Вторая половина года станет насыщенной для румынской игровой индустрии: от киберспортивных турниров до наградных церемоний

Some of the most important events dedicated to Romania’s gaming industry and community are taking place in the second half of the year. The coming months will bring together online events followed by hundreds of thousands of gamers, international esports competitions, conferences, awards galas and a competition showcasing games developed in Romania. The first event of the autumn is Gaming Marathon Gaming Marathon returns on September 5 with its Back to School edition. More than 30 of Romania’s best-known content creators, including Jaxi, iSilent, Antonia Nuckle, Loore, Mădălin, Reddysh and Palash, will meet their communities online for a full day of gaming, challenges and prizes. As school and university begin again, education comes back into focus, while making time for gaming and personal interests remains just as important. Gaming Marathon aims to remind young people that studying, playing video games and spending time with friends can all be part of a balanced schedule. The event will take place on gaming-marathon.ro. The event starts on Saturday at 10:00 AM, and throughout the day gamers will be able to join their favorite creators in tournaments, challenges and special activities in popular games such as Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Minecraft, Brawl Stars, EA FC 26, PUBG and GTA V. In addition to the chance to play alongside streamers, participants will be able to win numerous prizes offered by the event’s partners. One of the coolest challenges at Gaming Marathon will send gamers straight into GTA Online in search of an AGON BY AOC gaming monitor. They will enter the game and help streamer Mario Robert find his monitor in the chaotic world of GTA. The gamer who proves to be the most helpful during the mission will take home the highly coveted monitor. “Gaming Marathon Back to School is the moment when we are officially launching play.smart, a €100,000 project funded entirely through our own resources – DBO, Gaming Marathon and Bucharest Gaming Week – rather than through public funding. We wanted responsible gambling messages to reach young people exactly where they spend their time, alongside the creators they follow every day and while they are gaming. That is why, starting with this edition, participants can earn additional points by correctly answering questions about the risks of gambling addiction. This is the first step in a long-term project that we are undertaking with our own resources, because educating young people in the gaming community can play an important role in prevention. And we have not only the power, but also the responsibility to communicate with such a large audience,” said Tudor Dăescu, co-organizer of Gaming Marathon. Gaming Marathon will return in December with its traditional edition dedicated to a social cause. Streamers and their communities will once again join forces to turn their passion for video games into a concrete act of solidarity. DracuLAN brings international-level Counter-Strike 2 to Bucharest Between October 19 and 23, Nexus Esports Hub in Bucharest will host DracuLAN Season 7, an international Counter-Strike 2 tournament organized by Digital Crusade. The competition is open to up to 24 teams from around the world and will feature the largest prize pool in the history of DracuLAN’s regular seasons. Depending on the number of registered teams, the prize pool can reach $35,000. Teams set to participate include Team Liquid, MOUZ NXT, Alliance and BC.Game. BC.Game’s roster includes s1mple, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Counter-Strike history. Gaming industry representatives come together at the Gaming & Esports Summit The Gaming & Esports Summit takes place on October 27 at ARCUB, bringing together video game industry representatives, esports competition organizers, brands, public institutions, education professionals, content creators and professional players. Topics proposed for this year’s edition include public policies, investment and talent development that can support the growth of Romania’s gaming industry; transforming Bucharest into a European gaming hub; building a national esports team for the IESF and ENC international competitions in 2027; and developing new revenue streams beyond traditional sponsorships. The best gaming videos and campaigns are awarded at the Gaming Video Awards On October 28, ARCUB will host the Gaming Video Awards 2026, the event recognizing the best video content created by Romanian content creators, as well as the best gaming campaigns developed by brands and agencies. The competition covers the main communities and content formats in Romanian gaming, from videos dedicated to games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, GTA, League of Legends and sports titles to tech content, short videos, livestreams and projects created by emerging content creators. A separate section is dedicated to communication campaigns, brand activations and special projects that have used gaming to build meaningful connections with audiences. Winners are selected by juries made up of content creators and professionals from gaming, media, marketing, communications and the creative industries. The gala will also be broadcast live online on gamingvideoawards.ro. Christopher Judge comes to the anniversary edition of Bucharest Gaming Week On November 21 and 22, Romexpo’s B1 Pavilion will host the tenth edition of Bucharest Gaming Week, Romania’s largest and most anticipated gaming event. The special guest of the anniversary edition is Christopher Judge, the actor known around the world for his portrayal of Kratos in God of War and God of War Ragnarök. Christopher Judge will meet fans during dedicated meet & greet sessions. The anniversary edition will also bring competitions in some of the most popular games to Romexpo, along with meetings with content creators, a cosplay showcase, activations created by some of the industry’s leading brands and numerous prizes for participants. One of the main attractions will be GTA VI, which will be playable at Bucharest Gaming Week just two days after its worldwide release. Next Play Romania searches for the next major Romanian video game This autumn will also see the first edition of Next Play Romania, a national competition dedicated to Romanian video games that are still in development. The project aims to discover and promote the next Romanian game with the potential to become a success. Nine projects will be selected to take part in a program lasting approximately 12 weeks. Three content creators will form teams and support the games throughout the competition, while the public will be able to follow their development, from the first versions presented to the implementation of new features. Through livestreams, feedback from industry professionals and voting sessions, Next Play connects the gaming community with Romanian studios and independent development teams. At the end of the competition, one of the nine projects will be named the winning game of Next Play Romania.