Blockchain
Fantasy football platform Sorare officially launches out of Beta in the UK as Paris-Saint Germain joins the platform
Paris Saint-Germain, the 2020 Champions League Finalist, and Sorare, the global fantasy football game, has signed a partnership to create digital collectibles of PSG players making it the 100th club to join Sorare
The UK ranks 5th in terms of total number of Sorare users, and number one in terms of total time spent on the platform per user, a reflection of the country’s appetite for Fantasy Football
The announcement comes as a first step in Sorare’s ambitious plans to partner with leading football teams and clubs in the UK, as its revenue increased twentyfold in the last 12 months
As part of this partnership with PSG, Sorare will gain the rights for ‘legendary players’ from 2013, including David Beckham
Paris, September 29th, 2020- Global Fantasy Football platform Sorare announces today that it officially launches in the UK, paving the way for significant partnerships with UK-based football teams
and clubs. Additionally, starting today and following PSG’s partnership with Sorare, collectors and gamers in the United Kingdom and elsewhere will now be able to freely buy, sell, and play with limited edition digital player cards of PSG players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. This also includes historic players from 2013 such as David Beckham. Since its launch in early 2019, the platform has grown an average of 52% month on month, and today counts over 40.000 users worldwide.
Through organic growth alone, the UK has quietly grown into Sorare’s 5th largest market in terms of user base, sustained by a 70% month on month user growth in the country. The UK is also ranked the number one market as far as time spent on the platform, with an average of 1h25 mins per day per user. Sorare’s organic growth in the UK is a reflection of the country’s appetite for Fantasy Football, with Fantasy Premier League reaching close to 8million users, and more than doubling in the last 4 years. Today’s launch comes in response to the significant user demand from the market, and serves as an additional step in consolidating Sorare’s plans to secure partnerships with leading teams and clubs in the UK.
Nicolas Julia, CEO at Sorare, said: “We are delighted to officially launch in the UK today, getting Sorare one step closer to closing game changing partnerships with major teams and clubs in the country. The European Fantasy Football market was estimated at close to USD 900M per annum1 in 2018, and expected to double in the next five years. Expanding into more European markets early on in our growth is a strategic step for Sorare both in terms of market acquisition and brand recognition with users, football teams, and investors alike. With the inclusion of PSG to the platform, football fans in the UK and elsewhere will be able to leverage their football knowledge to play as a strategic manager and compete for rewards with skin in the game. PSG fans will be able to join the economy of their passions in a way that wasn’t possible before Sorare’s global fantasy football.“
The company is using blockchain technology to create digital scarcity and establish who owns the digital card of a player at any given time. It creates a new level of trust and freedom for collectors. The cards are more than just collectibles: they are useful in Sorare’s global fantasy football game to compete every weekend and fight for the best rewards.
Paris Saint-Germain is embracing Sorare’s vision to become the go-to fantasy game to increase the enjoyment of live football. PSG fans will be able to play with their favorite footballers by using their cards in their team. The score of the player card will depend on the performance of the player in real-life, would it be a Ligue 1 game or a Champions League game.
Andre Schurrle, early investor in Sorare, said: “Today’s UK launch is a major milestone for Sorare. Anyone remotely interested in football knows that the UK is home to some of the best teams and players in the world. I can’t wait to see Sorare announce UK Premier League teams and players in the coming months. Additionally, the inclusion of Paris Saint-Germain on the platform, a top division team in French and international football, is huge news for Sorare’s user base. As Sorare players know, the game is based on the real life performance of players, and from today, anyone on Sorare can purchase or trade cards from an outstanding team including world famous players such as Mbappe, Neymar and more. I stand behind Sorare’s mission to become the go-to platform for Fantasy Football and today’s announcement is yet another proof that the company is well positioned to execute on its objective.”
PSG is joining 99 other football clubs from Europe, the United States, and Asia have partnered with Sorare to issue officially digital player cards, amongst them Juventus and Atletico de Madrid. Through these partnerships, Sorare is able to create the first truly global fantasy football experience. Fantasy players can create a lineup with a Ligue 1 midfielder such as Neymar, a Serie A striker such as Cristiano Ronaldo, a La Liga goalkeeper such as Jan Oblak and a Bundesliga defender such as Sven Bender.
The game was launched in March 2019 by two experienced entrepreneurs, Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort, that saw the potential of blockchain technology to create a new category in the sports gaming industry. Sorare has generated USD 1.5 million of revenues from the sale of cards across 60 countries in just over 12 months. It is ranked as the blockchain game with the most volume according to nonfungible.
Fabien Allegre, Merchandising and Paris Saint-Germain Brand Diversification, explains: “Paris Saint-Germain is the new generation club. We are driven by our values of competitiveness. At the forefront of innovation, we are always looking ahead, looking to the future, to offer our fans new experiences. To constantly improve them, and to offer better coverage for our brand, Sorare will enable us to reach out to new, young communities, especially in Asia and America. We are proud of this new collaboration”.
See all licensed clubs on Sorare here.
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2025 BGA State of the Industry Report
MENA Emerges as Global Growth Engine for Blockchain Gaming, BGA 2025 Report Finds
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has emerged as the fastest-rising region in blockchain gaming, now representing nearly one-fifth of all industry professionals surveyed by the Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA), according to the newly released 2025 BGA State of the Industry Report.
The findings were unveiled on stage at the Global Blockchain Show Abu Dhabi 2025 by Sebastien Borget, Co-President of the BGA and Co-Founder of The Sandbox, during a panel discussion titled ‘Web3 Gaming’s Big Bet’ with Yat Siu, Chairman of Animoca Brands, and Cathy Hackl, CEO of Future Dynamics, moderated by Wissam Younane, CEO, Entrepreneur Middle East.
“Sharing this year’s BGA State of the Industry Report in Abu Dhabi shows the promise and huge potential of blockchain gaming’s next phase, and MENA’s rapid growth is a big signal that new regions around the world are stepping into leadership roles,” said Borget. “What we’re seeing in the data is an industry becoming more global, more disciplined, and more focused on building great games for real players.”
MENA’s representation has surged from virtually no presence in the survey sample just five years ago — under 1% in 2021 — to 19.8% of respondents in 2025, marking the most pronounced regional shift since the survey began. When combined with Africa’s steady growth, rising from 0.5% in 2021 to 5.5% in 2025, the two regions now account for more than a quarter of all global responses to the survey.
This momentum reflects a broader realignment in the gaming and technology landscape. MENA has become one of the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets, underpinned by a youthful, digitally-native population and extensive government investment into gaming, esports, and digital infrastructure. As global capital increasingly flows into the region through strategic acquisitions, large-scale development initiatives, and major esports events, blockchain gaming’s rising professional footprint signals that MENA is actively shaping the future of the sector.
The BGA’s growth across MENA and Africa has been strongly attributed to the leadership and regional advocacy of Yasmina Kazitani, who was elected by the BGA membership as the organization’s first female Co-President in March 2025.
An Algerian-born ecosystem builder with deep ties across both regions, Kazitani has focused on community partnerships and grassroots outreach in emerging markets, broadening participation while championing access for previously underrepresented groups. She is also a long-standing advocate for gender diversity and inclusion as Co-Founder of the Women in Web3 Alliance, working to reduce barriers to entry and elevate female leadership within the industry.
“The survey results reflect what we see on the ground: new communities with new talent and stewardship,” said Kazitani. “With more voices entering the conversation, we are reminded that diverse representation is essential because this is what influences the ideas, products, and priorities that will define our industry’s next phase. A broader range of perspectives strengthens decision-making, contributes to a more resilient ecosystem, and ultimately underpins a global industry that better reflects its players and creates games that resonate across cultures.”
This increasing focus on diversity and broader participation was reflected directly in the survey methodology itself. For the first time, the BGA survey was offered in multiple languages beyond English, resulting in nearly a quarter of responses being submitted in other languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese, with the majority received in Arabic. This expansion has provided a more accurate picture of industry participation while lowering barriers to inclusion in non-English-speaking markets.
Beyond its geographic findings, the report provides a comprehensive snapshot of a maturing industry navigating a challenging market environment. Respondents highlight rising confidence in regulatory clarity as a key driver of growth, alongside an increasing focus on high-quality game development and sustainable business models. At the same time, industry professionals identify scams and fraud as the greatest threats to credibility, funding scarcity as the most pressing operational constraint, and AI-enabled exploitation as a growing concern.
Key takeaways from the BGA 2025 State of the Industry Report are highlighted below:
Respondent Demographics
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19.8% of respondents come from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), up from under 1% in 2021.
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22.7% female participation marks the highest level recorded in the survey’s history.
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32.6% of respondents work in studios or publishing, dominating industry representation.
Industry Drivers
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64.4% expect policy and regulation to have a positive impact on industry development.
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29.5% cite high-quality game launches as the primary driver of future industry success.
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27.5% point to sustainable, revenue-driven business models as a key growth factor.
Industry Challenges
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36.0% view scams and fraud as the greatest threat to industry credibility.
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32.6% report lack of funding or investment as their company’s biggest operational challenge.
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38.9% fear AI-enabled cheating, bots, and exploits as the largest risk of AI adoption.
The post MENA Emerges as Global Growth Engine for Blockchain Gaming, BGA 2025 Report Finds appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Prize AI Technologies, a pioneering Web3 company that integrates AI with physical entertainment machines and blockchain rewards, has launched $PRIZE utility token presale, raising over $100,000 in the first week. Targeting the $400 billion global arcade, casino, and vending market, Prize AI Technologies has built a full-stack ecosystem combining a consumer app, operator dashboard, staking and CertiK-audited smart contracts to reward customers, optimise operations and automate loyalty.
The $PRIZE Token Powers a comprehensive consumer app that enables direct connection to arcade machines, vending units and casino equipment. The platform supports fiat and crypto payments with integrated wallet and bank-withdrawal features, automatically delivering 4-cent crypto rewards per dollar spent. Users receive location-based alerts for nearby machines, promotions and giveaways through the app’s intelligent notification system.
The platform provides an AI-driven dashboard for venue operators, delivering insights on customer behaviour, peak hours and machine profitability. The system enables automated, real-time marketing campaigns with performance tracking capabilities and includes anomaly detection with proactive maintenance alerts. Through transparent profit-sharing, net profits flow directly to token holders via smart contracts.
The infrastructure features staking capabilities offering up to 33% APR real yields derived from verified machine revenue, all secured through a CertiK-audited innovative contract framework.
Presale participants can access Stage 1 pricing at $0.01 per token. The company has launched a $1.5 million airdrop, distributing 5000 tokens each to 2000 eligible users, with a double airdrop bonus of 10,000 tokens for purchases over $100. A 6 million token giveaway will also award 20 winners with 300,000 tokens each.
“We are modernizing an industry that is lagging in tech. With AI and $PRIZE, everyday machines become powerful marketing and rewards engines,” said a prize AI Technologies spokesperson.
The market opportunity spans a $400 billion industry with 1.9% CAGR growth over five years. Prize AI Technologies has selected Australia as its pilot market, leveraging over 200,000 arcade and vending machines. Future expansion phases target Japan’s $22.4 billion gaming market with 6.9% CAGR growth and Southeast Asia’s $14.8 billion gaming segment.
Prize AI Technologies delivers decentralised, AI-powered marketing, rewards and analytics tools worldwide for entertainment venues.
The post Prize AI Technologies Launches $PRIZE Token Presale appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Blockchain
Sovrun’s Vision Meets Hyperliquid’s Infrastructure and Virtuals’ AI: A New Era for Gaming
Sovrun’s vision takes a bold step forward with its groundbreaking milestone: one of the first gaming projects to secure a listing on Hyperliquid, a high-performance decentralized exchange redefining liquidity for digital assets.
Liquidity is the backbone of successful gaming economies. Hyperliquid is designed to not only deliver liquidity but also visibility for growing ecosystems, transforming game economies into robust financial systems.
Sovrun, formerly BreederDAO, helped define the rise of blockchain games by developing modular smart contracts that augmented, optimized, and automated in-game functionalities opening up unprecedented opportunities in gaming. Sovrun is well known for its Axie Infinity proprietary breeding bots that allowed them to supply over 120,000 in-game assets to 40,000 players, boosting player liquidity and driving growth.
In their next phase, Sovrun is empowering not only asset creation, but the co-creation of entire virtual worlds using blockchain, AI and modular infrastructure. Backed by prominent investors like a16z, Delphi Digital, Longhash and more, Sovrun is building an ecosystem where gaming communities can collaboratively create, govern, and evolve their digital experiences, broadening the possibilities of creator-driven economies.
Securing a listing on HyperLiquid is just the first step as they plan to strategically build fully on-chain gaming within the cutting-edge infrastructure of HyperEVM, an upcoming component of the HyperLiquid ecosystem. Sovrun’s L2 testnet is now fully live, and is one of the first Layer2s on Hyperliquid. By integrating HyperLiquid’s institutional-grade infrastructure with Sovrun’s growing platform, the project is setting the stage for a seamless convergence of gaming, blockchain, and financial liquidity.
Sovrun and Virtuals Joint Venture
While the HyperLiquid partnership is turning heads, the joint venture between Virtuals Protocol and Sovrun, known as Ready Gamer, is set to power up gaming by integrating AI-powered experiences into web3 ecosystems. Imagine an RPG where NPCs remember your choices across in-game years, their attitudes shifting dynamically, or a strategy game where AI opponents learn and adapt to your tactics with every session. Virtuals’ GAME framework, a decision-making engine enabling AI agents with dynamic interaction, forms the foundation of this collaboration.
Together, Virtuals and Sovrun are delivering unscripted, personalized, and deeply immersive gaming experiences.
Autonomous Worlds (AW), or self-sustaining, player driven ecosystems, are the focus as Sovrun unlocks new dimensions of interaction and scalability, still sorely lacking in the gaming ecosystem. Through Sovrun’s AW architecture, players and creators can shape, grow, and evolve their virtual worlds making them genuine architects of their gaming experiences.
Traditional games struggle with a heavy demand for fresh content, but AW offers a community led model where game elements can be continuously expanded and reshaped by the players themselves. But what exactly does that mean?
The Sovrun Participation Layer allows communities to engage and influence game economies, and Sovrun is acquiring assets of top projects like My Pet Hooligan, Pixels, and Azra Games to name a few. In the crowd-built virtual world EVE Frontier for example, Sovrun developed a system that allowed for the development of eSports ecosystems into the game itself.
Now, by integrating with HyperEVM, tapping into the HyperLiquid ecosystem, and partnering with Virtuals, Sovrun is amplifying its mission to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where creators don’t just participate in autonomous worlds—they build them. This collaboration ensures that Sovrun is not only positioned as a leader in Web3 gaming, but also as a catalyst for the global adoption of decentralized gaming economies. HyperEVM’s ability to support high-scale, on-chain transactions ensures Sovrun’s platform can meet the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy while the joint venture with Virtuals adds an immersive layer of dynamic interactions set to reshape web3 gaming.
The post Sovrun’s Vision Meets Hyperliquid’s Infrastructure and Virtuals’ AI: A New Era for Gaming appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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