Latest News
With 50 Million Master Bakers, ‘Bake It’ Is Now Kwalee’s 2nd-Biggest Mobile Game
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.”
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.
EGT
EGT opens Netherlands office in Den Bosch
EGT has officially opened a new office in the Netherlands in ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch). The launch was marked with an event on May 13 attended by representatives of local operators, partner companies and industry professionals, the company said.
Guests toured the office showroom and were introduced to EGT’s latest land-based and iGaming solutions offered on the Dutch market.
Yuliana Ilieva, Director of EGT Netherlands, said: “I would like to thank everyone who is here with us tonight to celebrate this milestone for EGT Netherlands. The opening of the office in Den Bosch – the capital of North Brabant province and a strategic location in the country – is an important step for EGT and clearly states the company’s long-term commitment to this market, where we already have a strong footprint in both the land-based and online segments. Our new local presence will allow us to be closer to our current and future clients and to develop our partnerships here even more effectively. Despite the challenges of the highly regulated Dutch gaming environment, we are confident that our personal approach to each customer, combined with our products, developed specifically for the Netherlands, will contribute to the growth and success of both our and operators’ business.”
Nadia Popova, Chief Revenue Officer and VP Sales & Marketing at EGT, added: “We see enormous potential in the Dutch market and are ready to invest in our sustainable development here. I believe that our new office, with its strategic location and talented and dedicated team, will play a key role in achieving our main goals of expanding and solidifying EGT’s positions as a preferred gaming provider in the country.”
The post EGT opens Netherlands office in Den Bosch appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
content partnership
QTech Games adds PLAYSTAR content in new aggregation deal
QTech Games has signed a provider partnership with PLAYSTAR (PS) to add the supplier’s slots and card games to QTech’s aggregation platform.
Under the deal, QTech’s operator clients can access PLAYSTAR titles including Deng Deng, Super Gems, Lucky Ace 2, and Mahjong Origin, alongside card games such as Tui Dummy and Hi-Low.
The companies positioned the agreement as part of PLAYSTAR’s expansion beyond Asia, with QTech highlighting distribution into emerging markets including Africa and Latin America.
Angel, BD at PLAYSTAR, said: “QTech is a natural habitat for our superior content which awaits players every time they enter through an online casino’s digital doors. After initial success in our home territories over our first decade of operations, PLAYSTAR is now broadening our reach across emerging markets via QTech’s flexible gateway to high-potential regions.”
Philip Doftvik, CEO at QTech Games, said: “It’s a feather in our cap to have integrated more premium content from PLAYSTAR. They’re a proven performer who prioritise the immersive experience that users enjoy at the heart of every game. Recent industry recognition as a rising-star supplier underscores their ascendant curve, and we’re delighted to have added PS to QTech’s stable of stars.
“We now look forward to showcasing these games across new markets which, in most cases, break new ground for PS.”
The post QTech Games adds PLAYSTAR content in new aggregation deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Altenar
Altenar rolls out World Cup Lobby event hub for sportsbook operators
Altenar has launched a dedicated World Cup Lobby designed to help sportsbook operators package World Cup content in a single event hub during this summer’s tournament.
The company said the lobby is built for high-traffic periods, with a curated destination where operators can surface relevant markets, statistics, promotions and betting opportunities in one place. Altenar pointed to a “record 104 matches” across 16 cities as the context for simplifying tournament discovery and navigation.
The World Cup Lobby combines Altenar’s sportsbook with widgets and navigation built for major tournaments. Altenar said interactive team and player carousels surface BetCards, markets and promotions via swipeable feeds, with team and player pages providing access to statistics and related betting opportunities.
Other features include integrated standings, knockout trees and outright markets, aiming to keep users moving between matches, teams, players and selections without switching across multiple pages. Altenar said operators can localise the lobby by prioritising teams, competitions and markets for regional audiences, and use player behaviour to surface personalised recommendations.
Nikos Zygouris, Head of Sportsbook Product at Altenar, said: “Major tournaments such as this year’s World Cup create huge engagement and our goal with the new lobby is to build an environment where players can explore everything around the competition in one place.
“The World Cup Lobby brings together markets, statistics, teams and personalised recommendations into a single experience, helping operators to deliver a more intuitive and engaging sportsbook during the biggest moments in the sporting calendar.”
The post Altenar rolls out World Cup Lobby event hub for sportsbook operators appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
AI7 days agoMGA Launches Consultation on AI Gaming Charter
-
Brazil7 days agoIBJR: Crackdown on Illegal Betting Critical to Success of Desenrola 2.0
-
Latest News5 days agoStake releases Zoo casino game: a fast, multiplayer Stake Original where players bet on the wild side
-
Latest News5 days agoCloudbet Adds ELA Games to Its Casino Roster in Latest Move to Diversify Content for Global Crypto Players
-
Alberta7 days agoGaming Corps wins conditional Alberta iGaming supplier licence
-
casino5 days agoCloudbet Adds ELA Games to Its Casino Roster in Latest Move to Diversify Content for Global Crypto Players
-
Games5 days agoStake releases Zoo casino game: a fast, multiplayer Stake Original where players bet on the wild side
-
Armenia7 days agoTaDa to Participate in MAC Yerevan Summit



