Gaming
Paladins’ Season 5 Now Live with New Champion, Augments to Main Mode, and New Bundles
Paladins starts the year with a bang with today’s Season 5 Update – the biggest one in recent years. Hi-Rez is aiming for 2022 to be the best year yet for their free-to-play fantasy shooter, especially focusing on making the new player experience more welcoming.
To kick off the new competitive Season, the Season 5 Update is teeming with all sorts of new content. It features the new Champion VII – pronounced ‘Seven’ – the 2022 Season Pass, the Abyss Hunter Academy Event Pass, changes to core gameplay mechanics, free progression rewards, and more! Major improvements to Siege, Paladins’ most popular mode, will be deployed later during this Update with a special patch.
Extensive details are available on these Patch Notes and here is the Season 5 lore video.
New Champion: VII
Paladins’ 53rd character, VII, is out today as the first Champion in 2022.
For true justice to prevail, the Realm needs more than pious Judges. They need VII, the Executioner and Hand of the Outer Tribunal. Unburdened by the trappings of mercy, he ensures that judgements cast are judgements kept.
All about ambushing his opponents, VII can grapple onto walls and use the terrain to his advantage to get the drop on enemies. His weapon mode can be changed on the fly, swapping between automatic fire, burst fire, and unloading the entire clip.
Always nifty, VII is able to dodge-roll out of danger, leaving behind an explosive trap. And as he pronounces the Decree 77 during his ultimate, he makes targeted enemies run away in sheer terror – a rare skill for a Flank Champion.
VII can be unlocked just by playing Paladins. Upon release, he boasts six skins of alternative colors, including two unlocked for free through progression, and two included in the new 2022 Season Pass.
Siege: Beyond
Throughout 2022, Paladins players will get to play three augmentations to Siege, the most popular and most competitive mode. Sure to freshen things up, these iterations – called Schisms – will begin later during this Season 5 Update, with the launch of Siege: Beyond.
This first Schism will feature a brand-new item shop made of one universal track, plus three focused tracks – Support, Tank, and Damage. At any given stage, players choose between three available items instead of the entire selection, making the shop easier for new players to learn. At the same time, with a total of twelve stages of items to choose from and new types of items, it allows for greater strategic depth and deeper customization of Champions according to different play styles.
This first Siege: Beyond Schism will last for about four months. During each Schism, designers will be scrutinizing player sentiment in order to accordingly expand on the changes or revert them. And Siege players who want to stick to their guns need not worry, as Siege: Core will remain available in parallel.
Ranked & Commendation Rewards
Paladins’ Season 4 rewards have just been sent to eligible players. Those who reached Gold in Ranked play have received a Loading Frame based on their highest rank, while another exclusive Loading Frame was granted to everyone who managed to be commended 500 times by their teammates during the past Season.
And now that Season 5 has started, players will receive the Epic Will.0 Willo skin as soon as they win 75 Ranked games.
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Gaming
Soft2Bet launches MEGA Islands, a new gamification engine designed to increase player retention
Soft2Bet has unveiled MEGA Islands, the latest addition to its MEGA Suite, designed to enhance player engagement and retention across both casino and sportsbook offerings.
The new engine introduces a persistent progression system that carries over across sessions, giving players an ongoing reason to return. Through island-building, resource collection, and continual advancement, players embark on a long-term journey that transforms short play sessions into sustained engagement.
First previewed in Soft2Bet’s recent Lodur release, the MEGA Islands system allows players to develop their own islands over time. Resources earned through gameplay can be used to construct new buildings, upgrade existing structures, and unlock further stages of progression. Each upgrade opens new goals, creating a loop of continuous advancement that keeps players invested.
The engine also incorporates plundering mechanics, giving players an additional path to gather resources by raiding other islands. This feature not only accelerates growth but also maintains a dynamic and engaging progression loop. With no fixed endpoint, MEGA Islands is built to encourage repeat play through a satisfying cycle of building, collecting, and advancing.
“MEGA Islands is designed to make retention feel natural by providing players with a progression journey they want to return to,” said Yoel Zuckerberg, CPO at Soft2Bet. “By building islands, collecting resources, and unlocking upgrades—including through plundering—each session becomes part of a longer experience. It gives players a clear reason to come back while providing operators with a retention tool that integrates seamlessly across casino and sportsbook.”
The launch of MEGA Islands underscores Soft2Bet’s commitment to gamification as a driver of long-term growth. As part of the MEGA Suite, the new engine offers operators a powerful tool to extend player journeys, increase engagement cycles, and deliver consistent value in competitive markets.
The post Soft2Bet launches MEGA Islands, a new gamification engine designed to increase player retention appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Arcade
Pragmatic Play Elevates Arcade Roster with the Im-Peck-Able Chicken+
Pragmatic Play, a prominent content provider for the iGaming sector, has enhanced its arcade collection with the debut of Chicken+, a retro-themed game showcasing fast-paced action and significant winning opportunities.
Brought to existence with retro 8-bit visuals, the game tests players to evade approaching vehicles and various dangers, leading the chicken safely over the road.
With each lane successfully cleared, the win multiplier increases. Players can withdraw their earnings whenever they choose or try to navigate all lanes for the top reward, but a single random mishap concludes the round as a defeat. Players are able to view the possible winnings and the likelihood of success in reaching each lane to aid in their decision-making.
There are four levels of risk – Easy, Mid, Hard, and Daredevil. Raising the level reduces the number of lanes per round and increases the volatility, enhancing the maximum win potential from 24x in Easy mode to over 3,000,000x in Daredevil.
Blending nostalgic visuals with an eccentric theme, a user-friendly interface, and rapid betting rounds, Chicken+ meets the increasing demand for engaging, fast-paced games.
The title signifies the newest entry in Pragmatic Play’s continually growing arcade collection, succeeding the launches of Plinko+, Spire+, and Mines+.
Sharon McHugh, Director of Public Relations at Pragmatic Play, said: “Chicken+ blends retro charm with simple, high-engagement mechanics. With configurable risk levels and significant win potential, it stands out as another compelling addition to Pragmatic Play’s diverse arcade portfolio, inviting players to test their nerve and cross the road.”
The post Pragmatic Play Elevates Arcade Roster with the Im-Peck-Able Chicken+ appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Brazil
LOUD and SuperGaming Launch Prime Rush in Brazil, Bringing Battle Royale and Extraction Gameplay for Mobile
Prime Rush, a new mobile shooter blending battle royale survival with extraction-style mechanics, has officially launched in Brazil on the Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS. Developed by SuperGaming in collaboration with Spacecaps—the parent company of LOUD—the game has been shaped by direct input from Brazilian players and creators throughout its Closed Beta and Early Access phases.
Prime Rush introduces a fresh twist on the traditional battle royale formula. Beyond simply being the last squad standing, players can secure victory early by extracting Cosmium, a rare resource that appears during the final circle. This dual win condition forces squads to choose between outlasting opponents or adopting a more tactical approach to secure extraction.
The game also features a dynamic tactical ability system designed for fast-paced mobile combat. Active abilities such as DeadEye, Shield Dome, Super Speed, and Hunter’s Instinct allow players to approach matches with different strategies, focusing on precision, defense, mobility, or intelligence.
Bruno Bittencourt, CEO of LOUD, said:
“We’ve always believed Brazil has one of the most passionate gaming communities in the world, yet for years we’ve been playing games that weren’t built with us in mind. Prime Rush is a game created for Brazilian players, shaped daily by the communities we’ve built over the past decade. We’ve been listening to them every single day. It’s a game that finally feels like home.”
Roby John, CEO and Co-founder of SuperGaming, added:
“Brazil has one of the most competitive mobile shooter audiences we’ve seen, and from the beginning we wanted Prime Rush to be both authentic and accessible. That meant building a game that feels true to Brazil while ensuring it runs smoothly across a wide range of devices, so more players can experience it as intended.”
Set on the island of Maré, the game’s main battlefield supports its battle royale extraction format. It also introduces a Mini TDM mode (Favela)—a fast-paced 4v4 mode designed for quick, high-intensity firefights on the go.
At launch, players can choose from a roster of Brazilian heroes including Juliana, Rafael, Miguel, Rogério, Dos Santos, Julia, and Gustavo, with deep customization options available. Weapon personalization is enhanced through Evo-X skins, featuring upgradeable visuals, multiple Chromas, unique animations, custom sound effects, and distinctive combat feedback elements.
Prime Rush also debuts with several limited-time modes such as DeadEye Rush, Pants in the Air, and Weapon Roulette, offering short, action-packed sessions beyond the core gameplay.
The game launches alongside its first Ranked Season, where players can progress through tiers including Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Champion, Legend, and Cosmic.
Check out the launch trailer right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op5KreKoLmY
Season 1 Battle Pass: Street Legends introduces a range of rewards, including:
- New Avatars: Laura, Juliana, Rafael
- Weapon Skins: Subliminar, Grafitada, Suavidade, Firmeza, Raiz, Brabo, AK-BR7
- Melee Weapon: Chinela (Slipper)
- Vehicle Skin: Lenda Urbana
- Additional items such as stickers, dive trails, emotes, and portraits
Powered by SuperGaming’s in-house SuperPlatform, the game supports Android 7+ devices with 4GB RAM and iOS 15+. Early Access data shows stable performance at 40 FPS on lower-end devices, with up to 60 FPS on mid- to high-end hardware, ensuring accessibility across a broad range of devices in Brazil.
SuperGaming continues to optimize Prime Rush for additional devices, with performance and visual quality varying depending on hardware and player settings.
The post LOUD and SuperGaming Launch Prime Rush in Brazil, Bringing Battle Royale and Extraction Gameplay for Mobile appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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