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Colt Canyon crowned ‘Best Game’ and LUNARK ‘Most Anticipated’ at GameMaker Awards 2021

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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!”

ELYSIUM Studios

Swintt adds High Noon Duel slot to Elysium Studios line-up

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Swintt has released High Noon Duel, a new slot from its Elysium Studios label, themed around a Wild West duel between two characters, Pistol Belle and the Iron Cowboy.

The game uses a 6×4 tumbling reels format. Wins pay for matching symbols landing on adjacent reels from left to right, in any position. Swintt says the title has a maximum win of up to 27,000x the bet.

A health bar mechanic sits above the reels in the base game. When one of the two shooters’ scatter symbols lands, it reduces the opponent’s health. When one side’s health is fully depleted, a free spins feature triggers and the winning character adds a signature wild mechanic.

In the Pistol Belle free spins mode, wilds are fired onto the reels at the start of each spin. In the Iron Cowboy mode, a 2×2 wild appears in a random position each spin. Swintt also describes a third free spins feature triggered by two golden scatter symbols, where either character’s wild feature can activate at the start of each spin. The release adds that “Lady in Black” symbols convert icons between them vertically or horizontally into additional wilds.

Anthony Dalla-Giacoma, Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt, said: “Enjoy a winner-takes-all shootout on every spin in High Noon Duel, the latest gunslinging title in Swintt’s Elysium Studios line-up. Filled with explosive features where the bullets really start to fly, the game features a top prize of 27,000x the bet and more wilds than you can shake a pistol at, making it an action-packed tribute to classic Westerns that’s sure to fire its way right to top of operators’ ‘Most Wanted’ lists”

The post Swintt adds High Noon Duel slot to Elysium Studios line-up appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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BetGames launches Chili Cash slot with Hold & Win Plus feature

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BetGames has launched Chili Cash, a new high-volatility slot that debuts the supplier’s Hold & Win Plus feature. The game includes 243 ways to win, four jackpots and a stated maximum payout of 10,000x.

Chili Cash is built on a 5×3 reel layout. BetGames said Hold & Win Plus allows players to lock in cash and jackpot prizes when Money symbols land, with a Cash Collector mechanic that can be boosted by random multipliers. The respin counter resets when new symbols appear.

The game also includes a Mini-draw triggered by three or more Scatter symbols, which awards either Free Spins with Stacked Wilds or “immediate bonus action,” according to the company. Chili Cash also features Buy Bonus and Gamble options.

Ian Catchick, Chief Product and Business Development Officer at BetGames, said: “Chili Cash is a game that leads with its theme. We wanted players to be transported the moment the reels come to life, to get a sense of the warmth, colour and energy of the celebration before they even think about the features.

“Of course, the mechanics deliver too, and with new Hold and Win Plus, four jackpots and 10,000x on the table, we believe Chili Cash does exactly that. It is a release we are genuinely proud of.”

The post BetGames launches Chili Cash slot with Hold & Win Plus feature appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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The “Un-Boring” Update How Mancala Gaming Makes Sure You Click and Stick

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Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: “We are thrilled to announce a series of innovative updates…”

Actually, we do have a lot to share, starting with a gorgeous, brand-new website that’s finally as vibrant as our games. But let’s tell the story the right way so it’s worth your time. 

It’s not just that we’ve updated our look or tweaked a few tools; it’s about how to be “un-boring” for both our players and our partners. For Mancala Gaming, the rule is simple. Working together should never feel like a routine. From day one, the core of Mancala Gaming, and the big idea behind everything we do, has been: You click. You stick.

Take our new release pace, for example. We used to launch two games a month, and while that was great, we knew both our players and our partners wanted more. So did we. It was never our goal to become a company known for ‘that one cool game from last year.’ So, we expanded our team and dusted off our book of great ideas for the future to move to four releases a month.

This constant movement keeps engagement high and monetization steady, giving players a reason to come back every single week.

One might say that quantity is not the same as quality, and they would be right. The games have to feel right on the inside, too. That’s why we upgraded the Mancala Gaming bonus tool with a progress bar. It’s a tiny mechanic that does a lot of heavy lifting for player attention. We polish every detail like this because perfection has no limit, and as you can see, we are being very modest about it.

As we keep growing, we want Mancala Gaming to stay bright, interesting, and full of life. But there was always one piece of the puzzle that didn’t quite fit, and that was our old website. It served us well, but it didn’t quite capture the energy we have. So, we’ve decided to change it.

What began as a simple refresh turned, in the blink of an eye, into what became a year-and-a-half saga with hundreds of discussions, dozens of ideas, two major design rounds, and one black-or-white debate that came this close to becoming a fight. In the end, we kept both themes to preserve peace in the design department. Pretty diplomatic, wouldn’t you say?

Beyond the visuals, we added a comprehensive FAQ, expanded our partner resources, and introduced intuitive search filters so you can find any game in seconds. So yes, the new site looks very good, but more importantly –– it makes us easier to work with. When partners can quickly find what they need, it’s easier to launch, promote, and use our content in their day-to-day work. And that is exactly what we were aiming for.

Ultimately, all of this is about being a provider that feels truly alive. We want working with us to feel like a breath of fresh air that leads to a win, rather than a chore. Our job is to keep things interesting, engaging, and of course, profitable.

Looking at the results, we’re pretty sure we nailed it. We know you’re going to love it, so go ahead and see it for yourself.

That’s it from us for today. See you later!

Best,

The Mancala Gaming Team

The post The “Un-Boring” Update How Mancala Gaming Makes Sure You Click and Stick appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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