Gaming
Market Leader mod.io Announces $26m Series A to Fuel UGC Growth in More Games

mod.io, the leading platform connecting game studios with community driven user-generated content (UGC), has secured US$26m in its latest round of investment. The funds will be used to further build upon a vision to evolve collaborative digital play, a passion shared by new investors, led by Tencent, who join LEGO Ventures, OIF Ventures and existing investors Makers Fund, Play Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and GameTech Ventures in the round.
Within an industry set to surpass $180b annually in 2021, popularity of UGC in video games continues to grow rapidly. mod.io predicts that by 2025, $1 in every $10 spent on video games will be spent on UGC, a 400 percent increase of estimated spend in 2021. UGC would then top $25b globally by 2025. Yet so much of the value modders create lives on the fringes – out of reach for most studios and players. By making mod support easy for studios to adopt and embed within their games and communities, mod.io enables and empowers the next generation of creator-driven economies.
“The metaverse will be built with UGC as foundational components. Player-made content, hand in hand with professional content, made by game studios. Our goal at mod.io is to enable games to launch their own creator economy, providing studios with the building blocks wanted and needed by players,” said mod.io CEO and Co-Founder Scott Reismanis.
As digital play transitions into increasingly social play experiences, game studios are recognising the value and the engagement mods provide. The shift is driven by a growing community demand for deeper personalization, delivering breadth of content and creativity. By actively embracing UGC, studios are choosing to focus on nurturing a stronger relationship with their players.
Bo Wang, Corporate Vice President of Tencent Games said,
“At Tencent, we believe that UGC drives innovation in gaming. Many of the largest video game genres today started out as UGC, or mods, built by enthusiasts on top of existing products. For over two decades, Scott and his team have been instrumental in supporting the growth of this community. As a stakeholder in the future of this industry, Tencent is proud to support mod.io on its path to unlock creativity across the gaming ecosystem.”
Rob Lowe, Managing Director of Digital Play, LEGO Ventures said,”The awesome team at mod.io have created a UGC platform that allows any game to be rebuilt and adapted by the player. We believe this is a great example of the core LEGO idea applied to digital play, and we are extremely excited to support mod.io as they further expand the platform, community and range of games utilising this highly promising technology.”
“Our shared vision with our investors is to help game studios harness the power of their communities’ creativity. Securing this milestone investment helps us develop our existing platform, expand our team, and continue to provide the best modding service for developers, creators and players alike,” adds Reismanis.
Since its launch in 2019, mod.io has been used by more than 80 games including Deep Rock Galactic, Humankind and SnowRunner to grow their creator communities, pioneering the adoption of mods in games spanning PC, console, mobile and VR platforms. Each month, more than 20 million pieces of unique user-generated content are distributed using mod.io to over 3 million players. Annually, that’s hundreds of millions of pieces of content, made by fans, shared with their community, and supported by the developer whose product continually evolves.
Game studios praise the role mod.io has played in helping to further a connection with their community. Over 500 mods have been downloaded 1.4 million times since Ghost Ship Games’ Deep Rock Galactic launched in-game mod support on Steam and Xbox in September 2021.
“Collaborating with mod.io has been a great experience, and we are very satisfied with the integration and player experience mod.io as a platform provides to the game. It also became clear to us that mod.io is working hard to constantly improve their platform, which shows significant promise for the future of the service,” said Søren Lundgaard, CEO Ghost Ship Studios, creators of Deep Rock Galactic.
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Fast facts about mod.io and UGC
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20 million pieces of user-generated content are distributed monthly using mod.io, to over 3 million players.
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In 2021, mod.io experienced 300% YoY growth with 177 million mods downloaded year to date.
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mod.io was the first to launch cross-platform mod support in SnowRunner, Skater XL, Space Engineers and TABS on Xbox and PlayStation as well as PC.
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mod.io supports more than 80 different games, across 11 platforms and stores.
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Games of the Future 2025
The Countdown is On: Less Than 3 Months to Go Until The Games of The Future 2025 Kicks Off in Abu Dhabi

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In just under three months, the world will turn its eyes to Abu Dhabi as the Games of the Future 2025 (GOTF 2025) prepare to deliver an electrifying showcase of competition, innovation and entertainment.
Set to redefine the boundaries of sport in a pioneering format where competitors must excel both in traditional sports and digital gaming arenas, the Games of the Future 2025 is set to be a sporting spectacular like no other.
For six days from 18-23 December, ADNEC will transform into a futuristic sports hub featuring sports and esports arenas, robot combat zones and drone racing tracks, as athletes and clubs from across the globe battle across 11 phygital disciplines that test speed, strategy and sporting prowess for a staggering USD 5 million prize pool.
Led by ASPIRE as the official delivery authority for the Games of the Future 2025, and supported by Ethara, the operations powerhouse behind some of the city’s key iconic events, athletes, fans and spectators can look forward to an exceptional edition that will elevate the Games of the Future into a landmark occasion on the global sporting calendar.
Residents and visitors can experience a taste of the action with an immersive roadshow at a series of locations across the UAE from October to December. Featuring live demos and interactive challenges, the tour will bring the thrill of phygital sport to life ahead of the Games of the Future 2025 in December.
Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International, said: “Phygital sports are rewriting the rulebooks of competition. With less than three months to go, transforming the iconic exhibition centre in the heart of Abu Dhabi into the world’s most advanced space for both digital and physical competition is no small feat. It requires the vision and dedication of hundreds of people to build bespoke digital arenas, pitches, and immersive experiences that will redefine how athletes compete and how fans engage.”
Fans will be able to follow every moment of the Games of the Future 2025 thanks to two newly confirmed media partners. Ei Nerd, Brazil’s leading entertainment platform boasting over 4 billion views, will bring the spectacle directly to its vast community, and BIGG, one of the foremost gaming and esports entertainment company in EMEA, will deliver comprehensive coverage via BIGG TV, the Middle East’s leading gaming channel, which reaches 50 million households in more than 100 countries.
The post The Countdown is On: Less Than 3 Months to Go Until The Games of The Future 2025 Kicks Off in Abu Dhabi appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
155.io
155.io rolls out new chaos-fuelled game Survivor

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155.io, the live content studio built for a mobile-first world, has amped up the chaos in its live game portfolio with the launch of Survivor – a frenetic, last-marble-standing battle that turns physics into pure entertainment.
Brought to life from 155.io’s custom-built studio, Survivor sees 16 marbles begin on a plate that spins to make collisions in a mesmerising display of speed and chaos – ultimately leaving just one winner. Marbles are assigned to coloured teams with each featuring a different number of marbles, creating unique odds every round.
The mercurial white marble pays out over 15x, making every spin a heart-racing showdown. 155.io’s live portfolio of games stars ducks.io, Marbles.io and Stairpong.io. All of the games are recorded from a real-world studio, broadcast live, designed for the mobile user in mind.
155.io Founder and CEO Sam Jones commented: “Survivor strikes the perfect balance of real-world chaos, adrenaline, and intensity as players watch to see which marble outlasts the rest. It’s a fun, fresh twist on our original marbles game — one that players still love to this day. This is exactly what 155.io is about: simple, universal games brought to life with real-world action and designed for the next generation of players.”
The post 155.io rolls out new chaos-fuelled game Survivor appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Belatra
Belatra on target with debut crash game: Goose Boom Bang

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Belatra, a leading developer of innovative online slots, has set its sights on the crash game market with the launch of its hit new game, Goose Boom Bang.
Following 30 successful years of creating outstanding slot and instant games, Belatra has turned its sights on the crash game market. Goose Boom Bang stars a fearless goose whose explosive personality takes the game to new heights. As soon as the goose takes off, the multiplier begins to climb – from 1.01x up to an incredible 1000x. The longer the goose travels, the higher the potential reward.
As the journey gathers pace, the risk increases and at any moment the goose can be stopped in his tracks by a cunning Hunter, the swift Hawk, or the sly Crocodile. The prize returns to zero as soon as the goose is stopped by one of these protagonists. Players must decide the opportune moment to call time on the goose flight, but choose when to shoot and claim the winnings.
If the shot hits the mark, the bet is multiplied by the current multiplier, and the Goose drops to the water. Game round history is displayed at the top of the screen: green indicates a win, red – shows a loss. The Goose’s flight path continues to be shown even after the round, revealing how far it could have flown and the maximum possible winning total.
Misha Voinich, Head of Business Development at Belatra, commented: “Belatra has fired the starting gun on its crash game entry, bringing its signature style of humor, dynamic gameplay, and unique atmosphere. Players have the power to choose when to stop the Goose and secure the maximum multiplier before the Hunter, Hawk, or Crocodile ends the round for them!”
The post Belatra on target with debut crash game: Goose Boom Bang appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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