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With 50 Million Master Bakers, ‘Bake It’ Is Now Kwalee’s 2nd-Biggest Mobile Game

Published

5 years ago

July 22, 2021

Kwalee’s Bake It has officially passed 50 million downloads, making it the publisher’s second most-downloaded hypercasual game to date. Its impressive download count is topped only by Draw It (95 million+ downloads).

Released in May 2020, this tactile game about baking perfect cakes and treats took the mobile game market by storm – it ranked at #1 in the ‘Simulation’ category in 20 countries, and achieved close to 10 million downloads in the first month alone!

Bake It gives the player a chance to explore their delicious itch for culinary baking. Players bake monumental cakes, dressing them with a smorgasbord of sweet toppings and icing and sprinkles and candies – based on what the customer’s sweet tooth craves, of course.

2020 was a testing time for Kwalee, as it was for everyone. The company — headquartered in Leamington Spa — faced the challenge of swapping the shared physical space of its studio with a remote, digital development environment due to the rampant COVID-19 pandemic.

Bake It, Kwalee’s first game launched under these circumstances, proved to be the standard-bearer in the firm’s impressive adaptation to remote working. Kwalee began 2020 as a developer and publisher with just over 60 staff, all firmly UK and office-based, and now finds itself with more than 160 team members, across 13 countries and three offices – Leamington Spa, Bangalore and Beijing.

CEO David Darling expressed his thoughts on the game’s success and its role in Kwalee’s development as a globally-distributed team:

“Seeing the success of Bake It along with a few other hit games of ours, like Object Hunt and Shootout 3D – it gives us confidence in remote working as the new model for our work culture. There’s a lot of potential we’re seeing in working this way to bring more hit games in the long term, especially with a globally-distributed team, so we’re excited about that.”

CEO David Darling

For an even greater insight into the making of Bake It, Kwalee’s Head of Development Simon Platt published an article soon after the game’s release that dove deep into the team’s experience of handling both development and publishing of Bake It during the pandemic.

Between opening up permanent remote opportunities for candidates globally and working alongside the overseas offices in Bangalore and Beijing, Kwalee’s teams have had to keep their work structure consistent online whilst meeting project goals simultaneously. It has ultimately paid off, with the recent remote releases skyrocketing in the charts.

Kwalee is currently running a challenge for third-party developers called Hypercasual Heroes, in which developers have the chance to get their games published by Kwalee and potentially secure a slice of that Bake It-style success – along with incredible, limited-time awards including a Tesla Model 3 car and $100,000 in advances with uncapped profit share to follow! Open for submissions until 31st August, developers can simply upload their 15-second gameplay video to Kwalee’s new publisher portal in order to be eligible.*

In the case of Bake It, the cherry on top was provided by the fact that interest in baking shot up during the first lockdown, often cited as a therapeutic and productive outlet to bust stress and anxiety. Bake It certainly hit the sweet spot in this regard but more than a year on, it’s also showed impressive longevity.

Bake It continues to receive updates from Kwalee’s dedicated team of designers and developers, who tailor the experiences for all kinds of players so anyone could become the best baker they can be. Android users and iOS users can find Bake It available for download on Google Play Store and App Store respectively.

Kwalee has been nominated in both Best Developer and Best Publisher categories at the upcoming Mobile Games Awards, and you can visit the official website for more information on joining our global team or getting your game published with us.

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LEON announces LEON.bet Masters, a new CS2 tournament in Portugal

Published

24 minutes ago

July 2, 2026

Master Editor

LEON continues to strengthen its presence in esports with the launch of LEONBET Masters, a new Counter-Strike 2 tournament set to take place from September 24 to 27 at the SAW Esports Arena in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

The tournament will bring together 16 teams competing for a €30,000 prize pool and valuable VRS points, which play a key role in qualification opportunities for major international events, including the Singapore Major later this year.

LEONBET Masters will feature a group stage with four groups of four teams, followed by playoffs that will determine the tournament champion. The event is expected to attract some of the strongest Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams looking to improve their rankings and continue their path toward the highest level of professional Counter-Strike competition.

The launch of LEONBET Masters marks another step in LEON’s long-term commitment to esports. Over the past few years, the company has actively supported the competitive gaming ecosystem through partnerships with prominent organizations and by hosting its own tournaments across multiple disciplines. Previous initiatives include the LEON Masters Dota tournament, the LEON Masters Deadlock competition, and the LEON Esports Cup Free Fire, further demonstrating the brand’s investment in developing competitive gaming.

LEON currently partners with German esports organization GamerLegion, supporting both its Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 rosters. The company also partners with teams such as SAW, one of Portugal’s most recognizable esports organizations, and FlyQuest, further strengthening its presence across key international esports markets.

By creating LEONBET Masters, LEON aims to provide emerging teams with additional opportunities to compete at a high level, gain valuable ranking points, and showcase their talent on a larger stage.

Additional information about the participating teams, tournament format, broadcast talent, and where to watch the event can be found on the official tournament page here:

https://leonbetmasters.com/

About LEON

LEON is an international sportsbook and online casino brand with over 17 years of industry experience. The company actively supports esports through strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and competitive gaming initiatives, working with organizations and communities across multiple regions worldwide.

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ELA Games reports 201.9% betting volume jump in Greece over two quarters

Published

2 hours ago

July 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

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ELA Games says it has delivered triple-digit growth in Greece over the last two quarters, reporting an 86.30% increase in active users, a 77.20% rise in turnover, and a 201.90% surge in overall bet counts.

The supplier attributed the results to aligning its content with local player preferences and said its Greece performance has been driven by certified titles focused on visual design and “narrative-led experiences.”

ELA Games named Piñatas Festival, Riches Express, and Flame Fruits Frenzy as its top-three performing titles in Greece during the period.

The company also linked the performance to a new strategic partnership with Fonbet in Greece. ELA Games said the integration creates an exclusive hub for its content and expands access to its catalogue for local players.

Yaroslav Soloshenko, Business Development Team Lead at ELA Games, said: “When we look at the numbers, it is satisfying to see that our regional strategy is paying off in such a big way. We spend a lot of time analyzing what players in specific markets want to see. Our unique design philosophy combined with that regional focus has resulted in proven commercial success across our main European markets, and Greece is a perfect example of that in action.”

The post ELA Games reports 201.9% betting volume jump in Greece over two quarters appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Midnite signs Middlesbrough shirt deal, renews Sheffield United sponsorship

Published

2 hours ago

July 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

midnite-signs-middlesbrough-shirt-deal,-renews-sheffield-united-sponsorship

Midnite has agreed a principal partnership with Middlesbrough FC that will put the bookmaker on the club’s front of shirt for the 2026/27 season. The brand will also continue as principal partner of Sheffield United FC for a second consecutive year, also including front-of-shirt sponsorship.

Midnite said the Middlesbrough agreement will run during the club’s 150th season and will include a supporter-facing activation called “This Season’s On Us”. The company said the initiative will offer prizes including men’s or women’s season tickets, 2026/27 home and away shirts, hospitality tickets and a £25 club shop voucher, with participation described as first-come-first-served via trivia and football challenges.

For Sheffield United, Midnite is launching a new matchday promotion called 2UP. Midnite said if Sheffield United go two goals up in a home league match, “one lucky fan will win the 2UP prize pot”. The Sheffield United 2UP prize fund will start at £10,000 when the season begins in August, with £1,000 added for every home league fixture, according to the company.

Andrew Mook, Midnite‘s Head of Brand Marketing, said:

“The Championship is one of the most viewed football leagues in the world, with some iconic and historical names from English football competing in it. We are looking forward to being a part of the action by partnering with two of the league’s biggest clubs in what should be another thrilling season.

“Middlesbrough are a club with a storied history and we’re delighted to announce this partnership during such a monumental year with the club celebrating their 150th anniversary.

“We are also delighted to be Sheffield United’s principal partner for a second consecutive season after a really exciting first year. We’ll be looking to create even more memorable fan experiences in the upcoming season.”

Midnite said the 2UP campaign will run across all of its Midnite-sponsored Championship clubs and referenced a separate front-of-shirt deal announced last month with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The company also highlighted other UK sports marketing activity, including a renewed sponsorship with the World Snooker Tour for the World Snooker Championship and a UK betting and casino partner designation for the 2026 Johnstone’s Paint Masters.

The post Midnite signs Middlesbrough shirt deal, renews Sheffield United sponsorship appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.