Latest News
New Champion Rei and gen:LOCK Crossover Now Live in Paladins
Released today, the gen:LOCK Update is the biggest Paladins update yet,, bringing characters from the Rooster Teeth animated series to life in the game’s first-ever crossover.
Five gen:LOCK members have been deployed into the Realm as playable characters. They are showcased in this trailer: https://youtu.be/81YoWhum4mM
The gen:LOCK Crossover Pass unlocks five Champion skins showcasing the stars of the series: Chase, Valentina, Cammie, Yaz, and Kazu. Each comes with their own new Voice Pack.
Players progress through the gen:LOCK Crossover Pass simply by playing Paladins. Chase counts among the free rewards, while Cammie is unlocked instantly upon purchase of the Pass.
Even better: all of Hi-Rez games are about to get the spotlight with this year’s Steam Publisher weekend. With this timely event, players can get a jump on the gen:LOCK Crossover Pass with a Publisher Weekend Bundle given for free to all players logging into Paladins through Steam between tomorrow July 22, and July 25.
New Champion: Rei
Paladins’ 50th Champion Rei is making her debut just as the game reaches the 50 million players mark. Could the hand of the Pyre Lords be at play?
Rei is a peppy bunny-eared Support who has learned how to unleash magical energy from her bare hands. But where her true talents lie is in rescuing a single ally in peril.
Check her out in this trailer: https://youtu.be/NJrzE-ZljE4
When Rei left the Burrows, her quest led her to befriend the Scion of House Aico, Lian. Striving to harness arcane forces, Rei quickly became the chief Scholar of the noble house. Today, her tale has just begun.
Bounty Store returns
The first iteration of this rotational in-game shop using free currency was met with community excitement last year. Evil Mojo soon decided to work on a more refined version – and today the Bounty Store is back with an all-new look, improvements, and new features.
The Bounty Store is an in-game shop allowing players to trade Bounty Coins for rotating skins available in limited quantities – three skins are now simultaneously on sale, up from one.
As before, Daily Quests reward Bounty Coins, and now there are more ways to earn them:
- In the Event Passes and their quests, the Trials of the Realm
- Through Twitch integration – Watching Paladins on approved streaming channels grants Bounty Coins
- Through a new feature – Players can choose to watch in-menu ads to earn Bounty Coins and other rewards. Already implemented in SMITE, this feature has proved popular with the community.
Also new, current Event or Crossover Pass holders will have access to a bonus Bounty Store skin for the duration of the Pass.
Videos:
- gen:LOCK Pass – https://youtu.be/81YoWhum4mM
- Rei – https://youtu.be/NJrzE-ZljE4
Press Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1mXnInf5tLSNqxP7C1OcCHFDdEfMuUtOr
Patch Notes: https://www.paladins.com/news/genlock-update-notes
Big Game Summer
GG.BET rolls out Big Game Summer campaign tied to FIFA World Cup 2026
Operator publishes World Cup outright odds as of June 11 and promotes fast markets and bet builder products around the tournament.
GG.BET has launched its “Big Game Summer” campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, positioning the promotion around tournament betting and a “special tournament prize pool,” according to the company.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs across the USA, Canada and Mexico and expands to 48 teams, 104 matches and a 39-day schedule. Under the new format, the field is split into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group plus eight best third-placed teams moving into a newly added Round of 32.
GG.BET said its World Cup offering includes “Fast Markets” for selected matches and a Bet Builder product for custom combinations, alongside “exclusive tournament bonuses” and “fast payouts.” The company did not disclose the campaign’s prize pool size or any eligibility terms in the release.
The operator also published outright odds taken from gg.bet “as of 12:00 CET on June 11, 2026,” noting they are subject to change. GG.BET listed Portugal at 5.17, followed by Spain (5.77), Germany (5.87), England (7.2), Colombia (8.62), Argentina (9.88), France (9.89) and Brazil (10.38).
In the release, GG.BET pointed to the tournament opener on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at Azteca Stadium, describing it as “the first stadium in history to host a men’s FIFA World Cup for the third time.”
The post GG.BET rolls out Big Game Summer campaign tied to FIFA World Cup 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Counter-strike
Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major
Team Vitality is launching an official fan zone, V.Hub, to coincide with the 2026 IEM Cologne Major. The venue will run June 18-21 at KWB im Stadtpalais, a short walk from the LANXESS Arena.
Access to V.Hub will be free for fans who sign up, with limited availability. Team Vitality said the space is intended to bring together its community, partners and Counter-Strike fans attending the event.
The fan zone will include dedicated areas hosted by Team Vitality and partners Skin.Club, ASUS ROG, EVNIA and Blacklyte. The club said activations will include hands-on experiences and opportunities to play bespoke Counter-Strike maps.
Team Vitality also plans match watch parties, a pop-up shop for official merchandise and giveaways, including an ASUS ROG x Team Vitality co-branded mousepad. During the playoff stage, the club said V.Hub will be set up for trophy photo opportunities with its Major trophies.
Food and drink will be available on site throughout the event, including vegetarian options.
The post Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
2026 FIFA World Cup
Playradar ships four football-themed casino games ahead of 2026 World Cup
Sportradar’s iGaming brand leads with bracket-style World Football x2026, plus updates to Virtual Football and Lucky 6.
Playradar, Sportradar’s iGaming brand, has released four football-themed titles ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11. The drop includes two original games and two updated versions of existing products.
The releases are World Football x2026, Virtual Football World Championship 2026, Football Plinko Pro, and Lucky 6: Football edition. Playradar said the games are designed to target different player segments and to connect sports bettors and casino players through content that links both verticals.
The headline launch, World Football x2026, is a bracket-based game using Mines-style mechanics. Players pick outcomes from the Round of 16 and progress through each round to the final; one incorrect prediction ends the game, while a cash-out option is available.
The other launches include Football Plinko Pro, which adapts the plinko format to a football theme; Virtual Football World Championship 2026, which Playradar said runs a 32-team, 64-match World Cup structure with pre-match and in-play markets such as over/under goals and goalscorer; and Lucky 6: Football Edition, a bingo-style title using balls with flags from participating nations.
Edo Haitin, EVP of iGaming said: “The scale of the 2026 World Cup is unprecedented, with the sheer volume of fans entering markets worldwide creating huge demand for football-themed content, and the operators best placed to succeed are those with games that meet every need. These four titles have each been designed with that in mind. The World Cup attracts a huge spectrum of customers, and when taken together, this product stack provides operators with the tools needed to keep them engaged throughout the tournament.”
The post Playradar ships four football-themed casino games ahead of 2026 World Cup appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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