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Celebrated strategy game The Battle of Polytopia confirms its first ever World Championships has exceeded expectations with over 10,000 sign-ups in its qualifying rounds. While no stranger to tournaments, previously hosting smaller scale, local tournaments called ‘Polysseums’, developer Midjiwan’s first step into global esports has been met with extreme success. The inclusive esports event has a $10,000 prize pool and will conclude on 6 December 2025, 14:00-21:00.

The finals will take place in front of a live-studio audience, with expert commentary and a chance to peek behind the scenes at Midjiwan itself. First place will receive $4,000, the runner-up will take away $2,000, the third and fourth place finishers will get $1,500, and the fifth and sixth place $500.

The Polytopia World Championship 2025 is being hosted by eSports platform, Challengermode, who Midjiwan has relied on for its monthly local tournaments since 2022. Midjiwan also partnered with Black Molly Entertainment to help organise and manage the event. Black Molly Entertainment have years of experience managing eSports tournaments, with notable events including the Geoguesser World Cup and CS:GO Pinnacle Cup Championship.

Midjiwan has worked closely with its community to ensure engagement is high with each round, building a bespoke ‘Spectator Mode’ into the game so fans can watch each game live through the game itself. In the spectator mode the viewer has visibility of all players simultaneously, with stats on how many cities, technologies, kills and more available for quick access.

Christian Lovstedt, CEO of Midjiwan commented:
“Polytopia has always been about welcoming all kinds of players into the world of 4X strategy. That’s why our championship is open to everyone – not just pros with sponsors. We’ve been thrilled at the amount of interest this tournament received from our community, reaching participation numbers way beyond our expectations. We’re excited to bring the finalists to Stockholm and can’t wait to see the strategies that emerge.”

The Polytopia World Championship 2025 kicked off in September, with its ‘Battle of the Tribes’ qualifying round – weekly battles where players competed to be the best in each of the game’s 12 tribes. After an exciting six weeks, the top player from each tribe faced-off, reducing the qualifiers to six finalists. These six winners are listed down below.

Recaps of each round of the tournament prior to the finals can be watched on the official Battle of Polytopia YouTube channel.

• Part 1: Polytopia World Championship 1st Qualifiers Wrap-Up – BARDUR, IMPERIUS, KICKOO, ZEBASI

• Part 2: Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Oumaji Hoodrick Yadakk & Quetzali – World Champoinship 2025

• Part 3: Final Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Xin-Xi, Luxidoor, Ai-Mo & Vengir – World Championship 2025

• Face-off stream: https://youtube.com/live/GnU6mWPoJiY?feature=share

To watch the finals live on December 6,visit here: https://polytopia.io/stream/

To stay up to date on the Polytopia World Championship 2025, or purchase one of the limited tickets for the live event, visit the official website or join the Official Polytopia Discord.

The post POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a leading B2B provider of gaming content, systems, and solutions, is thrilled to announce the exclusive launch of its brand-new, bespoke slot game, Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, in collaboration with long time partners bet365.

Expanding bet365’s popular exclusive Irish-themed Spin O’Reely game series, the game will initially be available to players in the UK, Ontario, and New Jersey, with more markets to follow soon. The game can also be accessed via the bet365.com domain.

Spin O’Reely Grand Chance builds on Inspired’s successful Golden Winner slot, combining its fan-favourite mechanics with new features. This 5×3 slot includes a Free Spins bonus round with multipliers and the potential for additional Free Spins. Players will also discover dynamic reel upgrades, bell announcements, prize pots, a progressive bonus feature and the Golden Grand Chance Cherry feature.

Claire Osborne, VP of Interactive at Inspired Entertainment, said: “We’re thrilled to expand our long-standing partnership with bet365 through the launch of Spin O’Reely Grand Chance. By combining the proven mechanics of one of our top-performing titles with the lively charm of a bet365 Irish-themed classic, we’ve created a game that’s built for success. We can’t wait to see players enjoy it and look forward to building on this momentum together.”

A bet365 spokesperson said: “We are delighted to launch Spin O’Reely Grand Chance in collaboration with Inspired. This game combines enjoyable mechanics with innovative features that will provide our players entertaining gaming experience. We are confident that Spin O’Reely Grand Chance will be a popular addition to our portfolio of cutting-edge content.”

Experience the exciting new collaboration between bet365 and Inspired Entertainment with Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, available now exclusively at bet365.

The post bet365 PARTNERS WITH INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT TO LAUNCH A BESPOKE GAME: SPIN O’REELY GRAND CHANCE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Expanse Studios, a B2B iGaming content provider and subsidiary of Golden Matrix Group Inc., has been granted a software provider license by Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s national gambling authority, authorizing the company to distribute gaming software to licensed operators in one of Europe’s most mature and regulated iGaming markets.

The license, valid until December 1, 2030, enables Expanse Studios to supply its portfolio of proprietary slot games, crash games, and casino content to Sweden’s licensed B2C operators. This approval positions the company to serve a market that generated approximately €2.4 billion in total gambling revenue in 2024, with online gaming accounting for 64% of total market activity.

Entry into Europe’s Most Regulated Market

Sweden represents one of Europe’s most sophisticated iGaming jurisdictions, with approximately 100 licensed operators serving a population of 10.5 million where internet penetration exceeds 95%. In 2024, the online gambling revenue reached $1.9 billion, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year.

The Swedish market maintains one of Europe’s highest channelization rates at 85-90%, indicating strong player preference for licensed platforms. Sweden’s regulatory framework, established through the 2019 Gambling Act and overseen by Spelinspektionen, emphasizes technical compliance, responsible gaming, and transparent operations—standards that align with Expanse Studios’ existing operations across 1,300+ casino brands in regulated markets.

“Sweden’s licensing framework sets the gold standard for regulated iGaming markets in Europe,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “Securing the license approval from the Swedish Authority once again validated our technical capabilities and commitment to responsible gaming in one of the world’s most demanding regulatory environments. This license opens substantial distribution opportunities with established operators serving a highly engaged, tech-savvy player base.”

The Swedish license complements Expanse Studios’ recent European regulatory approvals in Romania and commercial partnerships with operators including AdmiralBet (Novomatic Group) and MerkurXtip (Merkur Group), demonstrating accelerating demand for certified, compliant content across regulated jurisdictions in Europe.

Sweden’s market characteristics—including strong preference for mobile platforms, high consumer spending on digital entertainment, and established payment infrastructure—align well with Expanse Studios’ content portfolio. With 56 proprietary titles including Super Heli, Titan Roulette, and Wild Icy Fruits, the company continues scaling its high-margin B2B operations across Europe, Latin America, and North America.

This license approval reinforces Golden Matrix Group’s strategic focus on expanding regulated B2B operations in jurisdictions with transparent licensing frameworks and very robust player protection standards.

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