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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.

3 Pigs of the Caribbean

Gaming Corps sets sail with 3 Pigs of the Caribbean – a swashbuckling new chapter in its hit Pigs series

Published

58 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

George Miller

gaming-corps-sets-sail-with-3-pigs-of-the-caribbean-–-a-swashbuckling-new-chapter-in-its-hit-pigs-series

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hams Ahoy! The iconic trio return for a pirate-themed Hold & Win adventure

Gaming Corps – a publicly-listed game development company based in Sweden, has unveiled 3 Pigs of the Caribbean, the latest and most ambitious instalment in its hit Pigs series. Following the runaway success of 3 Pigs of Olympus, the notorious trio return for a high-seas escapade packed with charm, humour, and treasure-filled potential.

Set against sun-drenched islands and creaking pirate ships, 3 Pigs of the Caribbean invites players to join the three swashbuckling pigs on their hunt for fortune. Every spin feels like a roll of the waves, as the pigs dig, hoard, and plunder their way across the reels in search of glittering rewards. Played across a 5×3 grid with 243 ways to win, this high-volatility Hold & Win slot captures the thrill of adventure with its dynamic mix of prize collection, grid expansion, and feature upgrades.

At the heart of the game is the Bonus Hold & Win Game, triggered by landing six or more Prize Coin symbols or a combination of Prize and Pig Coins. Once activated, players set sail on a bonus round that can expand to a 5×5 grid, where every spin offers new treasures to uncover. Each of the three Pig Coins brings its own brand of mischief and reward: the Red Pig expands the grid and adds new win possibilities, the Yellow Pig boosts prizes with multipliers of up to x10 and can award random values of up to 100x the total bet, while the Blue Pig adds extra respins and can also deliver random values of up to 100x the bet.

Adding to the chaos is the Mystery Pig, which can transform into any of the three Pig Coins to trigger surprise upgrades mid-bonus. Meanwhile, the Collector Chest feature keeps the base game brimming with activity, scooping up the values of Prize Coin symbols as they land. The brand-new Prize Gem system adds long-term treasure hunting to the mix, with four collectible tiers: Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand – each unlocked through colour-coded progress bars. When a bar is filled, a matching Prize Gem drops onto the grid, delivering a haul worthy of the high seas.

With an RTP of up to 95.81% and a rich tapestry of features that blend instant rewards with long-term engagement, 3 Pigs of the Caribbean represents a major evolution in the Pigs franchise, and one of Gaming Corps’ most feature-packed titles to date.

Viacheslav Pechernyi, Product Owner at Gaming Corps, said: “The Pigs have become a cornerstone of our portfolio and a player favourite around the world. With 3 Pigs of the Caribbean, we wanted to take everything that made the series successful – fun characters, smart mechanics, and big win potential, and send them on their most daring voyage yet. We can’t wait to see how it performs.”

The post Gaming Corps sets sail with 3 Pigs of the Caribbean – a swashbuckling new chapter in its hit Pigs series appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Aaron Magpayo Chief Product Officer at Playnetic

Elantil adds Playnetic to ever-expanding list of marketplace options

Published

58 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Pioneering platform solutions provider integrates with innovative B2B content provider to give operators access to even more immersive gaming entertainment

Elantil, the disruptive platform solutions provider that’s rewriting the playbook for operators with its strategic iGaming backbone, has announced that it has further enhanced the range of options available via its online marketplace after partnering with Playnetic.

Having only launched in 2023, Playnetic has rapidly established itself as one of the industry’s go-to B2B content providers due to its unwavering reliability and exceptional customer service. Dedicated to providing immersive entertainment experiences, Playnetic has established three in-house studios that work closely with their commercial team to understand operator and partner requirements.

With all releases being informed by market insights, advances in technology and the latest gameplay trends, Playnetic titles combine high-quality visuals and audio with cutting-edge innovation and are backed by the company’s promise to consistently deliver, on time, every time.

As such a partner-oriented content provider, Playnetic will undoubtedly prove another welcome addition to Elantil’s Marketplace, with all operators now being free to reach out to the game provider directly and form their own simple, flexible agreements without Elantil dictating any of the terms.

By partnering with Elantil, Playnetic gains a platform that puts freedom, agility and control back at the heart of their operations. Elantil’s modular, API-first architecture enables swift market entry and reduces the delays that legacy systems often impose. Operators are able to launch new titles such as Piggy Plunder and Joxer, as well as brands or markets much faster, avoid rigid revenue-share burdens and minimise integration complexity and hidden costs.

Moreover, direct access to Playnetic’s immersive games portfolio means operators can refresh and diversify their lobbies, engage with players and scale into new markets with confidence.

John Debono, Chief Technical Officer at Elantil, said: “With Elantil’s Marketplace redefining the way that operators and suppliers do business, we’re delighted to be adding Playnetic to our growing list of integrations. As one of the most partner-focused B2B content providers around, our operators can now contact them directly to form bespoke deals that truly benefit their business.”

Aaron Magpayo, Chief Product Officer at Playnetic, said: “Our integration with Elantil’s Marketplace allows operators to access Playnetic’s content more seamlessly than ever before. It’s an important step that improves delivery efficiency, accelerates market access, and supports our goal of creating tailored, high-performing gaming experiences for every partner”.

The post Elantil adds Playnetic to ever-expanding list of marketplace options appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Endorphina

SkillOnNet and Endorphina Unite in New Multi-Market Deal

Published

58 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

George Miller

skillonnet-and-endorphina-unite-in-new-multi-market-deal

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Partnership Brings Endorphina’s Top Titles to SkillOnNet Brands Worldwide

Players across global entertainment brand SkillOnNet’s leading network of online casino brands can now dive into a fresh lineup of cutting-edge games, thanks to a new strategic partnership with award-winning software provider Endorphina.

Endorphina has been wowing the industry with a steady stream of hit titles like Hit Slot, Crown Coins, Lucky Streak 1000, Chance Machine, Fortune Chests and Thunder Crown. The company was crowned “Provider of the Year” at the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025. Its games are now live with SkillOnNet across multiple jurisdictions.

SkillOnNet powers a diverse portfolio of iGaming brands, including household names like PlayOJO and Slingo, as well as regional favourites such as PlayUZU (Spain, LATAM), DrückGlück (Germany), and BacanaPlay (Portugal, Brazil).

The deal cements the company’s strategy of building the world’s most comprehensive games library through long-term partnerships with the very best emerging and established developers in the industry.

SkillOnNet operates more than 30 online casinos in numerous regulated jurisdictions across the globe, while providing turnkey solutions to top brands worldwide.

Jani Kontturi, Head of Games at SkillOnNet said: “We are delighted to partner with Endorphina and to bring their exceptional titles to our brands. We’re all about finding partners that share our core values around innovation, quality and responsible gaming. Endorphina delivers on that, while pushing the boundaries of game design and technical excellence. They have a deep understanding of what players want.”

Nare Grigoryan, COO-Malta at Endorphina said: “We’re proud to collaborate with SkillOnNet, a company with global reach and expertise. This deal allows us to amplify our presence in many regulated markets while delivering real value to players through a trusted, forward-thinking partner.”

The post SkillOnNet and Endorphina Unite in New Multi-Market Deal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.