ESCAPE SIMULATOR 2 – BUILD-A-ROOM: HOW THE WORLD ENDED

1. Organizer

The organizer of the “Escape Simulator 2 – Build-a-Room: How the World Ended” competition is:

PINE STUDIO društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću za računalno programiranje
Ulica Vladka Mačeka 5
10430 Samobor
Republic of Croatia
Company Identification Number — OIB: 05437341710
Email: community@pinestudio.com

Hereinafter referred to as the “Organizer.”

These Official Rules govern the eligibility requirements, submission process, judging procedure, awarding of prizes, use of submitted entries and other matters related to the administration of the Competition.

By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they have read, understood and accepted these Official Rules.

The Competition is a creative competition based on knowledge and skill. Winners will be selected exclusively by an expert judging panel according to the criteria published in advance.

Winners will not be selected randomly.

2. Competition Theme

The theme of the Competition is:

How the World Ended

Entrants must create an original escape room showing how the apocalypse featured in the upcoming Escape Simulator 2: Apocalypse DLC began.

The cause of the apocalypse may include, for example:

a deadly virus;
artificial intelligence;
an atomic bomb;
a scientific experiment;
an alien event;
a supernatural phenomenon;
human error; or
any other original idea created by the entrant.

The room should serve as an introduction to the upcoming Escape Simulator 2: Apocalypse DLC.

The submitted entry must function as an escape room.

3. Competition Period

The Competition begins on:

July 31, 2026 at 18:00 CEST

The submission deadline is:

September 1, 2026 at 08:59 AM CEST / 10:59 PM PDT

Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.

The time at which an entry is received will be determined according to the records of the systems used by the Organizer to administer the Competition.

The date on which the results will be announced will be published separately through the Organizer’s official communication channels.

4. Eligibility

The Competition is open to natural persons worldwide who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry.

The Competition is void where prohibited or restricted by applicable law.

Participation is not permitted to:

persons who cannot lawfully participate in the Competition or receive a prize;
persons located in or ordinarily resident in a territory subject to applicable international sanctions or restrictions;
employees of the Organizer;
members of the judging panel;
persons directly involved in preparing or administering the Competition; or
members of the immediate households of the persons listed above.

The Organizer may reject an entry or refuse to award or process a prize where participation, payment processing or awarding the prize would violate:

the laws of the Republic of Croatia;
European Union law;
applicable international sanctions;
banking or payment restrictions; or
another binding legal requirement.

No separate entry fee is charged.

The entrant is responsible for the costs of accessing Escape Simulator 2, internet access, equipment and services required to create and publish the room.

The Organizer may require a potential winner to provide evidence of identity, age, country of residence, authorship and the rights required to submit and license the room.

5. Official Entrant and the Rights of Other Authors

Each submitted room must have exactly one official entrant.

Other persons may assist in creating or testing the room. However:

only one person may make the official submission;
only that person will be considered an entrant in the Competition;
only that person may receive a prize from the Organizer; and
only that person will communicate with the Organizer regarding the entry and the prize.

The Organizer is not responsible for:

dividing a prize between multiple persons;
compensating persons who assisted in creating the room;
disputes related to authorship or ownership;
the allocation of credit between collaborators; or
other private arrangements related to the creation of the room.

The official entrant may share the prize or DLC keys with other persons in any manner agreed between them.

Each person may be the official entrant for only one room.

The official entrant is not required to publicly identify in the submission all persons who assisted them, unless such identification is required by applicable law, licence terms or an agreement between the relevant persons.

Where other persons have contributed copyright-protected or otherwise legally protected material to the submitted room, the official entrant must obtain all written permissions required before submitting the entry for:

submitting the room to the Competition;
publicly publishing the room;
using their contributions; and
granting the licence to the Organizer described in Section 15 of these Official Rules.

Written permissions may also be provided electronically, provided that their content, the identity of the person who provided them and the time at which they were provided can be reliably stored and demonstrated.

The official entrant must provide evidence of the required permissions upon the Organizer’s request.

The official entrant is responsible for ensuring that they hold all rights and permissions required to submit the entire room and grant the licence described in Section 15.

6. Room Requirements

The submitted room must:

be created using the Escape Simulator 2 Room Editor;
be created specifically for this Competition;
be started from scratch;
not have been publicly released before the Competition began;
follow the “How the World Ended” theme;
function as an escape room;
be publicly available on the Steam Workshop;
remain available to the judging panel throughout the judging process;
include a complete video walkthrough; and
comply with these Official Rules and the applicable Steam Workshop rules.

Copies, remakes or substantial adaptations of existing rooms are not permitted.

The Organizer may request:

project files;
version history;
sources of materials used;
licence information; or
other reasonable evidence required to verify authorship and the time at which the room was created.

Failure to provide reasonably requested evidence may result in disqualification.

7. Permitted Content and Third-Party Materials

Entrants may use:

content included with Escape Simulator 2;
their own original content;
content for which they hold all required permissions;
properly licensed third-party content; and
public-domain or Creative Commons content, provided that all applicable licence conditions are followed.

The entrant must identify all authors, sources and attribution where such identification is required by law, permission or licence terms.

The entrant must provide evidence of a licence or permission upon the Organizer’s request.

The submitted entry must not contain content that:

infringes copyright, trademarks or other third-party rights;
has been stolen or used without the required permission;
is unlawful;
contains malicious software or code;
contains hate speech or targeted harassment;
contains explicit sexual content;
sexualizes minors;
publishes personal or confidential information without authorization; or
materially violates the Steam Workshop rules.

Changing the name, appearance or a minor part of protected content does not automatically make its use lawful.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the entrant will be responsible to the Organizer for direct damage and reasonable costs arising from a false claim that the entrant holds the rights required to submit or license the content.

8. Generative Artificial Intelligence

The use of generative artificial intelligence is permitted, but any material use must be disclosed.

The entrant remains responsible for all content created or modified with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence.

Such content must:

comply with these Official Rules;
not infringe third-party rights;
not contain unlawfully processed personal data; and
not reduce the clarity or quality of the puzzles.

Failure to disclose material use of generative artificial intelligence may result in a score reduction or disqualification.

9. Submission Process

Entries must be submitted through the official Pine Studio Discord server in the:

#competition-submissions

channel.

The channel can also be accessed through the following link:

https://discord.gg/A7qsDnCrCe

The Discord submission must include a link to the publicly available room on the Steam Workshop.

The Steam Workshop page must include:

a screenshot and/or thumbnail of the room;
a short description of the room;
a link to a complete video walkthrough;
a list of third-party materials and all required attribution, where applicable; and
a description of any material use of generative artificial intelligence.

By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they are at least 18 years old, that they have read and accepted the Official Competition Rules, and that they hold all rights and written permissions required to submit the room and grant the licence described in Section 15 of the Official Competition Rules.

Entrants who cannot use Discord for technical reasons must contact:

community@pinestudio.com

before the submission deadline.

An email submission must contain the same information and links and will have the same validity as a Discord submission.

For the purpose of demonstrating the validity of an entry, the Organizer may retain:

the content of the submission;
the entrant’s Discord or other user identifier;
the date and time of submission;
the link to the submitted room;
the content of the acceptance declaration; and
the version of the Official Rules in effect at the time of submission.

The Organizer is not responsible for:

late or incomplete entries;
incorrect or unavailable links;
removed videos;
interruptions affecting external platforms;
internet connection problems; or
other technical problems outside the Organizer’s reasonable control.

Entrants are responsible for confirming that their submission has been successfully posted and remains available.

10. Changes After the Submission Deadline

After the deadline, entrants may correct only genuine technical defects, including:

a broken puzzle;
a soft lock;
a progression blocker;
a broken interaction; or
a serious performance problem.

After the deadline, entrants may not:

add new puzzles;
materially change existing puzzles;
add substantial amounts of new content;
replace the submitted room with another room; or
otherwise materially improve or redesign the submitted entry.

Every change made after the deadline must be reported to the Organizer together with a short description of the change.

Where changes made after the deadline exceed genuine technical fixes, the Organizer may:

judge the version available at the submission deadline;
disregard later changes;
request restoration of a previous version; or
disqualify the entry if the original version can no longer be fairly evaluated.

11. Judging Panel and Judging Criteria

Submitted entries will be evaluated by an expert judging panel consisting of at least five members of the Pine Studio team.

Each judge may award a valid entry a maximum of 100 points.

The judges will evaluate the entries independently. The entry’s final score will be the arithmetic average of the valid scores awarded by the judges.

Puzzle Design — 40 points

The following will be evaluated:

logic;
originality;
fairness;
clarity of clues;
engagement; and
quality of progression through the puzzles.

Theme and Originality — 25 points

The following will be evaluated:

interpretation of the How the World Ended theme;
originality of the cause of the apocalypse; and
how the room presents the beginning of the event.

Room Design and Atmosphere — 20 points

The following will be evaluated:

visual presentation;
atmosphere;
use of space;
environmental storytelling; and
pacing.

Playability and Polish — 15 points

The following will be evaluated:

technical stability;
clarity of interactions;
performance;
level of testing; and
the room’s overall level of completion.

Popularity, download numbers, Steam ratings, social-media reactions and public voting will not affect the final ranking.

A judge who has an actual or potential conflict of interest regarding a particular entry will not participate in evaluating that entry.

In such a case, the Organizer may appoint a replacement judge with appropriate experience or calculate the final score using the valid scores of the remaining judges.

12. Tie-Breaking

If two or more rooms receive the same final score, the higher-ranked room will be determined in the following order:

the room with the higher Puzzle Design score;
the room with the higher Theme and Originality score;
the room with the higher Playability and Polish score; and
if the entries remain tied, a majority decision of the judging panel following a new assessment based on the same published criteria.

Ties will not be resolved randomly.

The judges’ creative and qualitative assessments are final.

An entrant may report a verifiable administrative error, such as an incorrect calculation or the accidental omission of a valid entry, within seven calendar days after the results are announced.

Reports must be sent to community@pinestudio.com and must clearly describe the alleged administrative error.

This procedure does not create a right to challenge the judges’ creative assessment or request a general re-evaluation of an entry.

13. Prizes

The following prizes will be awarded:

First Place

a cash prize of USD 1,000; and
four keys for Escape Simulator 2: Apocalypse DLC.

Second to Fifth Place

Each winner will receive:

a Steam Gift Card or Steam Wallet credit worth USD 100; and
two keys for Escape Simulator 2: Apocalypse DLC.

Each prize will be awarded exclusively to the official entrant.

The official entrant may share the DLC keys or part of the received prize with other persons at their own discretion.

The cash prize may be paid in United States dollars or its equivalent value in euros.

Where payment is made in euros, the amount will be calculated according to the European Central Bank reference exchange rate published on the last working day before the payment is processed.

Where a Steam prize cannot be delivered because of regional or platform restrictions, the Organizer may provide a lawful substitute prize of approximately equal value, including a cash or other digital prize.

All stated prize values are net prize values.

The Organizer will calculate, report, withhold or pay tax where required to do so under applicable law.

The winner is responsible for determining and fulfilling any personal tax and other obligations applicable to them in their country of tax residence.

14. Winner Verification, Room Availability and Prize Payment

All announced results are provisional until verification of the potential winners has been completed.

Upon the Organizer’s request, a potential winner must provide information reasonably required for verification and prize payment, which may include:

full legal name;
residential address;
proof of age;
country of tax residence;
tax identification number;
bank account information;
evidence of authorship;
evidence of licences for materials used; and
evidence of written permissions from other authors or rights holders.

The potential winner must provide the requested information within 14 calendar days after receiving the Organizer’s request.

The Organizer may disqualify a potential winner and award the prize to the next highest-ranked eligible entrant if the potential winner:

does not respond within the required period;
fails to provide complete or accurate information;
cannot prove that they meet the eligibility requirements;
breaches these Official Rules;
cannot prove that they hold the rights required for the submitted room; or
cannot lawfully receive the prize.

Each winning room must remain publicly available, functional and playable on the Steam Workshop for at least 30 calendar days after the public announcement of the results.

If a winner intentionally removes the room or restricts access during that period, the Organizer will give the winner three calendar days to restore public access.

If access is not restored within that period, the Organizer may withhold the prize and award it to the next highest-ranked eligible entrant.

The removal or unavailability of a room due to a technical platform failure or another reason outside the winner’s reasonable control will not automatically result in loss of the prize, provided that the winner cooperates with the Organizer in restoring access or providing the files required to preserve the room.

The prize will be processed after the 30-day availability period has expired and no later than 60 calendar days after the public announcement of the results, provided that:

verification of the winner has been completed;
the winner has provided all required information on time; and
no legal, banking or sanctions-related obstacle prevents payment.

DLC keys may be delivered when the DLC becomes available.

15. Copyright and Licence Granted to the Organizer

The entrant and other authors retain the copyright and other intellectual property rights they hold in the submitted room and their original materials.

By submitting an entry, the official entrant, on their own behalf and on the basis of permission from all other relevant authors and rights holders, grants the Organizer a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide and perpetual licence to use the submitted room and related promotional materials.

To the extent required for the purposes described in this Section, the licence includes:

the right of reproduction;
the right of distribution;
the right of communication to the public, including making the work available to the public;
the right of publication and republication; and
the right of adaptation in the form of minor technical modifications required for compatibility, security, localization or continued operation.

The licence is granted without separate or additional compensation and does not constitute a transfer of ownership of the room or a transfer of copyright to the Organizer.

Under this licence, the Organizer may:

download and test the room;
create and retain backup copies;
reproduce and copy the room;
republish the room after the Competition;
publish the room through an official Steam Workshop account or another official Escape Simulator channel;
keep the room publicly available if the original version becomes unavailable;
make minor technical modifications required for compatibility, security, localization or continued operation;
record and livestream gameplay;
create and publish screenshots, videos, trailers and excerpts;
translate the room’s title, description and promotional materials;
present and promote the room, the Competition, Escape Simulator 2 and its community; and
permanently archive the Competition and its results.

These rights apply to:

the submitted room;
the room’s title and description;
screenshots and thumbnails;
the walkthrough;
submitted videos;
the entrant’s public display name; and
other promotional materials submitted as part of the entry.

The Organizer may authorize Steam, Valve Corporation, hosting providers and other technical service providers to perform reproduction, hosting, distribution and other technical activities reasonably required for the Organizer to exercise this licence.

When publicly using the room, the Organizer will identify the official entrant by their public display name or username, unless the entrant requests in writing not to be identified or the nature of a particular use objectively prevents such identification.

Upon the Organizer’s request, the official entrant must provide the names or pseudonyms of other authors who must be identified under applicable law, permission or licence terms.

The Organizer is not required to republish, preserve or continue distributing any submitted room.

This licence does not automatically authorize the Organizer to:

sell the room as a separate product;
include the room in paid DLC;
represent the room as having been created by the Organizer’s employees; or
commercially license the room to an unrelated third party for purposes unrelated to hosting, preserving or promoting the Competition and Escape Simulator 2.

Any such broader commercial use requires a separate written agreement with the relevant rights holder or rights holders.

The prize is awarded based on the judging results and is not consideration for the transfer of copyright or broader commercial exploitation of the room.

The official entrant confirms and warrants that they hold all rights and permissions required to submit the entire room and grant this licence.

Where the submitted room contains materials created by other persons or other third-party materials, the official entrant is responsible for verifying that the applicable permissions and licences allow the reproduction, republication, technical modifications and other uses described in this Section.

16. Disqualification

The Organizer may reject or disqualify an entry if it determines or reasonably suspects that:

the entrant does not meet the eligibility requirements;
the entry was not submitted on time;
the entry is incomplete or unavailable;
the room is a copy or unauthorized adaptation;
the room contains unauthorized content;
the entrant does not hold the required rights or permissions;
the entrant provided inaccurate or misleading information;
the entrant attempted to influence the judges or manipulate the Competition;
the room contains malicious or prohibited content;
unauthorized changes were made after the submission deadline;
material use of generative artificial intelligence was not disclosed; or
participation or payment would create a material legal, security, sanctions-related or competition-integrity risk.

The Organizer may, but is not required to, permit the correction of a minor administrative or technical error.

A disqualified entrant will not be entitled to a prize or reimbursement of costs associated with creating or submitting the room.

17. Personal Data Processing

The Organizer is the controller of personal data collected for the purpose of administering the Competition.

The Organizer’s contact address for matters concerning personal data processing is:

contact@pinestudio.com

Data Processed Upon Submission

The Organizer may process only the information reasonably required to receive, verify and judge an entry, including:

the entrant’s public display name or username, including their Steam or Discord username;
Discord user identifier;
Discord account information and Competition-related communications;
confirmation that the entrant is at least 18 years old;
the date and time of submission;
the version of the Official Rules accepted by the entrant; and
information about the submitted room.

Data Relating to Potential Winners

Full legal name, residential address, proof of identity, country of tax residence, tax information and bank account information will be requested only from potential winners and only where required for:

verifying identity and entitlement to a prize;
verifying age;
legal and sanctions-related checks;
paying the prize; and
fulfilling the Organizer’s tax, accounting and other legal obligations.

Purposes and Legal Bases of Processing

Personal data may be processed for:

receiving and administering an entry and carrying out participation under these Official Rules;
communicating with entrants;
verifying entries and potential winners;
judging entries;
preventing fraud, abuse and manipulation;
demonstrating acceptance of the Official Rules and the licence;
resolving reports of administrative errors;
awarding and paying prizes;
fulfilling accounting, tax and other legal obligations;
publishing and archiving the results; and
establishing, exercising or defending the Organizer’s legal claims.

Depending on the particular processing activity, the legal basis may be:

taking steps at the entrant’s request and administering their participation under these Official Rules;
the Organizer’s legitimate interest in administering the Competition lawfully, securely, fairly and in a verifiable manner;
compliance with the Organizer’s legal obligations;
the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or
consent, only where separately and voluntarily requested for processing that is not required for participation in the Competition.

Requirement to Provide Information

Information requested when submitting an entry is required for participation in the Competition. If an entrant does not provide it, the Organizer cannot accept or validly process the entry.

Information subsequently requested from a potential winner is required for verification and awarding of the prize. If a potential winner does not provide the required information, the Organizer may be unable to award or pay the prize.

Recipients of Personal Data

Personal data may, where reasonably necessary, be provided to:

members of the judging panel;
authorized employees and contractors of the Organizer;
technical and hosting service providers;
Steam, Discord and other platforms used to administer the Competition;
banks and payment-service providers;
accountants;
legal and tax advisers; and
competent public authorities where required by law.

Transfers Outside the European Economic Area

Certain providers of platform, communication, hosting or other technical services may process personal data outside the European Economic Area.

Where the Organizer is responsible for such a transfer, the transfer will be carried out on the basis of:

an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission;
standard contractual clauses;
another appropriate safeguard; or
another legal basis permitted under applicable law.

Information about the applicable transfer mechanism may be requested through contact@pinestudio.com.

Use of Steam, Discord, YouTube and other external platforms is also subject to their own terms and privacy notices.

Retention Periods

Contact identifiers and communications relating to entrants who do not win a prize will be deleted or anonymized no later than six months after the results become final, unless they are required for an unresolved error report, investigation or legal proceeding.

Copies of identification documents and operational bank account information will be deleted, or access to such information will be permanently restricted, when they are no longer required for verification, payment or resolution of a dispute.

The Organizer will retain limited information relating to winners, payments, taxes and accounting documentation for as long as required by applicable accounting, tax and other legal obligations.

The entrant’s public display name, room title, ranking, screenshots, gameplay recordings and other published materials may remain permanently available as part of the Competition archive.

Entrants’ Rights

Subject to the conditions established by applicable law, an entrant may have the right to:

request access to their personal data;
request correction of inaccurate personal data;
request deletion of personal data;
request restriction of processing;
object to processing;
request data portability where applicable;
withdraw consent in relation to processing based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal; and
submit a complaint to the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency or another competent supervisory authority.

Certain information cannot be deleted immediately where the Organizer is legally required to retain it or where it remains necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Requests concerning personal data may be sent to contact@pinestudio.com.

Automated Decision-Making

The Organizer does not use solely automated decision-making or profiling to determine the validity of entries, the final ranking or the winners of the Competition.

Personal data collected for the Competition will not be used for unrelated direct marketing without separate and voluntary consent.

18. Announcement of Results

The Organizer may publish the results through:

official websites;
Steam pages;
the Discord server;
social-media accounts;
newsletters;
livestreams; and
other official communication channels.

The Organizer may publish:

the winner’s public Steam or Discord display name;
the room’s title;
the final ranking;
screenshots and gameplay recordings;
the number of points awarded; and
selected comments from the judging panel.

The winner’s full legal name, address, banking information, tax information and other non-public personal data will not be publicly disclosed without separate permission, unless disclosure is required by applicable law.

19. Modification, Suspension or Cancellation of the Competition

The Organizer may extend the deadline, suspend the Competition, modify these Official Rules or cancel the Competition where reasonably necessary because of:

changes in applicable law;
a serious technical problem;
a cybersecurity incident;
fraud or attempted manipulation;
unavailability of a required platform;
force majeure;
fewer than five valid entries being received on time; or
another event materially affecting the legality, security, integrity or fair administration of the Competition.

Any material change will be publicly announced through the Organizer’s official communication channels.

Changes will not apply retroactively in a manner that materially disadvantages entrants who have already submitted a valid entry.

The Organizer will not change the judging criteria after judging has begun for the purpose of favoring or disadvantaging a particular entrant.

If the Competition is cancelled before judging is completed because of circumstances that the Organizer could not reasonably prevent, the Organizer may decide that no prizes will be awarded.

20. Liability and Third-Party Platforms

Entrants bear their own costs and risks related to creating, testing, storing and submitting their rooms.

The Organizer is not responsible for:

loss or corruption of project files;
interruptions affecting Steam Workshop, Discord, YouTube or another external service;
removal of content by an external platform;
incorrect or unavailable links;
internet connection failures;
regional platform restrictions;
delays caused by banks or intermediary banks; or
other circumstances outside the Organizer’s reasonable control.

Steam, Valve Corporation, Discord, YouTube and other platforms used in connection with the Competition are not organizers or sponsors of the Competition.

To the maximum extent permitted by mandatory law, the Organizer will not be liable for indirect or consequential damage, loss of profit or loss of business opportunity arising from participation in the Competition.

Nothing in these Official Rules excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable mandatory law.

21. Governing Law and Disputes

The Competition and these Official Rules are governed by the laws of the Republic of Croatia.

The choice of Croatian law does not exclude any mandatory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under the law applicable to the entrant.

The entrant and the Organizer will first attempt to resolve any dispute amicably and through written communication.

If a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, it will be decided by the court having subject-matter and territorial jurisdiction over the Organizer’s registered office, unless binding applicable law provides otherwise.

If any provision of these Official Rules is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.

22. Language

These Official Rules may be published in Croatian and English.

In the event of any inconsistency between the Croatian and English versions, the Croatian version will prevail, unless binding applicable law provides otherwise.

23. Acceptance of the Official Rules

By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that:

they have read, understood and accepted these Official Rules;
they meet all eligibility requirements;
the information provided in the submission is complete and accurate;
they hold all rights and written permissions required to submit the entire room;
they accept the judging process and judging criteria;
they grant the licence described in Section 15; and
they acknowledge the processing of personal data described in Section 17.

Questions about the Competition may be sent to:

community@pinestudio.com

— Pine Studio

Version 1.0 – 31.07.2026