The Red Bull Tetris World Finals concluded on December 13 in Dubai, culminating in a 40-storey screen with 2,800 drones showcasing Tetris, as two players competed against each other. Esports Insider attended the tournament and saw every Tetromino move across this frame as if we were looking at a huge screen.
After a tense match, the winner was Fehmi Atalar of Turkey, who won a three-day all-inclusive trip in Dubai. The runner-up, Peru’s Leo Solórzano, showed some nerves early on, which allowed Atalar to pull off some impressive moves and win the tournament. We spoke to Atalar soon after the win to gather his thoughts about the event, Tetris, and his win.
The Escapist recaps
- Tetris was first released in 1985 on the Russian-made Elektronika 60 computer, created by Alexey Pajitnov.
- The Tetris World Finals were held in Dubai on December 13, where two players competed in the game via 2,800 drones that displayed the matches on a massive screen.
- The game played at the finals had several differences, such as time limits, speed boosts, and more.
- The winner was Fehmi Atalar of Turkey, who won a three-day all-inclusive trip to Dubai.
“A huge win for my country”
Atalar was understandably lost for words initially when ESI asked what was going through his mind, soon after winning the Tetris World Finals. ”I cannot describe what’s going on in my mind right now, because it’s pretty complicated. I have a lot of doubts at the same time, and I can’t really explain them one by one because it would take too long.
But when I was spectating the first player (Solórzano), he was really nervous. To me, that was a very easy score to beat. I just thought I could go higher, so I committed and tried all the strategies I had practised and developed. In the end, I won by a big margin.”
He isn’t wrong. After picking Solórzano to go first, where he set a score of 57,164, Atalar took to the stage and clearly had a strategy in mind. However, it was done so quickly that it was a challenge for us to keep up with the number of disappearing rows he was making. It all added up, however, resulting in a score of 168,566, which won the tournament.
It’s also impressive, given that neither player had practised with the 40-storey frame beforehand. Instead, they had to find a way to transfer their skills from their preferred way of playing to the Dubai Frame, which featured thousands of drones displaying the Tetromino objects.
“It was pretty different because of the mechanics between the two,” Atalar explains.
“I practised on my setup and tried to adapt, because I had an idea of how it was going to be, but not exactly like that. I felt there was some delay, but I just decided to go for it and adapt as I played. And in the end, it worked.”
What’s next for Atalar?
As Atalar was slowly coming down from the well-deserved rush of winning the Tetris World Finals, we asked what the title meant to him, personally. “There’s a Neil Armstrong quote, which, slightly changed, explains how I feel: “This is a small step for me, and a huge step for humanity.” It’s the same thing for me, but instead of humanity, it’s for my country.
Personally, it feels like five years of my Tetris experience have been validated. And for my country, I can say this is the first time in Tetris that Turkey has actually won a trophy.”
Looking forward, we put it to Atalar as to whether drones could be used again in esports for other games, like Alleyway, Puyo Puyo, and more.
“For sure, they can definitely be used. For competitive play, though, I think they work better as a spectator experience, where a match is happening, and people are watching it projected on the drones.
For a competitive game itself, it worked well for Tetris, but I’m not sure it would work for other games.”
Finally, with Tetris celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, Atalar noted that winning the tournament in this special year has made it all the more meaningful for him and Turkey.
“Over the years, there have been so many different experiences, players, and strategies. In the end, it’s the 40th year, and it should be a special one.”
Ask The Escapist
The Tetris World Finals were held in Dubai on December 13, where two players competed against each other on a massive frame, with drones displaying the falling Tetrominos.
1,200 drones were used for the opening sequence, followed by two flights of 1,400 drones each being used for the final matches.
At the Tetris World Finals, there were Time-limited rounds (3 minutes), gravity shifts, speed boosts, and special power-ups that modified the playfield.
Atalar won a three-day inclusive vacation in Dubai.
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