bonuz submits GamifyDubai .com to the Dubai-it Award 2026 and opens 20 pilot places for local brands
Dubai, UAE, Oct 2026, What if a walk through Dubai worked like a video game, with quests waiting at real restaurants, galleries and event venues, and rewards that players actually keep?
That is the idea behind GamifyDubai .com, a project by Dubai-based Bonuz Technology DMCC, which has been officially submitted to the Dubai-it Award 2026. The application is under review. The company has not been shortlisted or awarded, but says it is sharing the plan now because the technology behind it is already live.
The project runs on LIFE mode, a feature in the bonuz app that went live in August 2026. Users raise their phone and nearby venues appear on screen where they stand, with their real name and distance. The loop is simple: find a quest, go there, complete it, prove it, get rewarded.
From a gamer’s idea to a city plan
The project’s creator, Matthias Mende, has lived in Dubai since 2007 and is also a co-founder of Dubai Blockchain Center. He traces the idea back to the games he grew up with.
“I grew up as a gamer, from Diablo to World of Warcraft, from GTA 1 to GTA 5,” Mende said. “In 2010 and 2011 I was already experimenting with augmented reality, but it was too early. Today the infrastructure exists, and we merged it into one experience: the real-world Grand Theft Auto, an open city you play by walking through it.”
His team first wrote the concept down in May 2023. According to the company, the platform today is built on 2.1 million lines of code, has more than 10,000 registered users, and runs on iOS, Android and in a web browser without a download.
“Dubai allowed us to think big, so we did what this city does,” Mende said. “We Dubai-it.”
What it means for restaurants and brands
Alongside the award submission, bonuz is opening a pilot programme for businesses. Brands, restaurants, venues and event organisers can apply at app.bonuz.market. The company says it will approve no more than 20 brands in the first month.
Pilot brands can run digital punch cards and loyalty cards, and set quests during events or restaurant visits. The quests go beyond a simple check-in. Visitors are rewarded for actions that matter to a business: trying something new, sharing the story of their meal, bringing a friend, or coming back. The brand decides the reward, for example a voucher for the next visit.
“Every brand wants customers who are happy and come back,” Mende said. “We give them a way to earn that, and the customer wins too.”
The company describes it as a win-win model: visitors discover more of the city, and businesses get more people through the door and more repeat customers. Over time, it expects the same system to serve hundreds of uses, from cafés and retail to cultural sites and gym memberships.
Users in control
bonuz says its ecosystem is self-custodial, meaning anything users collect is held by the users themselves, not by the company. Through a bonuz ID, users can also connect their social media accounts into one portable identity.
Tourism, festivals and concerts next
Looking further ahead, the company plans large-scale campaigns with tourism departments in the UAE and abroad, and with major festivals, events and concerts, sectors it says are looking for new ways to engage visitors.
GamifyDubai.com is one of four applications bonuz has submitted to the Dubai-it Award 2026.
“Our target is the same as the Award’s,” Mende said, “to boost the economy and help place Dubai at the top of the world’s innovation map.”
How to take part
Visitors and residents can try LIFE mode at app.bonuz .xyz or in the bonuz app on iOS and Android. Businesses can apply for the pilot at app.bonuz .market. More on the project is at GamifyDubai .com.
