Saudi Game Champions 2

Our Programs

Registration
Digital Entrepreneurship Center CODE HQ

October 2025 - April 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

about

The Saudi Game Champions Program 2nd Edition is a Game Jam and video game incubator program targeting gaming entrepreneurs brought to you by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in partnership with National Technology Development Program and the support of ITMAM, Game BCN, and Zigzag Ventures.

Join us on a journey that begins with your playable idea and evolves into a market-ready MVP and a clear roadmap for your studio.

It starts with a Game Jam event where entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, collaborate with other talented individuals, and gain valuable feedback on their game idea. After the Game Jam, the top 20 teams of entrepreneurs will qualify for the incubation program.

The incubation program provides entrepreneurs with the resources, guidance, and funding needed to transform their projects into reality. Through mentoring, training, workshops, and industry events, you will refine your game concepts, improve production workflows, and gain market insights.

By the end of the program, you will showcase your MVP to experts, publishers, and investors from the gaming industry.

This is your chance to build the next success story of the Kingdom's gaming industry.

GameJam

A three-day competition brings together top gaming industry professionals, allowing gaming entrepreneurs to challenge themselves in a cooperative and competitive environment. This event serves as an opportunity to develop games and foster innovation in the gaming industry

Three Days

Riyadh , later

Incubator

Gaming incubator is a specialized program that provides tailored support, guidance, and resources to gaming entrepreneurs during their early stages of development. The incubator fosters a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs can network, learn, and benefit from shared experiences.

Six months

CODE HQ, Riyadh

The Incubator
Bootcamp

An introductory session where participants pitch their game ideas and form teams.

Game Concept Stage

Teams develop their game ideas into final concepts with the support of training and mentorship.

Game Design Stage

Refining game concepts into full-fledged game designs with advice from international game designers.

Prototype Stage

Building game prototypes and learning from successful developers, artists, and game designers.

Demo Stage

Prototypes progress into demos in the final stage of incubation with access to more mentors.

Demo Day

Teams pitch and showcase their games to progress to the acceleration stage.

Game Studio Roles
Game Programmer

Game Programmers develop the game using game engines and coding to build the game from prototype to finished product, as well as developing the tools that will be used in the process. Their job is to make sure the game is playable, and functions properly as intended.

Game Artist

Game Artists create the game’s visual direction and ensure that all visual elements from the user interface to environments, characters, visual effects and animation follow the vision set out in the game design. They are responsible for the game’s look and feel.

Game Designer

Game Designers bring game concepts to life through iteration by creating and balancing game mechanics, game loops and game systems. Their job is to make the game engaging and fun and to communicate the game design to artists and programmers.

Game Marketeer

The marketer’s main responsible is to maximize reach of the game to the target audience. Marketing considerations influence the game project at all stages from concept to launch and beyond. Marketers define the target market and prepare and execute marketing plans.

Criteria of Acceptance
experience
Must be over 18 years old
people
Must speak English fluently
old
Fully dedicate to participate in the program
Laptop
Own a laptop with the necessary software for game development
Speak
Participants must attend physically in all events
Benefit of the Program
Mentorship Program

Receive guidance and feedback from 40 global game industry mentors.

Technical and Business Training

Access training across all facets of game development and business.

Strategy Direction

Get coached to become a studio and make strategic choices.

Playtest Days

Test your game prototypes on real audiences.

Pitching Practice

Develop your skills to attract publishers and investors.

Grants

Grants of 200,000 SAR per startup are available.* ( Apply the program terms and conditions and NTDP)

Tokyo Game Show

5 startups from the Incubation Program will be selected to participate, with financial support for their travel expenses.

Investment or publishing deal

Top team will get the opportunity to receive either investment or publishing deal

Program Numbers

432
Hours of Mentoring and training
40
Experts and Mentors
20
MVP
Timeline
1

16 Sep - 21 Oct 2025

Registration

Incubator Program & Game Jam

2

23 - 25 Oct 2025

Game Jam

Riyadh

3

2 Nov 2025

Selection

The Selection Committee will review all Incubation Program’s applications

4

9 November 2025 - 23 April 2026

Incubation Program

Grow your studio with our 6 months Incubation Program

FAQs

Last day to register in Game Jam and the incubator: 21 October 2025

For the Game Jam, applicants should be in one of the target tracks: Game design, programming, art, marketing, or entrepreneurship. For the Incubator, applicants must be part of a team.

The Game Jam program starts on 23 October 2025, and the incubator starts on 9 November 2025.

Acceptance emails will be sent no later than 2 November 2025.

Only for the Game Jam.

Only if you are an international team who went through a Game Jam elsewhere. If you are a Saudi team, you must apply for the Game Jam so that you can get selected for the incubator, but going through the Game Jam does not guarantee that you will be selected.

For both the Game Jam and the Incubation Program, participants must be physically present at the events, training and mentorship sessions.

Your team must be a minimum of 3 people. At least 3 people on your team must attend the sessions that will be held 3 times a week. You will also be responsible for setting up your commercial registry and your bank account in Riyadh in order to receive the grant.

As part of the Incubation Program, five startups from each cohort will be selected to participate in the prestigious Tokyo Game Show. These startups will receive support to cover their travel expenses, providing an invaluable opportunity to showcase their games to an international audience and network with industry professionals.

No. Participation in workshops, mentorship hours, and program activities is strictly limited to the official founder(s) registered in the program. Founders are expected to be personally engaged, as their direct involvement is critical for the learning experience, mentorship value, and overall success of their startup.

If a founder can not commit to active participation, their startup may be disqualified from the program. The goal of the incubator is to develop founders, not substitutes, and this requires personal attendance and active contribution.

Our Partners

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Success

NTDP