LEARN UNREAL ENGINE BY BUILDING REAL GAMES
From creating your own 3D assets to developing advanced gameplay systems, learn the complete game development process in Unreal Engine 5.
Our 12-month programme combines hands-on projects, structured learning and direct mentorship from experienced AAA game developers.
Stop following tutorials. Start building your own games.
Student work by Kyle Landon
UNREAL ENGINE GAME DEVELOPMENT
12 months • Game Art • Blueprints • C++ • Live Mentorship
Why Hard Edge?
Game development isn't just about learning an engine. It's about understanding how art, design and programming come together to create playable experiences.
At Hard Edge, we believe the best way to learn is by doing.
You'll start by creating your own game-ready assets, then progress through Unreal Engine Blueprints, gameplay prototyping and C++ programming.
Rather than following disconnected tutorials, you'll develop practical skills through structured projects, with experienced professionals helping you understand not just how things work, but why.
What makes our approach different?
Learn by building — Apply your knowledge to playable game prototypes and practical challenges.
Live instructor-led training — Attend weekly sessions where you can ask questions, troubleshoot problems and get direct feedback.
Professional workflows — Learn the techniques, programming patterns and development practices used in real productions.
Beyond the classroom — Access lesson recordings, additional training material and a community of developers.
Portfolio & career support — Get guidance on presenting your work, preparing applications and developing your career.
Build the skills. Understand the systems. Create your own games.
Learn Blender , Photoshop And Substance Painter
Modules
Game ART FUNDAMENTALS
Every great game needs a world to exist in. Before diving into programming, you'll learn the foundations of 3D game art and how to create assets for your own projects.
Starting with Blender, you'll develop the modelling, UV mapping, texturing and material skills needed to turn ideas into game-ready content.
Being able to create your own assets gives you the freedom to prototype, experiment and develop games without depending entirely on premade resources.
What you'll learn:
3D modelling and asset creation using Blender
UV mapping and texture workflows
Materials and texturing with Substance Painter
Physically Based Rendering (PBR) fundamentals
Lighting and presentation
Preparing and integrating assets into Unreal Engine
From your first 3D model to assets you can use in your own games.
Prototype your favorite game features using the power of Unreal Engine’s Blueprint System
UNREAL ENGINE 5: BLUEPRINTS & GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS
With your game art foundations established, it's time to make things interactive.
You'll learn Unreal Engine 5 and its powerful Blueprint visual scripting system, building gameplay mechanics, interactive systems and your own playable prototypes.
But we won't stop at making things work.
You'll learn how to structure your logic, build reusable systems and avoid common mistakes that lead to difficult-to-maintain or poorly performing projects.
What you'll learn:
Unreal Engine 5 fundamentals and workflows
Blueprint visual scripting and programming principles
Building gameplay mechanics and interactive systems
Creating playable game prototypes
UI development using Unreal Motion Graphics (UMG)
Materials and shaders
Editor Utility Widgets and Blueprint-based tools
Procedural Content Generation (PCG)
Gameplay performance and optimisation
Learn to build gameplay systems you understand, not just copy nodes from tutorials.
Student Project by Kyle Landon
ADVANCED GAMEPLAY PROTOTYPING
From Simple Mechanics to Complete Gameplay Systems
Creating a working mechanic is one thing. Building a collection of systems that work together reliably is another.
In this module, you'll explore how more advanced gameplay features are designed, implemented and refined in Unreal Engine.
You'll break down familiar game mechanics, understand how they function behind the scenes, and learn to build flexible, reusable systems that can grow alongside your projects.
What you'll learn:
Breaking down and recreating gameplay mechanics
Advanced Blueprint architecture
Modular and reusable gameplay systems
Systems designed for rapid iteration and balancing
Designing maintainable gameplay logic
Tools and workflows that support game development
Validation, debugging and iteration
Connecting gameplay, art and design systems
Go beyond individual mechanics and learn how to build games that work as cohesive systems.
A capable designer can implement advanced systems and leverage C++ in a variety of scenarios.
Built Around Real Life
Hard Edge includes dedicated Break Weeks every 2 weeks.
Life happens. Projects evolve. Feedback needs time to sink in.
These weeks are designed to help you catch up, refine, ask better questions, and maintain momentum—without burnout.
UNREAL ENGINE C++ & ADVANCED SYSTEMS
Blueprints are an incredibly powerful development tool, but understanding C++ opens the door to deeper gameplay programming and more advanced Unreal Engine systems.
In the final stage of the programme, you'll explore how C++ and Blueprints work together, building reusable gameplay functionality and working with systems used in professional Unreal Engine development.
You'll also explore Unreal Engine's Gameplay Ability System (GAS) and ImGui for developing efficient debugging and tooling workflows.
What you'll learn:
C++ programming within Unreal Engine
Building gameplay functionality with C++
Combining C++ and Blueprint systems
Reusable gameplay components and architecture
Unreal Engine's Gameplay Ability System (GAS)
Creating modular gameplay abilities
Debugging and development tools using ImGui
Building scalable and maintainable systems
Move beyond visual scripting and develop the confidence to work with Unreal Engine at a deeper level.
INTRODUCING OUR FOUNDERS
House of the Dragon • The Witcher • The Little Mermaid • 3 Body Problem
25+ years combined production experience
Unreal Gold Authorized InstructorInstructor at the Vancouver Film School
Filipe Strazzeri
Founder - Unreal Engine Specialist
15+ Years Working with the Engine, Making games, Films, Tools, and AAA Production Workflows
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I’ve worked with studios including Guerrilla, ZeniMax, Sony, Disney, Netflix, and Epic Games — building pipelines, solving complex technical challenges, and delivering high-end content at scale.
Hard Edge isn’t selling tutorials, its here to build careers.
We teach understanding of how real studios operate.
My Expertise is Unreal Engine, C++, and Technical Art the way they’re used in production — with a focus on practical skills, problem-solving, and real workflows.
You’ll get structured, intentional training built to a professional standard. From first principles to advanced systems, everything is designed to give you the skills that actually get you hired.
If you’re serious about reaching that level, you’re in the right place.
Dani Haynes
Founder - Head of Art
Developing Artists to Meet Real Studio Standards
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My path into the industry wasn’t straightforward. Like many artists, I struggled with outdated teaching methods that didn’t translate to real-world results.
That changed when I invested in high-level mentoring — giving me a clear understanding of what studios actually expect.
That foundation led to a successful career, and now I bring that same standard into everything I teach.
This isn’t about theory or surface-level learning.
It’s about building work that holds up in a professional pipeline — structured, intentional, and aligned with industry expectations.
We will support you the entire way, until its time for you to spread your wings.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-haynes/look at what our awesome students can do WITH OUR training !
Student Artwork : Melvin Wee
Student Artwork: Tassja Falcatan
Student Artwork: Kyle Landon
Student Artwork: Aden Thompson
What OUR students are saying:
“If you need direction, clarity, and mentorship from someone who truly understands tech art, Filipe is the person to learn from. He teaches what matters, explains it clearly, and guides you in a way that accelerates your growth. You’ll wish you joined sooner.”
— Jerry Liu : Tech Art Mentee
Filipe's level of expertise is off the charts, always willing to share and teach you, felt like and older brother you could always rely on.
— David Blasco : Vehicle Artist @ Lighthouse Games
“I just wanted to thank you, Your Class was amazing, your teaching style makes everything easy to follow, i will be signing up for the upcoming tech art Track!”
— Jonathan Ossten
“I found the Course extremely helpful, and I now feel more confident working with Unreal Blueprints and building systems on my own. "
— Mohammad Zarei
“I was a complete beginner in UE5 and coding. By the end of the six weeks, I had created a project I’m genuinely proud of.
More importantly, I came away with a solid understanding of Blueprints in UE5 and a strong foundation in programming theory. ”
— Mathew Puckey : Game Dev Mentee
“I loved it and it was exactly what I was looking for:
better understanding and practice of Unreal's systems to make a modular and scalable game system. Your knowledge is really impressive and I appreciate all the attention to detail and answering of all our questions.”
— Farhan Qureshi
"It was the first time I created shaders where I genuinely understood why they worked, not just how to copy them“
Before Hard Edge, I felt stuck, like I was “faking it” technically.
Now I feel like I actually understand what I’m doing. It gave me clarity, confidence, and the ability to tackle more advanced Tech Art tasks.
I’m much more proactive, experimental, and capable.”
— Constantin Copony : Technical Artist @Deck 13
REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN
JANuary 2027
Next Cohorts:
May 2027
September 2027
How does it work?
Submit your application (be detailed — we care about who you are and where you're going)
If selected, you’ll be invited to a 1:1 call
We’ll assess fit, goals, and whether we can help you achieve your objectives
Important
We take on very few students per intake.
This allows us to deliver:
Weekly direct mentorship
Tailored feedback on your work
A real production-style learning experience
How MUCH DOES IT COST?
Our 12-month Unreal Engine Course Costs $7,000.
You’ll get:
Weekly sessions
Structured curriculum
Pre-recorded deep dives
Guest industry speakers
We offer payment plans - just get in touch!
This is not a mass online course — it’s a premium, selective training environment designed to get you hired.
Apply Now:
Frequently asked questions
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Game Design is a strong entry point, even if you have no prior experience.
We’ll teach you everything you need to know and support you throughout the process.
All you need is a computer and the time to commit to learning your new craft.
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Yes all lessons are recorded, we ask that you download the archives right away as they will get removed from our cloud after 6 months.
Our classes are delivered via Zoom and pre made videos are using vimeo.
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Unreal Developer, Technical Designer, Game Designer are some of the roles our course prepares you for, we believe in building team-ready generalists who require minimal supervision.
While we emphasize Combat and Systems design, we also prioritize creating tools and flexible workflows that support other disciplines.
Studios value versatile, proactive "jack-of-all-trades" developers—these multi-skilled practitioners are in high demand in the job market.
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Classes run on weekdays for 2 hours - Once a week.
6PM UK Time (GMT)
11AM LA Time (PDT)
(Guest speaker sessions will be extra to this)
Our instructors work in the industry during the day, they moonlight here to provide you with expert content.
Your pod will be assigned a slot, on a weekday that best fits your schedule, we try and group students in similar timezones.
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Feedback is delivered live during each session, where we review work, answer questions, and address individual needs.
You’ll also receive additional feedback through:
Written notes on Discord
Audio messages
Private 1:1 calls when needed
If you can’t attend a live session, you won’t fall behind — we make sure everyone receives the feedback they need.
To maintain quality, classes are kept small (max 10 students).
In some cases, individual feedback may be provided separately to ensure both teaching and feedback remain focused and effective.
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Most courses teach isolated skills.
We train production-ready game developers / designers.This is a mentorship-driven program, with consistent feedback and guidance every step of the way.
Our mentors work in the industry, and everything we teach reflects real production workflows — not theory, not outdated practices.
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Our content is taught 2 weeks on one week off.
We know life can sometimes get in the way, our training is different and accounts for that.
All video content and live lessons are available to you and so if you cannot continue the course for whatever reason it is possible for you to learn at your own pace.
We will also make sure you get all the career advice / coaching needed if you fall out of pace with the rest of your group.
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In order to be sucessful in anything you have to dedicate time, we recommend at least 1 to 2 hours per day of the week during the program to achieve best results.
To be a tech artist means to be driven, thirsty for learning, there is always something new in the horizon.
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Zoom
Unreal Engine 5
Blender
Visual Studio / JetBrains Rider (C++)
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If you aren’t able to pay in full or in 12 installements please get in touch via the contat form and let us know your situation.
We are flexible and would like to help.
Lets talk and see what we can do.