Gaming
GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design
The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists announced in seven categories covering different aspects of mobile game innovation and feature design, in USA, Japan and China.
Today, mobile game analytics specialist GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, is excited to announce that its jury has decided on the finalists for its second annual Mobile GameDev Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate innovation in mobile game design amongst developers in the USA, China and Japan.
The seven categories are:
Innovation and Excellence in Core Gameplay, (all regions)
Most Promising Soft Launch Game, (all regions) Biggest Evolver individually in USA, Japan, China Best Newcomer individually in USA, Japan, China
Best Feature Innovation, Best Event individually in USA, Japan, China and
Best Use of IP in Collaboration Events (all regions).
GameRefinery will announce the winners on the 24th of May 2022.
The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists have been selected by a panel of GameRefinery analysts, drawing on their extensive experience and expertise in games analysis.
GameRefinery’s platform tracks over 100,000 mobile games for market research, competitor intelligence, and player insights while providing more than 2,500+ in-depth game feature deconstructions and analyses.
Mobile GameDev Awards 2022 Finalists
Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay
The most innovative and well-executed core gameplay seen in 2021:
- 无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange, China)
- Gold and Goblins: Idle Merge
- 哈利波特:魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter Magic Awakened, China)
- Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
- ウマ娘 プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby, Japan)
- The Ants: Underground Kingdom
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
Most Promising Soft Launch Game
The 2021 soft launch game most likely to be a breakout launch success based on gameplay:
- Apex Legends
- Clash Mini
- Star Blast
- Tower of Fantasy
- Diablo Immortal
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Star Wars: Hunters
Biggest Evolver
The game that has developed the most during 2021 in terms of gameplay:
USA Finalists:
- Merge Dragons!
- Clash Royale
- Garena Free Fire
- Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
- Rise of Kingdoms
- Yahtzee® with Buddies
- Cookie Run: Kingdom
Japan Finalists:
- ステート・オブ・サバイバル (State of Survival)
- Shin Sangokushi
- ドラゴンクエストタクト (Dragon Quest Tact)
- パズル&ドラゴンズ (Puzzle & Dragons)
- プロ野球スピリッツA (Pro Yakyuu Spirits A)
China Finalists:
- 植物大战僵尸2 (Plants vs. Zombies 2)
- 天谕 (Revelation)
- 原神 (Genshin Impact)
- 跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile)
- 魂斗罗:归来-特战集结 (Contra Returns)
Best Newcomer
The best new entry into the market during 2021:
USA Finalists:
- Beatstar
- The Ants: Underground Kingdom
- Royal Match
- Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
- Family Farm Adventure
- Zen Match – Relaxing Puzzle
- The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
- No Limit Drag Racing 2
- Idle Lumber Empire
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
Japan Finalists:
- ウマ娘 プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby)
- 二ノ国:Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds)
- ガーディアンテイルズ (Guardian Tales)
- グランサガ(Gran Saga)
- Nier Re[in]carnation
China Finalists:
- 哈利波特:魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter: Magic Awakened)
- 王牌竞速 (Ace Racer)
- 幻塔 (Tower of Fantasy)
- 无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange)
- 英雄联盟手游 (League of Legends: Wild Rift)
- 重返帝国
- 金铲铲之战 (Battle of the Golden Spatula)
Best Feature Innovation
The most innovative new feature introduced in a game during 2021
- 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Login calendar meets IAP offers
- 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Innovative limited-time gacha event
- Garena Free Fire – Special PvP modes
- Cooking Diary – Social hangout areas
- Yahtzee® with Buddies – Kingdom feature
- Rise of Kingdoms – MOBA mode
- Puzzle & Dragons (Japan) – Synchronous PvP mode
- PUBG MOBILE – RP Activity Packs in Battle Pass
- Highrise – NFT cosmetics
- XFLAG’s Kotodaman and Monster Strike (Japan) – New gacha type with a social twist
- Ensemble Stars!! Music (Japan) – Music co-op newcomer tasks
Best Event
The best in-game event held during 2021:
USA Finalists:
- Yahtzee® with Buddies – Derby event
- POP! Slots™ Vegas Casino Games – Win Zone event
- Gardenscapes – Klondike Expedition event
- Genshin Impact – Midsummer Island Adventure
- Call of Duty®: Mobile – Anniversary event
- Garena Free Fire – Pet Mania event
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Aspirants Unite event
- State of Survival – 2nd Anniversary Airship Building event
Japan Finalists:
- プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ! 初音ミク (Project Sekai Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku) – New Year’s event
- ドラゴンボール レジェンズ (Dragon Ball Legends) – Legends Festival
- 妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに (Youkai Watch Punipuni) – Collaboration event with Neon Genesis Evangelion
- 二ノ国:Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds) – General events
- NieR Re[in]carnation – Collaborations events with the earlier titles in the series (NieR Automata (launch), NieR Replicant and Drakengard 3)
China Finalists:
- 明日之后 (LifeAfter) – Romantic event July 2021
- 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan) – June 2021 Gacha event
- 御龙在天 (Legend of Yulong) – Fight the Landlord-card game event (doudizhu) in Jan
- 神武4 (Shén wǔ 4) – Event with a real-life map to beat monsters and get points
- 阴阳师 (Onmyoji) – recurring event with event-only customizable character
- 富豪麻将 (Fuhao Majiang) – collaboration event with China Mahjong Masters Tournament
Best Use of IP in a Collaboration Event
Finalists:
- 跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile) & Ali the Fox (China)
- 香肠派对 (Sausage Man) & Pizza Hut (China)
- Top War: Battle Game & Transformers
- 江南百景图 (Canal Towns) & Kentucky Fried Chicken (China)
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang & Hello Kitty (Sanrio Characters)
- Roblox & 24kGoldn Concert Experience
- PUBG MOBILE & Arcane (League of Legends)
- 獅子の如く~戦国覇王戦記~ (Shishi no Gotoku – Sengoku Haousenki) & Rurouni Kenshin (Japan)
- State of Survival & The Walking Dead (US)
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Arena Racing Company
Arena Racing Company awarded United Arab Emirates Gaming-Related Vendor License
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.
Battle of the Tribes
POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Celebrated strategy game The Battle of Polytopia confirms its first ever World Championships has exceeded expectations with over 10,000 sign-ups in its qualifying rounds. While no stranger to tournaments, previously hosting smaller scale, local tournaments called ‘Polysseums’, developer Midjiwan’s first step into global esports has been met with extreme success. The inclusive esports event has a $10,000 prize pool and will conclude on 6 December 2025, 14:00-21:00.
The finals will take place in front of a live-studio audience, with expert commentary and a chance to peek behind the scenes at Midjiwan itself. First place will receive $4,000, the runner-up will take away $2,000, the third and fourth place finishers will get $1,500, and the fifth and sixth place $500.
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 is being hosted by eSports platform, Challengermode, who Midjiwan has relied on for its monthly local tournaments since 2022. Midjiwan also partnered with Black Molly Entertainment to help organise and manage the event. Black Molly Entertainment have years of experience managing eSports tournaments, with notable events including the Geoguesser World Cup and CS:GO Pinnacle Cup Championship.
Midjiwan has worked closely with its community to ensure engagement is high with each round, building a bespoke ‘Spectator Mode’ into the game so fans can watch each game live through the game itself. In the spectator mode the viewer has visibility of all players simultaneously, with stats on how many cities, technologies, kills and more available for quick access.
Christian Lovstedt, CEO of Midjiwan commented:
“Polytopia has always been about welcoming all kinds of players into the world of 4X strategy. That’s why our championship is open to everyone – not just pros with sponsors. We’ve been thrilled at the amount of interest this tournament received from our community, reaching participation numbers way beyond our expectations. We’re excited to bring the finalists to Stockholm and can’t wait to see the strategies that emerge.”
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 kicked off in September, with its ‘Battle of the Tribes’ qualifying round – weekly battles where players competed to be the best in each of the game’s 12 tribes. After an exciting six weeks, the top player from each tribe faced-off, reducing the qualifiers to six finalists. These six winners are listed down below.
|
Tribe |
Qualifying Player |
|
IMPERIUS |
ArthurL248 |
|
BARDUR |
slimmingboy |
|
OUMAJI |
Dreamlander3000 |
|
HOODRICK |
Theetat |
|
XIN-Xi |
LeLiberateur |
|
LUXIDOOR |
Meisterlampe |
Recaps of each round of the tournament prior to the finals can be watched on the official Battle of Polytopia YouTube channel.
-
Part 1: Polytopia World Championship 1st Qualifiers Wrap-Up – BARDUR, IMPERIUS, KICKOO, ZEBASI
-
Part 2: Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Oumaji Hoodrick Yadakk & Quetzali – World Champoinship 2025
-
Part 3: Final Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Xin-Xi, Luxidoor, Ai-Mo & Vengir – World Championship 2025
-
Face-off stream: https://youtube.com/live/GnU6mWPoJiY?feature=share
To watch the finals live on December 6,visit here: https://polytopia.io/stream/
To stay up to date on the Polytopia World Championship 2025, or purchase one of the limited tickets for the live event, visit the official website or join the Official Polytopia Discord.
The post POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Betiator
Delasport Unveils a Crash Game for Sports Betting
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Leading iGaming supplier Delasport teases a one-of-a-kind sports betting crash game called Betiator – a new in-play experience that merges live sports with the tension and excitement of crash games.
Inspired by the groundbreaking casino genre, the company once again pushes the whole industry to a new phase in evolution by allowing sports bettors to play in the same easy and fun way as fellow casino players. Crash games are booming in the casino world, showing that players crave more emotional, fast, and visually engaging formats – and Betiator brings that same adrenaline-charged energy to the sportsbook.
It changes the scene by introducing a truly innovative way to bet on sports, keeping players at the edge of their seats during the game. Designed to excite both sports bettors and casino players, it marks a defining moment for innovation.
This product comes as a logical next step in the evolution of live betting and the company’s goal to disrupt the iGaming industry. It demonstrates Delasport’s successful commitment to unique innovation: a strategy they call “Going Beyond Content” –building on the success of products and features like SuperPot, My Sportsbook, My Combo, Double My Winnings, and many more.
“Sports bettors deserve the same level of innovation and excitement that casino players get all the time,” Delasport’s CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz says. “At Delasport we’re taking the whole game to a new playing field with Betiator. Live betting won’t feel outdated anymore as we’re bringing in the thrill of the casino to sports betting.”
While details about Betiator remain under wraps for now, Delasport promises a completely new way to experience live sports. Operators and partners eager to see it in action can schedule exclusive demos and discover more at ICE Barcelona 2026, taking place January 19–21, where Betiator will make its official debut.
The post Delasport Unveils a Crash Game for Sports Betting appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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