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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.”

2026 World Cup

Bet St George survey: 40% of England fans tip World Cup win

Published

50 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

bet-st-george-survey:-40%-of-england-fans-tip-world-cup-win

Bet St George has published new research claiming four in ten England fans expect the Three Lions to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The betting brand said the poll of 1,000 England sports fans was conducted between 15 and 18 May 2026, with the tournament set to start on Thursday.

In the survey, 40% of respondents said they expect England to lift the trophy in North America this summer. Optimism is highest among 25 to 34 year olds, where 67% backed England to win.

The research also points to a broader national narrative around the team. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of fans agreed that the England team brings the nation together. Separately, 26% said a World Cup win would rank among their top three most important life events, rising to 31% among men.

Regionally, Bet St George said England sports fans living in Scotland were the most confident cohort in the dataset, with 77% backing England to win and 96% agreeing the team brings the nation together. Greater London also skewed optimistic (53% backing England; 36% placing a win among their most important life events), while Yorkshire and the Humber was more cautious (31% backing England; 19% ranking a win as a top life moment).

Andre Au, Marketing Director at Bet St George, said: “England has one of the most passionate sporting audiences in the world, but for a long time, it was the only nation in the UK without a sportsbook built around its own identity.

“We created Bet St George because supporting England is different. World Cup fever hits massively once the squad is announced. For England, it is the expectation. It’s all about the previous hurt, penalty shoot-outs, the build-up, the predictions, and the debates with your mates. The whole nation feels that this tournament might finally be the one.”

The post Bet St George survey: 40% of England fans tip World Cup win appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

act

Advanced Compliance Technology Launches AI-driven Compliance and Integrity Platform

Published

50 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

advanced-compliance-technology-launches-ai-driven-compliance-and-integrity-platform

Advanced Compliance Technology (ACT), an independent provider of geolocation, sports integrity and risk solutions for the global regulated betting and gaming industry, has launched its next-generation AI and machine learning-powered Compliance and Integrity Platform.

The new platform brings together geolocation, identity verification, fraud detection, behavioural monitoring and sports integrity checks into a single, real-time solution.

The self-optimising platform leverages advanced AI and machine learning (ML) models to process and analyse 100,000s of data points related to athletes, leagues, officials, teams, betting markets, bookmakers, player activity, transactional behaviour and geolocation intelligence.

Advanced ML models also monitor player performance, injuries and behavioural patterns to identify anomalies, suspicious activity, integrity risks and emerging compliance threats as they develop.

When an alert is raised, ACT’s team of compliance, fraud and integrity specialists are on hand to support customers with expert judgements, providing even greater confidence through human-in-the-loop oversight.

By bringing these traditionally siloed compliance disciplines together, ACT’s new dashboard provides operators, regulators and sport governing bodies with a unified view of risk across the entire player and betting lifecycle, facilitating faster, more informed decisions based on live data and risk analysis.

Mike Venner, Co-Founder and Director at Advanced Compliance Technology, said: “Traditional compliance systems were built in silos. ACT is building the next-generation oversight platform, bringing geolocation, KYC, AML, fraud detection, behavioural monitoring, and sports integrity together in a single AI and machine learning-powered ecosystem.

“By transforming fragmented data into connected intelligence, ACT identifies risks and patterns at a scale no human team could achieve alone. Combined with decades of compliance, fraud, and integrity expertise, our platform ensures that advanced technology is reinforced by experienced human oversight, delivering smarter decisions, stronger enforcement, and more effective compliance outcomes.”

The post Advanced Compliance Technology Launches AI-driven Compliance and Integrity Platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alice Carraro

REEVO Announces New Partnership with Amigo Gaming

Published

50 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

reevo-announces-new-partnership-with-amigo-gaming

REEVO has announced a new partnership with Amigo Gaming, a Barcelona-based slot provider recognised for delivering immersive and high-performing gaming experiences across international markets. This collaboration further strengthens REEVO’s aggregation ecosystem, expanding its portfolio with a wide range of engaging content designed to drive player retention and operator growth.

Through this partnership, Amigo Gaming’s portfolio is now available on the REEVO aggregation platform, providing operators seamless access to more than 150 certified titles through a single and efficient integration. The addition of Amigo Gaming reinforces REEVO’s commitment to continuously expanding its platform with diverse, engaging, and globally proven content.

For REEVO, this partnership reflects its ongoing strategy to collaborate with innovative and fast-growing studios that enhance the value and performance of its aggregation platform.

Daniel Cuc, Head of Account Management at REEVO, said: “Partnering with Amigo Gaming is an exciting step forward for REEVO as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with engaging and high-performing content. Amigo Gaming has built a strong portfolio with a clear focus on player experience, creativity, and consistency, which aligns perfectly with our vision at REEVO. We are focused on building an ecosystem that helps operators stand out, and this partnership adds even more depth and variety to the content available through our platform.”

Alice Carraro, Senior Account Manager at Amigo Gaming, said: “At the end of the day, a great game is only as good as the platform hosting it, and that’s why working with REEVO feels so right. We pour a lot of energy into making our slots distinct, reliable, and genuinely fun to play, but REEVO has the seamless network needed to get them in front of the right audience. It’s the perfect match: we bring the engaging content players love, and they provide the smooth, hassle-free integration that operators appreciate. We’re really excited to grow together.”

The post REEVO Announces New Partnership with Amigo Gaming appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.