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Colt Canyon crowned ‘Best Game’ and LUNARK ‘Most Anticipated’ at GameMaker Awards 2021
The judges have deliberated. Over 33,000 votes have been cast. And we can now reveal that Colt Canyon has been crowned ‘Best Game’ and LUNARK ‘Most Anticipated’ game of the year, at the GameMaker Awards 2021.
Created by German-based developer Retrific, Colt Canyon is a stylish western-themed pixel art shooter combining roguelike elements with real-time combat. The judges were impressed with Colt Canyon’s highly engaging gameplay and heavily pixelated artist style. While in the popular vote, members of the GameMaker and Opera GX communities voted Colt Canyon the clear winner.
The other finalists for ‘Best Game’ included: Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Jet Lancer, Post Void and Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!.
The winner of ‘Most Anticipated’ game is LUNARK, from Canari Games. LUNARK is a 2D cinematic platformer, designed in the vein of ’80s and ’90s classics. The game challenges players to run, jump, hang, climb, roll, and shoot their way through a kaleidoscope of different environments. These include mysterious alien ruins, a flying penitentiary, a high-tech megalopolis, and a majestic forest.
The judges were blown away with how the Canari Games team have pushed the creative limits of cutscenes and pixel art in GameMaker, to create a game that is both visually stunning and great to play. Set for release later this year, LUNARK also made a big impression with the voters – who overwhelmingly crowned it the ‘Most Anticipated’ game of 2021.
The other finalists for ‘Most Anticipated’ game included: NYKRA, Jitsu Squad, APICO and Toodee and Topdee.
The GameMaker Awards, in partnership with SpecialEffect, a charity that uses video games to enhance the lives of those people with physical disabilities, celebrate creativity and innovation in Indie game development, honouring the best games created using GameMaker Studio 2 as well as the Indies and Studios that designed them.
From over 200 entries, only 5 games for each category were selected by an expert panel of industry peers, including GameMaker Studio CTO Russell Kay, Opera GX Product Director Maciej Kocemba, and Into Indie Games Editor Harry Cole.
Russell Kay, CTO, GameMaker Studio, said: “This year’s GameMaker Awards has redefined what we’ve come to expect from the indies and studios that choose GameMaker as their creative engine of choice. Each of the finalists have demonstrated both amazing creativity, plus the technical ability to harness GameMaker’s powerful functionality to design a game that really pushes the boundaries. Given the incredible standard of this year’s entries, I am only glad that the final decision was left in the hands of our loyal GameMaker and Opera GX communities.”
Jonathan Mannshoven of Retrific, said: “Colt Canyon wasn’t a bestseller when it launched last year. It wasn’t free from criticism either. But by working closely with the community, I’ve been able to make many improvements to the game which have helped turn a lot of criticism into positive feedback. Having all that hard work now paying off with Colt Canyon winning ‘Best Game’ at the GameMaker Awards 2021 is an overwhelming and surreal feeling – just incredible!
“GameMaker has always been my engine of choice as it is just so easy to use yet also powerful, enabling me to reach maximum productivity. Which as a solo developer is extremely valuable. Put simply – I wouldn’t be a game developer now if it wasn’t for GameMaker.”
Johan Vinet of Canari Games, added: “LUNARK started as a passion project to create a game in the genre I loved in my youth. Making it a reality became so clear that I decided to quit my job, start my own studio and launch a Kickstarter campaign. Winning the “Most Anticipated Game” award is an incredible recognition from the players and the GameMaker Community, which brings some welcome legitimacy and a massive confidence boost to actually finish the game! Thank you!”
Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award cites engagement features in EGT Digital’s Sportsbook, including Jackpot Sport and an Early Payout Suite.
EGT Digital has won the Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation award at the SiGMA Asia Awards 2026, the company said.
According to EGT Digital, the award recognises engagement features built into its Sportsbook product, aimed at combining live betting, gamification and real-time rewards in a single user experience.
The company highlighted Jackpot Sport, which it describes as a progressive jackpot integrated into live betting. EGT Digital said qualifying in-play bets also act as entries into a jackpot pool.
EGT Digital also pointed to its Early Payout Suite, which it said enables selected bets to settle before full time in specific match scenarios. The company said these features sit alongside its integration models, personalisation tools and promotional mechanics.
The post EGT Digital wins Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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