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Bavaria Takes the Lead as the Best Games Location in Germany
The games companies in Germany have decided: Bavaria is Germany’s best games location. This is the finding of game’s industry barometer, where members of game – The German Games Industry Association assessed the political involvement of the individual German states for games companies. The battle for first place was a head-to-head race. North Rhine-Westphalia, which placed second in the latest rankings, had finished first in the rankings for 2023. Berlin took third place, ahead of Hamburg, after the two had shared second place two years ago. Some changes were also evident at the bottom of the rankings: Hesse, who ranked tenth out of twelve in 2023, brought up the rear this time, behind Saxony-Anhalt in 14th and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 15th place.
“The trend of the past years is continuing: more and more German states are recognising the value of the games industry for their region and are working on better conditions for games companies. In view of the flip-flopping relating to national games funding, the German states with good game funding programmes were all the more important in the last two years. This commitment has paid off for these locations in the form of countless positive effects in areas such as the economy, innovation and society,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.
Some of the federal states have seen positive developments since the previous rankings. The Bavarian state government is distributing funds of around 3.3 million euros in total. With the recently opened game hub DIE GAMEREI – a recipient of 560,000 euros in funding – as well as the Level Up accelerator programme and the gaming event GG Bavaria, the state is providing additional support to the companies in the region. Berlin and Brandenburg distributed record amounts for game development in 2023, with studios receiving funding totalling 5.3 million euros. Further projects are being supported by Berlin’s state government – a coalition of CDU and SPD – such as the planned House of Games. Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg and Hesse have all increased their funding budgets for 2024. In Central Germany – Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia – more funding was provided for games in 2023 than in the year before. In Saarland, the state games funding programme has been transferred to the State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy and allocated a total of 300,000 euros in the 2024 budget – also an increase over the previous amount. Bremen most recently also provided funding in the amount of 150,000 euros. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in contrast, remains the last white spot on the funding map: The governing coalition of SPD and Die Linke announced in their coalition agreement in 2021 that they would be supporting the games industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though this has not yet materialised. The positive trend and strong momentum have continued in recent weeks: There have been further political initiatives to strengthen the games industry in the federal states of Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, which announced additional funding of one million euros in mid-November 2024 for the development of titles to be used in prevention and education against disinformation and Islamist propaganda, in addition to the further development of games funding.
The post Bavaria Takes the Lead as the Best Games Location in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has dropped its hot new slot, Westside Glory as part of its Adventure Series.
Westside Glory is set on the West Coast streets where bling, bravado, and beats make for a platinum title. Framed by palm trees and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, this 5×3 slot takes players on the ultimate urban experience.
The game’s Wild symbol is represented by a striking lady and will count for all symbols except free spins and bonus symbols. Discovering five wild symbols on a winning line returns x1,000 the bet. Bags of cash, Cadillacs, gold rings and ferocious dogs all feature as the other high-value symbols.
Three or more scattered Free Spins symbols trigger the Free Spins, although these symbols will only appear in the base game on reels one, three and five.
Westside Glory also includes the Countdown Wild, which activates when the reels have come to rest. If there are any countdown Wild symbols on the screen, the game will enter a respin mode. Here the Countdown Wild will remain in place until the next re-spin and the counter decreases by one. Once there are no Countdown Wilds with a number greater or equal to 1 on the slot the re-spin mode finishes. These can only appear on reels one, three and five in the base game and re-spin mode.
Players can also take advantage of the Mystery symbols feature. Once the reels stop, if there are mystery symbols, they will open to reveal one random symbol, except Bonus, Wild or Free Spins symbols.
Free Spins are triggered by landing three or more scattered Free Spins symbols. In this mode, a Wild symbol expands on one reel and remains in place until the round ends. Once activated, players choose one of five options—each determining the reel for the Stacked Wild and the number of Free Spins awarded.
Three or more scattered Bonus Symbols launch the Bonus Game. Players receive three spins on a three-tiered fortune wheel to win multipliers, extra spins, or level-ups. Advancing levels increases prize values. A level-up awards an extra spin, and after all spins are used, players receive the total collected winnings.
Spinomenal CO-CEO, Omer Henya commented: “Westside Glory takes players straight to the beating heart of Hip Hop culture – where fresh beats, vibes and wins make this a chart-topper.”
The post Spinomenal drops Westside Glory slot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, has launched Jack the Giant Hunter – a cascading-style, 5-reel, 4-row video slot featuring expanding reels and a dynamic multiplier mechanic.
Jack the Giant Hunter instantly plants players into an enchanted world where the path to riches is made perilous by a fierce giant. The action unfolds against a backdrop of mythical giants and golden treasure hidden in the clouds. Battle axes, golden harps, and glowing beanstalks populate the reels, while a brooding soundtrack heightens every spin.
Four or more Scatter symbols trigger 12 free spins, with additional Scatters awarding even more. Once Free Spins are live, each reel expands to six symbols, beginning with a multiplier of x2. As players climb higher into the clouds, Golden Egg symbols boost the multiplier by two with each hit, creating the potential for gigantic payouts. The feature can also be retriggered, allowing the adventure – and the rewards – to soar even higher.
PG Soft’s spokesperson commented: “Jack the Giant Hunter is a hero-driven fantasy epic that raises the bar again. The game is packed with stunning visuals, rewarding mechanics, and immersive storytelling – it’s a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio.”
The post PG Soft releases fantasy-inspired Jack the Giant Hunter slot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Betsson, Soft2Bet, and Novibet were among the standout winners at last night’s inaugural SBC Awards Europe ceremony.
The prestigious ceremony took place on the evening of Thursday, 12th June at the Hilton Malta in Saint Julian’s. The evening brought the industry together to recognise the people and companies driving progress and setting new standards in sports betting and gaming across Europe.
The evening was hosted by globally recognised sports broadcaster and football presenter, Alison Bender, who presented 34 distinct awards honouring the industry’s leading operators, affiliates, and suppliers, in front of an audience of 400 industry stakeholders.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “We launched SBC Summit Malta to better reflect the innovations and achievements shaping Europe’s entire gaming ecosystem. SBC Awards Europe builds on that mission, offering a platform to spotlight the industry’s best across all verticals.
“While casino operators and game studios continue to be recognised for their outstanding achievements, the introduction of new categories—covering key sectors such as sportsbook and payments—has enabled us to honour the full spectrum of talent driving progress across the industry.”
It was a standout night for Novibet, which secured two awards: ‘Operator Innovation in Gaming’ and ‘Sportsbook Operator of the Year’. Meanwhile, Betsson Group was named ‘Casino Operator of the Year’, Betsson Group Affiliates won ‘Best Affiliate Program‘, and 1xBet took home the ‘Marketing Campaign and Sponsorship of the Year’ award.
In the Operator & Supplier categories, Bragg Gaming was recognised for its commitment to safer gambling with the ‘Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year’ award. Additionally, BGaming picked up the ‘Best Exclusive Game Partnership’ award, and Alea took home the prestigious ‘Employer of the Year’ award.
Exceptional leadership across the industry was recognised through the coveted ‘Leader of the Year’ award, which was jointly awarded to Bilyan Balinoff (Co-Founder, Vegas Legends) and Jovana Popovic Canaki (CEO, iGP). The ‘Manager of the Year’ accolade was presented to Pierre Pulis (Head of Marketing, BETBY).
In the supplier categories, Soft2Bet walked away with two awards on the night: ‘Acquisition & Retention Partner‘ and ‘Industry Innovation of the Year’. Games Global was named ‘Casino Supplier of the Year’ while OpenBet secured the title of ‘Sportsbook Supplier of the Year’.
Other winners in the supplier categories included Oddin.gg, which won the ‘Live Betting Product‘ award; Sportradar, which was awarded ‘Sports Data Product’; and BetConstruct, which was named ‘Platform Provider of the Year’
The evening also featured a number of ‘Rising Star’ categories, highlighting the achievements of emerging European operators and suppliers. In the operator categories, Casumo Services Limited secured the ‘Rising Star in Casino’ award, whilst BETANDYOU was named ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’.
In the supplier categories, Octoplay was honoured with the ‘Rising Star in Casino’ and BETER won ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’.
In the affiliate categories, Casino Guru was recognised as ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’, while Flashscore was awarded ‘Sports Affiliate of the Year’.
Mindway AI and Payhound were celebrated for innovations in payments and compliance, taking home the ‘Compliance & KYC Partner of the Year’ and ‘Payment Solution of the Year’, respectively.
Continuing its predecessor’s commitment to celebrating advancements in gaming, the night also featured a number of ‘Game Developer’ categories. Relax Gaming was honoured with the ‘Game Aggregator of the Year‘ award, and Evoplay took home the ‘Game Design & Art Direction’ award. Meanwhile, Omnigame was awarded ‘Game Mechanic/Feature of the Year‘, and Mascot Gaming won ‘Game Music / Soundtrack’.
The coveted ‘Game of the Year’ award was claimed by Relax Gaming for their title ‘Ancient Tumble‘, in a category newly opened to public voting for the 2025 edition.
Highlighting the outstanding work of European game studios were the ‘SlotCatalog’ awards. Pragmatic Play won the ‘Game Studio of the Year – Large’, Hacksaw Gaming took home the ‘Game Studio of the Year – Medium’ and Reel Studio was named ‘Game Studio of the Year – Small’. The ‘Rookie of the Year‘ award went to Backseat Gaming.
“I would like to take the chance to thank our platinum headline sponsor, BetConstruct, along with all our premium and supporting sponsors, whose generous support allowed us to celebrate the industry’s accomplishments in a truly meaningful way,” said Sojmark.
The awards ceremony concluded the final night of SBC Summit Malta, which saw 6,000 industry stakeholders convene at the InterContinental Hotel, Malta, from June 10-12.
The post SBC Awards Europe: Meet the 2025 Winners appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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