John Gaudiosi

Editor’s note: It’s been six years since Epic Games first announced Fortnite, a free-to-play third-person action building game that pits a group of four gamers against a horde of invading monsters in a post-apocalyptic world. As launch day nears, here’s an inside look at the game. Plus: Epic releases a new video trailer. This is the second of a two-part look at Fortnite as reported by veteran video game industry journalist John Gaudiosi. Darren Sugg, creative director on Fortnite, talks about finally unleashing the new game with early access set to launch on July 25. (Part one is available...

In the second part of an exclusive interview, John Gaudiosi talks with Epic Games’ Steve Stuperville, creative director of Paragon, about its newest offering from heroes to the latest technology driving the game. Plus, watch a new video trailer about the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. See the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q2U1bRuy2I&feature=youtu.be Gaudiosi’s interview: Can you talk about some of the heroes in Paragon? We launch with 13 heroes. A lot of them have the normal MOBA tropes. One of our goals was to allow players who have played MOBAs before to go in and understand what this is....

Epic Games is unleashing its latest free-to-play game, Paragon, across PC and PlayStation 4 today. The multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game is available in free open beta, allowing anyone to jump into the action – while giving the development team time to fine-tune the game prior to its official launch (which hasn’t been announced yet). The studio releases new free heroes for the game every three weeks. And once launched, the game will offer in-game items for sale, also called “micro transactions.” The third-person perspective game pits teams of five players against each other on a battlefield with...

Ubisoft-owned Cary-based game studio Red Storm Entertainment is at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles this week debuting its upcoming virtual reality game “Star Trek: Bridge Crew.” The game launches this fall on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. Star Trek: Bridge Crew” is the first Hollywood-licensed virtual reality game for Ubisoft. And it comes as the sci-fi franchise celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year with a new movie from Paramount Pictures, Star Trek Beyond, and a new digital series from CBS launching in January. David Votypka, vice president of operations at Red Storm Entertainment, is overseeing...

Editor’s note: Gamers get their first hands-on experience with “LawBreakers,” the initial video game developed by former Epic Games creative guru Cliff Bleszinski and his Raleigh-based startup Boss Key Productions. John Gaudiosi offers a preview in a WRAL TechWire exclusive. RALEIGH, N.C. – Cliff Bleszinski, founder and CEO of Boss Key Productions, held two full days of media gameplay sessions at his downtown Raleigh game studio last week. It’s the first hands-on with LawBreakers, which Nexon America will publish and gamers can buy exclusively through Steam on PC. No release date has been announced, but gamers attending PAX East...

Cliff Bleszinski has a team of over 40 developers working in downtown Raleigh at Boss Key Productions. After just a year of development, gamers who attended the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle were able to play a 15-minute multiplayer demo of the free-to-play, first-person shooter LawBreakers. The five-versus-five futuristic shooter pits members of the “Law,” who have access to great weaponry, against the “Breakers,” who are gang members that use drugs to get superhero-like abilities. They’re fighting for control of a post-cataclysmic world which has seen “The Shattering” impact gravity and destroy much of the planet. The first gameplay...

Epic Games has been busy of late. The Cary, NC-based company has been working for three years on its first new game since Infinity Blade and it’s finally letting gamers play the free-to-play PC multiplayer strategy tower defense game, Fortnite. The game maker is also expanding subsidiary Chair Entertainment’s iOS Infinity Blade franchise to Xbox One in China, courtesy of investor Tencent. Natalie Brickell, community coordinator at Epic Games, said the first invites were sent out to gamers to help Epic test Fortnite from Dec. 2 through Dec. 19. Epic has been testing the game inside the studio for...

Editor’s note: Epic Games is partnering with academia to spread the reach of its latest game engine technology, Unreal Engine 4. Unreal is already one of the world’s most popular game creation technologies, used by companies worldwide and across multiple platforms. WRAL TechWire Insider John Gauidosi reports in an exclusive interview with Unreal’s general manager. CARY, N.C. – In March, Epic Games switched the business model for its Unreal Engine 4 video game engine technology to a subscription-based model of $19 per month (plus a 5% royalty on any revenue-generating products). Now the Cary, N.C.-headquartered game studio is offering...

Editor’s note: Epic Games was never able to bring its mega-selling hit “Gears of War” to the big screen and ended up selling the franchise to Microsoft. But the story may have a happier ending for its Infinity Blade. The series, developed for mobile devices to run on Apple’s iOS, has sold more than 50 million copies. The game itself is ending but there may be new life for it in Hollywood. John Gaudiosi has the exclusive details for WRAL TechWire Insiders. CARY, N.C. – Chair Entertainment, an Epic Games studio based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has sold...