Sponsors have been confirmed for this year’s Abertay University DARE Academy competition as six student teams in Dundee begin turning their game ideas into playable prototypes over the summer. Longstanding partners Henderson Loggie and Lindsays are again backing the university’s flagship video games development contest, providing funding and professional support.
The finalists selected for DARE Academy 2026 span a mix of genres and studios: Exotic Rat Studios with Murder At The Clocktower, HydraByte with Elementorum, Whispered Eclipse with Demon Slumber Party, How What Why Games with Dirty Work, Crabbits with GalactInk, and Finch Outside The Box with Loose Juice. Each team will spend the summer developing its concept into a prototype ahead of a final later in the year, where the winner will take the DARE trophy and a cash prize.
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The continued involvement of professional services sponsors matters for the city’s games ecosystem. Alongside Abertay’s teaching and technical support, students get exposure to legal and financial advice at the point where they are learning to build teams and products — experience that can make their transition into commercial studios smoother once they leave university.
