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2021 has already overtaken 2020 with more female-led games
While women make up nearly half of all gamers, a continued study by Buzz Bingo has revealed that only 12% of next-generation video games exclusively feature a female protagonist, with 2020 being the worst year yet for female representation.
As part of this continued study, Buzz Bingo analysed every game released on PlayStation and Xbox since 2016 to see how female representation in the gaming industry has developed, as well as how this representation is unfolding in 2021.
1. PlayStation Games Year-on-Year
- Our research showed us that 2020 was the lowest year in terms of the number of female-led games released on PlayStation consoles, with only 14 games (8.6%) released that year featuring a female protagonist.
- 2021 is already looking more promising in terms of the number of games set to be released featuring a female lead, with 23 games (18.4%) with a female protagonist having been announced so far.
| Year | Female | Male | Mixed | Ambiguous/NA/TBC | Total |
| 2016 | 27 | 120 | 97 | 62 | 306 |
| 2017 | 49 | 85 | 115 | 61 | 310 |
| 2018 | 27 | 90 | 98 | 42 | 257 |
| 2019 | 22 | 87 | 91 | 24 | 224 |
| 2020 | 14 | 53 | 67 | 29 | 163 |
| 2021 | 23 | 50 | 30 | 22 | 125 |
2. Xbox Games Year-on-Year
- In three out of the six years we analysed, only 9 of the games that were released for Xbox consoles featured a female lead.
- So far, 2021 already ranks second for the highest number of female protagonist led games for Xbox, with 14 games (12.8%) featuring a female lead having been announced or released.
| Year | Female | Male | Multiple Options | Ambiguous/NA/TBC | Total |
| 2016 | 16 | 83 | 54 | 34 | 187 |
| 2017 | 9 | 49 | 65 | 21 | 144 |
| 2018 | 10 | 46 | 56 | 29 | 141 |
| 2019 | 9 | 49 | 74 | 16 | 148 |
| 2020 | 9 | 27 | 49 | 22 | 107 |
| 2021 | 14 | 43 | 30 | 22 | 109 |
3. The New Generation: Xbox Series X/S and PS5
- Research from Buzz Bingo has revealed that only 51 games (12%) out of the 414 confirmed PS5 and Xbox Series X/S exclusively feature a female protagonist compared to 139 (34%) games with a male-only lead.
- 33% of all games had both male and female protagonists or allowed the user to customise the gender.
| Gender of Lead(s) | Xbox Series X/S | PlayStation 5 | Xbox % | PS5 % | Total % |
| Female | 21 | 30 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Male | 58 | 81 | 31% | 35% | 34% |
| Multiple Options | 68 | 68 | 37% | 30% | 33% |
| Ambiguous/NA/TBC | 38 | 50 | 21% | 22% | 21% |
Methodology
- We analysed every game released on PlayStation and Xbox since 2016, and then manually checked each game to find out whether the playable character was male, female, ambiguous or had mixed options.
- We then broke this down to find out the best and worst years for female representation in video games.
- To determine gender, we researched wiki pages for the individual games and searched for the corresponding pronouns when necessary.
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Booming Games
New Fish Tales Colossal Catch: Link & Loot Released by Booming Games
- Booming Games has launched Fish Tales Colossal Catch: Link & Loot, the latest game in the hit Fish Tales series
- The game boasts a 5×3 grid with 10 paylines, alongside a maximum win of 10,000x
- Players can unlock two exciting bonus features; free spins and the all-new Link & Loot
Booming Games, a top supplier of high-quality gaming content, has today released Fish Tales Colossal Catch: Link & Loot. Featuring a 5×3 layout with 10 paylines, offering high stakes with a top win of 10,000x a wager, this is the newest entry in Booming Games’ popular Fish Tales series.
Link & Loot is a brand-new function where players arrive and capture fish to win rewards. Participants who stock their barrel with fish to observe their haul increase and possibly reveal significant multiplier rewards. Connect symbols to form massive symbols; the larger the catch, the greater the reward!
Placed against a stunning tropical backdrop, adorned with palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and engaging animations, the game showcases a variety of Colossal Fish icons. These are capable of providing Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand awards.
To enhance the possibility of achieving a huge win, players can also activate eight Free Spins by revealing three or more Scatters.
Craig Asling, Director of Games at Booming Games, said: “Fish Tales Colossal Catch: Link & Loot is the ultimate underwater adventure, where every spin could land your biggest catch. The Fish Tales series has been a big hit with players across the globe. Now with the brand new Link & Loot feature with ‘colossal’ win potential, bonus features and vibrant visuals on offer, this latest iteration is an awesome addition to the existing lineup of games. Now is the time to get swept away in the fun!”
The post New Fish Tales Colossal Catch: Link & Loot Released by Booming Games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Akshay Rajagopal
Fireplace Raises $1.5M to Build Institutional Trading Infrastructure for Prediction Markets
Fireplace, a professional trading terminal for prediction markets, announced a $1.5 million pre-seed round to bring institutional trading infrastructure to one of the fastest growing asset classes in history. The round was led by Frachtis, with participation from White Star Capital and several other notable VCs and Angel Investors, including Syndicate rounds on Legion and Echo.
Fireplace offers what prediction markets always lacked: a unified terminal that aggregates markets, liquidity, and execution across prediction market venues. Fireplace delivers real-time data, institution-grade execution, advanced charting, wallet, whale, and insider tracking, and discovery. Wallet technology and automations are powered by in-house Enclave Money infrastructure.
As prediction markets fragment across platforms and chains, Fireplace is being built to support cross-venue aggregation with smart-order-routing. Rather than forcing traders to manually compare prices and liquidity across venues, Fireplace will intelligently route orders when the same market exists in multiple places.
“Prediction markets are one of the most powerful financial primitives, but the user experience hasn’t caught up. Trading feels slow and information-poor, Fireplace fixes that by giving traders the fastest, most intelligent terminal,” said Sumer Malhotra, Co-Founder and CEO of Fireplace.
Prediction markets have exploded over the past year, becoming a core venue for macro-events, sports, crypto events, and elections. Despite this growth, tooling remains fragmented, slow, and information-poor.
Akshay Rajagopal, Co-Founder and CTO, added: “Prediction markets needed their own Bloomberg Terminal. Fireplace brings real-time infrastructure and execution that simply didn’t exist before.”
Fireplace sits above existing prediction markets, aggregating markets, traders, and liquidity into a single interface.
“Fireplace is building the professional interface that markets like Polymarket have been missing – the data, speed, and tooling that serious traders expect. This will unlock a new category for prediction markets, allowing pro-traders and institutions to participate in a new asset class,” said Xavier Meegan, CIO of Frachtis.
The post Fireplace Raises $1.5M to Build Institutional Trading Infrastructure for Prediction Markets appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Adventure One QSS
Dutch Gambling Authority Imposes Penalty on Adventure One QSS for Illegal Gambling
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has imposed a penalty on Adventure One QSS Inc. for illegal gambling. Adventure One offers games of chance on the Dutch market under the Polymarket brand name, without a license. The KSA has called on Polymarket to cease its activities immediately. If it fails to do so, the company will be fined €420,000 per week, with a maximum of €840,000.
Polymarket has been frequently in the news in recent months, particularly regarding betting on the Dutch elections. Although Polymarket itself states that prediction markets do not fall under the category of gambling, the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has taken a different stance. After contacting the company about its illegal activities on the Dutch market, there has been no visible change, and the offering remains available. The Netherlands Gambling Authority therefore imposed this order, subject to a penalty. A turnover-related fine may also be imposed at a later date.
Ella Seijsener, director of licensing and supervision at the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), said: “Prediction markets are on the rise, including in the Netherlands. These types of companies offer bets that are not permitted in our market under any circumstances, not even by license holders. Besides the social risks of these kinds of predictions (for example, the potential influence on elections), we conclude that this constitutes illegal gambling. Anyone without a KSA license has no business in our market. This also applies to these new gambling platforms.”
The post Dutch Gambling Authority Imposes Penalty on Adventure One QSS for Illegal Gambling appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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