At the very first edition of the Bohemia Game Jam 2026, organized by the studio Bohemia Interactive, eight teams composed of top students from Czech universities competed against one another. They had only 42 hours to design and create a fully playable video game based on the theme “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”. Among the strong competition, students from the Faculty of Information Technology, Czech Technical University in Prague — Daniel Jásek, Bc. Jakub Černý, and former FIT CTU student Jan Opočenský — stood out with their game Factory Reset, earning 3rd place.
Factory Reset is a 2D asymmetrical split-screen multiplayer game in which a robot attempts to escape from deep within a factory while the factory administrator tries to stop it. While the player controlling the robot navigates platforming levels, the second player hacks individual modules through fast-paced mini-games in an attempt to disable the robot. The contrast between the two roles, combined with action-oriented movement and the need for quick decision-making, gives the game a dynamic and intense atmosphere.
The jury praised not only the original concept but also the quality of execution the team achieved in such an extremely short amount of time. The core gameplay loop was completed during the first half of the competition, allowing the team to focus on polishing gameplay mechanics, animations, and sound design afterward. The result is a smooth yet chaotic gaming experience that perfectly captures the spirit of this year’s theme.
“42 hours is six hours less than what we are used to at FIT game jams. Even so, we are truly proud of the game we managed to create in such a short time. The feedback on Factory Reset from both the jury and the participants was very positive, which we consider the most important thing. At the same time, we managed to secure 3rd place for FIT CTU despite very strong competition. We see this as a clear sign that GameJam FIT belongs among the top university game jams in the Czech Republic,” said one of the FIT CTU team members, Daniel Jásek.
The overall winner was Charles University with the project Hex Happens, while second place went to a team from Tomas Bata University in Zlín with the game Vykolejen. The game jam itself was designed not only as a competition but also as a space for sharing experience and building connections. Throughout the event, each team had access to a professional mentor who helped with development and problem-solving.
“I can easily imagine all of the participants becoming our colleagues in the future. Everyone did a great job,” said jury chairman Ivan Buchta from Bohemia Interactive. “Unlike regular game jams, where teams are formed by the participants themselves, Bohemia Game Jam functions as a competition between universities. Each school sent its best team to represent the institution in direct competition with the others,” he added.
All games created during the Bohemia Game Jam 2026 can be downloaded from the event’s official page on itch.io, where additional screenshots and comments from some jury members are also available.
Bohemia Interactive, whose story began with the successful game Operation Flashpoint in 2001, is now one of the most prominent game studios in Central Europe and employs hundreds of developers. For this reason, the company plans to continue the project in the coming years as well.
“Similar events are usually non-competitive, but Bohemia Game Jam is different. We want it to become an unofficial championship in student game development and to encourage healthy rivalry between university teams,” explained Ivan Buchta. “And we are not hiding the fact that we want this to become a tradition. I can’t imagine what would have to happen for the next edition not to take place.”
