Squirrel with a Gun evolved from quirky test video to Unreal Engine-powered light-hearted action game

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A video of a detailed, realistic brown and gray, bushy-tailed squirrel attracted quite a bit of attention two years ago on social media not simply because it was created entirely in Unreal Engine, but because of what he did 22 seconds in: pick up a gun.

Gripping the pistol in its tiny little paws, the squirrel ran around in the mostly empty setting before switching to an Uzi and launching itself into the air with a controlled burst of bullets.

“It exploded over Twitter and lots of other social media,” said Dan DeEntremont, Game Director on Squirrel with a Gun and owner of Dee Dee Creations. “At that point, we were almost obligated to make an entire game out of the concept.”

And thus the aptly named Squirrel with a Gun was born.

We chatted with DeEntremont about the Eddie Izzard inspiration behind the concept, the hours spent studying squirrel gaits, and how an array of powerful Unreal Engine features like Blueprints and Lumen help bring the light-hearted action game (with a touch of horror, he promises) to nimbly-bimbly life.

Read the full story, which ran on June 18, on Unreal Engine.