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Nordisk Games acquires Flashbulb Games, creators of Trailmakers, the innovative physics-based, open-world build-em-up

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Nordisk Games acquires 100% of the Danish games studio having previously acquired a minority stake  back in 2017

Copenhagen-based Nordisk Games has acquired the Danish games studio Flashbulb Games, having previously invested 16.5 million DKK in the studio for a 43% stake. Depending on the studio’s financial performance in the coming years, the 100% acquisition price can amount to several hundred million DKK.

”Flashbulb is a studio packed with talented and experienced developers, who understand and enjoy the challenge of creating really unique games and turning them into commercial success. Having collaborated really well for the past five years we were keen to increase our involvement, which led to the discussion with the founders to acquire 100% of the studio. We now very much look forward to continuing to work together for many years to come,” said Martin Walfisz, Senior Partner at Nordisk Games and chairman of Flashbulb Games.

Flashbulb Games are best known as the creators of Trailmakers, an innovative open-world physics-based game where players can build vehicles through a simple drag and drop system and use them to explore and compete. Its latest game, Rubber Bandits, is a cross-platform multiplayer party game launching on Xbox, Playstation and Steam on December the 2nd. The studio was founded in 2016 by Rune Dittmer, Ole Teglbjærg, Mikkel Thorsted and Lasse Outzen, who had previously worked together at Press Play.

“Nordisk Games were the first to invest in us not long after we founded the studio, and they have always been super-supportive while at the same time being happy to let us dictate the direction of the business. In a way, becoming a full part of Nordisk Games will be no different to our experiences of working with Martin and Sofie on the board, and the rest of the Nordisk Games team. You could say that we have been dating for the last few years, and now we are finally getting married,” said Rune Dittmer, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Flashbulb Games.

Nordisk Games is owned by the entertainment company Nordisk Film, which is a part of Egmont, a leading Nordic media group. In recent years Nordisk Games has built a high growth portfolio of minority and majority-owned game studios that includes Avalanche  Studios Group, Supermassive Games, Star Stable Entertainment and MercurySteam. To date, Nordisk Games has invested more than €200 million in games studios based across Europe, with more than 1,100 talented employees.

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Regulating the Game 2026 Draft Program Unveiled, Spotlighting the Issues Shaping the Sector

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Regulating the Game has published the draft program for its 2026 Sydney conference, outlining a comprehensive agenda of keynotes, featured addresses, panels, and expert masterclasses examining the most consequential regulatory, policy and operational issues facing the global gambling sector.

Regulating the Game 2026 will be held 9–11 March 2026 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and represents the sixth edition of the conference as a forum for rigorous, cross-jurisdictional engagement on gambling regulation and sector performance and uplift.

The draft program confirms that each conference day is anchored by keynote and featured speakers, whose addresses are designed to frame and contextualise the broader program of talks, panels and masterclasses that follow. These speakers bring senior executive leadership, policy and advisory insight, and deep subject-matter expertise, helping to frame the regulatory and operating environment, its trajectory, and the lenses through which the agenda is explored.

Across the three days, the program integrates:

  • Context-setting sessions that frame the regulatory and operating environment and its direction, including examinations of where gambling regulation and policy are heading, how enforcement and sanctioning approaches are evolving post-inquiry, and how governments and markets are responding to persistent black-market and grey-market pressures. These sessions establish the policy, strategic and operating lenses through which the broader agenda is explored.
  • Moderated panels that interrogate regulatory assumptions and reform outcomes in practice, including discussions on harm minimisation in increasingly data-driven environments, the limits and consequences of intensified regulation, and the interaction between market design, consumer behaviour and regulatory intent.
  • Expert masterclasses, including a session led by Jay Robinson focused on embedding the Responsible Gambling Officer role with purpose, authority and practical impact, and a second masterclass convened by the International Masters of Gaming Law, with final scope and focus to be confirmed. Together, these sessions are designed to support practical capability uplift and address the implementation risks that sit between policy intent and operational reality.
  • Industry Spotlight sessions, introduced in 2026, comprising tightly curated 15-minute presentations from incumbent organisations. These sessions provide a platform to articulate strategic direction, investment priorities and innovation pathways, and to examine what lies ahead for the sector as regulatory expectations, technology and market structures continue to evolve.

Collectively, the agenda addresses:

  • The trajectory of gambling regulation, enforcement and sanctioning frameworks
  • AML/CTF reform, financial crime risk and supervisory expectations
  • Safer gambling governance, harm minimisation and behavioural insight
  • Black market and grey market dynamics in increasingly regulated environments
  • Technology, data governance and the use of AI in regulatory and compliance systems
  • Leadership, accountability and the operational reality of reform delivery

While the program is deliberately broad, particular attention has been given to curating sessions and contributors that surface topical and often unresolved issues facing the sector. The agenda is designed to frame the current environment and its direction, provoke informed debate, stimulate curiosity, and act as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, innovation bets and next practice across regulation, policy and operations.

Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and Founder of Regulating the Game, said the 2026 draft program reflects a deliberate architecture:

“The program is designed to open up the problem space, not to close it down. Early sessions are intended to frame the environment honestly and rigorously, so that the discussions that follow can interrogate options, trade-offs and solutions with clarity and discipline.”

He added:

“Regulating the Game is deliberately structured to move from context to analysis to application. The draft program makes that progression clear and intentional.”

The program is supported by flagship events including Pitch!, the RTG Global Awards Gala Dinner, and an expanded Exhibition Showcase, which together complement the formal agenda and support cross-sector engagement.

The draft program reflects the core structure of the conference, with final speaker confirmations and minor refinements to be completed in the coming week.

The post Regulating the Game 2026 Draft Program Unveiled, Spotlighting the Issues Shaping the Sector appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Adam Smart Director of Product Gaming at AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer State of Gaming Report: AI Is Flooding Mobile Gaming Marketing Channels and Raising the Cost of Standing Out

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State of Gaming for Marketers 2026 reveals how AI-driven scale, global UA spend, and China-based publishers are reshaping mobile gaming competition

AppsFlyer, the Modern Marketing Cloud, today released the State of Gaming for Marketers 2026, an in-depth analysis of how AI, creative scale, and rising paid pressure reshaped mobile gaming marketing in 2025. Drawing on AppsFlyer data, the report examines how studios adapted as marketing activity expanded faster than player attention.

In 2025, AI-enabled production coincided with a sharp increase in advertising across iOS and Android. Creative output scaled rapidly across all spending tiers, with top gaming advertisers producing between 2,400 and 2,600 creative variations per quarter, up 25–30% YoY. That expansion increased pressure on paid acquisition channels. Paid install share rose 10% YoY across iOS and Android, while ad impressions increased 20%, indicating a significant rise in the number of ads competing for the same pool of players. To manage rising marketing volume and fragmentation, AI-enabled tools became a common part of daily workflows with 46% of AI assistant queries focused on reporting and performance breakdowns, reflecting the need for faster visibility as data volumes grew.

“AI has dramatically increased the speed and volume at which games and marketing assets reach the market,” says Adam Smart, Director of Product, Gaming at AppsFlyer. “The result is not a shortage of creativity, but a surplus of it. As paid activity and creative supply expand faster than player attention, marketing success depends on how effectively teams can measure, interpret, and act on an increasing volume of fragmented signals.”

Additional key insights from the State of Gaming for Marketers 2026

  •     Global gaming app UA spend reached $25B in 2025. Midcore UA spend increased 28% YoY on iOS, while Android spend remained largely flat.
    ●     China-headquartered publishers increased their share of global gaming UA spend. Their share grew by 26% YoY in the UK, and 22% globally, with gains strongest on Android.
    ●     iOS paid installs reached record highs. Share in the UK rose across Casino (+13%), Hypercasual (+10%), and Midcore (+30%).
    ●     iOS advertisers expanded media mix to find incremental scale. iOS gaming advertisers increased the number of media sources they used by up to 15% YoY, reflecting growing fragmentation and the need to diversify beyond core channels.
    ●     AI is still used primarily to manage marketing scale, not strategy.  With 46% of AI assistant queries focused on reporting and performance breakdowns, teams are using AI to keep pace with rising data volumes rather than replace decision-making, but some genres are already employing more complex tasks and asks.

Methodology

AppsFlyer’s State of Gaming for Marketers 2026 is based on anonymized, aggregated data from 9.6 thousand gaming apps worldwide, analyzing 24.8 billion total installs, including 14.1 billion paid installs, alongside ad spend, creative production, monetization, AI-assisted workflows, and media source usage across iOS and Android during 2025.

The full report is available at: appsflyer.com/resources/reports/gaming-marketers/

The post AppsFlyer State of Gaming Report: AI Is Flooding Mobile Gaming Marketing Channels and Raising the Cost of Standing Out appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Arena Racing Company

Arena Racing Company awarded United Arab Emirates Gaming-Related Vendor License

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Arena Racing Company (ARC) has been granted a Gaming-Related Vendor license from the United Arab Emirates’ General Commercial Gaming Authority (GCGRA), an independent entity of the UAE Federal Government with exclusive jurisdiction to regulate, license, and supervise all commercial gaming activities.

The license, operational with immediate effect, affords ARC the opportunity to provide its products and services to licensed operators in the region. Notably, the Racing1 Markets service, an all-in-one horse and greyhound racing solution delivered in conjunction with Racing1 alliance media rights partners at 1/ST CONTENT, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and Tabcorp, alongside technical partner Pythia Sports. ARC has been added to the list of licensed vendors as per the GCGRA website.

Jack Whitaker, Commercial Manager at ARC, said: “Obtaining this license is a great achievement for ARC and its Racing1 partners. The emerging regulated UAE market is incredibly exciting, and we look forward to showcasing our innovative products and services in the region.”

The post Arena Racing Company awarded United Arab Emirates Gaming-Related Vendor License appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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