
We’ll be checking out games that fit these categories during E3 from June 13 to June 17. We’ll also be covering many of those titles during the show. And once E3 is over, we’ll announce the nominees and winners, so keep checking back for our coverage on the best, most creative, and intensely fun Unreal Engine games coming to players in 2017 and beyond.
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