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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.
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Since 2018, one of the iGaming affiliate leaders, AskGamblers, has been partnering with N1 Partners, right from the beginning of the affiliate program’s rise. This collaboration has evolved into a proven growth engine for both brands.
Partnering for Scale: Why AskGamblers Chose N1 Partners
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When the N1 Puzzle Promo was announced, the AskGamblers team shared their reaction:
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Driving SEO Traffic: The AskGamblers Formula
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Stepping into the Race: AskGamblers Joins the N1 Puzzle Promo
When N1 Partners launched its huge-scale promotion campaign, the N1 Puzzle Promo, AskGamblers was quick to take a leading position. This promo offers a global affiliate competition with standout luxury prizes, including a grand prize – Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter – and a leaderboard structure that drives performance.
As soon as the promo launched, the AskGamblers team decided to go for the grand prize and dominate the leaderboard. With the guidance and support of N1 Partners’ affiliate team, the AskGamblers team selected several brands from the N1 portfolio, prioritising high-converting brands within the network, pivoted resources, and increased focus on SEO and long-term traffic value.
Leaderboard Mindset: Motivation, Competition & Expectations
AskGamblers is a highly competitive team, and the N1 Puzzle Promo format hits the mark. For N1 Partners, this speaks directly to our goal: bringing top-tier affiliates into big campaigns where they can shine and scale.
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Beyond Traffic: What Success Looks Like
If AskGamblers wins the helicopter, the vision is as bold as it is fun.
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Such an approach shows that this is about partnership, performance, and flair — not just metrics.
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Best Payment Provider
ZettaOnline Wins “Best Payment Provider” at EiGE Awards 2025 During the European Gaming Congress in Warsaw
Reading Time: 2 minutes
ZettaOnline has been named Best Payment Provider at the EiGE Awards 2025, held during the European Gaming Congress (EGC) in Warsaw, Poland on 30-31 October.
Organized by Hipther, the awards honor excellence and innovation across the gaming and fintech ecosystem. The “Best Payment Provider” title recognizes the company that delivers secure, fast, and friction-free transaction solutions, setting new benchmarks for reliability and customer experience in iGaming.
This distinction marks ZettaOnline’s second major recognition in 2025 in the same category, reinforcing its position as a trusted fintech partner for regulated gaming operators.
“Receiving this award at such a renowned industry event is an incredible honor and a reflection of our team’s focus on strategic advancement, compliance, and client success,” said Milena Tsankarska, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at ZettaOnline, who accepted the award on behalf of the company.
In addition to the company’s success, Milena Tsankarska had received individual nominations in two categories: iGaming Leader of the Year, celebrating vision and leadership in the industry, and iGaming Influencer of the Year, honoring individuals whose insights and impact help shape the gaming community.
At the European Gaming Congress, Tsankarska also joined the panel “Beyond the Booth: Strategic Event Preparation in B2B PR, Marketing & BizDev,” where she discussed the evolving role of communication in a data-driven era. Her key message highlighted the importance of aligning research, audience understanding, and business goals to create marketing that resonates and drives measurable outcomes.
“We value this event because it allows us to create a network of long-term partners. It’s great to see the potential of the gaming industry showcased by a diverse range of companies and ideas,” said Tsankarska. “We’re thankful to the Hipther team for recognizing our work and for creating spaces that foster real collaboration and progress across the sector.”
ZettaOnline continues to strengthen its position within the fintech and gaming ecosystems, delivering tailored solutions that combine technology, compliance, and security across multiple regulated markets. The company’s expertise spans online payments, cyber security, cloud services, certification, IT infrastructure, software development, server and system administration, and technical compliance, ensuring every partner receives a holistic approach to operational excellence. With a focus on speed, reliability, and intelligent scalability, ZettaOnline empowers businesses to navigate complex financial and technological environments with confidence and clarity.
The post ZettaOnline Wins “Best Payment Provider” at EiGE Awards 2025 During the European Gaming Congress in Warsaw appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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