Epic Games, Inc., creators of the billion-dollar “Gears of War” franchise and the award-winning Unreal Engine 3, announce Make Something Unreal Live, an independent game development competition co-sponsored by Train2Game, the UK’s premier game development distance learning resource. This unprecedented event will take place over the course of six months and culminate in a spectacular real-time conclusion at Gadget Show Live 2012, the premier consumer show taking place from April 11-15, 2012 in Birmingham, UK. The winner of Make Something Unreal Live will receive a commercial Unreal Engine 3 license for iOS.

Winners of the Train2Game and Epic Game Jam, happening November 4-6 at the University of Bedfordshire, will compete in the event next April. In both competitions, all games will be developed for iOS devices using Epic’s Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3 which has been installed on more than 1 million unique machines.

Following this week’s game jam, development teams will benefit from a six-month incubation period in which a range of senior industry veterans will nurture projects by reviewing key milestones, providing guidance and shaping scope. During this time, talent will prepare for the final showdown at the Gadget Show Live, where more than 100,000 attendees will watch them bring to life Unreal Engine 3-powered creations in real time.

“We are looking forward to working with Epic Games and Train2Game to bring a completely new element into the Games Zone at GSL 2012,” said Gadget Show Live Event Director Matt Hodgins. “A huge number of our visitors are into gaming, and will undoubtedly be excited to see how new games are developed and brought to life at the event.”

“Once they’re out there in the real world, our students will flourish based on their ability to create fantastic experiences under pressure,” said Train2Game Course Director, Tony Bickley, “this is one of the best opportunities they’ve had so far to prove themselves and create something they can be proud of that will springboard their burgeoning careers in gaming.”

“In a mere five days, these developers will kickstart their careers in an intense competition that will ultimately result in one team walking away a professional studio, with a full source Unreal Engine 3 license for iOS in hand,” said Mike Gamble, European territory manager, Epic Games.

Epic Games is known for its legendary Make Something Unreal Contest game development competitions, which utilize the Unreal Engine 3 toolset and reward grand prize winners with a commercial license granting full access to Epic’s high-end game engine technology. The $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest concluded in 2010, with multiple teams going on to release commercial games based on projects made for the competition.  Developed by grand prize-winning team KTX Software and published by THQ, “The Haunted: Hells Reach” was released for PC on October 24.

Tickets for The Gadget Show Live are now on sale at www.gadgetshowlive.net.