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The time has come for the return of the one-off Holiday Special

Published

5 years ago

December 16, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In Ho-Ho-Home Invasion (very nearly titled Santa Game Solid), play as Santa preparing his stealth skills ahead of the big night (Christmas Eve), delivering presents under trees, filling stockings, and making a swift exit – without getting caught! Whitepot Studios is excited to announce this free festive stealth micro-game, created especially for the festive season.

ELF-MADE WAREHOUSE

This year, due to social distancing requirements, Santa can’t undertake his normal training. Thankfully, his elves have crafted a fully automated Santa training area in a disused warehouse – with five bespoke “houses” for Santa to sneak his way through.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

Make your way through fake houses, past fake robot residents, and place some fake presents, all in record time. Be sure to:

Peek around corners
Tiptoe to be quiet
Avoid training robots
Place presents
Safely escape the house

TRAINING ROBOTS

Make sure you avoid:

Watchers – tiptoe past them when their head is buried in a book
Sleepers – quietly place presents in the stockings at the foot of their bed
And Patrollers – wait until their back is turned before making a run for it!

LAUNCH & PRICE

Ho-Ho-Home Invasion launches on Steam and Itch.io on December 15th for FREE. Whitepot Studios is using a bespoke “pay-what-you-liked” model on Steam, offering non-content DLC representing ‘tip tiers’ that fans can choose to purchase to support the developers.

INSPIRATION

In this non-canon year of 2020, never has it felt more appropriate to send a Christmas game rather than a Christmas card.

When we asked Twitter what everyone’s favourite festive video game is, the conclusion was that there’s just not that many anymore – sure, there’s board games, and party games, but how many actually festively themed video games exist?

Some had fond memories of a time when festive titles on floppy discs adorned the covers of magazines at Christmas – Commodore Amiga games, with Bullfrog’s Psycho Santa or Christmas Lemmings being the favourites. Honorable mentions also go to Bad Mr. Frosty (the Snowman from ClayFighters who appeared on the SNES game’s cover), and Jazz Jackrabbit’s Christmas Chronicles.

“Why oh why, are there not more oddly niche one-off titles that can only be played at a specific time of year?” absolutely no-one asked. Well, wonder no more – the time has come for the return of the one-off Holiday Special.

celebrity-partnerships

Pascal Gaming signs Ronaldinho for football-themed crash and slot titles

Published

1 hour ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

pascal-gaming-signs-ronaldinho-for-football-themed-crash-and-slot-titles

First release is Avinho R10, followed by June launch Fortune Ronaldinho as the studio lines up more titles ahead of the World Cup season.

Pascal Gaming has partnered with Brazilian football player Ronaldinho to launch a dedicated portfolio of games inspired by the athlete, the company said on 26 May, 2026.

The planned pipeline includes crash games, slots and additional titles set to roll out through the year. Pascal Gaming said the initiative is aimed at both Brazil and international markets, and will be supported by tournaments, promotional activity and special events tied to the Ronaldinho-branded portfolio.

The first game confirmed is Avinho R10, described as a crash-style title featuring Ronaldinho “above Brazil” in an aviation-themed experience. A second game, Fortune Ronaldinho, is scheduled for release in June and is positioned as a slot-inspired title.

“Ronaldinho is one of the most recognisable and loved football personalities in the world, so for us this collaboration is much more than a game launch. It is a global entertainment project that combines football culture, emotionally engaging gameplay and strong promotional activities ahead of the World Cup,” said Armen Mnaskanian, Head of Sales at SoftConstruct Gaming Content.

Pascal Gaming said it has been expanding its crash game portfolio during 2026 and investing in localised, character-driven content across Latin America, Africa and Asia. The company added that more Ronaldinho-themed titles and marketing campaigns will be revealed in the coming months.

The post Pascal Gaming signs Ronaldinho for football-themed crash and slot titles appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Duelbits signs Justin Gaethje for branded content ahead of UFC Freedom 250

Published

1 hour ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

duelbits-signs-justin-gaethje-for-branded-content-ahead-of-ufc-freedom-250

The JUSTIN2026 campaign was shot in Denver and rolls out over four weeks ahead of the 14 June event at the White House.

Duelbits has launched a branded content campaign with UFC interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje, timed to UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Saturday 14th June.

The campaign, branded JUSTIN2026, was shot on location in Denver, Colorado by UK-based creative agency YRDS. Duelbits said the content is designed as a “premium, cinematic series” and will roll out in phases over the next four weeks, peaking on event day.

According to the company, the campaign was planned before UFC Freedom was officially confirmed. Duelbits framed the early commitment as part of a strategy to move faster than traditional sportsbooks around major cultural moments.

“We didn’t want to create another sportsbook promo,” said Jasper Hoekert, Chief Marketing Officer at Duelbits. “We wanted to create something that combat sports fans want to watch, content built around Justin’s authenticity and intensity, not just his fight record. We were planning this before the White House event was even officially confirmed. When you believe in the magnitude of a moment, you don’t wait for permission to act on it.”

“Duelbits came to me with a vision, not just a brief,” said Gaethje. “They wanted to create something that reflected the reality of what I do and who I am, with no smoke and mirrors. When a brand shows up with that kind of conviction and creative ambition, you back it. This campaign is going to be something people remember.”

The post Duelbits signs Justin Gaethje for branded content ahead of UFC Freedom 250 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Belgium

PokerStars Open Namur returns May 27 with €1m guaranteed Main Event

Published

1 hour ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

pokerstars-open-namur-returns-may-27-with-e1m-guaranteed-main-event

Belgium stop at Circus Casino Resort Namur runs May 27–June 7 and adds PokerStars Live League points toward a €157,500 credit pool.

PokerStars will bring PokerStars Open Namur back to Circus Casino Resort Namur from May 27 to June 7, with the festival returning one day after the operator’s May 26 announcement.

The stop follows a 2025 edition PokerStars said was record-breaking for Belgium, including 1,571 entries in the Main Event and what it called the largest live tournament prize pool in Belgian poker history.

This year’s schedule is headlined by the €1,100 PokerStars Open Main Event, which carries a €1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Other listed highlights include the €400 PokerStars Open Cup (May 27-31), €3,300 Super High Roller (June 1-2), €2,200 High Roller (June 5-6), and €800 Mystery Bounty (June 6-7).

“Last year’s turnout reinforced Namur’s place as one of the most exciting live poker stops in Europe,” said Cedric Billot, Associate Director of Live Events Operations at PokerStars. “What makes the event special isn’t just the size of the fields, it’s the atmosphere around the entire festival.”

PokerStars also positioned Namur as a scoring stop in the PokerStars Live League, which awards points across High, Medium and Low leaderboard tiers. PokerStars said players are competing for a share of €157,500 in PokerStars LIVE event credit, with the top 30 players in each tier qualifying for a €100,000 freeroll at the first European Poker Tour festival of 2027.

The post PokerStars Open Namur returns May 27 with €1m guaranteed Main Event appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.