Gaming

Paco Rabanne & Bidstack Emerge Victorious With VR Invictus Campaign Featuring Tim Howard

Published

4 years ago

November 23, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Paco Rabanne, the leading fashion house and fragrance brand, have partnered with Starcom Worldwide and Bidstack to launch a branded virtual reality challenge. The campaign features Tim Howard and the world’s leading VR platform for elite athletes, Rezzil, to promote Paco Rabanne’s iconic fragrance, Invictus.

As a fragrance, Invictus embodies power, heroism and a drive to win and the campaign provides a unique challenge that allows players to test their athletic ability and become the in-game hero. By partnering with Bidstack, and Tim Howard, an athlete that embodies those characteristics, Paco Rabanne has created a unique activation that converges the real world with the virtual world, bringing their brand to life for gamers.

The activation will see a branded ‘Reaction Wall’ challenge added to Rezzil’s Player 22 VR game. Players will have the opportunity to test their athletic merit and improve their throwing technique, vision, reaction speeds and heading ability in-game surrounded by virtual Invictus branding that blends in seamlessly with the training environment. Players can also win a signed jersey from Tim Howard and their own bottle of the fragrance by sharing their results on social media with the hashtag #InvictusInGameChallenge.

Bidstack, the leading in-game advertising technology platform, worked with human experience company Starcom Worldwide to develop the concept for the ‘Scent of Victory’ campaign. Player 22, which is available for VR gamers using Quest, Quest 2 and Oculus Touch devices, offered an entirely new touchpoint for Paco Rabanne. The partnership with Tim Howard helped to combine the concepts of a legendary champion from a real-life sporting context and converged that with the game’s virtual world creating an authentic and interactive experience for gamers.

It is the first time a fragrance has created a playable sporting challenge in a VR environment, which encapsulates the innovative approach Paco Rabanne is taking to reaching their target audience for the 2021 holiday and gift-giving season.

Of the campaign, Tim Howard said “I’m really excited to be a part of this partnership. I’m always looking for ways to encourage people to strive to be the best that they can be, in everything they do. Invictus, a fragrance for men, is designed for people who will take on any challenge and strive to be victorious. As a former athlete, that is a motto that I have lived by throughout my life and career.

Platforms like Rezzil that utilise technology for real-life conditioning and training through gamification are the future. It’s great to see companies like Paco Rabanne, Starcom and Bidstack help lead the charge in making this a reality and I’d like to thank them for inviting me to be a part of this project.”

Adam Fisher, Head of US Sales at Bidstack added “Paco Rabanne continues to be a fantastic partner of ours. We love collaborating with them and exploring new and innovative ways to reach consumers through gaming.

For a brand like Invictus that represents determination, athletic merit and a winning mentality, we felt that our partner Rezzil was a great fit. Their VR platform helps individuals improve their physical and cognitive abilities through a wide range of sports and the icing on the cake in this activation was getting the opportunity to collaborate with Tim Howard.

Tim is a hero and legend in the world of soccer and encapsulates everything that Invictus is about.”

Andy Etches, Founder and Director at Rezzil said “We’ve loved working with Paco Rabanne on this in-game activation for Invictus with Bidstack and Starcom Worldwide. As a platform designed to train elite athletes it was fantastic to be able to work with Tim and put his skills to the test with our in-game challenge.

Creating branded experiences like this within the metaverse offers a glimpse of the future potential for brands. Our aim is to deliver world class training games that improve fitness and reaction times whilst also delivering a great user experience. With this campaign we’re proud to have been able to deliver on our core product offering in a way that respects and enhances the player experience.”

About Bidstack

Bidstack is the leading in-game advertising and video game monetisation platform. Their sophisticated technology allows brands to serve advertisements into natural spaces within video games whilst protecting the gaming experience.

These branded experiences can vary from trackside banners and cityscape billboards to pitchside LED boards, skins or any other contextually relevant spaces within the metaverse.

The company has more than 80 staff across five international locations and is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

About Starcom Worldwide

Starcom is the Human Experience Company. A world-renowned media communications agency, we harness the power of media, technology and data to create experiences people love and actions brands need.

With more than 7,000 employees worldwide, Starcom partners with the world’s leading marketers and new establishment brands, including Bank of America, Best Buy, Coca-Cola, Kellogg Company, KraftHeinz, Novartis, P&G, Samsung, Visa and more.

Starcom is part of Publicis Media within Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC40], one of the world’s leading communications groups.

Crash Games

Bet on Games launches horror-themed crash title Zombie Rush

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

bet-on-games-launches-horror-themed-crash-title-zombie-rush

Bet on Games, the instant and crash games vertical within the Betcore ecosystem, has launched a new horror-themed crash game called Zombie Rush. The title is now available for global integration via Betcore’s single API, alongside content from TVBET and ElCasino.

Zombie Rush wraps the crash mechanic in a graveyard “survival run” theme. Players decide when to cash out as the multiplier rises, with the round ending when the “crash” triggers.

Bet on Games said the game runs on an “Optimized Math Model” with 97.5% RTP and a “dynamically accelerating multiplier curve.” The release also highlights “Visceral Horror Aesthetics,” linking the crash moment to a “grisly, memorable animation.”

On the feature set, Zombie Rush includes Autoplay and Auto Cash-out. It also adds “Strategic Dual-Betting,” which allows play across two parallel rounds simultaneously.

Betcore is directing partnership and integration inquiries to [email protected]. A gameplay video is available here.

The post Bet on Games launches horror-themed crash title Zombie Rush appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Baccarat

ICONIC21 launches Squeeze Baccarat RNG game with player-controlled reveal

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

iconic21-launches-squeeze-baccarat-rng-game-with-player-controlled-reveal

ICONIC21 has launched Squeeze Baccarat, a new RNG baccarat title designed around the “squeeze” reveal mechanic more commonly associated with live-table play.

In the game, the player controls the reveal pace, using actions such as peeling back an edge to uncover each card, rather than watching a standard automated animation sequence.

ICONIC21 said the title is fully customisable, including interface and card design, positioning it for operator branding and lobby integration.

Edvardas Sadovskis, Chief Product Officer at ICONIC21, said: “The squeeze is one of those moments every baccarat player is excited about. That slow, deliberate reveal before the big win is what makes it tense. The problem? That feeling almost never survives the jump to RNG. It gets replaced by an animation and the magic is gone.

“We refused to let that happen. Getting the squeeze right in a digital environment is genuinely hard but we successfully managed, and honestly, we’re pretty excited about what came out. Instead of watching it happen, the player controls the reveal themselves.

“Add full brand customisation on top of that, and what you have is something operators can truly call their own. We can’t wait to see what our partners do with it.”

The post ICONIC21 launches Squeeze Baccarat RNG game with player-controlled reveal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Bichara e Motta Advogados

The iGaming Industry’s New Challenges in 2026

Published

5 days ago

April 21, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

the-igaming-industry’s-new-challenges-in-2026

In an exclusive article for Gaming Americas, Udo Seckelmann, partner in the Gambling & Crypto department at Bichara e Motta Advogados, examines how the Brazilian iGaming market has entered a new phase of maturity following BiS SiGMA South America 2026.

Moving beyond regulatory expectations, the industry now faces real operational, political, and economic pressures, raising critical questions about sustainability, enforcement, and the balance between growth and consumer protection in one of the world’s most dynamic betting markets.

BIS SIGMA 2026 made it clear that the conversation around Brazil’s betting sector has fundamentally changed. The industry is no longer being discussed as a future opportunity shaped by regulatory expectations, but as a functioning ecosystem already subject to real-world pressures. With the framework in force and operators active, the focus has shifted to how the market actually behaves under regulation — and where that framework is being put to the test.

This shift was evident both in the quality of the discussions and in the profile of participants. In past editions, much of the debate focused on the ideal regulatory framework, taxation, and market entry strategies. In 2026, the focus moved toward more sophisticated — and, in many ways, more challenging — topics: regulatory implementation, enforcement, and the balance between growth and consumer protection.

An additional element that permeated many discussions was the recent hardening of political discourse toward the sector. Statements from the President suggesting the potential elimination of the regulated betting market, as well as initiatives in Congress aimed at broadly restricting betting advertising, reveal legitimate concerns about negative externalities but also a concrete risk of public policy being shaped in a way that is disconnected from the newly established regulatory reality.

The criticism here is not directed at the concern for consumer protection — which is undoubtedly essential — but rather at how this debate has been conducted. Prohibitive or overly restrictive measures, particularly in the field of advertising, tend to produce adverse effects already observed in other jurisdictions: reduced channeling capacity toward the regulated market, the strengthening of illegal operators, and a weakening of consumer protection mechanisms themselves.

In this context, advertising should not be viewed solely as a risk factor, but also as a public policy tool. It is through advertising that licensed operators can differentiate themselves from unregulated entities, communicate responsible gambling practices, and operate within auditable parameters. Disproportionate restrictions, in practice, reduce the visibility of those subject to regulation while simultaneously expanding the space for those operating outside it.

Moreover, the instability of political discourse — especially when it flirts with prohibition scenarios after years of efforts to structure a regulated market — creates significant legal uncertainty. Investments made based on a recent regulatory framework are reassessed, compliance costs increase, and the appetite of new entrants tends to decline. Ultimately, this undermines not only the development of the sector but also government revenue and the original regulatory objectives pursued by the Government.

Another key topic discussed during the event was the impact of increased taxation — particularly following the rise in the Gaming Tax — on the competitiveness of the regulated market. There is a legitimate concern that an overly burdensome environment, combined with severe advertising restrictions, may create an economically unviable scenario for licensed operators, once again encouraging migration to the unregulated market.

Another highlight of the event was the debate surrounding the role of technological intermediaries — including market makers in emerging segments such as prediction markets. The expansion of these models raises important regulatory questions: to what extent are existing frameworks sufficient to accommodate these innovations? And when will it be necessary to move toward specific regulatory regimes, potentially under the oversight of authorities such as the securities regulator?

A comparison with previous BIS SIGMA editions clearly demonstrates the sector’s growing maturity. If Brazil was once seen as a major promise, it is now a complex reality that requires fine-tuning and institutional coordination. The agenda has shifted from market opening to governance — now under much more intense political and social scrutiny.

Finally, one aspect that deserves particular attention is the increasing professionalization of all stakeholders involved. Operators, regulators, service providers, and even the broader public debate have evolved significantly. There is now a clearer understanding that the success of the Brazilian market depends on its credibility and long-term sustainability.

Udo Seckelmann
Partner in the Gambling & Crypto department at Bichara e Motta Advogados

The post The iGaming Industry’s New Challenges in 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.