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Between layoffs, studio closures, and dwindling funding, it’s no exaggeration to say that the gaming industry has faced significant turbulence in recent years. Enrique Fuentes, CEO and co-founder of Teravision Games, experienced this instability firsthand when his team launched Killer Klowns From Outer Space, an asymmetrical horror game inspired by the cult classic 1988 film.
The game was met with positive reviews—IGN awarded it a 7/10, praising its fun and goofy charm—and online trailers amassed hundreds of thousands of views. However, despite the promising launch, Teravision found itself stuck in a familiar struggle: securing the next big project in an increasingly uncertain market.
“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,” Fuentes explains.
Despite having worked with major names like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Xbox, the studio hit a wall. With time running out and veteran developers on board—many boasting over 20 years of experience—the team pivoted toward something unconventional: building games within Fortnite using Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN). In under a year, Teravision successfully released three UEFN titles, with a fourth launching today—this one leveraging The Walking Dead official content pack.
Developed in collaboration with Skybound Entertainment, the company co-founded by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Teravision's latest UEFN title is Courtyard King—a King of the Hill-style multiplayer PvPvE experience set in The Walking Dead's iconic prison setting.
All assets used in Courtyard King are officially licensed, including character models based on Rick Grimes, Negan, and Daryl Dixon. But beyond just visuals, the game features story and dialogue crafted in partnership with Skybound writers, giving it authentic narrative depth.
“Instead of a multi-year project like Killer Klowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months.”
Fuentes admits that working with UEFN wasn’t originally part of their roadmap. “We’ve collaborated with big brands before… and UEFN was something we were experimenting with… but we never imagined it would be the foundation for engaging with a company like Skybound.” He adds, “UGC—user-generated content—is one of the biggest trends in gaming right now.”
UGC has long driven engagement on platforms like Roblox, where player-created experiences dominate. But what sets Fortnite apart is its appeal to professional studios. Thanks to its powerful Unreal Engine 5-based toolset, seasoned developers like Teravision can create high-quality experiences without the overhead of traditional development cycles.
“It made sense because we come from an engineering background and it was a platform where we could experiment and assume some of the risk,” says Fuentes. “Because instead of a multi-year project like Killer Klowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months.”
That experimentation led to the creation of Havoc Hotel, a roguelike shooter where players fight through hotel floors, earning currency after each cleared level to upgrade their arsenal. The first iteration was a modest success, encouraging the team to build upon the concept. Today, Havoc Hotel 3 ranks among Fortnite’s most-played custom games.
Martin Rodriguez, Teravision’s game designer, notes that since Killer Klowns was already built in Unreal Engine, transitioning to UEFN—a modified version of Unreal Engine 5—was both natural and efficient. According to him, the tools are streamlined and intuitive, offering a more “drag-and-drop” workflow.
“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 creative ideas.”
While the engineering side adapted smoothly, the game design team faced new challenges. Titles like Havoc Hotel began as experimental prototypes but quickly evolved into fully-fledged experiences. LD Zambrano, Teravision’s creative director, highlights how UEFN games differ significantly from traditional ones.
“A traditional experience we have had designing other [non-UEFN] games is where players relate through objectives that entice cooperation and competition. In [UEFN], even though those objectives are still relevant, I found there are a lot of experiences that are very popular within the Fortnite ecosystem that are kind of just context—they’re weird situations and interactions that don’t necessarily translate into a clear competition, but they still work.”
Zambrano likens UEFN games to the schoolyard during recess: spontaneous, imaginative, and often rule-free—but deeply engaging.
“There is this way of approaching each other that brings me back to recess—you meet somebody and make up some sort of game that might not make sense, but still you’re engaging and creating friendships. That’s what I mean about some of these games becoming a ‘context.’”
This philosophy shines through in Courtyard King. Unlike traditional competitive modes, Courtyard King is designed as an infinite game—there is no final winner. Matches continue indefinitely, allowing players to jump in and out freely, switch teams, and even betray allies mid-match.
“Players can drop in and drop out whenever they want. They can even change teams whenever they like, which generates situations for betrayals. Maybe you enter a party with your friend, but then in the middle of the match you don’t tell him and change teams—which is very Walking Dead-like.”
So, is this the future of game development? On one hand, it places studios within the sandbox of giants like Epic Games. But for smaller teams seeking flexibility, exposure, and access to major IPs, Fuentes sees immense opportunity.
“We can actually assume the risk as an indie developer in [UEFN]. Last year, we couldn’t even think about starting a three-year project. Now we can do something in a few weeks with a smaller team—and that completely changes the paradigm for a new developer.”
He continues, “This is now a viable model where you can actually support an 80-person studio like ours, and we can assume the risk. If you have the right ideas, creativity, and understanding of the market, execution becomes possible—and it doesn’t take years, maybe weeks or months. I think this is a dream come true for indie developers.”
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