Industry News
LAN Parties: Revival and Evolution in 2023
In the early 2000’s, LAN (Local Area Network) parties made up a large part of what some call the golden age of gaming. But as Wifi connections became stronger and cheaper, multiplayer gaming moved online, and LAN parties took a step back from the limelight.
Even though they may seem extinct to some, there’s still a strong LAN scene. With Insomnia the Gaming Festival taking place from the 7th to the 10th of September, domain and hosting experts, and event guest, Fasthosts, wanted to explore the current state of LAN parties in 2023, rounding up some of the biggest events taking place worldwide.
Originating in the 70s, it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that LAN parties became the driving social gatherings of the gamer community. It was common to see teens transferring their heavy setups to friends’ houses to revel in hours worth of gameplay in bunker-like basements and dated living rooms. LAN parties were the first true form of multiplayer gaming and involved each player to BYOC (Bring our Own Computer), and gather together in the same physical location and connect their computers or consoles to play offline LAN-compatible games.
Nowadays, most game servers no longer support LAN connections. Nonetheless, informal small “friendly” events take place across the world alongside larger tournaments. Interestingly, they have witnessed a shift by partially merging with the competitive world of eSports. Many tournaments recognise the appeal and importance of keeping their novelty alive, and have incorporated social gaming, and BYOC areas where participants can enjoy more casual playing sessions with friends or acquaintances.
With their rich cultural history and nostalgia, they are still enjoyed by avid gamers worldwide and bridge the gap between the past and present world of gaming. In fact, there are plenty of events that promote LAN style gaming and casual play – here are some of the largest events that are reviving the classic spirit of gaming:
Insomnia the Gaming Festival (UK)
Insomnia is the biggest gaming festival in the UK. Each year it hosts eSport competitions, meet and greets, cosplay, and gaming-related events. Insomnia are hosting their i7i LAN party on the 10/09 where you can compete in tournaments or friendly battles.
QuakeCon (USA)
QuakeCon is an annual video game convention that takes place in Texas. It is primarily centred around id software’s game, especially the Quake series. It will be the first in-person event since 2019, and it is said that this year’s convention will bring greater emphasis to the BYOC side of the event.
LanTrek (Finland)
LanTrek is an annual gaming event that started in 2001. Aimed at all young people interested in computers, consoles, board games and gaming, it features competitive tournaments, exhibition areas, and a BYOC option where individuals can enjoy casual gaming with their friends.
The Gathering (Norway)
The gathering takes place in April of each year in the Viking Ship in Hamar. As Norway’s biggest computing event, they celebrate Easter with games, eSport competition, lectures, and concerts. It is also run entirely by volunteers and non-profit organisations.
Dreamhack (Worldwide)
Dreamhack is one of the largest LAN party and gaming festivals globally. It started in Sweden but soon popped up in various other locations, including the US, France, India, and Spain. Each event combines eSports, LAN gaming, concerts, meet and greets and more.
Gamers Assembly (France)
Unlike others on this list, Gamers Assembly is solely a LAN gaming event. Organised by the FutuoLAN association it attracts thousands of players each year looking to take part in the tournaments from popular eSport titles to more niche selections.
Assembly (Finland)
The biggest gaming convention in Finland, it attracts an average of 30,000 participants every event. Centred around gaming, eSports and digital culture, for the summer 23 edition, Assembly announced their largest ever LAN area to date.
PAX (USA & Australia)
PAX takes place in numerous locations around the US and Australia. Although primarily a gaming event it offers a BYOC/community playing option alongside other fun features such as talks, game demos, concerts, and tournaments.
ENJOY Gaming has expanded its live casino portfolio with the launch of Greek Roulette, an automated roulette product that adds multiplier mechanics to standard table gameplay.
The title is set in an ancient Greek-themed studio and uses an automated wheel. Alongside traditional inside and outside bets, each round includes a Lucky Numbers feature that randomly selects between one and twelve numbers and assigns multipliers of up to x777.
If a straight-up bet lands on a Lucky Number, the company said the standard payout is replaced by the assigned multiplier.
Elena Shestak, Art Director at ENJOY Gaming, said: “Greek Roulette demonstrates how traditional table products can be refreshed through careful design, forming part of a wider effort to evolve our live and automated portfolio consistently.
“By introducing Lucky Numbers and dynamic multipliers within a traditional framework, we’re focused on modernising established formats in ways that feel natural, recognisable, and distinctly ENJOY.”
The post ENJOY Gaming launches Greek Roulette with Lucky Numbers multipliers appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Games Global has paid out a €10,475,169.87 jackpot to a CasinoFriday player after a win on Fire & Roses Joker King Millions
, the supplier said.
Games Global said the prize is one of the largest payouts on its King Millions progressive jackpot network. The win came on Fire & Roses Joker King Millions, a title developed by Triple Edge Studios and connected to the King Millions network.
Ofir Gal-Mor, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience & Innovation at Games Global, said: “This €10,475,169.87 payout underlines the scale and reach of the King Millions network across our operator partners. We are proud to support CasinoFriday in delivering premium progressive content, and this result demonstrates the continued performance of Fire & Roses Joker King Millions within regulated markets.”
The CPO at Funnz, added: “We are delighted to congratulate our player on securing this remarkable €10.4 million King Millions jackpot win. At CasinoFriday, our focus is on providing high-quality entertainment to our community, and this milestone demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Games Global and the performance of its progressive network.”
Games Global said its progressive jackpot portfolio includes Mega Moolah, WowPot, King Millions, Maple Moolah and Lotsaloot, with a combined prize value exceeding €28m.
The post CasinoFriday player wins €10.48m on Games Global’s King Millions network appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ProphetX, America’s #1 sports prediction market, announced the appointments of three senior executives: Jesse Wachtel as Chief Financial Officer, Nathan Busscher as Chief Product Officer, and Damon Mercadante as Vice President of Growth Marketing. The hires represent a significant expansion of ProphetX’s leadership bench as the company advances its pending applications with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to become the first regulated U.S. exchange and clearinghouse with a sports-native foundation, built to scale across event-driven markets.
“As the prediction market landscape continues to evolve, ProphetX is excited to welcome Jesse, Nathan, and Damon to the leadership lineup to drive innovation and accelerate our next phase of growth. Together with the regulatory and compliance leadership we have already put in place, this team is built to win,” said ProphetX CEO and Co-Founder Dean Sisun.
Jesse Wachtel — Chief Financial Officer
Wachtel is a finance and strategy executive with deep expertise in B2B software and the digital iGaming sector. He brings a unique combination of financial rigor and operational fluency, having spent his career working alongside founders, operators, and investors to scale innovative platforms and drive measurable growth. His background spans capital deployment, financial planning, and hands-on leadership within growth-stage environments — giving him a ground-level understanding of how financial strategy connects to product development and go-to-market execution. At ProphetX, Wachtel is focused on building the financial infrastructure and strategic discipline needed to accelerate the company’s position in the market, combining a clear-eyed view of market dynamics with the executional focus that category-defining companies require. Wachtel holds a BS in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Nathan Busscher — Chief Product Officer
Busscher brings more than 20 years of experience in electronic trading and financial technology, having built trading platforms, clearing firms, retail broker-dealers, and market infrastructure across senior leadership roles at Click Capital Markets, FNZ Securities, Altruist Financial, and TradeStation. His work has spanned brokerage platform development, clearing strategies, and capital markets distribution systems — including platform redesigns, correspondent clearing initiatives, and the transition to self-clearing. His international experience includes electronic trading and market structure across Asia at Mizuho Securities and Lehman Brothers. At ProphetX, Busscher leads product strategy and execution, bringing the technical depth and institutional knowledge required to build a CFTC-regulated exchange from the ground up. Busscher holds an International MBA from the University of South Carolina and a BSBA from the University of West Florida.
Damon Mercadante — Vice President of Growth Marketing
Mercadante is a seasoned growth and marketing executive with a track record of building and scaling consumer platforms at some of the most recognizable brands in digital media and sports. Most recently he served as VP of Growth Marketing at Sleeper, one of the fastest-growing sports and fantasy apps in the country. Prior to Sleeper, he served as VP of Marketing for Streaming Services at Paramount, where he helped scale Paramount+ from launch to over 60 million global subscribers. His earlier career includes senior marketing and growth roles at CBS Interactive, MC Ventures, and eBay. Mercadante holds a BA in Biology from Yale University and an MBA from The Wharton School.
Last month, ProphetX announced the appointments of Bruce Fekrat as Chief Legal Officer and Gabriel Wong as Chief Compliance and Risk Officer as the company deepens its Washington presence and advances CFTC approval.
The post ProphetX Expands Senior Leadership Team to Drive Growth appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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