The Red Bull Win Win initiative has reached its final preparation stage ahead of Demo Day on 23 November 2026 in Riyadh. Two university students in Saudi Arabia are preparing to present playable video games to the public after completing an intensive mentorship program. This effort aligns directly with the goals of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy to expand the domestic gaming talent pool.
Structure of the Red Bull Win Win Programme
Delivered in a strategic venture partnership with Exel by Merak, the two-month training program connects university creators with industry specialists. Exel by Merak operates as an innovation and startup accelerator platform based in Riyadh, offering technical guidance and workspace resources. Furthermore, participants completed an accelerator phase that ran from 27 September to 15 October to refine their software builds within the emerging digital economy.
Student Developers and Projects
The initiative selected two student creators from local universities to turn early concepts into fully functional games. Sayil Alyami, a business student at King Saud University, developed a title called Kitchen Wars. Meanwhile, Reem Almusained, a software engineering student at Alfaisal University, built an interactive project titled Fractured Reality using modern computers.
Both participants worked directly with veteran game developers to solve mechanical bugs and polish user interfaces before presenting their work. Consequently, the upcoming showcase will mark the public debut of their playable software builds.
Campus Tournaments and Player Voting
On 23 November, the developers will showcase their games live at the Red Bull booth to student players, industry partners, and investors. Following this showcase, the competition moves directly to Alfaisal University and King Saud University. Student gamers will test both games in competitive tournament formats covering modern gaming trends.
Player reception will serve as a core evaluation metric during the judging process. Specifically, attendee votes will be tallied alongside scores from an official evaluation panel to select the ultimate winner. As a result, the participating developers must demonstrate that their software appeals directly to active players.
Mentorship and Gamescom Award
The winning developer or team will secure an admission offer to join the accelerator operated by Exel by Merak, including ongoing technical guidance. In addition, the victor receives a fully sponsored trip to attend the Gamescom trade fair in Cologne in 2027. Gamescom serves as an international gathering for studios, game publishers, and technology investors.
Through these structured awards, the Red Bull Win Win project connects university creators with practical technical milestones in the software industry.
