Recap: Since Fortnite became one of the most successful video games of all time, Epic has seemingly washed its hands of Unreal, the franchise that helped establish the company. Fortunately, Epic has turned the task of distributing and updating the classic first-person shooters over to fans and modders, who have now directed their attention toward Unreal Tournament 2004.
The OldUnreal modding community recently announced that it received permission from Epic Games to host an updated installer for Unreal Tournament 2004. Within the next few months, users will be able to easily download, play, and host the popular multiplayer shooter on modern versions of Windows, macOS, and Linux.
A free installer will download a disk image of the game, and OldUnreal will begin releasing new patches to address compatibility issues on modern devices. It will natively support Windows Vista and later, macOS 10.9 and later, Linux x86-64, and AArch64, allowing users to host servers on Raspberry Pis and similar devices. Furthermore, the macOS version will natively support Macs with Intel and Apple Silicon processors.
Although the developers have confirmed that the modern patches will support the original retail Windows version, retail copies for macOS and Linux might encounter complications. Linux and macOS editions will also fully support the Unreal Engine command-line client and receive updates to Simple DirectMedia Layer 3.0. Meanwhile, the D3D9Drv DirectX9 renderer and full-screen mode will become fully functional in the 64-bit Windows version.
OldUnreal also plans to support most mods, but mods that perform game version checks might not work. However, AntiTCC will receive an update to support the new installer.
Epic Games has not released a new Unreal game since Unreal Tournament 3 in 2007. The company canceled an Unreal Tournament reboot in 2018 and removed all of the Unreal games from digital storefronts in 2022.
Moreover, pitches from Nightdive Studios and company alumnus Cliff Bleszinski to remaster the franchise's first entry have gone unanswered, causing Unreal to languish while other influential 90s first-person games, such as Doom, Quake, System Shock, and Deus Ex, receive revivals on modern platforms. However, Epic allowed the Internet Archive to host free disk images of Unreal and the original Unreal Tournament.
OldUnreal currently hosts simple installers and patching tools for both titles. Additionally, the modders recently showcased their progress on a fan-made remaster of Unreal, featuring redesigned levels and rebalanced gameplay.