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Opera buys owner of GameMaker and starts a Gaming division

Published

5 years ago

January 22, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

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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Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification

Published

21 minutes ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

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Company plans to roll out SOCCERBET with LALIGA archive footage on its own platform in Italian retail after the World Cup.

Highlight Games Limited said its proprietary platform has passed Italy’s ADM collaudo process, the technical certification required for gaming platforms. The company announced the approval on 14 July 2026 from London.

Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Highlight said it will launch its Spanish SOCCERBET product featuring archive LALIGA footage on its own platform across Italian retail channels. The company added that operators will transfer to Highlight’s platform over the months that follow.

The supplier said the certification allows it to deliver its content via its own “zero-cost streaming technology” in Italy and gives it control over its product roadmap in what it called its most important market.

Steven Holmes, CEO, Highlight Games said: ‘This is a huge moment for Highlight as we bring our video-based technology stack to the Italian market and join a select few who are able to offer an officially ADM certified platform. Italy is where SOCCERBET has proven itself time and again and passing the ADM collaudo means we can now deliver that content on our own platform, with our zero-cost streaming solution, exactly as it was designed to be experienced.

‘Owning the technology end to end means we control our own roadmap, resulting in faster launches, smoother integrations for our operator partners and a richer experience for players. Our products consistently perform at the top of the market wherever they are live, and with our platform now officially certified in Italy, we have everything in place to build on that momentum.’

The post Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine

Published

21 minutes ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

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The 10-week phased event runs Daily Heats through September 6, with raffles awarding more than $100,000 in $109 tickets each week.

PokerStars is allocating more than $800,000 worth of $109 Daily Heat (Phase 1) tickets through its “Ticket Machine” promotion ahead of the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary Finals (Phase 2) on Sunday, September 6.

The Sunday Million 20th Anniversary is being run as a 10-week phased tournament, with Daily Heats running now through September 6. Players who advance from a $109 Daily Heat carry their stack into the Finals, with PokerStars noting that only one stack may be carried through to Phase 2.

To enter the Ticket Machine, players must opt in to the “Ticket Machine” ICE Challenge and complete weekly poker challenges. Each completed challenge adds entries to a Saturday raffle, with PokerStars saying more than $100,000 in $109 Daily Heat tickets will be awarded each week. Players can complete each challenge up to four times, for a maximum of 24 raffle entries per week.

PokerStars said that, after the first two weeks of Daily Heats, 270 players from more than 40 countries have already qualified for the Finals, including 50 who qualified into Phase 1 via satellites. Brazil and Ukraine lead the qualifiers list with 33 players each, according to the operator.

The operator has set a $5 million guarantee for the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary. Additional qualification routes include satellites starting at $0.55, special edition Spin & Go’s from $0.75, and “Wildcard Wins”, described by PokerStars as a new leaderboard promotion running until July 19. PokerStars also said players redeeming a $530 Bronze Pass will receive “25% extra value in the bundle” for a limited time, including an additional $109 Sunday Million 20th Anniversary ticket and $23.50 in tournament tickets.

The post PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show

Published

21 minutes ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

creedroomz-signs-ronaldinho-to-front-new-kickoff-roulette-live-game-show

Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho launches with a Gold Number mechanic and English/Portuguese language support.

CreedRoomz has named former football star Ronaldinho as brand ambassador for its new live casino game show, Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho. The supplier said the title is now available for integration by B2B partners.

The company positions the product as a roulette-led live game show built around a football theme, running from a virtual studio. According to CreedRoomz, the game includes a “Gold Number Mechanic” where randomized lucky numbers can add multipliers from x50 to x700.

When asked about the crossover between football and casino entertainment, Ronaldinho said: “The fact that football is a global passion also helps, so I believe everyone will like “Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho” for that reason.. and for the innovation of everything that is happening.”

CreedRoomz said the game is available in English and Portuguese, framing Portuguese language support as relevant for operators targeting Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking audiences. Armen Mnaskanian, Head of Sales Department at Creedroomz, said: “Bringing Ronaldinho into the CreedRoomz family represents a massive leap forward for live casino entertainment. Football and iGaming both thrive on passion and excitement. By fusing Ronaldinho’s legendary star power with powerhouse monetization mechanics, we are giving our partners the ultimate competitive edge and a next-generation casino offering.”

The post CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.