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A 19-year-old from Türkiye has claimed victory at the inaugural Red Bull Tetris World Final, defeating Peru's Leo Solorzano in a groundbreaking competition where gameplay unfolded across the night sky using thousands of synchronized drones.
Fehmi Atalar scored 168,566 points in Friday's Grand Final at the Dubai Frame, more than tripling Solorzano's target of 57,164. The victory marked the first official live playable Tetris game displayed in the sky, with 1,400 drones assigned to each competitor creating Tetriminos — the game's iconic falling blocks — in real time against the 150-meter-high structure.
"It is really insane to win today, it feels surreal," Atalar said after the match. The Turkish champion noted the achievement's significance for both himself and his country following a dominant tournament run.
Atalar's journey to the world title began with victory at Türkiye's 16-player National Final, earning him direct entry to the Round of 32. From there, he completed an unblemished run through the bracket, winning every best-of-three series without dropping a single match.
The Grand Final format required both players to set their highest score within a five-minute window, with no power-ups or multipliers available. After winning a preliminary three-minute match, Atalar elected to play second, giving him the strategic advantage of knowing the target score.
Solorzano, playing first on the drone-powered display, took a methodical approach and finished with 57,164 points after executing multiple T-spins — an advanced Tetris technique involving rotating T-shaped pieces into tight spaces.
Atalar's winning performance nearly ended in catastrophe. Within the first minute, multiple misplacements threatened to fill his playing field to the top, which would have resulted in an automatic loss.
"I was actually surprised that I got out of that," Atalar told Esports Insider after the match, acknowledging he felt "kind of lucky" to recover. He added that he remained calm and focused on finding the best solution, noting his surprise at several consecutive mistakes before regaining control.
The Turkish player cleared most problematic lines within the next minute, surpassing Solorzano's score with more than two minutes remaining on the clock. He then accelerated his pace to finish with 168,566 points, securing both the championship trophy and an all-inclusive three-day Dubai trip.
The World Final brought together more than 60 national champions following qualifiers that generated over 7 million games played across mobile devices in 60 countries. Participants advanced through National Finals before competing on PC at the World Final brackets in Dubai.
The tournament featured modifications to classic Tetris gameplay, including three-minute rounds, gravity shifts, speed boosts and special power-ups during bracket play. However, the Grand Final stripped away these advantages, testing pure skill and decision-making under pressure.
During the lead-up to the championship match at Terra Solis in the Arabian Dunes, competitors met Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov and game publisher Henk Rogers, who brought the puzzle game to global audiences in the 1980s.
Red Bull's event featured 4,000 drones total, with the remaining units contributing to a broader light show that included live music and special guest appearances for spectators at the Dubai Frame. The energy drink company partnered with Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, along with Careem, Worldwide City Sightseeing and X Dubai.
Reflecting on his five years of competitive Tetris experience, Atalar described the World Final as exceptional. "I managed to play like a machine," he said, "and although I could have done things a bit cleaner, I achieved a flawless run and did not miss a single point in any of my matches."
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