Savvy Games Group and Ministry of Education conclude nationwide ‘Play to Learn’ competition with more than 719,000 student participants

Riyadh, 14 May 2026: Savvy Games Group (“Savvy”) and the Saudi Ministry of Education have concluded the first nationwide ‘Play to Learn’ competition, an initiative designed to encourage video game development among middle and high school students across the Kingdom. A total of 719,359 students joined the challenge and submitted 155,574 video game concepts to earn a place as one of today’s ten finalist teams.

‘Play to Learn’ is part of a wider partnership between Savvy and the Ministry to promote game development, esports, and games-based learning across Saudi Arabia’s education system.

The ‘Play to Learn’ competition challenged students to imagine original ideas for educational video games. It was designed by the Savvy Academy to encourage creative thinking, strengthen teamwork and problem-solving skills, and offer students a glimpse into the wide range of career options that exist within the games sector. Savvy partnered with Roblox, an immersive platform for games and creation, to bring ten finalist concepts to life as playable game prototypes with the support of Saudi developers.

The inaugural edition ran for five months, with a total of 7,705 public and private middle and high schools and 36,054 instructors.

“We’re thrilled to see such tremendous participation from both students and teachers, and the enthusiasm for games and game development across the Kingdom,” said Amr Sager, Group Chief of Staff at Savvy Games Group. “Game-based learning activities are an exciting avenue to help students develop new skills and consider professional opportunities in this rapidly growing industry.”

Following multiple rounds to review and create a shortlist of the 155,574 submissions, the ten finalist student teams presented their concepts to a judging panel consisting of representatives and experts from the Ministry of Education, Savvy Games Group and Roblox. The judging criteria for the game concepts were based on originality, educational value, design thinking, and potential to become an engaging interactive learning experience.

The winning team, Glitch from Andalus High School located in Al-Jouf Region, was recognized at a celebratory event today in Riyadh, under the auspices of HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Vice Chairman of Savvy Games Group. Also, in attendance were HE Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Minister of Education, Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy Games Group and senior representatives from Savvy, the Ministry of Education, participating students, teachers, and schools.

The winning team now has an exciting pathway to see their concept developed into a playable game by a team of professional developers. Roblox will help build the winning game into a fully realized experience, and also make it available via the Roblox Learning Hub to learners worldwide.

Savvy will provide participating students with access to tools and resources, including CreaDev, a beginner-friendly game creation platform, to help them further explore game creation and learn through play.

Savvy’s wider collaboration with the Ministry of Education includes efforts to incorporate game development into education curricula in coordination with the National Curriculum Center, embed games into the e-learning platform Madrasati, and support talent development through scholarship, training, and entrepreneurship pathways. This partnership is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy objectives to build a stronger pipeline of future talent in games and esports.