The games industry has been navigating turbulent waters in recent times, with layoffs, studio closures, and funding challenges becoming all too common. Enrique Fuentes, the CEO and co-founder of Teravision Games, felt this pressure acutely following the launch of their asymmetrical horror game, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, inspired by the 80s cult classic. Despite the game receiving positive reviews, including a 7 from IGN, which praised its entertainment value akin to the movie, Teravision found themselves in a precarious position post-launch.

Fuentes reflects on the challenges of 2024, stating, "As you know, 2024 was a pretty tough year for the whole industry. So it was a little bit slow for us to close our next project." Despite their collaborations with major names like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Xbox, securing a follow-up project proved difficult. In response, Teravision turned to a novel approach: developing games within Fortnite. Within less than a year, they successfully released three games using Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN), with their fourth game, Courtyard King, launching today. This new title, developed in partnership with Skybound and utilizing official The Walking Dead content, is a King of the Hill-style multiplayer PvPvE game set in the iconic prison from the series.

Courtyard King fully leverages official The Walking Dead assets available in UEFN, featuring characters like Rick Grimes, Negan, and Daryl Dixon. Beyond just using these assets, Teravision collaborated with Skybound's writers to develop the game's narrative and dialogue, ensuring a rich, immersive experience. Fuentes notes the shift in project timelines, saying, "Instead of a multi-year project like Killer Clowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months."

User-generated content (UGC) is currently a major trend in gaming, driven by platforms like Fortnite. While UGC typically refers to creations by individual players, professional studios like Teravision are now exploring this space. Fortnite's Unreal Engine 5-based tools have been particularly advantageous for experienced developers like Teravision. "It made sense because we come from an engineering background and it was a platform where we could experiment in and assume some of the risk," Fuentes explains.

Teravision's foray into UEFN began with Havoc Hotel, a roguelike shooter that became a modest hit and paved the way for subsequent games in the series. Havoc Hotel 3 has since become one of Fortnite's most popular titles.

Martin Rodriguez, a game designer at Teravision, highlights the ease of transitioning from Unreal Engine to UEFN, which streamlined their development process. "For us, it just removes some of the work that we would’ve done otherwise and allows us to focus on just making better games and explore different new creative ideas," he says.

While the engineering team adapted well to UEFN's tools, the game design team faced unique challenges. Teravision's creative director, LD Zambrano, notes that UEFN games differ from traditional games. "A traditional experience we have had designing other [non-UEFN] games is where players relate through objectives that entice cooperation and competition, right?" Zambrano explains. "In [UEFN's] case, we have found that even though those objectives are still relevant and we still can use that game design sensibility and bring them there, I found that there are a lot of experiences that are very popular within the Fortnite ecosystem that are kind of just context."

Zambrano likens UEFN games to schoolyard play, where players engage in spontaneous, often unstructured games that foster friendships. This philosophy is reflected in Courtyard King, which operates as an infinite game without a definitive end. Players can join or leave matches at any time and even switch teams, creating dynamic scenarios reminiscent of The Walking Dead's themes of loyalty and betrayal.

Fuentes sees this model as a viable future for game developers, particularly indie studios. "We can actually assume the risk as an indie developer in [UEFN]. Because last year, we couldn’t even think about starting a three-year project. We could do something in a few weeks with a smaller team and that completely changes the paradigm for a new developer," he says. "This is now a viable model where you can actually support an 80-person studio like we do, and we can assume the risk. It’s something that if you have the right ideas, the right creativity around it, if you understand the market well enough and you have the right thinking, execution becomes possible and it doesn’t take years, it actually takes weeks, maybe months. I think this is a dream come true for indie developers."