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Escape Studios partners with Epic Games and leading European animation schools to deliver world’s largest training programme in Unreal Engine
Mark Flanagan, Education Partner Manager, Epic Games said: “The Summer of Unreal is an incredible opportunity that is open to professionals in animation and VFX all across Europe, and we couldn’t be happier to invite the industry to participate. Escape Studios is a wonderful partner who, along with a number of Europe’s best animation schools, are running this programme, which is set to be the biggest Unreal Engine training that we’ve undertaken to date. We’re excited to help all learners find new ways to tell awesome stories and express their creativity using Unreal Engine.”
Saint Walker, Deputy Dean of Escape Studios, said: “The Summer of Unreal is a fantastic opportunity for animation and 3D CGI professionals across Europe to discover more about the cutting-edge technology on offer with Unreal Engine.
“We’ve worked with top animation companies to create a novel animation-centric way of teaching Unreal Engine, in one of the most ambitious training programmes that Escape Studios has been involved with – our vision of a pan-European festival of learning in Unreal Engine has gained us amazing academic partners in the form of some of the best animation schools in the world. We invite learners across Europe to join us. Make your summer staycation Unreal!”
The Summer of Unreal will be taught online in English and is free-of-charge to professionals working in the animation, motion graphics and VFX industry who want an informal group experience of learning Unreal Engine over the holiday period. The course will feature daily workshops covering all the major aspects of using Unreal Engine interspersed with practice time, teamwork, as well as demonstrations and masterclasses from some of Europe’s premiere companies and artists showing how they use the platform in their work.
Mark Spevick, Escape Studios’ Head of 3D VFX will be the main ‘showrunner’ for the Summer of Unreal. The unique role used in Escapes’ larger courses ensures that tutors get to hear and address the most important questions from the online shop floor through Mark’s advocacy. Mark combines teaching and programme design with senior industry experience, having worked at Peerless Camera, the production house co-owned by Terry Gilliam.
Partner quotes
Timothy Leborgne, Head of Talent & Skills Development, The Animation Workshop/VIA University College
“A course such as Summer of Unreal is very welcome. Whether you look at film, animated series, or games we can all see a growing demand for rapid development and competent animators. And Unreal Engine is one particularly advanced tool and software we can’t avoid as professionals in the future. So, I am excited and happy we bring such a valuable course to professionals in our industry. By partnering with such competent institutions and studios across Europe, we have ensured that the course will deliver the best training.”
Gilbert Kiner, President, ARTFX
“Since its creation in 2004, ARTFX has been dedicated to training students using the latest technology and software. Beyond using this engine for our Games courses, Unreal has also been integrated into the previz pipeline for our VFX programs. We are very happy and proud to have been chosen as the exclusive French partner for this collaborative initiative.”
Felix Balbás, Area Director of Animation & VFX at La Salle-URL
“Unreal Engine is a reality we can’t ignore. No longer only in videogames and recently virtual production, now more than ever the future of any visual content creation and in particular animation and VFX, must take this evolution into account. Not only in previs stage, but also in full production. This is why La Salle-URL’s commitment towards promoting state-of-the-art training along with leader institutions at a European level is reflected in the Summer of Unreal.”
Miljana Jovović, Executive Director, Crater Training Center
“We are happy to join the Summer of Unreal as partners for Southeastern Europe, as we see this project as a great chance to upskill and connect professionals across the continent. We have spent the first part of 2021 educating university professors in Serbia in Unreal Engine so they could implement the newly-gained knowledge to their study programs and introduce the software to their students.”
Katja Schmid, Visual Effects and Post Production Professor, Hochschule der Medien
“Many artists in the industry have been waiting for this course. Now the time has come. At the moment, Unreal is one of the most in-demand tools in the industry. The response to the course announcement has been fantastic. It’s just an amazing opportunity not only to get trained for free but also to be part of a most inspiring community! We are very impressed by this large-scale project and excited to be contributing.”
Gareth Lee, Screen Skills Ireland Manager
“Screen Skills Ireland is hugely excited to be part of the Summer of Unreal. This is a unique opportunity for Irish screen sector professionals to learn about the powerful capabilities of Unreal Engine from industry experts, as well as connect with their peers across Europe.”
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by Eastern European Gaming
BGaming has released Clash of Gods: Anubis vs Hades, a new 5×5 slot developed in partnership with Golden Goat Gaming. The title pits Anubis against Hades and centres on a dueling multiplier mechanic.
Amusnet has released Golden Tiger 1000, a visually striking title that blends joyful gameplay with high win potential, set against a breathtaking cherry blossom mountain village in full bloom. The game invites players into a lively Asian-inspired world where every spin feels like a celebration of fortune, movement and surprise.
Hölle Games has released its latest video slot Himmel & Hölle. This 3×3 title positions an Angel on one side, and a Demon on the other with a tight 5 paylines for that medium-high volatility. A couple of nifty features are included too: players can win Respins with the Expanding Wilds feature.
Million Games has released Coco Rush, a feature-driven video slot combining Cash Collect mechanics, RushReel bonuses and fixed jackpot functionality. Developed in collaboration with Million Stars partner studio Yugo Workshop, Coco Rush introduces a vibrant island theme centred around the Golden Mask, a character that reflects the game’s dynamic and unpredictable gameplay.
Pragmatic Play has opened the doors to the sorcerer’s showroom in Mr Null’s Wicked Wares, where a catalogue of mystery symbols and multipliers conjure up 5,000x win potential. The magical Mr Null watches over the grid in this 3-4-4-4-3 slot, where mystery symbols on reels 2-4 transform into random paying symbols, carrying 2x-10x multipliers.
Play’n GO has released its latest online slot, Wrappin’ Gold, where a newly roused mummy pursues stolen treasures from the tomb to the heavens. Rudely awakened from centuries of silence, the long-lost mummy of the greedy Pharaoh Khufu discovers his precious gems have been taken by Queen Cleo and her pillaging minions.
R. Franco Digital has launched Squad Royale, a new 6×5 medium volatility slot that combines cascading reels with a survival-themed bonus structure. The Spanish iGaming supplier said the title is set in a competitive arena and uses a grid-based format where wins trigger cascades and bonus features progress toward a grand prize.
Spinomenal has released a new slot title, 3 Magical Genies, expanding its content portfolio with an Arabian-themed game built around a Hold & Hit-style Bonus Game. The supplier said the game’s Wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except the Bonus, Boost, Collect, Multi and Jackpot symbols, with five Wilds on a winning line paying x10 the bet.
Evoplay has launched Ultra Reels Fruteria, a new fruit-themed slot set in a market-style environment. The game uses familiar fruit symbols and wilds, with Bonus icons appearing on reels one and three carrying random values alongside fixed jackpots labelled Grand, Major, Minor and Mini.
Gaming Corps debuted its newest slot, 4 Gym Pigs: Porky Power, on May 7, presenting an energetic new title that replaces treasure-seeking with workout accomplishments, larger-than-life characters, and fitness-inspired excitement in the summer warmth.
Games Global has released Candy Combo 2 Power Combo
, developed with exclusive studio partner Slingshot Studios. The 5×3, 20-payline game is set in a pastel candy theme and uses five “candy jar” characters above the reels to collect matching symbols and trigger Link&Win modifiers.
ELA Games has released Spirit of Savanna, a new online slot that introduces a player-choice bonus mechanic alongside Hold and Win, Free Spins, and three jackpot tiers. Spirit of Savanna runs on a 5×3 reel grid with 10 paylines and is rated volatility 4 out of 5, according to the supplier. RTP is listed across two ranges: 93.98-94.16% and 96.01-96.12%.
Aviatrix has launched its third game, Aviatrix Fruits, as the iGaming Metaverse keeps expanding its increasing collection of interconnected titles. The 5×3 slot featuring 10 fixed paylines presents a well-known structure that is augmented by the mechanics of Aviatrix’s iGaming Metaverse ecosystem.
Booming Games has launched Berserkin’ Buffalo Power Hit, a new buffalo-themed slot that adds the supplier’s Power Hit mechanic to its Buffalo Series. The game uses a 6×4 grid with 4,096 ways to win and a stated maximum win potential of 5,000x. Booming Games said the title is set on a buffalo backdrop and is built around the Power Hit feature.
The post Weekend Reels | Week 19: Slot Drops & Trends appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
FanLabel
SCCG Management Partner and Portfolio Company FanLabel Launches FanLabel SongPicks App, Bringing Skill-Based Music Contests to Fans Nationwide
FanLabel also submits comment to the CFTC outlining a responsible framework for music-oriented prediction markets
SCCG Management, a global leader in iGaming advisory, business development, and strategic growth with more than 33 years of experience in the gaming industry, today congratulates its partner and portfolio company FanLabel on the official launch of FanLabel SongPicks, a paid-entry, skill-based music contest app that lets fans use their music knowledge to compete for cash prizes.
SCCG Management is a shareholder in FanLabel and has supported the company’s growth as a strategic partner across business development, market positioning, and industry relationships. The launch of FanLabel SongPicks represents the latest milestone in FanLabel’s expanding music gamification and prediction market entertainment ecosystem, and further validates SCCG’s investment thesis that interactive, data-driven fan engagement represents a significant commercial opportunity across entertainment verticals.
A New Way for Music Fans to Compete
FanLabel SongPicks builds on the company’s FanLabel Classic app, which lets music fans compete in free fantasy-sports-style music challenges. With SongPicks, players put their music knowledge to the test by ranking songs, predicting streaming trends, and competing on leaderboards for real cash prizes. The app currently features two contest modes: Ranker, where fans rank songs from most to least streamed, and Best of Five, where players pick the top-performing song from a group.
FanLabel’s products are powered by real-world music data and backed by direct licensing agreements from major and independent record label groups and rights holders. The company has partnered with Luminate as its official stream and chart-data source and Tuned Global as its metadata infrastructure provider, ensuring contests are built around objective data rather than subjective fan voting.
FanLabel also works with Approvely, another SCCG partner company, to support KYC (Know Your Customer) and identity-verification functions, alongside Plaid for banking services. The Approvely integration reflects SCCG’s broader strategy of connecting its partner ecosystem to create end-to-end solutions for emerging entertainment and gaming verticals.
“Our team is very proud to have FanLabel SongPicks officially out in the world,” said Jeff Sloan, Founder and CEO of FanLabel. “We believe that the SongPicks experience will provide music enthusiasts with a new way to engage in their love of music while at the same time benefiting the industry by driving music discovery, consumption, and an entirely new way to generate monetization.”
FanLabel’s CFTC Engagement Signals Regulatory Leadership
FanLabel recently submitted comments to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) outlining its position that music-related event contracts can create new opportunities for fan engagement, price discovery, and future risk-management tools for rights holders when tied to objective data and designed with appropriate safeguards. The filing was one of the few music-focused submissions in a docket dominated by sports, gaming, crypto, and regulatory comments.
In its comments, FanLabel drew a distinction between music contracts tied to objective, third-party metrics such as streams and chart rankings, and more speculative contracts with outcomes that may be influenced by a small group of insiders. The company argued that responsible music prediction markets should be developed in coordination with rights holders, data vendors, and regulated exchanges.
FanLabel holds five issued U.S. patents, with additional applications pending, covering music gamification and the use of music-based contract formats in prediction markets. Several label groups hold an ownership interest in this intellectual property through their equity in FanLabel.
SCCG’s Strategic View
Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, commented: “FanLabel represents exactly the kind of company we look for in our portfolio: a team that combines deep domain expertise, defensible intellectual property, and a responsible approach to regulation with a genuine understanding of fan behavior. The music prediction market space is at a pivotal moment, and FanLabel’s CFTC engagement, combined with the SongPicks launch, positions them as a category leader. As a shareholder and strategic partner, SCCG is proud to support FanLabel’s growth and to help connect their platform with the broader gaming, entertainment, and prediction market ecosystem.”
The post SCCG Management Partner and Portfolio Company FanLabel Launches FanLabel SongPicks App, Bringing Skill-Based Music Contests to Fans Nationwide appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Octoplay has gone live with bet365 in the United Kingdom, adding the operator to its roster of tier-one partners in the regulated UK market.
The supplier said the bet365 rollout follows recent UK launches with Virgin Bet and BetVictor as it expands distribution with major local brands.
Outside the UK, Octoplay pointed to recent go-lives with Paf in Finland, PokerStars in Spain and Italy, and Superbet in Brazil.
“Our partnership with bet365 represents another step in our accelerating UK expansion,” says Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay. “Working with one of the industry’s most recognized operators validates our approach and builds on the momentum we’ve established through successful integrations with leading UK brands throughout 2025.”
“We are pleased to partner with Octoplay and introduce their game portfolio to our UK players,” says Clement Le Scanff, Head of Gaming at bet365. “Their focus on quality content and player engagement aligns with our commitment to providing the best entertainment to our customers.”
Octoplay said it holds active licenses in 17 jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Malta, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Finland, Brazil, New Jersey, Michigan, Ontario, and Georgia.
The post Octoplay launches with bet365 in the UK appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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