Gaming

Pixaera raises $5.7 million to empower people through play with its metaverse for professional learning and collaboration

Published

3 years ago

October 27, 2022

George Miller

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Pixaera’s app is built to the highest gaming standards with a focus on the global needs of enterprise businesses
A gaming studio, creating content to the standards of a AAA studio, Pixaera is helping enterprises move from traditional e-learning to highly-engaging 3D game-based learning
Businesses can access a library of learning experiences, allowing them to use Pixaera’s platform as a one-stop shop to build, deploy and measure immersive experiences at a global scale
The Seed funding round was led by LocalGlobe, and will be used to expand Pixaera’s team and further develop its platform to address even more learning needs worldwide

Pixaera – the immersive game-based learning platform dubbed ‘Roblox for Enterprise’ – has raised $5.7million in early-stage funding to bring the standard and engagement of high quality games from the world’s best studios to the professional world.

This funding consists of two rounds – $1.2 million of pre-seeding and $4.5 million led by early-stage EMEA investor, LocalGlobe. The founders of FACEIT, the leading competitive gaming platform for online multiplayer games, also participated; as did ERM, a leader in the renewable energy services sector, and York IE.

Built to bring the power, fun and emotion of online games like Roblox and Minecraft to the professional world, Pixaera is helping some of the world’s largest businesses upskill their workforce more effectively and efficiently. By leveraging the growing evidence that shows immersive training and VR are more effective than traditional methods, Pixaera’s highly-engaging immersive experiences bring a new paradigm to professional development in the workplace.

Closing the learning gap

Pixaera was founded in 2020 by avid gamer and industry veteran Mousa Yassin. Through his time playing the likes of Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft and more, he saw how gaming teaches players vital skills – from problem-solving, to creative thinking, teamwork, and goal-setting- whilst also being incredibly engaging.

“I started to wonder why the gaming industry, being so sophisticated and technologically mature, had not considered building for the corporate and professional world. There was such a gap between how players learn and collaborate organically and fluently in successful games, with the more old-school, unengaging learning experiences we have all been through as employees – even in roles where the stakes are high,” says CEO Mousa. “Gamers willingly spend hundreds of hours developing their skills while in contrast, companies pay vast sums for online content that has to be forced onto their workforce and fails to truly deliver value.”

Instead of making employees watch long training videos, or attend real-word, often expensive training exercises, Pixaera offers a growing catalogue of experiential VR and PC-based games. Each module is built using Pixaera’s development tools to address global training needs in safety, leadership, mental health and technical topics in a highly scalable way.

Pixaera has begun by addressing large industry standards that apply to millions of employees yearly. The product is being used by companies including Shell, GE, BP and more. To date, thousands of employees have used Pixaera’s immersive learning games to hone their skills, and 98% of these participants said they prefer Pixaera to any other training in their field.

However, the ambition of founder Mousa Yassin is to provide intuitive and simple tools for all experts, in any field, to build and deploy high-quality immersive 3D experiences as familiar and effective as the worlds of Minecraft and Roblox to a large ecosystem of professionals .

“There is no reason why VR/MR and gaming cannot be the leading tools for professional learning and collaboration across any industry, world-wide; as the technology develops, the applications are endless,” continues Mousa.

Bringing learning into the 21st century

Pixaera is a gaming platform for the professional world. The platform provides a single place to integrate, build, deploy, report and manage a growing list of next-level training simulations from safety to leadership, mental health and more. Once immersed in Pixaera games, via VR or PC, employees learn and hone their skills, and put theoretical training into practice in highly realistic environments. They can rehearse and repeat procedures to perfection.

By mirroring situations they find in their day-to-day job in a highly realistic way, trainees playing Pixaera’s games are also able to trigger real-world emotions. For example, the stressful feeling of being peer-pressured to cut corners, or the anxiety caused by seeing someone in danger because of your actions. It’s the sense of presence and the emotional connection that makes the games so impactful, while the immersive nature lends itself to the way humans interpret and retain information.

Pixaera’s learning platform can be integrated within each client’s learning management system, making it simple for learners to join training sessions and schedule development time. Clients can also cascade training through to a global workforce through a single app experience.

Pixaera’s fundraise comes as there is mounting evidence that learners absorb information and skills more effectively from immersive environments. Research from PWC found learners in immersive environments (such as VR) are 275% more confident in applying their skills. While a separate study by The University of Warwick found that not only does VR learning help people perform better in tests, but it has a positive impact on mood.

A collaborative platform for professionals

Pixaera’s ultimate aim is to to build an ecosystem of high-quality learning games created with the best global experts. Eventually, companies, topic experts and third party developers will be able to use Pixaera’s platform to develop their own, highly unique experiences. In the same way Roblox and Minecraft empower users to generate and share their own games, which in turn enhances the experiences of all users on these platforms, Pixaera is building a collaborative platform for professionals.

The funding will be used to expand Pixaera’s leading team of gaming and software developers, and to further advance the product.

Mousa Yassin, founder and CEO said: “We’re going through a transition. Video content is losing market share to interactive 3D worlds . A younger generation has grown up online, as familiar with gaming as with a classroom setting and they know which they prefer. By replicating the fun and absorbing nature of gaming, we can transform how professionals learn and connect with one another across all sectors and industries, with huge implications for productivity and business success.”

Ziv Reichert, partner at LocalGlobe said: “Our belief is that learning through ‘play’ is vastly more effective than learning through traditional educational formats. Playing is doing, playing is experiencing. The immersiveness of the medium creates real-lasting memories, which, in an educational context, translates directly to knowledge retention, retention that far outweighs that of video or text based learning. It is also fair to say that learning through gaming is significantly more enjoyable and that is not to be underestimated. There is now a whole generation of gamers entering the workforce who have grown up immersed in ‘play’ and will certainly opt to learn that way.”

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.