Road to Game Jam 2026: The Finale - TUXEDO Computers

As the grand finale of our “Road to Game Jam 2026” event series, the Game Jam itself took place at the premises of TUXEDO Computers from May 8 to 10. Over the course of the weekend, 11 participants formed three teams and each developed a playable game prototype using the Godot game engine along with other free software tools. Their hard work paid off — on Sunday, all teams were able to present original and impressive prototypes and take home one of the three prizes.

Final Sprint

The Game Jam marked the finale of our first “Road to Game Jam” — a workshop series focused on open-source software in the context of game development: Blender, Godot, and Bevy. Throughout these workshops, around three dozen participants learned how to use these tools by assembling penguins, developing a simple third-person game, and implementing 2D prototypes in Rust. During the Game Jam, participants were finally able to prove themselves by creating game prototypes with various open development tools and competing for prizes.

With the “Road to Game Jam” events, our goal was to explore and showcase Linux as both a target and development platform within an open software ecosystem for game development.

Battle of the Penguins

The central rule of our Game Jam was that only open-source software was allowed to be used. In addition, we specified the theme “Penguin,” which each team had to incorporate into their game. After long days of “jamming,” the three teams developed the following game prototypes:

3rd Place — Hack & Slide

Third place went to the prototype working under the title “Hack & Slide.” Playing as Tux, the protagonist is tasked with hacking every technical device in sight (by installing Linux on it). However, Karl Klammer / Clippy — the annoying assistant known from older versions of Microsoft Office — tries to stop the player and relentlessly chases them. Players therefore have to carefully plan their hacking operations and, if necessary, “slide away” from Karl.

The team primarily used Godot and Blender. In particular, the team visibly invested a great deal of time and effort into the assets — especially the character and level artwork.

2nd Place — Herr Sebastian

The team “Herr Sebastian” set their game on the Antarctic island “Wombat Island,” where a bloodthirsty wombat is causing chaos. Its target: penguins controlled by other players. These players must hide among numerous AI-controlled penguins and imitate their movement patterns in order to avoid attracting attention. Their goal is to survive the wombat’s rampage for a certain amount of time. If the wombat player catches all penguins within the time limit, the wombat wins instead.

Unlike “Hack & Slide,” Team “Herr Sebastian” relied more heavily on pre-made assets, but they impressed with a more sophisticated implementation of their gameplay concept. The prototype could be played by multiple players over the network on different computers, which was tested extensively in several rounds before the judging phase. This multiplayer functionality had to be implemented by the team themselves within the Godot engine.

1st Place — But Why?

But why? That is a question one may ask frequently — especially when penguins run alone into the mountains only to meet a tragic end there.

The winning team built upon these mysterious events, which had previously been documented in a video featuring commentary by Werner Herzog. The player takes on the role of a lost penguin who inexplicably finds itself in the Antarctic mountains, searching for small pebbles that must be collected in a backpack and brought back to its igloo. However, caution is advised: the backpack is not fully closed, and sudden movements can cause the pebbles to spill out and scatter across the ground.

The team did not secure first place solely through their humorous integration of the penguin meme. The prototype also impressed with its stylish retro aesthetics and physics-based gameplay mechanics. In addition, the team created a small intro for the main menu and even implemented controller support. Once again, Godot served as the game engine.

The prototype can be tested here.

Reflections From Our Team

“The Game Jam was a really cool event. Thanks to everyone who participated and contributed so enthusiastically. And a huge thanks as well to all participants of the workshops during the Road to Game Jam!” — Luise, Event Manager

“I love Godot! That’s why I’m especially happy that all teams used it and demonstrated that it can be applied to 2D, 2.5D, and 3D games — even multiplayer games! And with memes and penguins on top of that — best Game Jam ever!” — Bea, Quality Assurance & Integration

“For me, our first Game Jam was a success. All teams delivered great prototypes and gained experience in game development with open-source software. Based on our observations and feedback, everyone also seemed to enjoy the event despite the long days of ‘jamming.’ I hope the teams can benefit from both the experience and the prizes in the long term and perhaps continue working on their game ideas beyond the jam itself. With the experience we gained from this Game Jam, I believe we are now well prepared for potential future events in a similar format!” — Freddy, Product Management & Marketing