Four decades after a simple game was developed on an Eletronika 60 Soviet computer, the iconic puzzle, Tetris, lit up the skies of Dubai.

Nineteen-year-old Fehmi Atalar from Türkiye won the first-ever Red Bull Tetris World Championship held this month, as every move he made was displayed by drones flying above the cityscape.

The December 11-13 tournament brought together top players from 60 countries, creating a rare international gathering for one of the world’s most enduring video games.

The final unfolded on the facade of the Dubai Frame, where more than 2,000 synchronised drones formed a massive playable screen, transforming the landmark into an esports arena. The championship followed months of online qualifiers that included more than seven million matches and national finals across six continents.

At the centre of the spectacle stood Atalar, a computer engineering student from Türkiye, who advanced to the Grand Final alongside Peru’s Leo Solorzano. The decisive match lasted just 10 minutes.

Atalar posted a score of 168,566, more than double his opponent’s target, securing the first-ever global title in one of the most technologically ambitious settings competitive gaming has seen.

Speaking to Anadolu, Atalar said he found his opponent a bit nervous and making some bad choices.

“But that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. He is a good player” but nerves got the better of him, he said. In comparison, “I was very, very chill and played better than him.”

From old television screen to drone display

While the final relied on cutting-edge technology, Atalar’s connection to the game began years earlier, shaped by a far simpler setting.

Tetris, first released in 1984, has sold more than 520 million copies worldwide, ranking among the best-selling video games of all time, according to industry estimates.

That legacy reached Atalar through his family.

He started playing Tetris in 2019, and the inspiration came from his aunt. “When I was a kid, like six or seven years old, I was watching my aunt playing Tetris on CRT television and I got inspired,” he said.