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TEAM VITALITY WINS INTEL EXTREME MASTERS COLOGNE 2024

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Today, leading esports club Team Vitality has won the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2024 at the LANXESS Arena, becoming the first French team in history to take home the iconic trophy. MVP ZywOo guided the world-class roster to an outstanding victory in Cologne, following commanding displays in the Group Stage and Playoffs, and an unforgettable performance in the Grand Final against NAVI.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR CONTROL UNTIL THE VICTORY

The formidable roster of Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire, Mathieu ‘ZywOo‘ Herbaut, Lotan ‘Spinx’ Giladi, Shahar ‘flameZ’ Shushan’, and William ‘mezii’ Merriman put on a brilliant performance throughout the tournament, beating other top teams. The victory was particularly memorable for players apEX and ZywOo, becoming the first to lift the trophy for France.

A battle for the ages, the Grand Final was a thrilling display of poise and tenacity, with Team Vitality taking the best-of-5 series 3-2. One of the most exciting finals in recent memory saw map 3 go into triple overtime, before Team Vitality secured a decisive 13-9 victory on Inferno to take home the trophy.

TEAM VITALITY CONTINUES TO WRITE ITS LEGEND

The victory in Cologne marks the organisation’s first major tournament title of the year. By beating NAVI on Sunday, Team Vitality clinched first place at IEM Cologne, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the Counter-Strike calendar. It’s an unprecedented feat, never before achieved by a French club or a French player.

Fabien Devide, President of Team Vitality said “This victory highlights the hard work and mental strength of our entire team. It’s even better because it’s historic for French esports and our club. We look forward to building on this momentum for the rest of the year.”

Moving into the latter stages of 2024, this tournament win puts Team Vitality into the driving seat going into major tournaments. With ESL Pro League Season 20 and BLAST Premier: Fall Finals on the horizon, IEM Rio 2024 shortly after and the Perfect World Shanghai Major closing out the year.

The post TEAM VITALITY WINS INTEL EXTREME MASTERS COLOGNE 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

AI

BetGames research reveals more than 70% of players failed to recognise AI avatar gameshow presenters

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BetGames has revealed the results of a research project testing AI-generated presenters on its live game shows, finding that fewer than 30% of players realised the hosts were artificial — and that the change produced no significant impact on player behaviour.

For the experiment, the supplier introduced AI avatars designed as digital replicas of real presenters, quietly deploying them on one of its live games over several days to evaluate whether they could effectively replace human hosts.

The results showed that more than two-thirds of players did not notice the switch to AI. At the same time, key performance indicators — including session duration, stake size and total bets placed — remained statistically unchanged.

According to BetGames, the absence of both positive and negative shifts suggests that while AI avatars can technically replicate the role of live presenters, they currently provide no measurable advantage. As a result, the company believes there is not yet a strong business case for rolling out the technology on a large scale.

Cost efficiency, often cited as a major driver of AI adoption, also failed to deliver a clear benefit. BetGames reported that generating and operating an AI avatar around the clock remains resource-intensive, limiting potential financial gains compared with human hosts.

Technical hurdles further complicate the widespread adoption of AI presenters. One of the most significant challenges remains achieving realistic text-to-speech performance. As AI technology becomes more advanced and visual realism improves, even minor imperfections in speech become increasingly noticeable to audiences.

Other constraints include latency issues, lip-synchronisation delays and inaccuracies in real-time translation — all critical elements that must be refined before the technology can be implemented reliably across live products.

BetGames continues to explore the potential of AI under the leadership of CEO Andreas Koeberl, who is also co-founder of Autonomous Minds, the developer behind the AI analyst Milo. The initiative forms part of the company’s broader strategy to experiment with emerging technologies and help future-proof the iGaming industry.

Koeberl said:
“AI has been building momentum, but its role within the live casino sector remains largely untested. When it comes to AI presenters, we built it, it worked, and nobody cared. That raises the question of what we are actually working toward.

“The technology didn’t produce any meaningful positive or negative impact on the player experience or product margins, and the cost of running an AI avatar 24/7 offers no significant advantage compared with employing human presenters.

“So rather than attempting to replace humans and replicate what already exists, the focus should shift to exploring what AI can enable that wasn’t previously possible. That’s where the real value lies.”

The post BetGames research reveals more than 70% of players failed to recognise AI avatar gameshow presenters appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Blueprint Gaming Expands into South Africa Through Strategic Partnership with Hollywoodbets

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Blueprint Gaming™ has enhanced its foothold in the South African market via a major alliance with top operator Hollywoodbets, offering a wider range of its globally acclaimed slot titles to players in the area.

Although Blueprint has been operational in South Africa since late 2025, this agreement signifies its initial significant launch with a top-tier operator in the country, highlighting a key advancement in its long-term regional plan.

Through the collaboration, Hollywoodbets will launch a variety of Blueprint’s most recognized and top-performing games, featuring its successful Cash Strike series and the consistently favored Fishin’ Frenzy, along with a selection of celebrated IP-based titles like Ted™.

Blueprint has established a reputation for merging well-known intellectual property with robust mathematical models and focused gameplay, producing titles that consistently appeal across regulated markets. The addition of this portfolio to Hollywoodbets’ live game selection further enriches the operator’s content variety, offering players reliable games supported by global performance credentials.

South Africa ranks among the most advanced and established gaming markets in Africa, backed by a strong regulatory system and a rich history of retail betting. As digital adoption speeds up and online casinos keep rising in popularity, the market offers substantial long-term growth opportunities for high-quality content providers.

Through a collaboration with Hollywoodbets, one of the leading betting brands in the country, Blueprint gains instant access to a vast, active customer base along with extensive local market knowledge. The partnership enables the studio to achieve significant growth in South Africa, while also creating a strategic base for broader expansion throughout the African continent.

Sam Haggblom, Director of Business Development at Blueprint Gaming™, said: “South Africa represents a compelling opportunity for Blueprint. It is a mature and well-established market with a clear appetite for high-quality online casino content.

“Introducing our wide and performance-focused portfolio through Hollywoodbets allows us to showcase the depth and versatility of our games to a new audience. We see strong long-term potential not only in South Africa but across the wider African landscape.”

Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets, added: “Blueprint Gaming’s portfolio has delivered consistent results across multiple regulated markets worldwide.

“The addition of established brands such as Cash Strike and Fishin’ Frenzy further strengthens our online casino offering, enabling us to continue providing players with proven, high-quality and internationally recognised content.”

The post Blueprint Gaming Expands into South Africa Through Strategic Partnership with Hollywoodbets appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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AI

New Videoslots app stars in AI-assisted “Stone Age” ad

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Pioneering online casino Videoslots is preparing to launch a new television campaign in Sweden to promote its newly released mobile app for iOS and Android.

The advert, titled “Stone Age,” recreates a cinematic prehistoric world and was produced using artificial intelligence as part of the creative and production workflow. The use of AI enabled the team to bring the ambitious setting to life in a way that would have been significantly more expensive through traditional production methods.

The campaign was created in partnership with Stockholm-based Armstrong Film and has also been adapted in English and Danish for distribution across digital and social media channels.

Marco Trucco, Chief Marketing Officer at Videoslots’ parent company Immense Group, said the decision to incorporate AI was driven by creative possibilities rather than technological novelty.

“The creative idea was entirely human-led,” Trucco explained. “AI simply helped us execute the concept in a way that would have been very costly using traditional production methods. For us, it was about unlocking creative freedom.”

Philip Karlberg, Executive Producer at Armstrong Film, noted that the prehistoric theme presented a number of practical challenges.

“Designing characters and adapting performances across three languages would typically require several separate cast productions,” he said. “Using AI allowed us to approach that ambition differently. However, AI doesn’t replace filmmaking. You still need a strong concept, clear storytelling and a defined visual direction. The work doesn’t disappear — it simply shifts from physical production to detailed planning, direction and refinement.”

Trucco added that the project highlights how AI could reshape the future of television advertising.

“High-quality TV production has traditionally required substantial budgets,” he said. “AI has the potential to allow more brands to compete creatively with larger advertisers. Better advertising ultimately leads to a better viewing experience, more choice for consumers and stronger competition in the market. At Videoslots, we’re pleased to launch an original and entertaining TV advert to introduce our new apps.”

The post New Videoslots app stars in AI-assisted “Stone Age” ad appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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