Dubai's GameForward launches global Mythos Collide game jam
Dubai's GameForward initiative is launching a global online game jam on October 15, challenging developers to create a playable game that brings together two or more mythologies within 72 hours.
The event, titled Mythos Collide, will run until October 18 on itch.io, with winners announced on October 19.
The game jam is part of GameForward, a gaming initiative anchored by Dubai SME, part of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, and powered by venture capital firm Antler. It is being organised in collaboration with the Dubai Film and Games Commission and gaming platform GAMES.GG.
Open to developers worldwide, the competition welcomes solo participants and teams of any size, including students, first-time game jam entrants and experienced independent developers.
Participants will work under the theme Mythos Collide, combining characters, settings or traditions from at least two mythologies into a single game world. Developers can explore different approaches, from bringing legendary figures into conflict to placing them on a shared quest.
The event begins on Thursday, October 15, at 10am Gulf Standard Time (GST), with submissions closing at midnight GST on Sunday, October 18. Games must be developed during the competition, although participants may use existing code libraries, game engine templates and licensed asset packs.
Entries will be assessed by a judging panel across four equally weighted criteria: Collision, Fun, Craft and Cohesion, and Authorship. Each category will be scored from one to five, with Collision, which measures how effectively the mythologies are brought together, serving as the tiebreaker.
Developers may use artificial intelligence tools during production, provided their submissions demonstrate meaningful human creative direction. Games made predominantly from unedited AI-generated material will not qualify.
Winning teams will receive mentorship from Antler, promotion for their games through GAMES.GG and GameForward's channels, and a place at an upcoming GameForward session featuring a headline speaker.
GAMES.GG reaches more than three million registered gamers across 19 languages, giving winning developers an opportunity to showcase their projects to an international audience.
The competition forms part of GameForward's wider efforts to support game development and entrepreneurship in Dubai, while extending participation to developers and creative teams beyond the UAE.
Developers can register and submit their games through the official Mythos Collide game jam page on itch.io.
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