Warframe is getting a blast from shooters’ past — and one that connects to the studio’s development history.
At The Game Awards today, Digital Extremes announced that three Unreal Tournament-themed weapons are coming to Warframe as part of a bundle in the Epic Games Store. The Unreal Tournament Weapon Bundle is free beginning today, and you have until December 24 to pick it up (I guess Santa’s elves are pulling it from the digital shelf then). It’s the first time Digital Extremes has partnered with another studio for content in Warframe, an online, free-to-play co-op “looter shooter” that launched in 2013.
The package includes:
- Flak Cannon
- Rocket Launcher
- Shock Rifle
- Drakgoon Weapon with Slot
- Ogris Weapon with Slot
- Stahlta Weapon with Slot
- Essential Critical Chance Bundle
- Affinity Booster
So, why is this a “blast from the past”? Well, Digital Extremes worked with Epic Games on Unreal Tournament, which debuted in 1999 for PC. It helped spur the rise of competitive multiplayer in shooters, and this landmark game showed what developers could do with the Unreal Engine toolkit.
And one of those people who worked on Unreal Tournament back in the day is Digital Extremes CEO James Schmalz. To learn more, see this history of Unreal Tournament.
Warframe has more than 60 million registered players. According to a Digital Extremes spokesperson, it set an all-time record for concurrent users on Steam in August with 154,246 players.
And now, those players will be able to go about lootin’ and shootin’ with old-school weapons from Unreal Tournament — a game that might have launched their online shooter pastimes.
