Latest News

New God Cliodhna is Out Today to Haunt SMITE’s Battleground

Published

5 years ago

October 20, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hi-Rez and Titan Forge Games released SMITE’s new Celtic Goddess, the Banshee queen Cliodhna, in the latest major update.

Floating around in tattered rags, her fingers like claws, Cliodhna embodies the ever-dreaded figure of a specter. She brings a horror game feel to SMITE – just in time for the Halloween season. As all SMITE characters, Cliodhna can be unlocked for free just by playing.

With her ghostly form and blood-curdling wails, Cliodhna inspires despair among her enemies. She is said to haunt places where much blood has been shed, so it is no surprise that her lust for fear ultimately drew her to the Battleground of the Gods.

From a design standpoint, Cliodhna is an extremely ambitious Goddess. She can walk through and inside walls, a first in SMITE. From there, she lurks unseen until she lashes out towards her unaware prey in true Assassin fashion.
“When first designing Cliodhna we knew we wanted to bring a horror feeling to the Battleground”, says SMITE

Designer Daniel ‘PonPon’ Cooper. “During brainstorming the idea of her disappearing into a wall and then striking out from inside of it resonated with the team and we knew this would be the main feature that would truly make her a horrific opponent. Entering into a wall had to be smooth, the visuals needed to be clear, and the gameplay intuitive to make this work. Our team invested heavily into this new tech and as a team I believe we nailed it.
Not only do enemies need to fear the walls that surround them but when they face Cliodhna directly their senses may betray them. She is the only Goddess to Deafen enemies—briefly muting all sounds—and to become temporarily invisible only to the prey she is hunting. Beware the jump scare!”

Extensive details on Cliodhna can be found in this Closer Look blog post written by the developers.

Winter Conquest Map
With today’s update comes the new ‘Winter Deadwoods’ Conquest Map, bringing the Battleground of the Gods straight into snow and ice in a scary atmosphere befitting Cliodhna. This new map also introduces a new gameplay feature: Lanterns. They can be destroyed to create a cloud of Mist. Players inside turn invisible to enemies outside.

For the first time in SMITE, as part of the Living Conquest initiative the ongoing Season 8 is being played on a different map of Conquest every quarter, ensuring the action always feels fresh.

The Reaping Event
Gods go bump in the night as the Reaping, SMITE’s yearly Halloween event, is back! Players will be delighted to get six thematic skins including one for free, plus spooky cosmetic items unlocked with quests.

Beast Seer Artio can be unlocked for free through quests, while Halloween Hysteria Baron Samedi is an Exclusive bonus reward obtained after getting three skins. The ultimate collection reward is the Unlimited Screamy Chibi Izanami skin.

Contributors Program

Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice

Published

7 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

gamblers-connect-names-gali-hartuv-as-seventh-2026-contributors-program-voice

The Playa strategic advisor will publish on VIP operations, segmentation and retention, starting with an anonymous VIP Operations Survey 2026.

Gamblers Connect has confirmed Gali Hartuv, Strategic Advisor at The Playa, as the seventh voice to join its 2026 Contributors Program.

The independent B2B iGaming media platform said the programme will reveal one senior industry voice per month throughout 2026, with contributors publishing under the Gamblers Connect Contributor Editorial Code.

Gamblers Connect said Hartuv has more than 15 years’ experience in VIP management, including designing and optimising VIP programmes across more than 50 operator brands, and training “hundreds of professionals” now working in VIP roles across the industry.

Hartuv will publish across four areas: building VIP programmes that drive long-term value; AI-powered VIP identification and player segmentation; hyper-personalisation and retention strategy; and scaling VIP operations across different markets and cultures. His first contribution is a VIP Operations Survey 2026, an anonymous survey intended to benchmark how VIP teams work across iGaming operators, including portfolio sizing, tools, qualification thresholds, workflow standards and where time is spent during the week.

Partnerships and Operations Lead, Luka Dimitrijevic, said: “VIP management is where a great deal of an operator’s value is won or lost, and very few people can speak to it with Gali’s depth. He has spent his career turning high value player relationships into a discipline rather than guesswork, and he is refreshingly candid about what works and what does not. Through the Contributors Program he will share practical insight on VIP strategy, retention, and the smart use of AI, with content grounded in real results rather than recycled best practices.”

The post Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alberta

St8 extends TonyBet partnership to Alberta after securing supplier registration

Published

8 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

st8-extends-tonybet-partnership-to-alberta-after-securing-supplier-registration

St8 has extended its partnership with TonyBet into Alberta, expanding their Canada footprint following an earlier launch in Ontario this year.

Under the expanded agreement, TonyBet will use St8’s game aggregation platform through a single API integration. St8 said this provides access to its wider catalogue of casino content for players in Alberta.

St8 said the Alberta rollout follows its newly acquired registration to operate in the province as an iGaming Services Supplier, allowing it to provide aggregation services to licensed operators in the market. The company said its platform connects partners to more than 200 game providers via a single API.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said:

“Entering Alberta’s regulated market is a strong step for St8 that represents our continued efforts to bring our offerings to as many territories as possible, delivering top-tier results for partnerships at the local, national and international stage. We share this commitment with TonyBet, a company that we are very fortunate to be working with so collaboratively and closely as we continue to grow our presence across North America.”

Kiryl Liudvikevich, Head of Product at TonyBet, said:

“We’re proud that our work with St8 has enabled us to continue expanding across Canada. Through St8’s aggregation platform, we can seamlessly access games from the industry’s leading providers via a single integration, helping us scale efficiently while maintaining a strong focus on the player experience. St8 has cemented itself as our go-to partner for expansion into regulated markets, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we grow into new jurisdictions.”

The post St8 extends TonyBet partnership to Alberta after securing supplier registration appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alberta

St8 continues partnership with TonyBet with an expansion into Alberta

Published

8 hours ago

July 22, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

st8-continues-partnership-with-tonybet-with-an-expansion-into-alberta

Casino game aggregation platform and full-service technology provider St8 has extended its ongoing partnership with TonyBet into Alberta, furthering both companies’ expansion into Canada.

As part of the extended agreement, Tonybet will benefit from St8’s next-generation platform via a single API integration, unlocking seamless access to a wide portfolio of games from the industry’s leading providers and enhancing its casino offering for players in Alberta.

The move is the latest in St8’s successful relationship with TonyBet, having previously launched in Ontario earlier this year in a bid to continually grow in regulated markets worldwide.

This expansion was made possible thanks to St8’s newly acquired registration to operate in Alberta as an iGaming Services Supplier, enabling St8 to provide its next-generation game aggregation services to licensed operators in the region, giving partners access to more than 200 premium game providers through a single API integration.

Featuring over 3,000 games from more than 60 providers, TonyBet, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength in its 17-year history, establishing itself as one of the industry’s leading game studios by delivering engaging titles that combine player appeal with premium gameplay.

Holding licenses in 10 different jurisdictions including Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and Estonia, among others, Tonybet’s partnership with St8 has seen them now launch in two separate territories in Canada, with both companies working collaboratively to explore the opportunities available in exciting new markets. This latest agreement reinforces St8’s strategy of expanding its premium content portfolio while helping operators simplify integration, accelerate market entry, and deliver engaging gaming experiences across multiple regulated jurisdictions.

Speaking on the expansion, David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Entering Alberta’s regulated market is a strong step for St8 that represents our continued efforts to bring our offerings to as many territories as possible, delivering top-tier results for partnerships at the local, national and international stage. We share this commitment with TonyBet, a company that we are very fortunate to be working with so collaboratively and closely as we continue to grow our presence across North America.”

Kiryl Liudvikevich, Head of Product at TonyBet, had this to say: “We’re proud that our work with St8 has enabled us to continue expanding across Canada. Through St8’s aggregation platform, we can seamlessly access games from the industry’s leading providers via a single integration, helping us scale efficiently while maintaining a strong focus on the player experience. St8 has cemented itself as our go-to partner for expansion into regulated markets, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we grow into new jurisdictions.”

The post St8 continues partnership with TonyBet with an expansion into Alberta appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.