Fez — Morocco is arriving at Gamescom with something considerably stranger than another tourism postcard of Casablanca.

Tetouan-based BJR Pixels Agency is presenting “Futurocco 2121,” a science-fiction action game that transforms Casablanca into a dystopian city built around what its creators call a “Moroccan-punk” aesthetic.

The game is part of Morocco’s first official national participation at Gamescom, which opened today, August 26, in Cologne, Germany, and runs through August 30.

The Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication and the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development announced the participation in May. Morocco has a 102-square-meter national pavilion showcasing 11 homegrown gaming startups.

For BJR Pixels, however, the interesting part is what Casablanca becomes 95 years from now.

Casablanca gets a ‘Moroccan-punk’ future

“Futurocco 2121” places players in the role of a hunted scientist trying to survive across a hostile futuristic Casablanca.

The project mixes stealth, parkour, tactical combat, and exploration, with environments created in Unreal Engine 5. BJR Pixels describes the setting as a distinct “Moroccan-punk” world that blends recognizable local visual references with futuristic technology.

Elements modeled for the game include blocks inspired by Casablanca’s old medina and a central fountain landmark, according to the development team.

The concept did not originally begin as a video game.

Creator Youness Bejrhit first developed “Futurocco 2121” as a graduation comic-book project at Tetouan’s National Institute of Fine Arts. The idea later evolved into an interactive project through BJR Pixels, where Bejrhit serves as game director, story writer, and lead 3D artist.

The game is expected to launch on PC through Steam and the Moroccan platform “PlayMoroccan.” A playable demo is already being promoted ahead of the Gamescom showcase.

Morocco brings more than one vision of gaming

“Futurocco 2121” is only one of the projects inside Morocco’s pavilion.

The country’s 11 participating studios include “June Studio,” “Kiddo Education,” “Ard Games,” “AtlaStudio,” “Even Games,” “Kelbox Studio,” “Ribat Studios,” “Dizzy Gaming,” “QasbahLabs,” and “Ivalice Studio,” alongside BJR Pixels.

Some of those projects also draw directly from Moroccan identity.

“Za-id” by Ard Games turns the geometry of Moroccan zellige into a strategy and tile-placement mechanic. “Kasbah” from Ribat Studios similarly points toward Moroccan architectural references, while other studios are presenting roguelikes, puzzle games, educational titles, and fantasy projects.

That mix is arriving at an event considerably larger than Morocco’s domestic gaming scene.

Gamescom says its 2026 edition includes more than 1,600 exhibitors from 67 countries, with 47 national pavilions spread across 233,000 square meters of exhibition space. Morocco is among several countries making a new pavilion debut this year.