No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaEpic Games, UCreativa reach first-of-its kind partnership in Central America

Epic Games, UCreativa reach first-of-its kind partnership in Central America

TIBÁS — For a country without an army, Costa Rica hosted an impressive Battle Royale on Wednesday afternoon.

The demonstration of the popular video game Fortnite, led by professional team Las Valkirias, was part of the announcement, and celebration, of UCreativa’s new partnership with Epic Games.

As an Epic Academic Partner, UCreativa ensures students can learn in the tech company’s Unreal Engine, helping prepare graduates for a career in the video-game industry in Costa Rica or abroad.

“This agreement means a lot for our students,” said Gabriel Serrano, UCreativa’s Director of Careers in Development and Technology. “It’s the confidence that if they want to develop using Epic software, they will be receiving a quality education.”

The announcement came after several years of discussion and planning between UCreativa and Epic Games.

UCreativa becomes the first Central American school to partner with Epic as an Academic Partner and joins dozens of institutions worldwide — in every content except Antarctica — that use the company’s Unreal Engine to train their students.

For Epic Games representative Christian Andrade, Unreal Engine Evangelist for Latin America, the alliance opens an untapped market for the company. 

Jacob Spetzler / The Tico Times

“Latin America is behind in the development of video games — but not in playing them,” Andrade said. “Why is this important? Around the rest of the world, companies that develop video games have grown to where scaling more is difficult.

“This is an opportunity for Latin America.”

Epic has been a leader in gaming and animation technologies for nearly 30 years. Their Unreal Engine powers popular games including Fortnite, Bioshock and Gears of War, among dozens of others. 

“The development industry is one of the most prolific of the orange economy,” Serrano said. “That is reflected in national companies that currently develop video games, whose developments have been published in main consoles, such as PlayStation 4, and who sell services in the largest markets in the world, from the United States to Japan.”

Following the announcement, Las Valkirias (The Valkyries), Costa Rica’s first all-female professional Fortnite team, showed off the capabilities of the Unreal Engine in a Team Rumble contest displayed on a massive screen.

Jacob Spetzler / The Tico Times

The event ended with Unreal Engine workshops for the public — giving everyone from curious teenagers to established developers a firsthand look at Epic Games’ software.

“Video games generate more profits than movies and music combined,” Andrade said, “so we are in the right place to look toward the future.”

Trending Now

Honduras agrees to receive migrants under new US deportation agreement

The US has signed a new deportation agreement with Honduras, allowing officials to send migrants from other countries there instead of keeping them in...

Costa Rica’s Role in US Deportation Drama with Salvadoran Migrant

A Salvadoran man at the center of a heated US immigration battle could end up in Costa Rica if he accepts a guilty plea,...

Panama Canal Warns of Traffic Decline as Economic Uncertainty Grows

The Panama Canal will take in about $400 million less in the next fiscal year due to a drop in ship traffic caused by...

Costa Rica’s Tourism Sector Alarmed Over Rising Violence and U.S. Criticism

Tourism leaders in Costa Rica are warning that rising crime and international criticism could damage the country’s reputation as one of Latin America’s safest...

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Major Cocaine Seizure in Costa Rica’s South Highlights Ongoing Cartel Fight

Costa Rican police pulled off a big win against drug traffickers this Sunday, seizing over a ton of cocaine hidden in a tourism minibus...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica