Georgian developers win big at international video game contest

A video game developed in Georgia has won a big award at an international Virtual Reality (VR) competition.

The unfinished game named Warlock VR by Georgia’s Storm Bringer Studios finished second of five winning projects in the Leap Motion 3D Jam 2.0 online contest on January 28.

Warlock VR and the other four winners were selected ahead of about two hundred entries from 90 countries.

For their win, the Georgian developers were awarded $7,500 USD and modern gaming equipment.

See Warlock VR gameplay testing video below:

Warlock VR, still in the early stages of development, allowed users to play the role of a wizard in an arena-based visual experience.

The game, along with the four other winning submissions, utilised VR technology to offer gamers an immersive visual experience.

VR technology was considered "the future of gaming". Technology experts from social network giant Facebook and other industry professionals, including review website www.allbusiness.com said VR possessed the "capacity to change the video game industry".

The Warlock VR game was demonstrated to visitors at the 2015 International Week of Science and Innovation in Tbilisi. Photo by Storm Bringer Studios.

The game was created at the Gamelab Iliauni laboratory, established by the Agency of Technology and Innovation of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

The studio was created for the purpose of "developing the video game industry in Georgia" by promoting the industry, improving the quality of relevant education, contributing to commercialisation of innovative technology products and taking part in international collaborations.

Gamelab Iliauni became the first video game developer group from Georgia to participate in an international game development contest when it joined the 2015 Global Game Jam on January 23 of last year.

The group also participated in Tbilisi's maiden International Week of Science and Innovation in November 2015.

Estonia-based Storm Bringer Studios was founded in 2013 and regarded by developers as the "leading Georgian game development studio with PC, VR, Console and all mobile platforms”.

The Studio’s official website featured a roster of video game projects and a team of seven developers.

The complete list of winners of the Leap Motion 3D Jam 2.0 online contest can be viewed here.