Abu Dhabi Gaming and Unity launch AED 60,000 game jam
Abu Dhabi Gaming will host the second edition of SHIFT Game Jam from November 13 to 15, 2026, in partnership with Unity, offering AED 60,000 in prizes for games developed during the three-day competition.
The event will take place at Nabdh MBZ in Al Manhal, Abu Dhabi, bringing together aspiring developers, students, professionals and hobbyists to create playable games using the Unity engine.
Participants can enter individually or in teams of up to five, with no previous game development experience required. Registration is free and closes on November 6.
According to the official SHIFT Game Jam website, teams will be challenged to build an original game around a surprise theme revealed at the opening session on November 13.
The competition will award AED 30,000 to the winning game, AED 20,000 to the runner-up and AED 10,000 to the third-place entry. All prizes will be provided as vouchers.
Developers will have access to mentors from Unity and the wider games industry throughout the event, with support covering development, testing and preparing their games for submission.
The judging panel will feature Hamdan Al Ali of Potion AI, Mustafa Yaya of Blackburne Games, Ahmad Abo Bakr of Shababeek Labs and Nayef Al Blooshi of After Work Games.
Mentors include Unity's Suma Amreiz, Ahmed Shweiki and Alistair Mountain, alongside Tomasz Dzierza of Mental.
Entries will be assessed on creativity, interpretation of the theme, gameplay, art direction and presentation, with each criterion carrying equal weight.
Teams must develop their games during the official competition period, although existing assets and code may be used where participants hold the necessary rights. AI-assisted development is also permitted, provided AI-generated material is disclosed in the submission notes.
Completed games must be uploaded through the official SHIFT Game Jam page on itch.io before the submission deadline on November 15.
Participants will retain ownership of the intellectual property in their games, while Abu Dhabi Gaming and Unity may showcase submissions for promotional and educational purposes.
The three-day programme will begin with registration, an opening session and the theme reveal on November 13. Development and mentor check-ins will continue on November 14, followed by final submissions, presentations, judging and an awards ceremony on November 15.
The organisers will also provide a free Unity crash course for newcomers ahead of the competition.
Registration is available through the SHIFT Game Jam website until November 6, 2026.
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