Student Gamers Unite: Wolfjam Hackathon Happening this Weekend
By Jackson Woolley, Class of '27
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 4, 2026) – The University at Albany is welcoming back Wolfjaw Studios for the Wolfjam Hackathon, kicking off Friday at the ETEC research and development complex.
The hackathon, hosted in partnership with the UAlbany Game Center and Department of Information Sciences and Technology, allows students to come together, form teams and build a digital game in just 48 hours.
The event is open to students of all majors and free with registration.
Past Wolfjam events have hosted guest speakers from the makers of Rocket League, Blizzard Entertainment, Wizards of the Coast and more. The 2024 event, also hosted at ETEC, brought together 400 participants across 20-plus schools and companies.
This year Wolfjam is hosting Amir Satvat, winner of the Game Changer Award at the Game Awards in 2024 and Scott Glasser, vice president of engineering at Wolfjaw Studios.
“Providing students with opportunities to collaborate, work on real-world projects and apply creative thinking and problem-solving skills are just some of the valuable experiences Wolfjam offers, said Michael Leczinsky, professor of practice in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology.
"In an interdisciplinary and dynamic landscape, we appreciate Wolfjaw Studios’ contributions to supporting our students and the next generation of talent in the game design and development ecosystem.”
Building a gaming pipeline
Founded in 2019, Wolfjaw Studios is a video game studio, based in Troy, that has grown to more than 75 employees and helps create some of the most popular games in the world, including League of Legends, NBA 2K and Among Us.
Wolfjaw has had lots of involvement with UAlbany students, with several graduates now among their staff. The studio also established a $35,000 endowed scholarship for students who are studying game design and development.
Students at Wolfjam will spend the weekend working on their games and then present them to the rest of the attendees. The best project will win a prize and all teams will get to debut their work.
“It’s great to have Wolfjam at ETEC, a state-of-the-art facility that we’re fortunate to have right here in our backyard. For students, it’s a chance to build something real alongside working developers, and for us, it’s a chance to meet the next generation of talent in the Capital Region,” said Clarke Foley '10, director of operations for Wolfjaw Studios.
“People will tell you that if you want to break into the games industry, you need personal projects and hackathons on your resume,” added Jeromy Lenski, a marketing and operations associate at Wolfjaw. “As Wolfjam has grown, it carries even more weight with employers.”
Game design on the rise
The event comes as game design continues to grow across the Capital Region and at UAlbany.
The Capital Region has 20 digital gaming studios with a total of more than 500 workers, according to a 2024 report released by the Center for Economic Growth. Along with Wolfjaw, the region is home to large studios including Blizzard Entertainment, Velan Studios and WB Games New York, as well as other companies that provide services to the gaming industry.
At UAlbany, enrollment is up more than 150 percent over the last year across its BS in Game Design and Development and the MS in Strategic Game Design and Applied Development (the first gaming-focused graduate program in SUNY).
The UAlbany Game Center also recently opened a new game hub where students can research games, study their mechanics, collaborate and play, with a large game studio, audio studio and public event space on the way.
This weekend’s event promises to be even bigger and better than the one before, allowing students to join together and get their heads in the game.