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

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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

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.

Brazil

Z.ro anuncia aquisição da Paag em um movimento estratégico voltado à consolidação de mercado

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Z.ro firma acordo com Paag em um negócio relevante que adiciona mais de 200 milhões de transações anuais à vertical de pagamentos da companhia.

O Z.ro Global Payments, que até abril operava como Z.ro Bank, anuncia a aquisição e incorporação da vertical de pagamentos da Paag, em um movimento estratégico voltado à consolidação de mercado e ao ganho de participação no setor de pagamentos digitais.

A integração será realizada por meio de um plano estruturado de migração, desenhado para assegurar continuidade operacional, com estabilidade e segurança para todos os clientes ao longo do processo.

Segundo Edisio Pereira Neto, presidente do Z.ro, a operação amplia de forma expressiva o volume processado pela empresa, que já supera 500 milhões de transações.

“A Paag tem forte presença em processamento de pagamentos, especialmente no mercado de jogos, com mais de 200 milhões de transações anuais que serão incorporadas ao nosso ecossistema, reforçando nossa liderança no setor”, afirma Edisio.

Como parte da operação, João Fraga, CEO da Paag, e Ricardo Vidal, CSO da empresa, passam a atuar também como sócios responsáveis pela vertical dedicada ao mercado de iGaming dentro da Z.ro Global Payments.

“A criação dessa frente específica reflete a relevância do segmento e da necessidade de criar soluções cada vez mais customizadas para este mercado.

Nossos dois novos sócios trazem um know-how essencial para liderar esta frente”, afirma o CEO da Z.ro Global Payments.

“Estou muito motivado em assumir esse novo desafio. Com a união das expertises, consolidamos a maior operação de pagamentos voltada ao mercado de jogos no Brasil.

Tenho a convicção de que essa integração nos levará ao maior market share do setor. Literalmente, zeramos o game”, declara Vidal.

Para a Paag, o movimento também marca um novo momento estratégico da companhia.

Após anos de atuação no mercado de pagamentos para operações digitais, a empresa passa a atuar como Paag Shield, focada no desenvolvimento de soluções de gestão de risco, compliance e prevenção à fraude, e Paag Engage, focada em inteligência operacional, aquisição e retenção. Ambas sem vínculo societário com a operação realizada ao lado do Z.ro Global Payments.

“Esse movimento marca uma nova fase para a Paag. Construímos uma operação sólida de Payments ao longo dos últimos anos e temos confiança de que os clientes continuarão sendo atendidos com excelência dentro da estrutura da Z.ro.

A partir de agora, concentramos ainda mais nossos esforços na evolução do Paag Shield e Paag Engage, com soluções voltadas à inteligência de risco, compliance e eficiência operacional”, explica Fraga.

Nova vertical dedicada ao segmento de jogos no Z.ro

“A criação dessa frente específica reflete a relevância do segmento e da necessidade de criar soluções cada vez mais customizadas para este mercado. Nossos dois novos sócios possuem amplo know-how para liderar esta frente”, explica Edísio.

“Atualmente, o segmento já responde por aproximadamente 25% da nossa receita. Com a nova estrutura, deverá subir para cerca de 35% já no primeiro ano”, afirma.

A iniciativa reforça a estratégia do Z.ro de segmentação de negócios, permitindo maior profundidade nas operações, otimização de negociações e desenvolvimento de soluções adaptadas às demandas específicas de cada mercado.

O Z.ro International, responsável por recolher pagamentos na América Latina e enviá-los para qualquer país do mundo, e o Z.ro Digital Assets, de pagamentos internacionais com criptoativos, são outras duas verticais lançadas no último ano.

Aquisição não concluída

Em 2025, o banco BS2 chegou a anunciar negociações para a aquisição da Paag, em um movimento que indicava o interesse da instituição em ampliar a atuação no processamento de pagamentos digitais para o mercado de jogos .

Na ocasião, a estrutura do acordo previa a entrada inicial com uma participação minoritária na empresa.

O plano também contemplava a possibilidade de aquisição total da Paag em um prazo de até três anos.

No entanto, apesar do anúncio e das tratativas iniciais, a negociação não foi concluída e não avançou para a efetivação da operação.

Mudança de nome

Recentemente, o antigo Z.ro Bank alterou seu nome para Z.ro Global Payments, refletindo a estratégia de internacionalização da companhia, iniciada em 2025.

A mudança consolida o posicionamento da empresa como provedora de infraestrutura global de pagamentos, com soluções inovadoras voltadas para serviços de processamento de pagamentos locais e transfronteiriços, além de Bank as a Service.

The post Z.ro anuncia aquisição da Paag em um movimento estratégico voltado à consolidação de mercado appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Plaza Hotel & Casino books Bolero – The Show for June 20 one-night run

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Latin music-and-dance production led by Las Vegas-based producer Adan Alejandro plays the Plaza showroom at 7:30 p.m.

Plaza Hotel & Casino will host Bolero – The Show for a one-night performance in its showroom on Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.

The production is billed as a Latin music-and-dance show featuring a live band, singers, and dancers, with influences including bolero, flamenco, salsa, tango, mambo, and other Latin rhythms.

Bolero – The Show is led by Las Vegas-based producer, singer, and songwriter Adan Alejandro. The Plaza said the show’s production team and performers have roots in the Latin entertainment community and experience performing in Las Vegas and other venues across the US and Latin America.

Tickets are now on sale for the June 20 performance.

The post Plaza Hotel & Casino books Bolero – The Show for June 20 one-night run appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Bolero – The Show performs for one night only at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, Saturday, June 20

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The Plaza Hotel & Casino welcomes Bolero – The Show to its classic Vegas showroom for one night only, Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Bolero – The Show is a bohemian Latin musical blending Latin rhythm, passionate dance, and timeless love songs. Featuring a live band, singers, and dancers, the show creates an immersive and elegant experience inspired by bolero, flamenco, and Latin music.

Led by Las Vegas-based producer, singer, and songwriter Adan Alejandro, the production team and show performers have roots in the Latin entertainment community and many years of experience performing live music and entertainment events in Las Vegas and other venues across the United States and Latin America.

Bolero – The Show is designed as an immersive live entertainment experience that blends music, dance, and theatrical elements inspired by Afro-Caribbean and Latin American traditions. The production combines bolero, salsa, tango, flamenco, mambo, and other Latin rhythms in a format created specifically for the Las Vegas showroom environment.

With a live band, dancers and vocal performers, Bolero – The Show creates a large-scale Latin musical and theatrical experience with an emphasis on rhythm, movement, passion, and audience connection that is designed specifically for the Plaza’s showroom.

Tickets are now on sale for the June 20th performance at Bolero – A Bohemian Latin Musical – Plaza Hotel and Casino.

 

The post Bolero – The Show performs for one night only at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, Saturday, June 20 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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