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Arctic7 evolves within and beyond gaming after two studio acquisitions
Game development company Arctic7 has today announced the acquisition of Narwhal Studios and Star Fort Games. The two acquisitions represent a sizable evolution in Arctic7’s capability – introducing a plethora of experience from some of the leading creatives in both the video game development and virtual production space.
The acquisition of LA-based Narwhal Studios marks Arctic7’s first expansion into virtual production, further advancing their capacity when delivering top-level entertainment and experiences through immersive content. With film and TV virtual production being Narwhal Studios speciality, their acquisition additionally broadens Arctic7’s scope beyond just video games. Similarly, Arctic7 will be expanding its video game development foundations with the acquisition of Ottawa-based Star Fort Games – helping to cement Arctic7’s expertise in the games industry and expanding their reach and studio capabilities to Canada.
With studios based in Austin, Montenegro and now Los Angeles and Ottawa, Arctic7 has continued where they left off in 2022. The company now has more than 100 people across the world, collaborating together to inspire, going above and beyond in delivering exceptional entertainment with heart and depth.
Media production company Narwhal Studios is at the forefront of virtual production and is continuing to innovate in the space. The team has utilized their skill and experience in some of the largest shows and films in the world, such as The Mandalorian, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Black Adam. For Arctic7, the acquisition of Narwhal Studios not only expanded its impact within game development, but
now across multiple industries. The acquisition follows the recent appointment of Narwhal founder Felix Jorge as Chief Communications Officer at Arctic7.
Co-founder Felix Jorge of Narwhal Studios comments: “By joining forces with Arctic7, we plan to bring the virtual art department and ICVFX to a wider audience than ever before. We are supercharging the techniques and processes we created, and developing the training programs and virtual production tools necessary to launch the next generation of film, TV, and game productions.”
Welcoming Star Fort Games to the Arctic7 family will also allow the Austin-based company to leverage the independent game studio’s work across multiple platforms, from global mobile titles to blockbuster console games. Their understanding of what makes a game fun, knowledge of games as a service and expertise on what top trends are going to entertain consumers means they excel at making engaging and
entertaining games.
Studio head Lindsay Daggit at Star Fort Games comments: “We are thrilled to be joining the Arctic7 studio family and so excited for this next chapter of Star Fort Games. I am most excited about the new opportunities this partnership will provide for our people and our studio as a whole. Combining our strengths with the other Arctic7 studios in a complementary fashion will allow us to achieve new heights together.”
CEO and co-founder of Arctic7 Igor Efremov comments: “Our aim at Arctic7 is to create amazing entertainment experiences for our partners. The acquisition of Narwhal Studios and Star Fort games enables us to further expand our ability to do that. Narwhal’s experience in virtual production – working with the world’s premier intellectual property – represents an exciting step for us, not least given the growing cross media opportunity in gaming. Similarly, Star Fort’s abilities in creating games across platforms, together with games as a service also adds further exciting capabilities for us.’’
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Eagerly anticipated release now confirmed following a highly successful exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive
Play’n GO has today announced the official US release of its hit title Colt Lightning Firestorm, following a three-week period of exclusivity with Rush Street Interactive brands BetRivers and SugarHouse.
Colt Lightning Firestorm was released in Europe and other jurisdictions in May 2024, and its release in the US comes with much fanfare following the game’s rave reviews in its short exclusivity period. The game is a sequel to the wildly popular Colt Lightning game which was released early last year, and indications at this stage suggest that this sequel may prove even more successful.
This announcement sees Colt Lightning Firestorm available to players in each state and operator with whom Play’n GO is licensed. Play’n GO first entered the online casino market in the US in 2022, and has reiterated its commitment to becoming active in every regulated market around the world.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO said: “We’re excited to unveil Colt Lightning Firestorm to the wider online casino gaming community in the US, and have been very pleased to see its strong performance during its exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive. We had high hopes for the game following the success of its predecessor, and we’re confident that these robust results will continue now that the game is available to an even bigger audience.”
Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced plans to host two popular esports events in Singapore in 2024 and 2025.
BLAST will bring both world-class Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to the heart of Southeast Asia, marking a major step in Singapore’s emergence as an esports and gaming hub. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), these high-profile events will bring the world’s best esports teams and players from all across the world to compete in Singapore.
BLAST has teamed up with AEG Presents Asia, one of the world’s largest live entertainment entities to bring these events to Singapore. The partnership forms part of BLAST’s ambition to create the best esports experiences by working closely with premier destinations and the biggest and best live entertainment partners.
More than half of global esports views (57%) are estimated to come from the Asia Pacific region, 47% more than any other region in the world with the global market valued at $1.6 billion.
By bringing the top-tier Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to Singapore, BLAST aims
to attract global esports talent, foster local growth, and elevate Singapore’s status as a destination for world-class esports entertainment.
James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring two of the biggest esports titles to this vibrant destination. Over the coming 18 months, Singapore will become a major hub for esports in Southeast Asia, and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, we look forward to delivering unforgettable experiences for fans while helping to build a thriving esports ecosystem in the region. Bringing the first BLAST arena event to Singapore is an exciting first step in this journey. The World Final will see the world’s best Counter-Strike players and teams fighting for a $1,000,000 total prize pool.”
Ms Ong Ling Lee, Executive Director, Sports and Wellness, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are excited to host the BLAST Premier World Final and the BLAST Dota Slam in Singapore. The Counter-Strike event marks the first BLAST-branded event in Southeast Asia and the inaugural Counter-Strike tournament series in the region, solidifying Singapore’s position as a world-class esports destination. We are confident that the international participants and their legions of fans will have a memorable experience in Singapore, immersing themselves in the diverse and dynamic offerings of our city.”
The World Final 2024 will take place from 30th October – 3rd November and will be the first BLAST event to take place in Singapore, followed by the BLAST Dota Slam in 2025. The World Final will be the biggest Counter-Strike event to take place in Singapore, where the world’s best eight Counter-Strike teams will compete for a massive prize pool of $1,000,000 and the chance to claim bragging rights as the best team around.
Qualified World Final teams: NAVI, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports.
Fans can sign-up for the pre-sale window by registering with BLAST.tv, where they will also receive updates and information on tickets.
Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced plans to host two popular esports events in Singapore in 2024 and 2025.
BLAST will bring both world-class Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to the heart of Southeast Asia, marking a major step in Singapore’s emergence as an esports and gaming hub. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), these high-profile events will bring the world’s best esports teams and players from all across the world to compete in Singapore.
BLAST has teamed up with AEG Presents Asia, one of the world’s largest live entertainment entities to bring these events to Singapore. The partnership forms part of BLAST’s ambition to create the best esports experiences by working closely with premier destinations and the biggest and best live entertainment partners.
More than half of global esports views (57%) are estimated to come from the Asia Pacific region, 47% more than any other region in the world with the global market valued at $1.6 billion.
By bringing the top-tier Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to Singapore, BLAST aims
to attract global esports talent, foster local growth, and elevate Singapore’s status as a destination for world-class esports entertainment.
James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring two of the biggest esports titles to this vibrant destination. Over the coming 18 months, Singapore will become a major hub for esports in Southeast Asia, and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, we look forward to delivering unforgettable experiences for fans while helping to build a thriving esports ecosystem in the region. Bringing the first BLAST arena event to Singapore is an exciting first step in this journey. The World Final will see the world’s best Counter-Strike players and teams fighting for a $1,000,000 total prize pool.”
Ms Ong Ling Lee, Executive Director, Sports and Wellness, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are excited to host the BLAST Premier World Final and the BLAST Dota Slam in Singapore. The Counter-Strike event marks the first BLAST-branded event in Southeast Asia and the inaugural Counter-Strike tournament series in the region, solidifying Singapore’s position as a world-class esports destination. We are confident that the international participants and their legions of fans will have a memorable experience in Singapore, immersing themselves in the diverse and dynamic offerings of our city.”
The World Final 2024 will take place from 30th October – 3rd November and will be the first BLAST event to take place in Singapore, followed by the BLAST Dota Slam in 2025. The World Final will be the biggest Counter-Strike event to take place in Singapore, where the world’s best eight Counter-Strike teams will compete for a massive prize pool of $1,000,000 and the chance to claim bragging rights as the best team around.
Qualified World Final teams: NAVI, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports.
Fans can sign-up for the pre-sale window by registering with BLAST.tv, where they will also receive updates and information on tickets.
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