Latest News

NSoft story: Passion and motivation behind Virtual Penalty Shootout

Published

5 years ago

October 5, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

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

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.

Latest News

Vegangster Becomes First iGaming Platform to Support AI Agent Integration via MCP

Published

16 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Master Editor

Vegangster has become the first iGaming platform to integrate the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling AI agents to interact directly with platform systems in real time.

MCP is an open protocol that gives AI agents a structured way to communicate with software environments, allowing them to understand context, retrieve data, and perform actions on the user’s behalf. Instead of building separate integrations for each use case, MCP standardises how AI agents interact with platform systems, making integrations faster to deploy and easier to scale.

For player support, this means agents can resolve common queries, including deposit status, bonus conditions, and account issues. Instead of routing tickets or escalating requests, agents retrieve live data and resolve queries instantly within a single interaction.

On the operator side, tasks that previously required navigating multiple interface sections or exporting reports can now be handled through plain-language prompts: filtering player lists, reviewing performance figures, adjusting configurations. The practical effect is a shorter onboarding curve and faster execution of day-to-day tasks.

Michael Oziransky, Chief Product Officer at Vegangster, sees this as foundational rather than incremental:

“AI agents interacting with the platform mark a fundamental shift. What we are seeing now are just the most obvious use cases. The real value of MCP is in its flexibility. This opens the door to entirely new ways of operating and building on top of the platform. We are proud to be the first to bring this to iGaming.”

The integration is currently in beta with selected operators, with wider availability planned soon. Early adopters can already move beyond traditional interfaces and begin operating the platform through AI agents.

Press Contact

Romans Kozlovskis

[email protected]

1spin4win

1spin4win partners with iGP to grow the global reach of its classic portfolio

Published

33 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

1spin4win-partners-with-igp-to-grow-the-global-reach-of-its-classic-portfolio

For the studio, this collaboration marks another important step toward expanding its network of 1,000+ partners and reinforcing its position on the international stage.

Under the deal, 1spin4win’s portfolio of 200 classic online slots will be added to the Gaming Aggregator’s library of over 12,000 titles from leading providers. These include timeless fruit hits, themed adventures, seasonal releases dedicated to international holidays, and the award-winning Tiger’s Steps Hold and Win.

Built on intuitive, straightforward mechanics, 1spin4win slots are instantly accessible to players of all types, regardless of prior experience. Support for multiple fiat and cryptocurrencies further strengthens their appeal across global markets.

iGP is a full-service provider of B2B iGaming solutions designed to support operator growth in an ever-evolving industry. The company’s digital toolkit includes a GLI-19-certified platform, crypto, turnkey solutions, retail, and more. As part of its product offering, the proprietary Gaming Aggregator bridges the gap between game developers and online casinos via a single API integration.

Jaime Carvajal, Sales Manager at 1spin4win, shared, “At 1spin4win, we’re pleased to welcome iGP into our growing network of global partners. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to reinforce our presence in our core European market. We hope our classic slots will become a valuable addition to their rich library and resonate with new player audiences.”

About 1spin4win

1spin4win is an established game provider founded in May 2021 by ambitious developers with over 15 years of experience in the gambling industry. Since its inception, the company has expanded its portfolio to include 200 classic online slots, all characterized by quality mathematics, transparent mechanics, and well-balanced gameplay — key factors that drive strong player retention. The studio aims to release an average of four new games each month in 2026 and offers effective promotional tools for casino operators to help them enhance player loyalty.

The post 1spin4win partners with iGP to grow the global reach of its classic portfolio appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AI Fraud

The AI fraud wars: Slotegrator shows operators how to fight back in new report

Published

33 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

the-ai-fraud-wars:-slotegrator-shows-operators-how-to-fight-back-in-new-report

Is there anyone who isn’t using AI to boost results? Sales managers, executives, lawyers, content creators — and, unfortunately, cybercriminals. Slotegrator’s new downloadable report covers how iGaming brands can protect themselves from the new generation of AI-powered fraud.

Online casinos and sportsbooks have always been a favorite target for cybercriminals.

Fraudsters view bonuses and other welcome offers as an opportunity for free cash. Abusing the offer seems like a victimless crime; they don’t view themselves as thieves, but as modern-day versions of Robin Hood, gaming an unfair system.

And in the age of AI, scammers have new tools at their disposal. Many brands have traditionally relied on stringent KYC measures to weed out potential threats, but even liveness checks can be fooled by a good deepfake. There’s also synthetic IDs to consider — fake identities stitched together using pieces of real data, stolen from real people, often purchased on the dark web.

These are just the techniques the industry is aware of. Once there’s a guaranteed method of screening for deepfakes, scammers will move on to something else; fraudsters are always on the lookout for new strategies. Operators will only figure out what they are in retrospect.

In short, you have to assume that your first line of defense can fail.

So as the fraud landscape changes, you’ll have to change with it.

As cybercriminals find more ways to use AI to sneak through your ID checks and start scaling their operations, you need to focus on AI-powered defenses. AI tools are no longer extras or bonuses; they’re essential features, and need to be treated as such. The problems that casinos and sportsbooks face today simply require a level of processing power that human teams aren’t capable of.

“In the long run, the law of survival of the fittest will apply,” says Slotegrator COO Olga Ivanchik. “Brands that adapt to the new reality by integrating AI tools will survive the same threats that sink their competitors who tried to keep doing things the old way.”

AI tools are already being implemented in adaptive UX, real-time marketing, predictive LTV modelling, and risk management. Slotegrator proposes in a new report that it’s time to center these tools and take their capabilities to the next level so that operators can identify and respond to threats as quickly as they need to.

Slotegrator’s new report breaks down the threats that online casinos face and presents a look at tools they can use to protect themselves. Download the full report here.

Slotegrator

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.

The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.

The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.

Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.

ABOUT THE PLAYA

The Playa is a leading iGaming company specializing in AI-powered personalization solutions, enabling operators to deliver tailored player experiences across the full lifecycle — from lobby personalization and acquisition intelligence to VIP insights and retention optimization.

Through advanced behavioral profiling and personalized player recommendations, the company provides iGaming operators with the tools they need to grow, retain players, and maximize revenue.

The post The AI fraud wars: Slotegrator shows operators how to fight back in new report appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.