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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

TaDa Gaming joins inaugural iGaming AFRIKA Summit in Nairobi

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Supplier plans Stand A08 meetings on May 4-6 as it targets further growth across African iGaming markets.

TaDa Gaming will attend the inaugural iGaming AFRIKA Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 4-6, where it plans to meet partners and operators at Stand A08 as it targets further expansion across African markets.

The supplier said it is live in more than 16 countries and is preparing to launch in South Africa through new partnerships and collaborations. TaDa described its approach as a “glocalisation strategy” built around global core mechanics and localised content.

TaDa highlighted its Fortune Gems and Fortune Coins series—specifically Fortune Gems 500 and Fortune Coins 2—as key titles, alongside its market-tailored X Hot slots, including X7 Hot. The company also pointed to its mobile-first focus, citing “fast loading and lightweight deployment” to support local infrastructure and devices.

The company said its Africa footprint includes partnerships with betPawa, Hollywoodbets, World Sports Betting and Betway, as well as distribution via 1XBET and BetConstruct. TaDa previously won SiGMA Africa Slot Newcomer of the Year.

Ray Lee, Director of Business Development, TaDa Gaming, said: ‘We are consistently growing our brand awareness through new partnerships across multiple markets, increasing our know-how and positively impacting our ability to keep delivering the experiences players want. We welcome everyone to drop by Stand A08 to meet our dedicated team and find out more about what we can do for your African success.’

The post TaDa Gaming joins inaugural iGaming AFRIKA Summit in Nairobi appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Africa

Playson goes live with Betika in Kenya and Uganda

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The supplier enters Kenya via Betika, with the rollout deployed through the Casimba (Markor) aggregation platform.

Playson has entered the Kenyan market after going live with Betika, making its online casino content available to players in Kenya and Uganda.

The rollout includes Playson titles Thunder Coins: Hold and Win, 4 Pots Riches: Hold and Win, and Coin Strike: Hold and Win. The integration was delivered via the Casimba (Markor) aggregation platform, according to the companies.

Conor Jenner, Senior Sales Manager at Playson, said: “Entering the Kenyan market is a major milestone for Playson, and doing so alongside a leading operator like Betika makes this step even more impactful. Betika’s strong market presence and deep understanding of its players provide an excellent foundation for our content to perform from day one.

We have carefully adapted our infrastructure to meet local regulatory standards and operator requirements, ensuring a smooth rollout and high-quality player experience. We are excited about the opportunities this market presents and look forward to expanding our presence across Africa.”

Peter Stagles, Group Chief Product Officer at Betika, added: “We are pleased to partner with Playson and bring their globally recognised portfolio to our players in Kenya and Uganda. At Betika, we are continuously enhancing our offering by working with best-in-class partners to deliver engaging, high-quality entertainment experiences tailored to our markets.”

The post Playson goes live with Betika in Kenya and Uganda appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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GoldenRace and Spinmatic mark five years with aggregation partner Playlogiq

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The companies point to growth in Africa, with East Africa cited as a standout market since the relationship began on January 7, 2021.

GoldenRace and Spinmatic say they have reached the five-year mark of their partnership with Playlogiq, dating the start of the relationship to January 7, 2021. The companies positioned the collaboration as focused on distributing GoldenRace Virtual Sports and Spinmatic casino content via Playlogiq’s platform.

In the announcement, the companies pointed to Africa as the main growth region for the partnership, with East Africa highlighted as a particularly strong market. They also said mobile and online channels have been central to traffic volumes and content performance.

“Our collaboration with Playlogiq has always been about more than just a business transaction; it is a very strong and productive relationship between two companies that share a drive for excellence. By offering our full suite of verticals, Playlogiq has proven to be a vital partner in our mission to dominate key markets in Africa.” Martin Wachter, GoldenRace CEO and Founder.

Playlogiq CEO Baha Yahya said Spinmatic’s content has been a top performer on its network, adding: “Working with GoldenRace and Spinmatic since 2021 has allowed us to consistently provide our operators with the most engaging content on the market. The traffic we see, particularly through mobile and online channels, is a testament to the quality of the games. We’ve seen Spinmatic become our most successful product line by far, with the Sizzling Blaze series generating incredible engagement across the board.”

The companies also said GoldenRace Virtual Sports remains part of Playlogiq’s ongoing offering, while Spinmatic’s slots have led results within the partnership. No financials, GGR figures, or operator-level performance data were disclosed.

The post GoldenRace and Spinmatic mark five years with aggregation partner Playlogiq appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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