Latest News
NSoft story: Passion and motivation behind Virtual Penalty Shootout
Virtual Penalty Shootout celebrated its first birthday. Officially, the game was released on September 30, 2020, and instantly captured the attention of both – operators and players.
The expert community has also recognized the uniqueness and the beauty of the game by shortlisting it for the Global Gaming Award 2021 in the category Product Launch of the Year. Recently NSoft received seven nominations for the SBC Awards Latinoamerica 2021. Among others, we are shortlisted in the category Virtual Sports Supplier. The application for this award has leaned heavily on the Virtual Penalty Shootout game.
To celebrate all those milestones, we decided to tell a different story about Virtual Penalty Shootout game. We will not talk about the RNG, betting markets, how-to-play but let people who created the game say a word or two about passion, excitement and dedication.
By Amela Dedić and Biljana Haljevac, Senior 3D Artists/Animators
The team
Great teams and great ideas are all about people and the working atmosphere. We at NSoft’s former 3D Games Team, now 3D Creative Team were lucky to found each and we just can’t start this story without saying thank-you to former and current team members: Jasmin Ličina – Senior 3D artist/Team lead, Dragan Grbavac – Senior 3D artist, Dejan Boras – Senior Unity dev, Zlatko Vukšić – Senior Unity dev, Adnan Mujkić – Unity Dev, Dragan Rezo – Senior 3D Artist, Stojan Cvitković – Senior 3D Artist, Toni Matej Radoš – Senior 3D Artist. In this story, “we” are Biljana Haljevac – Senior 3D Animator and Amela Dedić – Senior 3D Animator. We are the one who will take you behind the scene of Virtual Penalty Shootout.
Our Team’s job is to develop Virtual betting games such as Virtual greyhound and horse races, Motorcycle Speedway, etc.
New Project – Virtual Penalty Shootout
The virtual penalty shootout was the most challenging project we’ve worked on. It allowed us to learn and try new things such as Motion capture. Our first job was to figure out the best way for our small team to make such a big virtual game. The biggest challenge was the animation process. We needed a large number of highly realistic animations, and the best solution for that problem was a Motion Capture system. Our choice was a company from Sweden named Rokoko and their WiFi motion capture suit – The Smartsuit Pro.
After we placed our order for the suit, the waiting time was used to go “back to school” and research making of other elements of the game such as character and venue design and creation, MoCap animation recording and cleanup, new software, and game rules. Our best friends were Pluralsight and LinkedIn Learning.
The Arrival- Smartsuit Pro is in the town
The arrival of the Smartsuit Pro was the most joyful occasion. Also, the day when our colleague Toni officially became the resident MoCap test talent.
Since our open office was not suited for a proper MoCap test, our first pick was local park. Awesome place, beautiful weather, but just one problem: electricity was really hard to find. A better-suited place was found for proper test and future motion capture sessions. The Local Futsal field had everything we needed.
MoCap Time!
Following initial tests, we felt confident enough to start official motion capture sessions. The first step was planning and creating MoCap sheets for each motion capture session.
Our motion capture crew was small but efficient: Toni Matej Radoš – Test talent & Talent Manager, Biljana Haljevac – Reference Cameras and Amela Dedić – Rokoko Studio, MoCap Sheet. And our Talents, real-life football players, who without this would not be possible: Fedja Kulenić (goalkeeper) and Ivan Arapović (player).
Since we have only one suit, Goalkeeper and Player animations were recorded separately. Because of that, we had to be very careful during the planning process so the respective animations could match. We were a bit worried about the Goalkeeper’s recording sessions, taking into consideration the nature of football goalkeeping movements. To make everything easier we relocated Goalkeeper’s MoCap sessions to the local Judo club with a soft tatami mat surface. We had 3 recording sessions and each was 3 hours long. That gave us 137 raw animations. We were aware that not every MoCap take will be successful or 100% accurate, we made sure that every take was also recorded with our reference cameras.
Animation Cleanup
The entire process of cleanup was done in Maya and Motionbuilder using the HumanIK system. Most of the work was root motion corrections, foot slides, and arms fixes. The final part of the cleanup was merging the animations of Player and Goalkeeper into one take and making sure that the timing fits perfectly for each take.
The ball movement was a mix of keyframed animation and Unity physics.
Visuals & Final Render
Cleanup done. Next: Dressing up. The entire time of animation cleanup our player and goalkeeper rigs were dressed in nothing but their birthday suit. That caused a lot of funny looks from our other coworkers. But fear not! Our 3D artist Dragan Rezo was on the task of dressing them up for their final render.
Visuals & Final Render
Cleanup done. Next: Dressing up. The entire time of animation cleanup our player and goalkeeper rigs were dressed in nothing but their birthday suit. That caused a lot of funny looks from our other coworkers. But fear not! Our 3D artist Dragan Rezo was on the task of dressing them up for their final render.
Every visual element of the game can be easily changed. Character appearance, jerseys, crowd, banners. All this can be altered according to the client’s requirements. We had a test client request just to see how much time would be needed for all the changes and rendering.
- Lions on background video banners
- Goalkeeper jersey with leopard pattern and panther head as front logo
- Penalty taker with a red jersey and white sun on blue background (Taiwanese flag) as a front logo. Number 88 on the back and name “Tigers” above it
- Additional but not requested, all resolve screens translated to mandarin
Final words
Almost nobody was injured during the making of the game. Our Goalkeeper had some bruises from the suit’s sensors, and we almost had a heart attack when our suit had a minor malfunction.
All jokes aside, our small team is very proud to have managed to complete such a large project, learn a bunch of new things in the process, and use Motion capture technology. It was an awesome experience from start to finish.
In the end, we would like you to take a look at our little video presentation of the Motion capture animation process.
Powered by WPeMatico
Africa
Booming Games signs content deal with World Sports Betting in South Africa
WSB adds Booming titles including Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the Buffalo series to its casino lobby.
Booming Games has signed a partnership with World Sports Betting (WSB) to roll out a selection of its casino titles on WSB’s platform in South Africa.
Under the agreement, WSB players will gain access to Booming Games content including Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the Buffalo series. Booming Games positioned the deal as part of its wider expansion strategy across Africa.
Ryno Du Plessis, Group Chief Operating Officer at World Sports Betting, said: “We believe that Booming’s portfolio will offer something new and unique to our clients. Titles like Tasty Bonanza, Cash Pig and the popular Buffalo series are sure to be very popular with our player base.”
Solomon Godwin, Head of Africa at Booming Games, added: “We are thrilled to partner with World Sports Betting, a company with an outstanding reputation for delivering premium entertainment to players across the South African market. This collaboration represents an exciting step forward in expanding Booming Games’ reach and ensuring our titles are accessible to even more players in South Africa. We look forward to building a successful long-term relationship and delivering high-quality entertainment to their customers.”
The post Booming Games signs content deal with World Sports Betting in South Africa appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
Exclusive Relax Gaming slot lands at Zingo Bingo
Zingo Bingo has exclusively launched Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker, the latest action-packed slot from leading supplier Relax Gaming.
The neon-fuelled heist adventure is now available to Zingo Bingo players who will embark on a precision operation to plot the ultimate raid to try and crack the vault to unlock those wins.
Set across a 4×4 cluster-pay grid, Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker combines fast-paced gameplay with expanding cluster mechanics and escalating rewards inspired by high-stakes vault robberies and underground crime capers.
The excitement builds throughout gameplay thanks to the slot’s Progressive Generation Multiplier feature. With every consecutive generation of winning clusters, the multiplier doubles, creating the potential for massive payouts as cascades continue across the reels.
Players can also trigger Smash ‘N’ Grab Free Spins, with opportunities to increase spins and multipliers throughout the bonus feature, adding even more excitement and win potential during gameplay.
New online UK bingo brand Zingo Bingo offers a variety of online bingo rooms as well as access to thousands of slot titles and this latest launch further strengthens its growing collection of popular Relax Gaming releases including Money Train 4, Temple Tumble Megaways and Iron Bank 2.
Zingo Bingo Head of Brand Jack Watson said: “At Zingo Bingo, we’re committed to providing the highest standard of online experience for players with a growing portfolio of more than 8,000 games, including new releases and exclusive launches. We’re delighted to be bringing Midnight Marauder ClusterBreaker to our players as an exclusive launch and it’s exactly the kind of fresh, entertaining release our players love to see.
“Relax Gaming has done a fantastic job combining innovative mechanics with fast-paced gameplay and exciting bonus features, while the ClusterBreaker mechanic adds something genuinely different to the experience. We’re delighted to be bringing the game to Zingo Bingo players.”
The post Exclusive Relax Gaming slot lands at Zingo Bingo appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Alex Scott Chief Product Officer at Tequity
Tequity appoints Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer
Former Microgaming poker MD and ex-WPT Global president joins as supplier pushes regulated-market expansion and new verticals.
Tequity has appointed Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer, adding a long-time iGaming executive to lead product vision and oversee the product lifecycle from conception to market launch.
Scott has more than 20 years of experience in the sector. He previously served as Managing Director of Poker at Microgaming and later led WPT Global as President.
The hire comes as Tequity expands its product structure, including the recent launch of Tequity Exclusives, a vertical for custom-built games that sits alongside its RGS, Originals and Publishing divisions. The company also said it has completed BMM Testlabs certification for its RNG and the first batch of Tequity Originals titles as it targets regulated markets.
Alex Scott, Chief Product Officer at Tequity, said: “Tequity is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in iGaming by harnessing the power of technology to streamline and elevate game development.
“It is an incredibly exciting time to join the team. I look forward to leading the product vision across our expanding divisions to deliver next-generation casino content to operators worldwide.”
Krzysztof Opałka, CEO at Tequity, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alex to the team as we continue to move the business forward at pace. His two decades of industry leadership and pioneering, hands-on experience with AI-driven casino games make him the perfect fit to lead our product strategy.
“With our rapid recent progress across all of our divisions, his expertise will be invaluable in maximising the impact of our portfolio.” Scott will attend iGB Live in London next month as part of Tequity’s team.
The post Tequity appoints Alex Scott as Chief Product Officer appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Latest News7 days agoN1 Partners x RAZE Case: ROI+ in Canada within 3 Days
-
Canada7 days agoN1 Partners x RAZE Case: ROI+ in Canada within 3 Days
-
Balkans6 days agoEGT Digital signs sponsorship deal with CSKA Sofia
-
Genius Sports4 days agoLIGA MX and Polymarket Announce Sponsorship Agreement for the US Territory with Official Data and Integrity Collaboration from Genius Sports
-
Booming Games5 days agoBooming Games launches Ronaldinho’s Streetball Bonanza slot
-
BMM Testlabs7 days agoBMM Innovation Group confirms Perú Gaming Show presence in Lima
-
AI5 days agoBetConstruct AI sets Peru Gaming Show 2026 showcase around live World Cup betting
-
Africa6 days agoPlayson launches online casino games in Nigeria via BetKing deal



