How Unreal 2 was rescued from development hell—and doomed to fail

There was a time when Unreal 2 was the most exciting game on the release calendar. The original Unreal set a new standard for FPS design in 1998, and the sequel promised a cinematic campaign, dynamic factions, driveable vehicles and an elaborate team-based multiplayer running on Unreal Engine 2.

Yet the Unreal 2 that launched in February 2003 looked very different: it had no multiplayer, only a short singleplayer campaign, no vehicles or dynamic factions, and it cost $10 more than other games on the shelves. Legend Entertainment's last and most ambitious project was marred by leadership crises, bitter creative differences and one of the most preposterous business deals in video game history.

Glen Dahlgren, who had directed Legend's The Wheel of Time, reluctantly became involved; the logical choice to lead the sequel had been Mike Verdu, who had overseen Return to Na Pali and wanted to push Unreal into a more story-driven, cinematic direction.

unreal 2, unreal, legend entertainment, glen dahlgren, mike verdu, unreal engine, development hell, multiplayer, singleplayer, vehicles