Latest News

Love at First Sight: Kwalee Acquires Narrative Specialists Tictales

Published

4 years ago

January 24, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Kwalee, a world-leading game developer and multiplatform publisher, has made its first ever studio acquisition with a deal that brings French developer Tictales into its increasingly-global family.

Established as one of the world’s foremost mobile game developers and publishers, Kwalee has achieved more than 750 million downloads across its hypercasual games portfolio.

The deal to buy Tictales is the first acquisition by Kwalee in its 10-year history, signalling its serious intent to build upon global hypercasual success with both casual and hybrid-casual titles.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Tictales, whose narrative-based mobile games have been downloaded more than 6 million times and played for more than 350 million hours, will continue to operate with creative independence while benefiting from Kwalee’s marketing expertise.

Screenshot from Perfume of Love by Tictales

14 games have been developed and published by Tictales since the studio’s founding in 2015, including Perfume of Love, Fictions and Swiit Crush – Interactive Stories. The company specialises in free-to-play romance narrative games, and its titles are acclaimed by fans globally.

Headquartered in Leamington Spa, UK, Kwalee has doubled in size over the past year thanks to rapid global expansion. The developer and publisher also has offices in Bangalore, India and Beijing, China along with remote team members all around the world. With the acquisition of Tictales, the company now has team members spread across 18 countries.

Kwalee boasts the world’s most prolific hypercasual games development studio, having published more than 40 number one mobile games – most of which were developed by a dedicated internal team. Internal development is complemented by a dedicated mobile game publishing team working with talented developers all over the world, led by SEGA and Ubisoft veteran Will Cox.

“We have been committed since day one to creating amazing mobile fiction for our audience and I’m very proud of all the team members of Tictales for this milestone,” said Christophe Chocho, Sales Manager and Co-Founder of Tictales.

“The long-term vision of Tictales is to bring bigger franchises to the world, with our production capacity increasing and new talents joining our team. We and Kwalee share the same philosophy about high-quality games and we cannot wait to show our exciting new projects to the world.”

“Our talented team crafts the best narrative experiences for fans to enjoy for many years,” added Harouna Camara, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Tictales.

“Joining Kwalee allows us to concentrate on these passions and specialisms while benefiting from their expertise, particularly in marketing and publishing.”

“It’s a proud moment for us to make Kwalee’s first acquisition, and Tictales is the perfect partner,” said Kwalee CEO David Darling.

“With their successful track record of casual mobile games and ability to tell a compelling story through their games, their ambitions match our own and we’re looking forward to building collective success.”

A legend of the UK games industry who co-founded Codemasters and led the company for 20+ years before establishing Kwalee, Darling is writing yet another chapter in his decades-long gaming career with this acquisition – and he’s not ruling out more deals for companies with complementary skill-sets.

David Darling, CEO of Kwalee

Developers with hypercasual, hybrid-casual or casual mobile games can submit, market-test and get their games published using the Kwalee Publishing Portal. In a process that takes only minutes, all that’s needed are a few 15-second gameplay videos, or a simple prototype: https://www.kwalee.com/publish-with-us/.

American gambling industry

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – September 22-28

Published

6 hours ago

September 30, 2025

Niji Narayan

gaming-americas-weekly-roundup-–-september-22-28

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), an entity that brings together the leading operators of regulated sports betting and online gaming in Brazil and worldwide, is beginning a process of leadership transition. Fernando Vieira is leaving the executive presidency of the institution to pursue a new professional opportunity in another sector. The association has already started the process of selecting Fernando’s successor, and during this transition period, André Gelfi, current director, board member and one of the founders of the entity, will serve as interim president. During his tenure, Fernando was one of the most active voices in consolidating the regulated betting sector in Brazil, helping to shape the public debate, expanding the responsible gaming agenda and leading the fight against the illegal market, which still represents a large portion of activity in the country.

Genius Sports Limited has announced that it has acquired Sports Innovation Lab, the leader in sports fan data. The acquisition fast-tracks the expansion of Genius Sports’ media business, combining the most comprehensive official game data with the deepest fan intelligence available. Together, the two companies will deliver a 360° view of the modern fan journey, uniting on-field performance with off-field transactions, unlocking new value and innovation across the global sports ecosystem. This combination creates the most comprehensive fan database in sports and entertainment, tracking billions of annual transactions, including purchases, attendance and viewership. It enables brands and agencies to target fans with unmatched precision, directly connect campaigns to real behaviours and transactions, and deliver measurable ROI across every channel.

Partnerships

CT Gaming has announced another successful installation in the Latin American region, strengthening its footprint in one of the most dynamic gaming markets worldwide. In partnership with Group Caliente, CT Gaming has introduced the Diamond King 4 multigame on the cutting-edge NEXT cabinet at the operator’s venue in the region of Tijuana, Mexico. This installation brings a premium gaming experience, combining next-generation hardware with one of CT Gaming’s most celebrated multigames. This is not the first collaboration between CT Gaming and Group Caliente, as the two companies have built a strong and lasting partnership over the years. However, the new project represents an important step forward, further enhancing the gaming offerings available to players in the region.

BetMGM has announced a new content partnership making BetMGM the presenting sponsor of Playmaker HQ’s “Roommates Show” with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Playmaker HQ, part of Better Collective’s global House of Brands, is also debuting “No Limit” under its dedicated casino content arm, All In – a new show featuring former NBA star Iman Shumpert. BetMGM will serve as the presenting sponsor. “Roommates Show” is a weekly video podcast hosted by Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, two of the NBA’s top rising stars and backcourt dynamic duo of the New York Knicks. Joining Josh and Jalen is their best friend and college roommate, Matt Hillman, serving as the show’s third co-host. The latest season began September 6 with BetMGM as the presenting sponsor.

The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – September 22-28 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Aleksandar Milovanović founder and largest shareholder of Meridianbet

Meridianbet’s Largest Shareholder Aleksandar Milovanovic Completes $500,000 Cash-to-Equity Conversion Under Post-Closing Agreement with Parent Company

Published

9 hours ago

September 30, 2025

George Miller

meridianbet’s-largest-shareholder-aleksandar-milovanovic-completes-$500,000-cash-to-equity-conversion-under-post-closing-agreement-with-parent-company

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Aleksandar Milovanović, founder and largest shareholder of Meridianbet, has completed a $500,000 cash-to-equity conversion under the Post-Closing Cash Consideration Conversion Agreement, as specified in the Eighth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Sale and Purchase Agreement with the parent company, Golden Matrix Group (GMGI).

The Eight Amendment was signed on August 29, 2025 and entered into force on September 9, 2025. The underlying SPA was signed June 27, 2023, and the acquisition closed on April 9, 2024 (effective April 1, 2024).

The conversion was executed in five scheduled tranches from September 9 to September 26, 2025.

With the final tranche today, the full $500,000 conversion is complete as agreed. These issuances were made as restricted shares pursuant to the SPA terms and do not affect the overall economics of the post-closing consideration.

The completion of the scheduled tranches converts cash obligations into equity as outlined in the agreement, without changing the overall post-closing economic terms. This process manages cash flow timing and maintains consistency with the agreed-upon shareholder structure.

About Meridianbet

Founded in 2001, Meridianbet Group is a well-established online sports betting and gaming group, licensed and currently operating in 18 jurisdictions across Europe, Africa, and South America. The Meridianbet Group’s successful business model utilizes proprietary technology and scalable systems, allowing it to operate in multiple countries and currencies with an omni-channel approach to markets, including retail, desktop online, and mobile. The Company is part of the Golden Matrix Group.

The post Meridianbet’s Largest Shareholder Aleksandar Milovanovic Completes $500,000 Cash-to-Equity Conversion Under Post-Closing Agreement with Parent Company appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Greece

Spinmatic plays big in Greece with Pamestoixima

Published

9 hours ago

September 30, 2025

George Miller

spinmatic-plays-big-in-greece-with-pamestoixima

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Spinmatic, leading developer of premium casino games and part of Softquo Holding, is thrilled to announce a landmark partnership with OPAP and their flagship digital brand Pamestoixima, marking an incredible step forward in one of Europe’s hottest regulated markets – where we’ve already been making a strong impact.

With over 60 years of history, OPAP is one of the most established names in Europe. Through Pamestoixima, its renowned digital platform, OPAP has earned the trust of millions of players thanks to its reliability, cutting-edge features and strong commitment to responsible gaming. Basically: if you play in Greece, you know Pamestoixima.

So it was only natural for Spinmatic to join them. After months of building momentum in Greece with several operators, our top-performing games have now found their place at Pamestoixima.

“Partnering with OPAP and its brand Pamestoixima is not just a milestone for Spinmatic – it is a turning point for the Greek online gaming market. Together with the OPAP casino team, we are building a synergy that combines Spinmatic’s innovative, high-performing content with OPAP’s unrivalled market leadership and player trust. This is more than a go-live: it is the foundation of a shared journey, where both teams work as one to deliver excitement, responsible content and real value to the Greek gaming ecosystem.” Vassileios Efthymiou, Softquo’s Country Director for Greece.

IRRESISTIBLE CONTENT

This partnership is a powerful validation of our content and a unique opportunity to grow alongside one of Europe’s most influential operators. It places Spinmatic at the heart of Greece’s vibrant online gaming ecosystem, allowing us to strengthen our presence.

“This partnership with OPAP/Pamestoixima is a true validation of our strategic focus on delivering top-performing content tailored to local markets. We are confident that our locally-focused games, combined with OPAP/Pamestoixima’s unparalleled market leadership, will ensure a long-term winning experience for players. We are incredibly excited about the journey ahead.” Norbert Mathies, Spinmatic’s Managing Director.

So, what’s hitting Pamestoixima? Spinmatic’s hottest titles have finally joined one of the country’s biggest platforms. Think thrilling adventures, creative twists and non-stop entertainment – the kind of games already keeping players hooked elsewhere. Now it’s Pamestoixima’s turn.

The post Spinmatic plays big in Greece with Pamestoixima appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.