Gaming
Dive Into the Nightmare with The Darkest Tales, Trinity Team’s Frightening Fairy-Tale World, as Free Prologue Launches on Steam Today
Trinity Team studio, the developers behind the overwhelming crowdfunding success ‘Slaps and Beans’ and global publishing house 101XP are thrilled to announce that the prologue for The Darkest Tales, their action-adventure 2D platformer, is officially available to download on Steam for PC, starting today.
In The Darkest Tales – Into the Nightmare, players follow the adventure of Teddy, a grumpy old bear brought to life to rescue his owner Alicia, and Lighty, a chatty glowing orb fairy, as they embark on a journey through distorted fairy-tale planes inhabited by bloodthirsty enemies and nail-biting platforming.
Level One:
What would Little Red Riding Hood do to the big bad wolf if she had two sharp daggers and a thirst for blood? Enter the nightmare and see once harmonious lands turned into hostile terrains, filled with hungry mechanical wolves and sneaky fiery bats. Tread carefully and keep your eyes peeled, as you may be next on her menu.
Level Two:
Could Jack ever climb up the beanstalk if it was covered in thorns, carnivorous plants, and haunted by a deadly thunderstorm? Eat the famous beans, learn to play with magic, and use your finest skills to make your way to the top of this unforgivingly dangerous climb. Watch your step though, as Teddy is only made of fabric!
Key Features:
Get your hands on sharp enchanted weapons and jump, slice, and dash your way through anyone who stands in your way.
Develop your skill tree to learn a ton of new tricks that include faster healing, damage boost, and much more!
You may remember them differently… Do battle with a ton of once friendly, now deadly, fairytale characters turned evil bosses. First up? A double blade wielding, deceiving Little Red Riding Hood.
Fully voiced characters, a rich storyline filled with recognizable fairy tale lore, and gorgeous yet haunting landscapes and levels.
“When we began working on The Darkest Tales we wanted to create a dark fairytale world for curious adventurers and lovers of the genre to explore, be challenged by, and get lost in.” said Marco Agricola, co-founder of Trinity Team. “We’re proud to release the final version of our two level prologue on Steam today, and officially invite all those brave enough to step into the nightmare… and come out victorious!”
“The Darkest Tales is an immersive experience, setting the scene with gorgeous maps and terrains filled with familiar, yet fearsome fairy-tale characters and intense boss battles,” said Aleksandra Volskaya, Head of Brand Management & PR at 101XP. “We’re looking forward to hearing what players think of our prologue, and are incredibly excited to reveal all that’s coming next, as the title sets up for a full release”.
Players can embark on the first two full levels of this future release by downloading the game on Steam completely for free from right now.
All progress saved in the prologue will be automatically carried over into the full version of The Darkest Tales upon launch.
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Bone Croo Studios
Tequity Publishing Launches “Cats Balls”
Tequity, the technology partner behind some of the industry’s most scalable and customisable gaming solutions, has announced the latest high-octane release through its Tequity Publishing vertical, Cats Balls.
Developed by Bone Croo Studios and powered by The Fortune Engine technology, Cats Balls is a high-energy, pachinko-style experience that transports players back to the 1980s – an era of loud riffs, bigger hair and alley cats with rock god ambitions.
Cats Balls breaks the traditional slot mould, trading spinning reels for a storm of steel balls dropping like a drum solo. Packed with punk attitude, the game invites players to crank the amp, unleash the balls and watch the feline cast of guitar heroes shred.
The title serves as the latest premier showcase for The Fortune Engine, highlighting the platform’s flexible maths and game templates. This technology allows studios to move beyond conventional formats and create bold, unconventional experiences that resonate with a new generation of players.
The launch of Cats Balls further solidifies the mission of Tequity Publishing, which provides a distribution and aggregation framework designed to help ambitious studios launch at speed and scale. Through its RGSaaS model, Tequity Publishing provides the full infrastructure, distribution and publishing framework, allowing studios to focus entirely on game creation. With RGS-to-RGS, Tequity offers a technology-first approach for studios already operating their own RGS, enabling them to scale more quickly and deliver through Tequity’s global operator network.
Krzysztof Opałka, CEO at Tequity, said: “The release of Cats Balls is a perfect example of why we built Tequity Publishing. By removing the technical barriers to entry, we enable studios like Bone Croo to bring their wildest creative visions to life without compromise. Seeing this punk-inspired pachinko title hit the market via The Fortune Engine proves that our infrastructure is the go-to choice for high-impact, innovative content.”
The post Tequity Publishing Launches “Cats Balls” appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Exprexion
Flexion Launches Mobile Service Suite Exprexion
Games marketing company Flexion has announced the launch of Exprexion. This integrated suite of services provides game developers with a single point of entry to alternative app stores, creator-led marketing and direct-to-consumer sales.
The mobile gaming industry is entering a new era. After years of market domination by Google and Apple, game studios are looking for ways to be in command of their own destiny. High store taxes and rising acquisition costs have squeezed profits for too long. The Exprexion suite of services gives developers the freedom to innovate in market engagement and express their ideas directly to users, moving beyond the traditional constraints of the major app stores.
The Exprexion suite consists of three core services:
Exprexion Markets: This service manages all the technical and operational requirements of distributing games on alternative platforms including Amazon, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and ONEstore. Flexion handles everything from integration to platform relations, typically adding more than 10% in incremental revenue. By taking on these tasks, Flexion reduces upfront and operational costs for developers while reducing risk.
Exprexion Creators: This service focuses on influencer-led marketing and social media strategy. By managing the creative process and relationships with influencers, Flexion helps studios find high-value players who engage with games through organic interest. This approach allows developers to reach bigger audiences through broader market channels and innovative user acquisition.
Exprexion Direct: This service enables developers to sell to their players no matter where those players are. By moving transactions outside of the major app stores, studios can make better margins and reclaim the 30% fee typically charged by platform owners. The service uses proven payment technology from trusted suppliers, like Xsolla, to ensure the buying experience remains smooth.
“The mobile industry has reached a point where the old methods of finding and monetizing players are no longer sustainable for many game studios. For years, developers accepted high fees and limited data access as the cost of doing business. Now, the emergence of a more open market and the shift toward direct-to-consumer relationships have changed the math. We launched Exprexion because the market is finally in a place where developers can feasibly run their own stores and distribution networks without the massive operational overhead that used to hold them back,” said Jens Lauritzson, CEO and Founder of Flexion.
Flexion’s technology, people and expertise are unique in the mobile market. The Exprexion services are fully integrated with one another, meaning each service perfectly complements the others. They can be combined seamlessly or used in any combination to generate profit and grow audiences bigger than ever before.
Flexion currently manages 37 top-grossing games. Four of these titles have reached the Top 10 grossing charts on Google Play. By providing a decentralised path to growth, Exprexion serves as a vehicle for a studio’s financial freedom.
The post Flexion Launches Mobile Service Suite Exprexion appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Funding
EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation
Real-money casual puzzle tournament startup says an EU private investor backed the April 2026 round.
EasyWin, a U.S.-based real-money gaming startup, said it has closed its second seed funding round at a $20 million valuation. The company announced the round in April 2026 and said it was backed by a private investor from the European Union.
The company previously closed its first seed round in December 2025 at a $15.5 million valuation. That round included funding from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky and several private angel investors.
EasyWin was founded by Ivan Leshkevich, a former executive at mobile game publisher and developer Mamboo Entertainment. The startup, which currently has a team of eight, says it has built a global tournament platform for casual puzzle games with cash prizes and operates across major markets.
Since launching in 2025, EasyWin reported 25% month-over-month growth in user spending and a 4.9 average user rating. It also said it has expanded into 12 countries with localized legal opinions and payment infrastructure, received PayPal approval for its MCC, and completed payments-stack integrations with global providers.
The company also said it has obtained GLI certification “confirming compliance with U.S. regulations for skill-based gaming products.” Leshkevich said: “In the long term, we aim to become a leading global skill-based gaming platform. To achieve this, we focus on a strong product USP and new AI-based dev tools.”
The post EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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