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South Africa’s Top Gamers Crowned at 2025 MTN SHIFT Gaming Grand Finals at Canal Walk

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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.

Africa

Blueprint Gaming Expands into South Africa Through Strategic Partnership with Hollywoodbets

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Blueprint Gaming™ has enhanced its foothold in the South African market via a major alliance with top operator Hollywoodbets, offering a wider range of its globally acclaimed slot titles to players in the area.

Although Blueprint has been operational in South Africa since late 2025, this agreement signifies its initial significant launch with a top-tier operator in the country, highlighting a key advancement in its long-term regional plan.

Through the collaboration, Hollywoodbets will launch a variety of Blueprint’s most recognized and top-performing games, featuring its successful Cash Strike series and the consistently favored Fishin’ Frenzy, along with a selection of celebrated IP-based titles like Ted™.

Blueprint has established a reputation for merging well-known intellectual property with robust mathematical models and focused gameplay, producing titles that consistently appeal across regulated markets. The addition of this portfolio to Hollywoodbets’ live game selection further enriches the operator’s content variety, offering players reliable games supported by global performance credentials.

South Africa ranks among the most advanced and established gaming markets in Africa, backed by a strong regulatory system and a rich history of retail betting. As digital adoption speeds up and online casinos keep rising in popularity, the market offers substantial long-term growth opportunities for high-quality content providers.

Through a collaboration with Hollywoodbets, one of the leading betting brands in the country, Blueprint gains instant access to a vast, active customer base along with extensive local market knowledge. The partnership enables the studio to achieve significant growth in South Africa, while also creating a strategic base for broader expansion throughout the African continent.

Sam Haggblom, Director of Business Development at Blueprint Gaming™, said: “South Africa represents a compelling opportunity for Blueprint. It is a mature and well-established market with a clear appetite for high-quality online casino content.

“Introducing our wide and performance-focused portfolio through Hollywoodbets allows us to showcase the depth and versatility of our games to a new audience. We see strong long-term potential not only in South Africa but across the wider African landscape.”

Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets, added: “Blueprint Gaming’s portfolio has delivered consistent results across multiple regulated markets worldwide.

“The addition of established brands such as Cash Strike and Fishin’ Frenzy further strengthens our online casino offering, enabling us to continue providing players with proven, high-quality and internationally recognised content.”

The post Blueprint Gaming Expands into South Africa Through Strategic Partnership with Hollywoodbets appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Africa

Amusnet Wins “Best Slot Game Provider” Award at the SiGMA Africa Awards 2026

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Amusnet has won the Best Slot Game Provider award at the SiGMA Africa Awards 2026, held on March 3rd during the SiGMA Africa expo in Cape Town. The recognition comes at a special moment for the company as it celebrates its 10th anniversary, highlighting Amusnet’s position as one of the most trusted and high-performing providers across the continent. By successfully bridging global expertise with a deep understanding of local market dynamics, the company continues to strengthen its presence and impact in the African gaming market.

The award serves as a testament to Amusnet’s diverse portfolio, which is meticulously crafted around timeless mechanics, iconic themes and excellent mathematical models.

“Winning ‘Best Slot Game Provider’ is a significant milestone that reflects our on-the-ground dedication to the African market. We aim to build lasting partnerships by delivering games that players truly enjoy and that operators can trust,” said Cameron Green, Country Manager at Amusnet Africa.

This accolade further highlights Amusnet’s global expansion as a leading online provider, marking an important milestone as the company celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, Amusnet has strengthened its presence across international markets, delivering engaging gaming experiences across multiple channels while building a reputation as a trusted partner to operators worldwide.

The post Amusnet Wins “Best Slot Game Provider” Award at the SiGMA Africa Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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VeliGames Secures SiGMA Africa’s Industry Rising Star Award

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VeliGames, a game aggregation platform from VeliTech, has received the Industry Rising Star award at the SiGMA Africa 2026 Awards, highlighting the platform’s swift innovation and significant influence on African iGaming.

The Industry Rising Star award highlights a developing company that displays remarkable potential, creativity, and influence, rapidly positioning itself as a forthcoming leader in the iGaming sector. It emphasizes VeliGames’ dedication to providing not just a content pipeline, but also genuine innovation and a comprehensive growth engine for operators in developing markets.

“Winning the SiGMA Africa Award for Industry Rising Star 2026 is a proud moment for our team. From day one, we built VeliGames with African operators in mind, combining local-fit content, practical tooling, and pricing that makes sense on the ground. We back it all up with hands-on operational know-how from working in the region. That’s what being a true content partner looks like.” Irakli Kakhidze, CEO at VeliGames.

Tailored for Africa’s infrastructure challenges, device characteristics, and user habits, VeliGames provides a performance-oriented casino content layer aimed at thriving in areas where conventional, high-bandwidth aggregation methods struggle. Rather than solely competing based on catalogue size, VeliGames prioritizes the key factors that genuinely contribute to casino success in Africa: speed, accessibility, conversion, and session stability.

The platform delivers content in a highly efficient, mobile-centric setting designed to function dependably amid variable connectivity, restricted device storage, and brief gaming sessions, assisting operators in ensuring seamless gameplay and enhanced player experiences on a larger scale.

Alongside curated third-party titles, the platform includes exclusive in-house content:

  • VeliPlay: bold, crash-and-fast titles built for immersion, retention, and high replay value
  • Heaven of 7: high-impact slot content designed for strong engagement, session after session

Visit VeliTech at Stand 096 from March 3-5 to learn why VeliGames was honored as the Industry Rising Star. Discover live game demonstrations, witness performance features in action, and learn how operators can create unique iGaming brands with a platform designed for regional requirements.

The post VeliGames Secures SiGMA Africa’s Industry Rising Star Award appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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