Industry News

Agile Marketing in times of COVID-19

Published

6 years ago

April 16, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Martina Filipovic, Senior Marketing Specialist, sharing her thoughts on importance of marketing agility in times of COVID-19

Importance of marketing agility in the gaming industry

Unlike the financial crisis of 2008 when most B2Bs have played intact and remained silent marketing-wise, nowadays marketers have chosen merely to adapt the marketing strategy to the unexpected new rules in the industry.
NSoft is predominantly digital marketing oriented and bases its marketing decisions on metrics, analytics and projections. Confronting this situation was a great challenge for the team as it was necessary to make an ad hoc budget rebalance and refocus the existing marketing strategy. NSoft’s in-house marketing team has made it all possible – the people’s expertise and long term global marketing experience have helped NSoft mitigate this turbulent period.
The main focus was to promptly react to the new industry situation and keep the brand presence serving clients in line with the Board decisions. Combining adjusted marketing activities on all of NSoft’s digital platforms resulted in an overall growth compared to the same period last year. This confirms the accuracy of the NSoft’s marketing decisions and points out that the other gaming industry’s stakeholders were eager to find a solution for this situation as well. This mutual need will be present in the future as well since the industry recovery is expected to start very soon.

Storytelling and networking during the COVID – 19 era

Increased online media consumption was inevitable – in just a few days the industry has switched completely online, proving, once again, the importance of prompt reactions in unprecedented times. The first goal for NSoft was to proactively address changes and suggest solutions as this situation was new for all gaming industry stakeholders. It was mandatory for NSoft to reach out to its clients and audience with relevant content thus showing them that we have a strong solution to their quests – more than ever it was important to keep in touch with the clients and overall industry. NSoft’s Sales and Business Development team have shared their thoughts on everything that’s been going on in the industry and have provided their insight on what the future holds for the stakeholders.

With F2F events being canceled or postponed online networking has become a necessity. The industry has recognized the importance of keeping everyone up to date with all the information and suggesting alternative options. It was only obvious that NSoft joines the rest of the industry with sharing the remedy options for this turbulent period in a webinar organized with European Gaming Media and Events. Webinar shall be covering a hot topic “How can number virtuals complement your new virtual sports offering”. On April 21 Mr Ivan Rozic, Senior Vice President for Global Sales and Business Development at NSoft and Mr Zoltán Tűndik, Head of Business at European Gaming Media and Events (part of Hipther Agency) will tackle this important issue.

The power of diversified product portfolio

As the situation in the industry changed drastically – NSoft had to adapt its communication and product offerings accordingly.

Our clients are most affected by this situation and we wanted to find a way to ease this demanding period for them as well.
We offered our entire palette of virtual games on the web: Virtual Sports Betting products and Draw-based games completely free of charge for the period from April 1 to June 1, 2020. This means no setup fees, no minimum monthly fees and no monthly revenue share invoices for 2 months.
NSoft is grateful to all of its media partners for helping us help the industry in this demanding period – our long term partnerships have once again proved their value.

Post-crisis future – the new normal

Although at the moment, the entire focus is on activities that require immediate actions, NSoft is keeping an eye on the future as the new normal is expecting us after this lock-down. At any moment it is necessary to have a strategic plan for the post-crisis actions and tools to execute those decisions in order to fully support our business and consequently the business of our partners. It’s obvious that the industry is struggling at the moment but this too shall pass. Now is the right time to revise all the actions and plans, adjust steps towards new activities and step up the game as the post-crisis will require even more strategic marketing implementation.

ESG

Play’n GO publishes 2025 Sustainability Report with emissions and governance updates

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

play’n-go-publishes-2025-sustainability-report-with-emissions-and-governance-updates

Play’n GO has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, framing the year as a milestone as the supplier marks 20 years in the gaming industry. The report covers performance across four pillars—Players, Partners, People and Planet—and positions sustainability as tied to product design, operations, and partner expectations.

On climate reporting, the company said it has “achieved and exceeded” its long-term 90% reduction target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and reported a 69% absolute reduction in Scope 3 emissions versus its 2023 base year. Play’n GO also said its total material emissions for 2025 were kept below 500 MTCO2e.

The report also points to a move into land-based delivery. In 2025, Play’n GO said it launched its first land-based gaming solution in partnership with Genting UK, positioning the rollout as part of a “player-first, low-footprint approach” for regulated venues.

On responsible entertainment, the company said it continues to reject game mechanics it believes “compromise player trust or wellbeing,” and highlighted participation in discussions on digital wellbeing and cognitive health, including at the United Nations and G7. “We have always believed that great entertainment should be fun, safe and fair,” said Vanessa Björkbacka, Director of CSR at Play’n GO.

The report also outlines internal development and reporting infrastructure. Play’n GO said 43% of employees engaged in AI-related learning during 2025 and that average training time exceeded seven hours per employee globally. It added that reporting was further aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and World Economic Forum Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, alongside investment in “secure, AI-supported carbon data management.” “As expectations on transparency and accountability continue to rise, we see it as our responsibility to lead,” Björkbacka added.

The post Play’n GO publishes 2025 Sustainability Report with emissions and governance updates appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

complaint resolution

Casino Guru CRC returns $5.3m to players in Q1 2026

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Wladimir P.

casino-guru-crc-returns-$5.3m-to-players-in-q1-2026

Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center (CRC) published 3,986 complaints in Q1 2026 and says it resolved 1,321 cases, returning $5,304,894 to players during the quarter.

Casino Guru said March was one of the CRC’s most active months on record, with the second-highest number of published complaints to date. The company added that ongoing cases exceeded 1,300, pointing to rising demand for third-party dispute mediation.

By volume, the most active complaint markets were Germany (657), the United Kingdom (270), Canada (240), Italy (207) and Australia (194), according to the CRC update.

Delayed payments remained the most common player-reported issue. Casino Guru also reported a March shift in complaint mix, with self-exclusion-related complaints rising to the second most frequent category for the first time in CRC history. KYC-related issues and blocked accounts were also among the most common complaint types, often linked to withdrawal delays.

Casino Guru said the quarter’s results reflect the increasing role of independent mediation as players look to third-party platforms to resolve disputes.

The post Casino Guru CRC returns $5.3m to players in Q1 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

branded content

RubyPlay launches Firerose studio for operator-specific casino games

Published

2 days ago

April 20, 2026

Wladimir P.

rubyplay-launches-firerose-studio-for-operator-specific-casino-games

RubyPlay has launched Firerose, a new studio aimed at building operator-specific casino game experiences, as suppliers and operators push for more branded content to stand out in crowded markets.

The company said Firerose is designed to let operators combine RubyPlay’s existing game catalogue with the studio’s technology and creative resources, using operator-led insight to shape games around an operator’s brand identity rather than standardised supplier content.

RubyPlay said Superbet is among the first operators to launch Firerose-powered titles. The supplier did not disclose game names or specific performance figures, but said early results showed “strong engagement metrics”.

Firerose becomes part of RubyPlay’s multi-studio structure alongside Koala Games, Mad Hat Games, Ruby Studio, and Xslots, which the company said share technology, infrastructure and distribution.

Dima Reiderman , Chief Commercial Officer at RubyPlay, said: ”Firerose represents a deliberate shift in how we think about content creation and partnership. The market is no longer driven solely by volume, but by identity. Operators want experiences that feel native to their brand and help them clearly differentiate in increasingly competitive casino environments.”

Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay, added: “Firerose was created to put the operator’s voice at the centre of the creative process. Every game starts with their brand, their audience and their story, and our role is to bring that to life through the full weight of RubyPlay’s creative capabilities.

“We’re shaping experiences that players immediately associate with the operator itself. That level of ownership is what allows operators to stand out in increasingly crowded casino environments.”

The post RubyPlay launches Firerose studio for operator-specific casino games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.