Over the weekend, the largest ever game of Tetris was held at the inaugural Red Bull Tetris World Final, in Dubai, with the help of over 2,000 synchronized drones (thanks VGC!).
The match took place on Sunday, December 14th, against the backdrop of the Dubai Frame, which is an observatory and museum located in the city's Zabeel Park, and featured the finalists, Fehmi Atalar from Turkey and Leo Soloranzo from Peru.
It was brought to life with the help of a drone firm, called Lumasky, which temporarily transformed the skyline into a large, playable Tetris board, and saw each competitor having just 5 minutes to play a solo, drone-powered game to try and achieve the highest score possible.
Following the match, Atalar was ultimately declared the champion, with a score of 168,566 points to Soloranzo's 57,164, having beaten talented competitors from over 60 countries to be crowned the tournament's winner.
Speaking in a statement ahead of the event, Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, said, “When I created Tetris in 1984, I never imagined it would become the global cultural icon it is today, continuing to evolve in new and exciting ways.
"One of my biggest dreams has been to see it played with drones, so I’m thrilled to see that dream come to life. Red Bull Tetris perfectly captures our shared spirit of innovation, excitement, and energy, taking the game to new heights like never before.”
As for Fehmi, he appears to be pretty over the moon with his performance in the final, describing his win as "insane" and "a huge achievement for my country and myself":
“I said after the semi-finals that if I win it will be a huge achievement for my country and myself. So it is really insane to win today, it feels surreal. Over these 5 years of Tetris experience, this was the best moment, and this event was one of a kind. I managed to play like a machine, 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, so I am very happy.”
The match brought to an end a weekend of festivities, which also elsewhere included "immersive fan experiences", a Tetris-inspired live performance from the producer El Waili and the Firdaus Orchestra, as well as stunts from professional BASE athletes Dani Roman and Darren Burke.