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Yggdrasil and Black Cow strike strategic global game engine partnership

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GDK platform integrated with Yggdrasil’s GATI to power YG Masters program allowing studios and game developers a rapid route to global markets

Yggdrasil has partnered with Black Cow in a deal that will see the open architecture specialists integrate its GDK platform into Yggdrasil’s new GATI solution – the power behind its successful YG Masters Program – enabling global and local studios and game developer partners with instant access to game engines and a rapid route to new markets.

The partnership is the first GDK partner for Yggdrasil’s new Publishing division, launched in January 2020, offering customers ‘the keys to its kingdom’enabling partners to cost effectively and with a short TTM (time to market) accelerate their business strategies, and revenue growth ambitions.

Black Cow will build game engines for best-of-breed studios who join the YG Masters program. They will achieve this by integrating their Games Development Kit (GDK) platform into Yggdrasil’s new Game Adaptation, Tools and Interface (GATI) solution.

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Once complete, studios and game developers who were previously unable to deliver their own game engines, will have the fastest and most efficient route to building and distributing content via YG Masters.

The collaboration also means that Black Cow’s existing studio partners can quickly and easily become YG Masters partners, seamlessly porting their games and benefitting from wide distribution and industry leading marketing tools.

The original YGS Masters program has been significantly upgraded with the introduction of Yggdrasil’s GATI, a disruptor to the existing iGaming industry and part of the new Yggdrasil Publishing value proposition.

GATI is a preconfigured, regulation-ready content development toolkit that powers YG Masters, enabling studios and game developers to use a standardised technology solution to develop and distribute games anywhere in the world. This means partners can source, build and distribute content and crucially accelerate global reach, finding new ways to increase revenues.

Using GATI, YG Masters partners will be free to build game engines in any way, language or method with Black Cow’s proven GDK acting as one conduit for delivery should game studios want that support.

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As part of its new strategic approach, Yggdrasil is franchising its entire business, from current and future content and industry-leading gamification to its advanced platform technology and new GATI product. This will enable partners to instantly create their own unique, end-to-end iGaming offering supported by, and in partnership with, Yggdrasil Publishing.

The roll out of the YG Franchise model will see strategic partners located in significant markets building games for their players that can also be sold back for global distribution via YG Masters at a stroke opening instant B2B opportunities. Franchise partners, thanks to the nature of standardised architecture and consistent game frameworks (GATI), will also be able to select games to offer their players from the YG Masters program. This is Decentralised Aggregation, a game-changing disruptive force that has the potential to revolutionise the content supply chain and business growth drivers.

The current three core value propositions for the Publishing arm are: YG Franchise (platform IP licensing) YG Masters (game development and distribution program), and YG Game IP (game IP licensing).

Stuart McCarthy, Head of Partner Strategy & Sourcing at Yggdrasil, said: “I’m delighted to be able to announce our partnership with Black Cow. Our revolutionary GATI solution allows studios and game developers to build directly onto our platform, thus benefitting from our global distribution, promotional tools and regulated market adaptors while taking control of their roadmap and retaining complete protection of their IP. 

“By adding Black Cow’s proven gold standard GDK technology for studios looking for game engine build we believe we have created the perfect go-to solution for any game studio looking to quickly, efficiently and securely get their games to market.”

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Tony Plaskow, Commercial Director at Black Cow Technology, said: “Black Cow is honoured and excited to be partnering with Yggdrasil in its new Publishing venture. By integrating our GDK into GATI we provide an efficient and rapid way for prominent game developers to build and distribute their games into Publishing’s valuable universe.”

Industry News

Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising

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The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.

Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRV’s Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.

By using influencers and terms like “free money”, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointer’s findings.

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Pointer’s research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as “fast money” and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.

Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.

With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.

The post Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024

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The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.

This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.

Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.

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This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.

The latest operator data shows:

  • online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was £1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
  • real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to £453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
  • slots GGY increased 16 percent to £680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
  • the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from £4.20 to £4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
  • LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to £533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.

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Industry News

Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director

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Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.

Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.

In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the group’s sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xace’s ambitious expansion plans.

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“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,” said Petra Maria Poola.

Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: “Petra’s extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xace’s market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.”

The post Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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