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NSoft story: Passion and motivation behind Virtual Penalty Shootout

Published

4 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.

Alexander Kamenetskyi Head of SOFTSWISS Sportsbook

The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook at Five: From MVP to Award-Winning Global B2B Solution

Published

1 hour ago

December 2, 2025

George Miller

the-softswiss-sportsbook-at-five:-from-mvp-to-award-winning-global-b2b-solution

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook celebrates its fifth anniversary, marking a major milestone in its journey from MVP to a fully mature, internationally recognised B2B product. Over these five years, the team has achieved standout results, from launching a project in just 14 days to delivering a mobile-first experience that generates over 90% of GGR.

Since its debut in 2020, the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook has expanded its sports and esports catalogue, introduced premium cricket, launched a mobile app, added a customisable betting interface, unique bonuses, and various gamification tools for player engagement and retention. It has also introduced seamless integrations with the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator and Jackpot Aggregator.

An important milestone was reached ahead of UEFA Euro 2024, when the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook team delivered 22 new projects across 11 casino platforms, including the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform, within a single month. A breakthrough record was also set when the team launched a project in just 14 days from contract signing to the first bet.

The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook is engineered for smooth, platform-agnostic integration, enabling fast rollouts on both proprietary and third-party platforms. Delivering a strong player experience and supporting business growth, the Sportsbook seamlessly integrates into any iGaming operation with flexible launch options to meet diverse needs. Recent updates further enhance its efficiency, including API 2.0 for more scalable integrations and a renewed CMS with deeper content control.

Alexander Kamenetskyi, Head of SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, comments: “Five years ago, we set out to build a modern Sportsbook – flexible, scalable, and ready for the future of betting. Today, we have a stable architecture, powerful engagement tools, a strong risk management layer, and a team that knows how to move fast without compromising quality. The product has matured, and we are ready to push forward with even greater ambition.”

Delivering 2,000+ betting markets across 200+ sports and esports, with all Sportradar official leagues included, the Sportsbook supports 100,000+ monthly live events and a mobile-first experience that generates over 90% of GGR. Clients also highlight its intuitive CMS, robust risk management, and 24/7 technical assistance, reinforcing the Sportsbook’s position as a reliable B2B solution.

Anton Eshtokin, CMO of Boomerang Partners, shares: “The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook is an ideal choice for any iGaming operator looking to diversify its portfolio and strengthen its competitive position in the market. On behalf of our entire team, I’d like to congratulate the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook on reaching this remarkable five-year milestone. As a partner, you’ve consistently demonstrated innovation, professionalism, and a deep understanding of the industry’s evolution. We wish you continued growth, bold ideas, and the drive to keep setting new standards in the iGaming market. May the next five years bring even more success stories and breakthroughs that inspire the entire industry.”

The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook’s achievements have been acknowledged across the industry, earning accolades such as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at SiGMA South Asia Awards 2025, Innovative E-sports Product of the Year at SPiCE South Asia Eventus Awards 2024, Best Sports Betting Provider in the Baltics at BSG Awards 2023, and Rising Star in Sports Betting at SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2022.

In 2025, the sports betting solution entered a new phase, focusing on architectural upgrades to support faster feature delivery. The team plans to release a new API Tester in December and is preparing for the upcoming launch of virtual sports. The Sportsbook platform also covered urgent Brazilian and Bulgarian regulatory requirements. These strategic moves will allow the solution to maintain momentum and scale to meet the growing expectations of operators in diverse markets.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 36,700 casino games, Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.

The post The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook at Five: From MVP to Award-Winning Global B2B Solution appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Betinovio

Odds88 integrates award-winning sports data feeds with Betinovio

Published

1 hour ago

December 2, 2025

George Miller

odds88-integrates-award-winning-sports-data-feeds-with-betinovio

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Aggregator’s customisable feeds extend sportsbook provider’s offering across 110+ different sports

Sports aggregation platform Odds88 has secured a partnership with sportsbook technology provider Betinovio, expanding the brand’s coverage with unrivalled odds data streams.

As part of the deal, Odds88 will provide its award-winning modular data services to take Betinovio’s offering to the next level. Its operator partners can now gain access to customisable feeds, extensive betting content from more than 110 different sports and 4,000 daily events, and proven BetRank risk management tools.

Odds88 has also delivered its new 50/50 betting product, which promises to attract both casual users and savvy bettors with its low barrier to entry and a new layer of interaction of sports fans.

The aggregator’s data-driven platform uses AI algorithms to analyse behavioural data and tailor odds, promotions and offers to each individual player.

The agreement underpins Odds88’s position as an unparalleled source for trusted and comprehensive odds data, empowering global operators to create their most optimised sportsbooks yet.

Mike Forslund, Head of Sales and Business Development at Odds88, said: “We’re excited to build something truly exceptional in partnership with Betinovio. By combining the provider’s top-class sports betting technology with our unbeaten selection of data, we are introducing a proposition that will reshape the betting experience.

“Betinovio’s partners can now truly raise their game, enabling players to write their own event narratives.”

Marinos Eliazed, CEO at Betinovio, said: “By integrating Odds88’s data feeds, we are future-proofing our technology for operators. Players expect an interface that flexes to their needs and Odds88’s feeds offer endless possibilities for customisation.

“We look forward to seeing what we can create together.”

The post Odds88 integrates award-winning sports data feeds with Betinovio appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Amy Brewis Head of Account Management at Realistic Games

Realistic Games unleashes Christmas chaos with new title Wreckmas

Published

1 hour ago

December 2, 2025

George Miller

realistic-games-unleashes-christmas-chaos-with-new-title-wreckmas

Reading Time: 2 minutes

It’s the most magical time of the year, but don’t expect a peaceful Christmas with the release of Realistic Games’ latest blockbuster slot, Wreckmas.

The new 5×3, feature-packed slot brings toppled trees, tangled tinsel and chaotic carols to a family Christmas, along with the chance to hit a 5,000x max win.

Among the features is the Wild Train, which sees a toy train roll in and deliver random multipliers up to 5x on reels two-to-four.

There’s the Christmas Tree Collector, where the Christmas tree collects Wilds via electric shocks, triggering the Jackpot feature at any time.

Land three vinyl scatters across reels one-to-three to trigger Free Spins, where Wilds and the Christmas tree remain active with boosted wins. By collecting music symbols throughout the game to access the Scatter Collection, where only high-pay symbols land, players have the chance to gain two extra spins and a 2x multiplier.

And the Match 3 Jackpot Feature serves up 15 presents to unwrap, each packed with Mini, Minor, Major or Grand Prizes, along with the added chance to boost your winnings.

Despite its warm, claymation-style and festive charm, Wreckmas is anything but gentle. Its high volatility and 96.14% RTP ensures that every spin carries real energy and the chance of big wins.

Amy Brewis, Head of Account Management at Realistic Games, said: “Christmas content can sometimes feel predictable, so we wanted to create something that embraces the season but delivers a fresh, chaotic twist. Wreckmas is everything we love about a Realistic Games title, including inventive features, engaging gameplay and a sense of humour. We’re thrilled to bring something bold and different to operators during one of the busiest periods of the year.”

Wreckmas follows hot on the heels of Art Heist, a 1930s-inspired crime caper slot released by Realistic Games at the end of September. It has already earned fans for its suspenseful gameplay.

It’s been a busy end of the year for Realistic Games, which has secured a host of new operator partners over the past few weeks, including QuinnBet and Bally’s Interactive in the UK and 711 in the Netherlands.

The post Realistic Games unleashes Christmas chaos with new title Wreckmas appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.