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Six teams announced as finalists for Abertay's annual video games design competition
51看片 has announced the finalists for its flagship video game design competition, DARE Academy.
Six talented undergraduate teams will spend the summer developing and refining game prototypes, competing for the prestigious DARE trophy and a grand prize of 拢5,000.
A highlight of the university鈥檚 calendar, the competition offers students intensive support from academic staff and industry experts. Over the coming months, the teams will work in the university鈥檚 state-of-the-art Centre for Excellence in Computer Games, honing their concepts and creating playable prototypes in a professional studio environment.
This year鈥檚 finalists were selected by a panel of expert judges, who were impressed by the originality, polish and potential of the teams鈥� pitches.
The Dare Academy 2025 finalist teams are:
- Fishbowl Studio
- Bonny Bandits
- Final Prism Interactive
- Cosmic Coda
- Hyperfix
- Riverboat Games
The teams will have the opportunity to showcase their games at two events in Dundee: 鈥淒rop in and Play鈥� at DCA on Saturday 30 August, and the awards ceremony at the CoSTAR Realtime Lab at Water鈥檚 Edge on Thursday 11 September.
DARE has a strong track record of launching careers and start-ups, with former teams going on to form successful indie studios including Pocket Sized Hands and Bit Loom.
Dr Dayna Galloway, Head of the Department of Games and Arts, said:
We鈥檝e been absolutely blown away by the standard of submissions for this year鈥檚 DARE Academy. The creativity, ambition and quality on display have been incredibly exciting to see. A huge thank you goes to our judging panel for their time and input, and we鈥檙e thrilled to be working with such brilliant industry mentors and sponsors again this year. Their support will be vital in helping our students grow 鈥� not just during DARE, but as they move forward into careers in the games industry.
Torin Pellegrini, team leader of Fishbowl Studio, said:
We鈥檙e absolutely thrilled to have made it to the DARE Academy finals 鈥� it鈥檚 a once in a lifetime opportunity. As Abertay students, we know how much this competition can open doors in the industry, and we鈥檙e ready to make the most of it. This year鈥檚 line-up is packed with originality and fun, and we can鈥檛 wait to work with mentors to develop the best version of our game and contribute to DARE鈥橲 amazing legacy. Go Fishbowl!
Last year's DARE Academy winners were Triple 7 Studios with their game 鈥淟eft Upon Read鈥�. They were crowned winners by a panel of top industry judges at the UK鈥檚 biggest video games expo, EGX in London.
