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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

Published

5 years ago

July 23, 2021

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.”

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2026 FIFA World Cup

Betano Sends a Video Game Character into the Real World to Capture the Emotion of the World Cup

Published

50 minutes ago

June 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

betano-sends-a-video-game-character-into-the-real-world-to-capture-the-emotion-of-the-world-cup

Betano, Kaizen Gaming’s premium online betting and gaming brand, is turning to gaming culture to dramatize the emotional pull of football fandom in its latest international campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Created by Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo, the campaign follows a lonely video game NPC (Non-Playable Character) who escapes the artificial world of a football game to experience the intensity, unpredictability and collective emotion of a real World Cup. Set to a reimagined version of the song “Mr. Lonely,” the film positions football fandom as something too powerful to be simulated.

The work launches under the global platform “Believing Makes it Real” and will roll out across 14 countries in South America and Europe, supported by live activations and fan engagement initiatives tied to the tournament. The campaign will be 360° with dedicated adaptations per country and three main character adjustments tailored to the cultural idiosyncrasies of different regions.

“The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate anchor in global sports, and for a campaign spanning so many different markets, we wanted to match that ambition. Our brief was to articulate the raw, collective emotion of being a fan, a feeling so intense it transcends even the most advanced digital simulation. This film captures that powerful truth, reinforcing our global platform, ‘Believing Makes it Real,’ and positioning Betano at the heart of the sport’s most genuine and unpredictable moments,” said Pablo Puertas, Kaizen Gaming – Betano, Marketing Director.

“Our challenge was finding a fresh, globally resonant way to talk about the World Cup. The campaign starts in a cold, automated universe and follows the journey of an NPC discovering what happens when an entire world truly believes. It’s a contrast that turns football emotion into something impossible to program,” said Felipe Paiva and José Ferraz, Group Creative Directors at Wieden+Kennedy SP.

The campaign also reinforces Betano’s growing relationship with FIFA. The brand was recently named an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Europe and South America, following previous partnerships around the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The 2026 edition — hosted across the US, Mexico and Canada — will be the largest in FIFA history, featuring 48 national teams for the first time.

The post Betano Sends a Video Game Character into the Real World to Capture the Emotion of the World Cup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

EGR B2B Awards 2026

EvenBet Gaming named Poker Supplier of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards 2026

Published

50 minutes ago

June 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

evenbet-gaming-named-poker-supplier-of-the-year-at-the-egr-b2b-awards-2026

Global poker vertical leader secures prestigious accolade in London, highlighting continuous technical innovation and strategic expansion.

4th June 2026 – EvenBet Gaming, a leading software provider of online poker and card game solutions, has been awarded Poker Supplier of the Year at the prestigious EGR B2B Awards 2026.

The ceremony, held last night at City Central at the HAC in London, brought together prominent stakeholders from across the global iGaming sector. Celebrating its 17th year, the EGR B2B Awards recognize the pioneering companies that power the wider gambling market, representing the ultimate benchmark of operational excellence, innovation, and customer service.

The Poker Supplier category specifically honors companies that deliver innovative, high-quality poker solutions, demonstrate strong product integration, maintain jurisdictional compliance, and consistently respond to the evolving needs of operators and players. EvenBet Gaming secured the prestigious accolade after outperforming a highly competitive shortlist of prominent industry peers. This landmark victory further solidifies EvenBet’s market leadership and follows a period of exceptional growth, technical evolution, and strategic global expansion.

Over the past 12 months, EvenBet has introduced strategic upgrades to its core infrastructure, designed specifically to lower operational overheads for casino-first and multi-vertical operators. The launch of high-performance formats — including One Click Poker and Spins Poker — dramatically simplified the player experience, allowing operators to seamlessly tap into network liquidity.

Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO at EvenBet Gaming, said: “Securing the Poker Supplier title at the EGR B2B Awards 2026 is a proud moment for EvenBet Gaming, validating over the decade of continuous technical innovation. We have always focused on eliminating operational complexity, making poker an accessible and highly profitable vertical for multi-brand operators. This recognition from industry leaders in London confirms that our product strategy aligns perfectly with modern iGaming demands.”

Media contact

For press enquiries, to schedule an interview, or to request product imagery, please contact EvenBet Gaming’s PR Manager directly at [email protected]

About EvenBet Gaming

EvenBet Gaming is a global iGaming software provider licensed and headquartered in Malta under an MGA B2B licence and holding a supplier licence from the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA). The company delivers a unified ecosystem for the gambling industry, combining its award-winning poker and card game software with a turnkey online casino platform and a high-performance game aggregator.

With over 20 years of experience in poker and iGaming infrastructure, EvenBet builds scalable, high-performance solutions and enables seamless integrations with third-party platforms, gaming content, and service providers.

With over 250 specialists across offices in Malta and Serbia, the company supports a wide range of operators – from Tier-1 international brands to emerging businesses seeking a structured and accessible entry into iGaming.

The reliability of EvenBet’s software is backed by ISO 27001 certification and rigorous testing from iTech Labs, BMM Labs, and GLI. Its industry leadership is confirmed by a long list of prestigious accolades, including European iGaming Awards (Poker Provider winner 2026), EGR B2B Awards (Poker Supplier winner 2024 and 2026), SBC Awards, SiGMA Europe Awards, Malta iGaming Excellence Awards, and EGR Europe Awards.

The post EvenBet Gaming named Poker Supplier of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BETER

BETER secures Kentucky license, bringing Setka Cup and ESportsBattle to ninth US state

Published

50 minutes ago

June 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

beter-secures-kentucky-license,-bringing-setka-cup-and-esportsbattle-to-ninth-us-state

BETER has secured a license in Kentucky, expanding the availability of its Setka Cup table tennis and ESportsBattle betting content to a ninth US state. The approval was granted by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming (KHRG), the state regulator.

The Kentucky approval adds to BETER’s existing US footprint in Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, and Illinois. The license allows BETER to supply operators in Kentucky with live data and live streams from Setka Cup and ESportsBattle tournaments.

BETER said the content is already live for Kentucky bettors through bet365, which it described as a long-standing operator partner.

Chuck Robinson, CRO at BETER, said: “Kentucky is a state with a deep sporting heritage, and we’re excited to bring our exclusive Setka Cup and ESportsBattle content to operators and bettors there. Reaching nine US states is an important milestone that reflects the growing appetite for fast-betting content across the country.

“The US market is evolving rapidly, and players are increasingly seeking round-the-clock, high-quality betting experiences. BETER is built to meet that demand, and each new state we enter strengthens our position as the go-to provider of fast-betting content worldwide.”

Valeriia Tarchynska, Chief Legal Officer at BETER, added: “Receiving both approval and license is the result of sustained and meticulous regulatory and compliance work by our team. The US licensing landscape is uniquely complex, with each state operating under its own distinct framework, and we take great pride in meeting those requirements wherever we operate.

“With nine states now approved, the US continues to be a cornerstone of BETER’s global strategy. We are actively pursuing approvals in additional key states and remain fully committed to expanding our footprint across the country and beyond.”

The post BETER secures Kentucky license, bringing Setka Cup and ESportsBattle to ninth US state appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.