Gaming
BIDSTACK POWERS UP GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH KEY C-SUITE MOVES
Bidstack, the leading in-game advertising and video game monetization platform, today announces that Camila Franklin joins the company from AdColony as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Lisa Hau will step up to Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) following two and a half years in the COO role.
Camila Franklin brings more than two decades of gaming, mobile marketing and advertising technology experience to Bidstack. She was previously COO at AdColony, one of the largest gaming monetization platforms in the world, with a reach of more than 1.4 billion users. Camila Franklin was also named one of The Top Women Leaders in SaaS in 2020 and was a Bronze Stevie Award winner for Woman of the Year in the business services industry in 2021. Throughout her career, she has led engineering, product, operations, and client-facing teams and prior to AdColony held numerous leadership positions across the US and Latin America at companies such as Blaze, Navio Systems, Tira Wireless, Device Anywhere, Antenna Software, and Moovweb. Camila Franklin’s proven leadership credentials will operationalize and further enhance Bidstack’s growth ambitions following its recent funding round.
The addition of Camila Franklin as day-to-day operational lead will allow Lisa Hau to turn her full attention to strategy, corporate development, and commercial partnerships as CSO. A former head of investor relations at WPP, Jefferies Internet & Media analyst, and qualified Chartered Accountant, Lisa Hau will remain a member of Bidstack’s Board of Directors, steering the company in this critical growth period.
Just last week, Bidstack announced a successful fundraise of USD $11 million, including its first ever strategic investment, from digital platform cybersecurity world leader, Irdeto. This brought Bidstack’s total funding to USD $42 million – the most raised by any company in the in-game advertising industry to-date. The global in-game advertising market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11% to 2030, from its current estimated valuation of $7.6 billion.
Camila Franklin, Chief Operating Officer at Bidstack, commented:
“I am delighted to join Bidstack at such a pivotal moment in their journey. My previous success in scaling revenue at AdColony demonstrates my ability to optimize operational performance in gaming environments, and I’ve been fortunate to grow within the space and watch gaming go from a niche medium only tested by a few, to a multi-billion dollar vertical that has plenty of growth ahead. Bidstack has an opportunity to be the market leader, and I’m looking forward to helping them reach their full potential.”
Lisa Hau, Chief Strategy Officer at Bidstack, added:
“We are very excited to have someone with Camila’s experience and proven track record. Attracting talent of her caliber is a testament to Bidstack’s leading position in the market. Her background and operational experience will be key to driving the Company’s next phase of growth. With the strength of our recent hires, successful raise, and buoyant market activity in gaming and ad-tech it’s the perfect time for me personally to step into a more strategic role.”
Since launching into in-game advertising in 2017 with Sports Interactive’s legendary Football Manager series, Bidstack has run award-winning in-game campaigns for brands such as Marriott Bonvoy, Paco Rabanne, and Doritos, and works with world-leading game publishers such as Codemasters, and Take-Two Interactive.
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Africa
South Africa’s Top Gamers Crowned at 2025 MTN SHIFT Gaming Grand Finals at Canal Walk
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Massive wins, standout talent and a showdown wrapped up five months of fierce competition across the country.
After months of qualifiers and regional heats at eight Hyprop malls across South Africa, the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience reached its electrifying conclusion at Canal Walk Shopping Centre. With hundreds of spectators and players packing the gaming arena, the national finals brought the heat and crowned South Africa’s best in EAFC 25
, Beat Saber, Call of Duty and more.
In the EAFC National Final, Hamza Moosa (17) from Sandton, proved why he’s one of the country’s most exciting young talents. A professional esports player for Goliath Gaming, Moosa outplayed the competition to take top honours. A familiar name on the international stage, he recently represented South Africa at the Esports World Cup qualifier in Saudi Arabia. Hamza left the MTN SHIFT Gaming national finals with prize money of R25000.
Beat Saber fans saw a fast-paced, high-score battle won by Michael Prange (17) from Pretoria and Garsfontein High School. Ranked #2 nationally, Prange is also a two-time Beat Saber World Cup competitor and has helped shape South Africa’s competitive VR rhythm community through coaching, mentorship, and global participation. As the 2025 MTN SHIFT Gaming Beat Saber national champion, Michael won a Gaming PC valued at R50000.
In the schools division, Ridhaa April, 15, from Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, took the EAFC title. A prodigious talent who’s been competing since the age of 12, Ridhaa plays professionally for Goliath Gaming and already holds multiple top finishes, including 1st place at the 2025 ASL.
In the Rocket League school tournament, Curro took top spot, followed by Edgemead High in second place.
Meanwhile, Call of Duty Mobile closed out the finals with serious intensity as returning champions Nixuh held onto their title. The dominant team of Magicz (Raees Ismail), Adnaan (Adnaan Bhamjee), Raz (Rahil Bux) and Enigma (Jameen Essa) walked away with a R30 000 cash prize.
“The atmosphere at this year’s finals was absolutely electric,” said Vanessa Herbst, Marketing Manager at Canal Walk Shopping Centre. “The level of skill on display was unreal, and the crowd brought their energy every day. The bar has been set very high for the 2026 edition.”
The MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience is South Africa’s biggest mall-based gaming tournament, played over five months across Gauteng and the Western Cape. Regional heats were hosted at Rosebank Mall, Clearwater Mall, The Glen, Woodlands, Table Bay Mall, Somerset Mall and Capegate Shopping Centre, with the final week of competition culminating at Canal Walk. The tournament drew thousands of players across all skill levels, offering more than R250 000 in prizes and a platform to compete in front of live audiences.
“The SHIFT Gaming Experience is about bringing high-level competition into public spaces and giving players of all ages the opportunity to compete, connect and grow,” said Christie Stanbridge, Brand and Campaigns Marketing Manager at Hyprop. “From pros representing South Africa on global stages to young players discovering their potential, far more than being entertaining, this year highlighted gaming as a space for learning, discipline and community.”
With the 2025 tournament wrapped, planning is already underway for an even bigger return in 2026.
The post South Africa’s Top Gamers Crowned at 2025 MTN SHIFT Gaming Grand Finals at Canal Walk appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Bonus Bag feature
TaDa Gaming Delivers Highway Thrills in Chicken Dash
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Award-winning TaDa has taken a favourite joke and transformed it into an immersive and humorous crash release. Simple mechanics, personalised risk management controls and a max win of 20,659.1x are enhanced with slick graphics and a fearless chicken.
And with an expanding bonus bag that fell off the back of a lorry, it’s easy to see why this chicken is so determined to get to the other side.
Players begin by setting their preferred gameplay parameters. Three levels of Easy, Normal and Hard will dictate the level length or number of tiles the bird has to cross and the level max multiplier value.
Strong clear colours and polished visuals set the scene for the determined chicken to make it across the motorway. Beginning on the grass verge, players click to send the bird across the lanes one multiplier tile at a time against the oncoming traffic.
Each safe step will see a safety barrier land to protect the chicken but one false move and it’s game over and back to the grass verge.
Keeping players on high alert, the Chicken Dash feature can randomly trigger multiple times in a game. The appearance and squawking of the rooster starts the bonus feature which protects the chicken from traffic throughout and allows it to pass over two or three tiles in one go.
A Bonus Bag feature can also randomly trigger. Players must land the chicken on the tile where the bag dropped to collect the prize. And the higher the risk level, the higher the prize.
A clear UI and straightforward gameplay mean players can focus on getting the chicken across the road in one piece – and hopefully with the bonus prize – while enjoying Chicken Dash’s crisp graphics and sly details in this high volatility and amusing game.
Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “Chicken Dash is a hugely entertaining crash game that will have players laughing out loud. The cartoon graphics add to the experiential play and we promise no chickens were hurt in making of this game.”
The post TaDa Gaming Delivers Highway Thrills in Chicken Dash appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Cash Rain Event
TaDa Gaming Releases Cash Stack
Reading Time: < 1 minute
TaDa Gaming, a leading provider of innovative casino content, is redefining fast-play entertainment with the release of Cash Stack, an adrenaline-pumping crash game that puts timing, control and strategy directly in the player’s hands. With a max multiplier of 100x, Cash Stack delivers rapid gameplay, instant decisions and nonstop engagement.
Built for players who love simplicity and control, Cash Stack starts at a 1.01x multiplier, with the tension rising as players manually tap DROP to increase their payout potential. Every decision carries risk — one mistimed move and the round ends instantly. For those who dare, the game can soar up to 100x before the stack collapses.
The twist comes with the Cash Rain Event, a random in-game boost that can multiply winnings by 0.1x to 10x. Players must hit CASH OUT before the round ends to claim the bonus value, adding a thrilling layer of timing and anticipation. The result is a fast, skill-driven experience that rewards quick reactions and nerve.
Cash Stack embodies TaDa Gaming’s next step in the evolution of crash games — sleek visuals, simple mechanics and an emphasis on player control over automatic outcomes.
Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “Cash Stack takes the essence of crash gameplay and turns it into a true test of timing and instinct. Every round is a balance between greed and precision — do you cash out early or chase the big win? We’ve designed it to be fast, flexible, and highly engaging for players who want to feel in control.”
The post TaDa Gaming Releases Cash Stack appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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