Latest News

How remakes and remasters are driving the UK gaming economy

Published

6 years ago

August 11, 2020

George Miller

Reading Time: 4 minutes

With 37.3 million gamers, the UK gaming industry is the biggest in Europe
New report finds remastered games to be a driving force behind industry growth
Gaming is more accessible than ever thanks to the rise of mobile gaming

Nineties teens are 69%1 more likely than the national average to spend between 21 and 28 hours gaming every week. And with this age group 47% more likely to have access to a Nintendo Switch, PS4 (42%) and Xbox One (44%), a new report reveals how developers are tapping into this market to drive the UK gaming economy.

From the impact of remakes and remasters, to how digital downloads are changing the industry, online smartphone retailer, Mobiles.co.uk, has taken an in-depth look at how the UK’s gaming industry is evolving.

The study reveals that the UK gaming industry has experienced huge growth in the past 10 years, with retail sales revenue between 2009 and 2019 increasing by a huge 72.6%2. Further insight also reveals that in 2019, the entire UK video game industry generated a huge £5.35 billion1 in revenue, with £3.77 billion3 of that total generated from video game software sales. But with an impressive 37.3 million4 gamers in the UK alone, what exactly is contributing to this growth?

According to Mobiles.co.uk’s report, the trend for remastered games including Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Resident Evil 2 and The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening, all play significant roles in the growth of the gaming industry here in the UK.

The new UKIE UK Top Selling Games List for 2019 revealed the below remakes/remastered games were amongst the top 100 best selling boxed games sold in 2019, while the more recent Final Fantasy VII remake quickly became one of the PS4’s best selling game to date:

Rank	Title	Monthly Search Volume
16	Crash Bandicoot N.SaneTrilogy	6,6005
21	Resident Evil 2	27,1005
32	The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening	8,1005

Still remaining in the top 20 for the UK’s best-selling games of 2019 two years after its release, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy receives around 6,600 unique searches every month4, its continuing popularity indicates that British gamers are becoming increasingly nostalgic when it comes to their gaming choices.

Crash Bandicoot also features at number 21 in the 2019 list. The remaster spiked the interest of gamers in the UK with a huge 49% increase in search volume over the past 12 months alone5. With an average of 27,100 monthly searches5, the franchise’s decision to reboot this classic was certainly welcomed by the industry, indicating there is a huge appetite for nostalgic gameplay here in the UK.

The final remaster included in the list of the top-selling games is The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening. Originally launched on the Game Boy in 1993, the remake was designed for the Nintendo Switch. As of March 2020, the new Link’s Awakening had sold more than four million copies globally6, and it’s one of the best-selling games of all time for the Nintendo Switch.

Lee Chambers, Psychologist and gaming expert, commented on the research: “Gaming and nostalgia are heavily interconnected, to the point where it fuels trends and shapes the industry direction. Video games are incredible triggers for nostalgia, anchoring us back to an often carefree time, when we had fewer responsibilities and gaming became a social construct as groups of children all sat around in a bedroom socialising while playing.

“The reality of the industry is that nostalgic gamers are now the ones with purchasing power to relive past glories fighting dragons of their youth, while being decision-makers for buying games as presents for their children. And that is gradually shaping the industry, risk aversion for the new, settling for the old. Your average early millennial is approaching 40. They don’t have the time they did as a child to form an emotional bond to a game’s story with life’s distractions, but a remake removes that barrier, making it all the more attractive.”

The new study also reveals the impact digital downloads are having on the industry, with over two thirds (70%)6 of the UK’s total video game sales revenue, generating a total of £2.63 billion6, coming from digital downloads. Even more remarkably, 42%6 of this revenue came directly from mobile games, indicating a shift in the industry towards smartphone gaming.

The report indicates that UK gamers are not only changing the way they purchase games but thanks to recent advancements in smartphone technology – including cinematic displays, advanced GPUs and even the introduction of high-speed 5G – they’re also expanding the devices they play on.

With a projected 2%7 compound annual growth rate, the huge surge in the mobile gaming sector is predicted to maintain its momentum in 2020 and beyond. An estimated 21 million people in the UK played a mobile game in 20197, with 19% of users aged 18 to 24, 37% falling in the 25-34 age bracket and 23% aged 35-447.

Andrew Cartledge, mobile expert at Mobiles.co.uk, says “In the UK, and all across the world, there’s no doubt that the gaming industry is growing at a rapid speed. The excitement for the next remake or remaster makes sure there’s still a place for the old, while the huge shift towards digital assures the industry and its consumers can keep up with the new.

“Mobile gaming is already huge in 2020 and will only get bigger in the years to come. If you’re interested in trying out some of the very best mobile games like PUBG and Fortnite for yourself, make sure you have a powerful handset to play on.”

For the full report on the UK gaming industry, mobile gaming, remasters and more, please visit: https://www.mobiles.co.uk/blog/understanding-the-uk-gaming-industry-mobiles-remasters-and-more/#fn1

Europe

European Online Gambling Industry Faces Tough Offshore Choice

Published

12 hours ago

May 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

european-online-gambling-industry-faces-tough-offshore-choice

The slow death of grey markets in Europe and the increasingly clear line between regulated spaces and the black market is set to divide the entire industry in two, including suppliers.

With almost all major European markets having adopted or being well on their way to enacting a full licensing regime for online gambling, the battle lines between what is on- and off-shore are clearer than ever.

For those nations that persist with restrictions on some sectors, like the continued monopoly in Norway or France’s ban on online casinos, it’s becoming nearly impossible to justify doing business in spite of these prohibitions – even for suppliers.

Regulators in the rest of Europe increasingly expect their licensees to follow not just their rules, but those of their fellow authorities across the continent.

Where once expectations of good behaviour were reserved exclusively for operators, B2B companies are now subject to the same scrutiny.

For the past few years, there has been a general building of pressure on suppliers, but this year B2B compliance has moved from a growing trend to become the status quo for the sector.

Where do you stand?

The industry is being asked to pick a side and even to play the role of regulator itself, in some cases.

“We understand that at least one piece of recent B2B regulatory enforcement [in the UK] may have come as a result of a B2C operator effectively reporting one of its suppliers,” said Andy Danson, the head of Bird & Bird’s international gambling practice.

It’s becoming clear that a meaningful percentage of operators have fully bought into the idea that those who continue to exist in European black or grey are threats to their bottom line.

Speaking on a recent webinar organised by his firm, Danson added: “There is an increasing use of commercial pressure and accountability alongside regulatory enforcement, and there is this growing expectation that licensed businesses consider who they support.”

Danson notes that, in his view, the burden on operators to self-police their industry is probably becoming too large.

“How much can a regulator really expect B2C licensees to regulate their suppliers? It is ultimately the regulator’s job to do that, and B2C really should be able to rely on their suppliers having a local license.”

This backwards pressure is also being exerted on suppliers in jurisdictions where they are required to obtain their own licenses.

Regulators expect suppliers not to sell their content to operators who service their local black market and look dimly on supplying companies active in illegal markets in any part of the world.

Gone are the days when these authorities would accept the excuse that aggregators are ultimately responsible for providing game content to these offshore operators. Instead, suppliers risk enforcement if they do not have oversight of the entire supply chain their products exist in.

Dealmakers

This pressure coming in from every angle leads to only one inevitable conclusion: M&A activity.

As suppliers are forced to choose either to abandon their high profit margin offshore clients or their reliable onshore customers, the possibility of dividing into two parts becomes more and more compelling.

“I think businesses will very likely look to separate and restructure, particularly where they currently have a real mix of regulated and unregulated market activities,” said Danson.

“We certainly saw similar trends five to ten years ago when the regulatory focus on this sort of issue was more on the B2B side,” he added.

This move would be driven partly by modern regulatory complexities, but also the impact of US investors entering the gambling market more prominently over the past five years.

US-based capital tends to be more skittish about any activity with uncertain regulatory backing and its law enforcement authorities are not shy about exerting their authority extraterritorially.

“International market exposure is becoming more and more relevant in an investment and M&A context,” Danson confirmed.

A dilemma

Those gambling businesses choosing the regulated environment are at least finding their authorities more willing than in previous years to take proactive action against the black market.

In the UK, the Gambling Commission has received a grant of £26m from the government to step up its work against illegal online gambling, for example.

Regulators are also understood to be sharing more information than ever before about the main bad actors afflicting their markets, through organizations like the Gambling Regulators Europe Forum (GREF).

Although it’s worth noting that officials also say they are swapping notes on the activities of their licence-holders as well, in yet a further example of international compliance becoming a local issue.

This, along with an atmosphere of zero compromise when it comes to tightening regulations, has created a situation where the choice between on- and off-shore is not a simple one.

Andy Danson summed up the problem: “By creating an environment which has become so burdensome and challenging for regulated markets to operate, and then challenging operators and suppliers to pick a side, regulators perhaps shouldn’t be all that surprised when some operators out there might not necessarily choose the side that they want them to.”

The post European Online Gambling Industry Faces Tough Offshore Choice appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Brazil

EGB Group launches institutional portal to strengthen corporate presence in iGaming in Brazil

Published

15 hours ago

May 22, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

egb-group-launches-institutional-portal-to-strengthen-corporate-presence-in-igaming-in-brazil

EGB Group (Esportes Gaming Brasil), owner of Esportes da Sorte, Onabet and Lottu, has launched its new institutional portal, bringing governance, strategy and corporate operations together in a single digital environment.

The initiative aims to structure the group’s institutional presence and increase transparency across its processes, operational pillars and expansion projects.

The portal features dedicated sections such as Compliance, ESG, Ecosystem and a fully structured Press Room, improving access for partners, media and regulatory authorities to compliance information and strategic initiatives.

According to Iury Tavares, Media Relations Manager at EGB Group, the launch reflects an already consolidated internal evolution.

“The launch of our institutional website materializes EGB Group as an ecosystem.

We are no longer seen only as isolated consumer brands, but as an integrated structure with different business fronts connected by a common purpose of innovation and market leadership.”

Camyla Lima, Branding and Creative Manager, added that the new platform also improves how this structure is communicated.

“The new corporate identity balances the energy of entertainment with the rigor of a structured operation.

We developed an interface that prioritizes institutional storytelling and ecosystem navigation, making it easier to understand how the brands are integrated.”

The more sober visual identity reinforces the group’s institutional positioning in a regulated market and reflects its organizational culture, recognized by its Great Place to Work certification and a workforce of around 1,000 direct and indirect jobs.

With employees placed at the center of the communication strategy, the launch was also supported by internal activations across offices in São Paulo and Recife and corporate channels.

Beyond governance, the portal highlights the group’s broader social impact initiatives.

It showcases support for street carnival blocks and official sponsorships of major Carnival celebrations across Brazil, including traditional hubs such as Recife and Olinda.

Social responsibility projects such as Costura Cidadã, support for waste pickers during major events, and partnerships with NGOs focused on river cleaning are also featured.

In sports, the group maintains sponsorships with clubs including Corinthians, Náutico, Ferroviária and Ceará, as well as support for inclusive sports initiatives.

A key highlight of the portal is the company’s investment in Brazilian technology development that underpins its operations.

The group details its use of proprietary platforms to ensure technical autonomy and compliance with requirements set by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA/MF).

This structure also includes the use of artificial intelligence for personalization and security, contributing to formal job creation and revenue generation across digital advertising and sports-related sectors.

Esportes Gaming Brasil

Esportes Gaming Brasil is one of the leading betting groups in the country, operating under a fully Brazilian structure with an official licence granted by the Ministry of Finance through SPA/MF. The authorisation covers its three brands: Esportes da Sorte, Onabet and Lottu, with nationwide operations across Brazil.

A benchmark in innovation and a strong advocate of market regulation, the group is committed to responsible gaming and continuous investment in user protection technologies, while generating hundreds of jobs.

Beyond sports betting, Esportes Gaming Brasil invests consistently in sports, culture and social projects. It is a master sponsor of clubs such as Corinthians, Ceará, Ferroviária and Náutico, and supports major cultural initiatives.

This include Galo da Madrugada and Carnival celebrations across Recife, Olinda, Salvador, Maceió, Natal, Caicó, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as the Parintins Festival. The brand also expands its digital presence through creative campaigns and influencer partnerships, strengthening its connection with audiences across online platforms.

The post EGB Group launches institutional portal to strengthen corporate presence in iGaming in Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

2026 FIFA World Cup

Media Troopers brings its sports betting expertise to Peru ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Published

17 hours ago

May 22, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

media-troopers-brings-its-sports-betting-expertise-to-peru-ahead-of-the-2026-fifa-world-cup

Media Troopers, the leading digital and customer acquisition group, has announced it will enter Peru’s regulated market to offer its sports betting and prediction market services ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada, and Mexico, is a defining moment for the global online wagering industry, and one that Media Troopers aims to help operators capitalize on.

Peru is one of LatAm’s newest regulated markets, launching in 2024.

It’s home to more than 60 online operators, with its gaming regulator having granted 120 licenses since the launch.

In 2024, Peru’s regulated market was valued at $2.7 billion, with analysts expecting projected growth to reach $7.6 billion by 2033.

Media Troopers CEO Shmulik Segal says that Peru’s current regulated market represents the early stages of regulated sports betting in the US, noting that it currently boasts strong consumer demand and rapid operator expansion.

“Media Troopers is bringing mature-market expertise into Peru at precisely the moment the market is ready to scale,” Segal said.

By entering Peru, Media Troopers can offer its wide range of marketing and acquisition tools to operators in the region.

That includes providing operators with soccer-focused marketing channels, access to a variety of existing publishers and affiliates, and localized features that help operators scale their platforms to reach a more tailored audience, increase engagement, and build a trusting brand presence in the area.

Media Troopers has positioned itself as the gateway between exporting North American betting infrastructure into new, emerging markets, as it prepares for the next evolution of online wagering.

MediaTroopers was founded in 2019 with the vision of providing legal, safe, and responsible gambling alternatives to sports bettors and casino players.

Since then, the company has grown to operate in over 40 jurisdictions across North America.

MediaTroopers leverages decades of digital marketing experience, extensive in-house media buying knowledge, mobile advertising expertise, a robust technical infrastructure, and an extensive network of in-house and affiliated publishers to acquire paying customers for the world’s top gambling operators, including BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers and more.

The post Media Troopers brings its sports betting expertise to Peru ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.