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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

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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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Atlaslive

Operational Friction at Scale: Infrastructure Risks in Online Casinos

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This article is part of Atlaslive’s series examining vulnerabilities in online casino operations and how established operators can address them proactively.

The series highlights critical exposure areas, including cybersecurity threats, KPI red flags, financial leakage, platform and infrastructure weaknesses, and compliance challenges. The final article will present mitigation principles recommended by Atlaslive specialists.

Focusing on Infrastructure and Platform-Level Risks

As online casinos scale, structural vulnerabilities often emerge, revealing weaknesses in technical architecture. These issues typically remain hidden during early development and only appear under stress—such as peak traffic, new market launches, major campaigns, or rapid product expansion.

Common Structural Risks Include:

  • System latency during high-load periods

  • Gaps in integration between payments, CRM, and other platforms

  • Delays in reporting pipelines

  • Limited real-time data visibility

  • Fragmented architecture requiring manual intervention in risk, bonus, or payment processes

Beyond Uptime: Performance Quality Matters

Infrastructure issues affect more than system stability. Latency disrupts in-play sessions, reporting delays slow decision-making, and poor integrations increase manual workloads while reducing responsiveness to fraud or behavioral anomalies.

For mature operators, resilience is measured not just by uptime but by seamless communication across verticals—sportsbook, casino, payments, CRM, and risk management—without friction. True scalability maintains performance quality even as operational complexity grows.

Reducing Operational Friction

As scale outpaces architecture readiness, operational friction rises: manual interventions increase, visibility decreases, and response times to emerging risks slow. Atlaslive experts emphasize the importance of structured system communication, real-time data access, and integrated workflows to sustain stability under growth.

Infrastructure vulnerabilities rarely appear overnight; they evolve gradually as operations expand.

To explore Atlaslive’s insights on cybersecurity threats, KPI red flags, financial leakage, regulatory exposure, and recommended mitigation strategies, visit the full article on the Atlaslive blog.

About Atlaslive

Atlaslive is a B2B software developer delivering a multifunctional, automated platform for sports betting and casino operators. Core components include Sportsbook, Casino, Risk Management & Anti-Fraud Tools, CRM, Bonus Engine, Business Analytics, Payment Systems, and a Retail Module. Follow Atlaslive on LinkedIn for the latest iGaming technology updates.

The post Operational Friction at Scale: Infrastructure Risks in Online Casinos appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Fanatics Casino

RLX Gaming expands US reach through Fanatics Casino launch

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RLX Gaming, the innovative iGaming aggregator and content supplier, has officially launched its full portfolio with Fanatics Casino in the United States.

Players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania can now access RLX Gaming’s extensive library of in-house and third-party titles, following a soft launch in Pennsylvania. Leading slot hits like Temple Tumble, Bonsai Dragon Blitz, and The Great Pigsby are now live, alongside a broad selection of releases from some of the most creative studios in the industry.

Fanatics Casino, available in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia on iOS and Android, offers a wide variety of classic and modern casino experiences, including slots, blackjack, roulette, progressive jackpots, and video poker. Each game is designed to deliver authentic casino action, ensuring endless entertainment for players.

This partnership marks a significant step in RLX Gaming’s mission to deliver dynamic, globally-ready content that drives innovation and engagement in the online casino space.

Matthew Hockenjos, Commercial Account Manager for North America at RLX Gaming, said:

“Our collaboration with Fanatics Casino represents a major milestone for RLX Gaming as we strategically broaden our footprint across North America. Fanatics Casino’s commitment to delivering top-tier entertainment aligns perfectly with our mission, and we’re thrilled to bring our engaging slot experiences to players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

Kieron Shaw from Fanatics Casino added:

“We are delighted to integrate RLX Gaming’s captivating portfolio into our platform. This partnership reinforces our dedication to offering a premier online casino experience, giving players access to high-quality titles with proven appeal across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

The post RLX Gaming expands US reach through Fanatics Casino launch appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Gen Z

Traffic and Gen Z: What actually works?

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O brave new world… Greetings to everyone who keeps running traffic in these turbulent times, where the rules of the game change faster than we can update our creatives. Regulations are tightening, social platforms constantly rewrite their policies, and search engines keep updating their algorithms, that’s already the new normal. But there is another factor influencing the market just as much. A new generation has grown up, reached adulthood, and is entering categories that were dominated by millennials just yesterday. We’re talking about Gen Z and those coming right after them, generation Alpha.

There’s a lot of discussion about them. But the team at Moon Partners wants to look at this topic from a more practical angle, not through the lens of generational theory, but through traffic performance.

Who are Gen Z as an audience?

This is the first fully digital-native generation. They don’t just use smartphones, they’ve never known life without them. They grew up inside social media algorithms, and by the age of 18 they’ve seen more advertising than previous generations did in their entire lives. And because of that, they’ve learned to filter it. They almost never click “just because”. If content doesn’t build trust within the first few seconds, for them it simply doesn’t exist.

Another important factor is gamification and convenience. The more dynamic and engaging the experience is, the better. At the same time, everything must be comfortable and fast. Responses to user actions should be immediate, because patience is limited and people expect results right away.

Sounds like a challenge. Let’s look at what kind of strategy can work with this audience.

Creative preparation

At this stage, we recommend not treating Gen Z as a single segment. The 21–26 age range is only a demographic label. In reality, this audience is made up of many different micro-communities. These may include gamers, crypto enthusiasts, sports fans, self-improvement communities, streamer audiences, Discord communities, and many other niche groups with their own interests and communication styles. So the first step is deciding which context you want to enter. Approaching this audience without segmentation often leads to wasted budget. Gen Z responds strongly to personalization. Content should feel aligned with their interests, almost as if you already understand the environment they live in. Of course, this requires some research. But we never said this would be easy.

Platform choice

When working with Gen Z, choosing a platform is not just a technical decision, it’s a strategic one. They perceive each platform as its own culture, with its own language, pace, and level of trust. Our goal is to speak their language and appear naturally in their environment. Not as someone trying to interrupt their world, but as something interesting that appears organically in their feed. Remember those early-2000s movies with model castings where judges would say “Thank you, next” the moment something didn’t fit? Gen Z treats their feeds exactly the same way.
They will scroll past almost everything, but they will choose only a few pieces of content to engage with.That’s why creatives on social platforms must look like a natural part of the feed. The first seconds decide everything. If content feels out of place, it simply gets skipped.
For push and pop traffic, aggressive clickbait usually doesn’t work well. For native and search traffic, users often double-check information about projects, read reviews, and research products before engaging. This is why it’s important to work with clean products that have a solid reputation.
So the strategy is simple: choose the right platform and adapt your content specifically for it.

A small case study

At Moon Partners, we’ve seen how the behavior of younger audiences changes in practice. One of our affiliates tested an iGaming offer targeting users aged 21–26. The initial creatives were standard for the vertical, banner ads with a bonus offer and a direct registration CTA. However, CTR stayed around 0.4%, and most users simply scrolled past the ads.
After analyzing the audience, it became clear that a large portion of the traffic overlapped with gamer and streamer culture. The creatives were redesigned. Instead of banner ads, the affiliate launched short videos styled as clips from a live stream, where the character “tested their luck” and commented on the gameplay in a familiar, entertaining style.
The content looked like a natural part of the feed rather than a typical advertisement. As a result, CTR almost tripled, and landing page conversions improved noticeably.

For us, this once again confirmed a simple insight: Gen Z reacts far better to content that feels like part of their environment rather than direct advertising.

The takeaway

At this point it becomes clear that what works best with this audience is subtlety and context. The era of simple, straightforward creatives is gradually fading. Marketers need to adapt to new realities, create more native experiences, integrate with audience interests, do deeper research, and stay aware of current trends. This doesn’t mean that traditional approaches no longer work at all. But we are clearly in a transition period, and those who fail to adapt may quickly lose relevance.

If you are exploring traffic opportunities with younger audiences, the Moon Partners team is always open to communication. We’re happy to share our experience, insights, and discuss collaboration formats that work for everyone. Because for us, affiliate marketing is about more than numbers, it’s about honest partnerships, real conversations, and win-win collaborations.

The post Traffic and Gen Z: What actually works? appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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