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Opera buys owner of GameMaker and starts a Gaming division
Opera, the browser developer and consumer internet brand, announced its acquisition of YoYo Games, creator of the world’s leading 2D game engine, GameMaker Studio 2, for approximately $10 million. The tuck-in acquisition represents the second building block in the foundation of Opera Gaming, a new division within Opera with global ambitions and follows the creation and rapid growth of Opera’s innovative Opera GX browser, the world’s first browser built specifically for gamers.
Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers at Opera, said: “With Opera GX, Opera had adapted its proven, innovative browser tech platform to dramatically expand its footprint in gaming. We’re at the brink of a shift, when more and more people start not only playing, but also creating and publishing games. GameMaker Studio2 is best-in-class game development software, and lowers the barrier to entry for anyone to start making their games and offer them across a wide range of web-supported platforms, from PCs, to, mobile iOS/Android devices, to consoles.
Annette De Freitas, Head of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Opera Gaming, added: “Gaming is a growth area for Opera and the acquisition of YoYo Games reflects significant, sustained momentum across both of our businesses over the past year. Our new Opera GX browser hit 7 million MAUs in December, 2020, up 350% year over year, while YoYo Games’ GameMaker engine achieved 400K new registered creators in 2020. We’re tremendously excited by the opportunities the combination creates not only for our combined users, but also for the expansion of Opera’s gaming community.”
Stuart Poole, GM at YoYo Games who will remain with the business alongside technical lead Russell Kay stated, “For over twenty years, the vision behind the GameMaker engine was to not just create more games, but expand development within and beyond the game studio. We think the transaction with Opera – whose products are known, trusted and used worldwide by millions of people every month- represents a massive opportunity to accelerate fulfilment of that founding vision, during a period of exceptional growth for both companies.”
“We are very excited to start working with the team at YoYo Games,” said Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers at Opera. “We see the Game Maker Studio platform as being an ideal acquisition to complement our global ambitions in gaming, and to help drive awareness and traffic to our Opera GX gaming browser.”
Opera GX, YoYo Games and GameMaker will unite under Opera Gaming, focusing on innovating across the gaming, game development, and browser experience. “We look forward to further growing Opera GX and driving the growth of GameMaker as part of a broader ecosystem, making it more accessible to novice users and developing it into the world’s leading 2D game engine used by commercial studios,” continued Krystian Kolondra. “Opera Gaming will be focusing on accelerating the growth of this emerging ecosystem, combining the 7+ million highly engaged gamers using Opera GX with millions of GameMaker creators. We are also thrilled to continue realizing synergies between YoYo Games’ products and Opera GX.”
GameMakerStudio is an integrated game development software, performance-tuned 2/2.5D engine that fuels many games, including multi-million hits like Risk of Rain, Undertale, or Hyper Light Drifter on an extensive range of mainstream platforms. Starting to build games with Game Maker Studio requires little to zero coding skills. Due to its extensive functionalities and ease of use Game Maker Studio lowers the barriers to entry and empowers a variety of creative people to make their games come alive and share them with the world.
Kolondra explained further: “Performance is essential to even 2D gaming, and sustaining that performance across mobile devices and laptops as well as variable bandwidth and connectivity requires thinking outside of traditional application silos. The line between building good games and good browsers has been eroding for years – with gaming interactivity across internet connections ramping up and browsers growing more multi-function and sophisticated. Traditionally the two types of technology compete for hardware and bandwidth resources. But as Opera GX proved, there was a better way to address that competition and improve the experience across both functionalities. YoYo Games’ team, development expertise and studio relationships lay the groundwork for turning the Opera GX vertical into a new kind of horizontal. This horizontal opportunity is why we’re building Opera Gaming and its infrastructure – so that we can further integrate gaming and browsing in ways beneficial to both in terms of not only monetization, but also experience.”
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Admiral Bet
Amusnet Italy Announces New Strategic Partnership with Admiral Bet
Amusnet Italy has announced a new strategic partnership with Admiral Bet, marking another important milestone in the company’s expansion across key regulated European markets. By collaborating with a trusted and well-established operator, the provider continues to strengthen its presence in Italy.
Through this partnership, Admiral Bet players will gain access to a selection of Amusnet’s most iconic titles, known for their seamless gameplay, high-quality graphics and engaging mechanics. The integration is set to enhance Admiral Bet’s premium casino offering with content that has already proven highly popular among Italian players.
The initial rollout includes several flagship titles, such as the refined appeal of Shining Crown and Extra Crown, the dynamic rewards of 20 Golden Coins and the enduring favourite 20 Super Hot.
“Our collaboration with Admiral Bet represents a valuable opportunity to further strengthen our presence in Italy. It reflects our strong commitment to the market and our ambition to deliver top-tier entertainment to local players,” said Polina Nedyalkova, Director at Amusnet Italy.
“We are delighted to introduce Amusnet’s portfolio on Admiral Bet, further enhancing our content offering with a selection of titles that successfully combine the appeal of classic slot gameplay with refined visuals and intuitive mechanics. This integration represents another step forward in strengthening our product portfolio, allowing us to deliver a well-balanced and high-quality gaming experience that caters to a wide range of player preferences,” said Paolo Marchi, Managing Director of Admiral Bet.
This partnership further underscores Amusnet’s dedication to strengthening its footprint in regulated European markets, combining its leading game development expertise with Admiral Bet’s strong market reach and operational capabilities.
The post Amusnet Italy Announces New Strategic Partnership with Admiral Bet appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Damon Mercadante
ProphetX Expands Senior Leadership Team to Drive Growth
ProphetX, America’s #1 sports prediction market, announced the appointments of three senior executives: Jesse Wachtel as Chief Financial Officer, Nathan Busscher as Chief Product Officer, and Damon Mercadante as Vice President of Growth Marketing. The hires represent a significant expansion of ProphetX’s leadership bench as the company advances its pending applications with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to become the first regulated U.S. exchange and clearinghouse with a sports-native foundation, built to scale across event-driven markets.
“As the prediction market landscape continues to evolve, ProphetX is excited to welcome Jesse, Nathan, and Damon to the leadership lineup to drive innovation and accelerate our next phase of growth. Together with the regulatory and compliance leadership we have already put in place, this team is built to win,” said ProphetX CEO and Co-Founder Dean Sisun.
Jesse Wachtel — Chief Financial Officer
Wachtel is a finance and strategy executive with deep expertise in B2B software and the digital iGaming sector. He brings a unique combination of financial rigor and operational fluency, having spent his career working alongside founders, operators, and investors to scale innovative platforms and drive measurable growth. His background spans capital deployment, financial planning, and hands-on leadership within growth-stage environments — giving him a ground-level understanding of how financial strategy connects to product development and go-to-market execution. At ProphetX, Wachtel is focused on building the financial infrastructure and strategic discipline needed to accelerate the company’s position in the market, combining a clear-eyed view of market dynamics with the executional focus that category-defining companies require. Wachtel holds a BS in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Nathan Busscher — Chief Product Officer
Busscher brings more than 20 years of experience in electronic trading and financial technology, having built trading platforms, clearing firms, retail broker-dealers, and market infrastructure across senior leadership roles at Click Capital Markets, FNZ Securities, Altruist Financial, and TradeStation. His work has spanned brokerage platform development, clearing strategies, and capital markets distribution systems — including platform redesigns, correspondent clearing initiatives, and the transition to self-clearing. His international experience includes electronic trading and market structure across Asia at Mizuho Securities and Lehman Brothers. At ProphetX, Busscher leads product strategy and execution, bringing the technical depth and institutional knowledge required to build a CFTC-regulated exchange from the ground up. Busscher holds an International MBA from the University of South Carolina and a BSBA from the University of West Florida.
Damon Mercadante — Vice President of Growth Marketing
Mercadante is a seasoned growth and marketing executive with a track record of building and scaling consumer platforms at some of the most recognizable brands in digital media and sports. Most recently he served as VP of Growth Marketing at Sleeper, one of the fastest-growing sports and fantasy apps in the country. Prior to Sleeper, he served as VP of Marketing for Streaming Services at Paramount, where he helped scale Paramount+ from launch to over 60 million global subscribers. His earlier career includes senior marketing and growth roles at CBS Interactive, MC Ventures, and eBay. Mercadante holds a BA in Biology from Yale University and an MBA from The Wharton School.
Last month, ProphetX announced the appointments of Bruce Fekrat as Chief Legal Officer and Gabriel Wong as Chief Compliance and Risk Officer as the company deepens its Washington presence and advances CFTC approval.
The post ProphetX Expands Senior Leadership Team to Drive Growth appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
AGLC
Gaming Corps Secures Alberta iGaming Licence Ahead of Market Launch
Gaming Corps has secured a conditional iGaming supplier licence from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC), positioning the studio for launch in Alberta’s regulated market from day one.
Granted through its subsidiary Gaming Corps Malta Ltd, the licence allows the company to manufacture and supply gaming software in the Canadian province ahead of the market opening on 13 July 2026.
With approval now secured, Gaming Corps continues to accelerate its North American expansion strategy while strengthening its position in regulated markets.
The move gives operators in Alberta access to Gaming Corps’ portfolio of casino games and proprietary game mechanics as the province prepares to open its regulated iGaming framework.
Alex Lorimer, COO at Gaming Corps said: “Securing our Alberta licence marks another important step in Gaming Corps’ regulated market expansion strategy. Canada continues to represent a key growth region for us, and we’re excited to bring our expanding portfolio of games and unique mechanics to operators and players in Alberta.”
Alberta is set to become Canada’s second regulated open iGaming market, following Ontario, with the AGLC overseeing licensing and compliance requirements for operators and suppliers.
The post Gaming Corps Secures Alberta iGaming Licence Ahead of Market Launch appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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