OFFICIAL RULES
ANIMUS Championship 2026 – Rules
The 16 articles set out participation, scheduling and payment for attempts, the standings, the final phases, the prizes and the publicly displayed data.
1. Participation and ANIMUS Records
Team registration is direct: the captain enters a nickname and an email address for each player. No ANIMUS Records profile is needed beforehand. Each member confirms their own email address; after verification, an existing ANIMUS Records profile on that address is linked, or a new one is created with the declared nickname. The team becomes active and receives its ANIMUS TEAM ID only once every member still on the roster has confirmed, with at least 2 players. Invitations expire after 24 hours, and confirmations must be completed before registration closes. Team registrations are open until 20 November 2026 inclusive, 23:59:59 Romanian time. There is no registration fee. There is no limit on the number of registered teams.
2. Participation age and parental consent
The minimum age to take part in ANIMUS Championship is 12. Any player under 18 may take part only with the written consent of a parent or guardian, signed at the ANIMUS Arena reception and kept on file by ANIMUS Arena. Without consent on file, the player cannot start the official attempt.
3. The team and ANIMUS TEAM ID
A team has a team nickname and 2–4 ANIMUS Records players. A player can belong to only one team per edition. Once all remaining members have personally confirmed their email (minimum 2), the team receives a unique, permanent ANIMUS TEAM ID (in the form AT-XXXXX), different from each player's ANIMUS ID. The ANIMUS TEAM ID is used at reception to schedule and identify the team; it is not a password. If you have forgotten it, you can recover it by confirming the ANIMUS Records email of a team member.
4. Qualifying period
Qualifying takes place between 1 November 2026 and 12 December 2026 inclusive. The qualifying period ends at the end of the slot allocated to 12 December 2026, at 21:00:00 Romanian time.
5. Official attempts
Each team has 3 official qualifying attempts. The team chooses the date and time of each attempt within the qualifying period, under article 6. At least 2 team members take part in each attempt, not necessarily all of them. An attempt is used up when it starts. Only official attempts count; ANIMUS Records sessions do not count towards the Championship.
6. Scheduling and absences
Attempts are booked at least 24 hours in advance, through the booking page on the website, via WhatsApp or at reception, during arena opening hours. Rescheduling is free if notified at least 24 hours in advance. If the team does not show up at the booked time for a qualifying attempt, it loses only that attempt out of the 3 available, without owing any money.
7. What you pay to take part in qualifying
Team registration is free. Taking part in the official qualifying attempts is paid separately.
Each team has 3 official qualifying attempts in total, not 3 per member. At least 2 team members take part in each attempt.
Each of the 3 scoring sessions costs 65 RON per person per session, paid at reception before the start. For all 3 scoring sessions, the cost is 3 × 65 RON = 195 RON per person.
Pupils and students also pay 65 RON per session. A participant with a Founder or Starter membership that is valid at that time may use one session from their own membership instead of paying, without paying separately for that session.
Members who do not play in a given attempt do not pay and do not use membership sessions. Paying for one attempt does not cover the team's other attempts.
Example: the team has 4 members, but only 2 take part in the first attempt. One pays 65 RON and the other uses a session from their valid membership. The other 2 members pay nothing. The team uses one attempt and has 2 left.
If the team does not show up for a booked qualifying attempt, it loses that attempt out of the 3 available. It owes no money and no membership sessions are deducted.
For an attempt that has been played, the amount paid is not refunded and a membership session used is not re-credited. Exception: if the administrator cancels the attempt because of a technical incident, each participant gets back the amount paid or the membership session used, as applicable.
Semi-finals, finals and extra tie-break attempts are free. Not showing up for the semi-finals or a tie-break attempt leads to the team's disqualification.
8. The game and the result
The qualifying game is Eliminate the Blue. The last completed level and the cumulative time at the completion of that level are recorded. Example: if the team finishes level 3 at 03:00, then plays for another 37 minutes without finishing level 4, the result remains level 3 with a time of 03:00.
9. Qualifying standings
The team's best attempt counts: first the highest completed level, then the lowest time. Attempt results are not added together. All official attempts are shown publicly, with the date, participants, level and time.
10. Replacing a player
During the qualifying period, each team may replace a single player; the replacement is recorded with the reason and date. The roster is locked for the semi-finals and finals.
11. Semi-finals and finals
After qualifying, the top 4 teams play the semi-finals: 1st against 4th and 2nd against 3rd. The winners play the grand final (places 1–2), and the other two play the small final (places 3–4). Each team has a new attempt in each phase, separate from the 3 qualifying attempts. Taking part in the semi-finals and finals is free. The semi-finals and final take place on the weekend after 12 December 2026. A team that does not show up for the semi-finals is disqualified. The game and scoring criterion for the semi-finals and finals are announced on the website and by email to the captains by 1 December 2026.
12. Ties
If the decisive results are equal, the teams involved play an extra tie-break attempt, separate from the qualifying attempts. The tie-break attempt is free. If a team does not show up for the tie-break attempt, it is disqualified. All attempts remain in the history.
13. Incidents and corrections
Only an ANIMUS administrator can cancel an attempt because of a technical incident or correct a result, with a recorded reason. If an attempt is cancelled because of a technical incident, each participant gets back the amount paid. No attempt is deleted from the history.
14. Prizes
1st place: 1600 RON. 2nd place: 800 RON. 3rd place: 400 RON. ANIMUS Arena administrators and staff, and their first-degree relatives, may take part but cannot receive prizes; the prize goes to the next-ranked team.
15. Images and filming
The semi-finals and finals may be filmed. Images are used to promote ANIMUS Arena only with the player's consent (for minors, the parent's or guardian's), given separately from the participation consent. Refusing does not affect the right to take part.
16. Publicly displayed data
The team nickname, player nicknames and results are shown publicly. Names, email addresses and the ANIMUS TEAM ID are not shown in the standings.