Cluj Game Jam // June 14-21, 2025
Build a Game. Make it Big.
Calling all Game Devs, Designers, and Indie Creators.
This summer, Cluj-Napoca becomes the gaming capital of Romania. Whether you're hacking from scratch or dusting off a passion project, Cluj Game Jam is your space to build a mobile game hack that is bold, unique, and fun. All in one week!
What to Expect:
🏆 €5,000 prize pool
🎮 A one-week gaming sprint (hybrid format)
🧠 Access to mentors & game industry experts
🚀 Opportunity to get your game published
✈️ €300 travel + accommodation stipend available
Headline sponsor Game Analytics
Track 1: Start from Scratch
Join our online Kickoff on June 14th to get the creative brief, meet the mentors, and get matched with team members (if you want). Then jam all week from wherever you are. Your mission is to create a minimum 90-second core game loop which will delight players and make them want to come back for more.
Track 2: Bring Your Garage Project
Already building something cool? Submit your in-progress indie game and take it to the next level with expert feedback and a shot at cash + exposure. Your mission is to craft the best version of your existing ‘garage project’ into a compelling short experience (max 360").
Get Published
Our Goal is to find a game idea so good that we can test it in a real life platform so see how much it delights gamers, and if it shows promise, to build the full game and publish it to the app stores
By signing up to the Jam, you get the chance to get your game published
If your game idea, whether from track 1 or track 2, shows exceptional promise, participants agree to engage directly and exclusively with the organisers to build a game together
Get Selected! Limited spaces available for game dev enthusiasts and pros!
After registration there is a screening process to ensure the best of the best are selected! We will contact you to ask for information about your skills in the Gaming space. Places are limited so show us examples of your work to secure your spot! Don't worry, not everyone has to have a deep library on Github, we just want a feel for what you can do and be able match up individual participants into teams
The Finale (In-Person)
June 21st @ RebelDot HQ, Cluj-Napoca
Pitch your game, demo your build, and vibe with fellow creators. Stick around for the prizegiving, potential publishing talks, and a few surprises.
This isn’t just a jam. It’s a launchpad.
Join us. Build a game. Win some glory.
Questions? 📧 Contact us at info@clujgamej.am
We’ve assembled a crack team of Gaming Experts to guide you through the Jam. From studio leadership to Game Production, Game Design, Programming and Product Management, from Ubisoft, Gameloft and more, we’ve got your back.
And you get to choose which mentor you like; at kickoff on Saturday 14th we will release a 'booking sheet' where you can book in your sessions with your mentors of choice.
Radu Necula Managing Director Ubisoft Romania.
Starting from a passion for making games that developed into a passion for building high performing teams, I have been in the industry for 20 years and counting. If you want to build something that adds up to more than the sum of its parts, I'm here to help.
Ronald Borsi Producer/Product Manager. Disney Seedstorm Producer for Gameloft.
I’ve made serious games, video games and have worn many hats from CEO, head of product, producer, product designer, etc.. I guess that makes me a generalist. While working with teams I try to make sure their games are well-rounded; a product will always be considered as good as its weakest component. I believe in shipping fast, churning out iterations to test in the real world.
Adrian Marian Popoviciu Programmer. Designing games since the age of 12. Developer on Asphalt 9 for Gameloft.
I like to mentor teams to focus on making bold technical choices while keeping things finishable, because I believe shipping even a small, scrappy build teaches more than a grand, unfinished idea. I enjoy helping developers debug tricky behaviors, find clean architecture even under time pressure, and explore what’s possible with limited resources.
Aaron Morley Lead Product Manager Sumo Games. Ex Product Lead Ubisoft UK.
Lead Product Manager at Sumo Digital (PC/Console F2P), former Head of Product Management at Ubisoft (>1b downloads Hungry Shark franchise).
As a Product head I’m all about outcomes and as a Mentor, I’m much the same. I can help you to focus on what matters by adding context from the wider market, providing competitor research, or helping you test your theories faster.
I’m happy to help with system/metagame design, data analysis/visualisation, economy tuning, and publishing issues - but with 12 years of experience and a big network of pals, I’m certain I can get you expert insights on whatever hurdles you’re facing.
Craig Hauser Designer at Contermis Labs. Prev. Level and Combat Designer at Angry Mob Games on Trinity Fusion
I’m all about that tricky art of “making each button feel good.” I focus on refining the tools that the player uses to engage with the game, and then creating sandboxes for them to explore those tools with.
Especially if you're building something a little more action-oriented, I'm happy to help you prototype and refine your controls and overall gamefeel, as well as offer suggestions on how to mix things up so that your mechanics still feel fresh as your players are reaching the end of your game.
Eugen Sfirlos Production Director at AMC Studio. External Senior Producer on Starfield for SnowedIn Studios, ex Gameloft, Snowed In, Producer on Modern Combat and Asphalt franchises
I’m all about the player experience. Does it feel good? If I was playing this for the first time, would my first 5 minutes be enjoyable, what about the first 30 minutes? I like deconstructing it based on the desired time of exquisite fun and then getting things done as fast as possible based on that.
Building something for a game jam can sometimes be different than building something with the goal of releasing it. We can work together to set the goal straight from the beginning, define what you want to achieve and see where the path takes us.
Alexandru Silviu Stoica. Senior 2D Artist. Working in the gaming industry for more than 7 years, I’ve worked for companies like Gameloft, Immutable - Gods Unchained and art directing a new project for Contermis Labs.
I consider art to be the best medium for human expression, and especially in video games where all arts come into one place and merge together to deliver the best experience a human can have while diving into the world that game provides.
With good art you can enhance the gameplay but also you can reach the heart.
Well, dealing with visual problems in your game ? I’m the guy to help you out !
Iulian Stefanescu. Head of Production Operations at Amber.
I like figuring out howthings work and why they matter, always connecting the dots, understanding where value lies.
Building a concept, prototype, or any early-stage experience that can showcase the vision and the elements that together contribute to its potential is no easy task. If you need someone that can help bring clarity, structure, some energy, and the know-how to identify and surface the elements that make an experience stand out, I’m here to help.
Emil Dan QA for SYBO, the company that created Subway Surfers, the most downloaded ever game on mobile!
How I can help
I have 2 big passions: High Quality Games and what makes people tick… tack… tick… tack… boom! and bloom!
Iteration by iteration, from murky thoughts, scribbles, emotions, people conflicts and heroic struggles with bugs… teams create experiences that people go crazy about!
Making a game presents a wide set of complex problems. I invite you to use Scrum to deal with those problems successfully.
I am honored to enable you as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach