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Opera buys owner of GameMaker and starts a Gaming division

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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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BMM Testlabs hires Michael Minor as SVP and North America BD lead

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Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across the region.

BMM Testlabs has appointed Michael Minor as Senior Vice President & North America Market (NAM) Leader, Business Development, the company said.

In the role, Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across North America, with a mandate to expand BMM’s regional presence and relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and operators.

Minor brings more than 20 years of experience in business development leadership, client engagement, and sales strategy, according to BMM. He previously held senior roles at NEXTEQ, Pavilion Payments, and IGT.

Kirk White, Global President, Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, said, “Michael is a respected leader with deep experience across the North American gaming market. He understands our customers, knows how to build strong teams, and has a proven track record of delivering growth. With BMM’s full NAM coverage for certification services, we are excited to welcome Michael to BMM, supporting our client-engagement experience as we expand our services across the region.”

Minor said, “I am excited to join BMM Testlabs at such an exciting time for the company as the industry highly values what BMM is offering for Compliance and QA services. BMM has a strong reputation and focus on quality, speed, and integrity, and I look forward to working with our customers and teams across North America to support their growth and success.”

More data as follows:
  • BMM Testlabs: https://bmm.com/ Company site for confirmation of the executive appointment and BMM’s testing and certification services.
  • American Gaming Association: https://www.americangaming.org/ Trade body resource for North American gaming market context referenced in the appointment.
  • Pavilion Payments: https://www.pavilionpayments.com/ Background on one of Minor’s prior employers cited in the release.
  • IGT: https://www.igt.com/ Background on one of Minor’s prior employers cited in the release.

The post BMM Testlabs hires Michael Minor as SVP and North America BD lead appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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BMM TESTLABS WELCOMES EXPERIENCED GAMING EXECUTIVE MICHAEL MINOR AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & NAM LEADER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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BMM Testlabs (“BMM” or “the Company”), the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced that Michael Minor has joined the Company as Senior Vice President & North America Market (NAM) Leader, Business Development.

In this role, Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across the region, helping expand BMM’s presence and strengthen relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and operators.

Minor brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in managing business development teams, client engagements, and sales strategies, and in-depth knowledge of gaming technologies and enterprise platform solutions. He previously held senior-level roles at NEXTEQ, Pavilion Payments, and IGT, where he led major initiatives and supported large-scale deployments of systems and technologies.

Kirk White, Global President, Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, said, “Michael is a respected leader with deep experience across the North American gaming market. He understands our customers, knows how to build strong teams, and has a proven track record of delivering growth. With BMM’s full NAM coverage for certification services, we are excited to welcome Michael to BMM, supporting our client-engagement experience as we expand our services across the region.”

Minor said, “I am excited to join BMM Testlabs at such an exciting time for the company as the industry highly values what BMM is offering for Compliance and QA services. BMM has a strong reputation and focus on quality, speed, and integrity, and I look forward to working with our customers and teams across North America to support their growth and success.”

 

The post BMM TESTLABS WELCOMES EXPERIENCED GAMING EXECUTIVE MICHAEL MINOR AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & NAM LEADER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Aglaja Geta

“Stories”, a new feature design to elevate sportsbook engagement and promotional visibility from BETBY

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BETBY, the leading sportsbook provider, has announced the launch of Stories, a new feature designed to transform how operators present promotions and key events to their players.

Inspired by the widely adopted Stories format seen across social media platforms, the feature introduces a familiar, intuitive way for bettors to discover and engage with content directly within the sportsbook interface.

As competition for user attention continues to intensify, operators face the ongoing challenge of delivering promotions and updates in a way that cuts through the noise without overwhelming the user experience.

Stories addresses this by offering a dynamic, swipeable format that brings key content — such as bonuses, tournaments, major sporting events, and boosted odds — into a more engaging and accessible space.

Fully integrated into BETBY’s sportsbook environment, Stories enables bettors to seamlessly browse through short, interactive content cards, mirroring the mechanics they already use daily on social platforms.

This familiarity plays a key role in driving immediate interaction, lowering the barrier to engagement, and creating additional touchpoints between operators and their users.

By introducing a format that naturally encourages exploration, Stories helps increase visibility across promotional campaigns while supporting higher engagement rates.

Each new Story acts as a trigger for curiosity, prompting users to click through and discover new offers or events, ultimately contributing to improved promo turnover.

The feature feels particularly intuitive to younger demographics, who are already accustomed to this style of interaction.

By aligning sportsbook UX with established digital behaviors, BETBY allows operators to connect with these audiences in a more organic and impactful way.

Stories is about meeting users where they already are, in terms of how they consume content,” said Aglaja Geta, Head of UX & Analytics at BETBY.

We wanted to introduce a format that feels instantly familiar, while giving operators a powerful new way to highlight their most important promotions and events.

It creates a smoother, more engaging experience that encourages interaction without adding complexity to the platform.

From an operational perspective, Stories offers a streamlined way to enhance the front-end experience without requiring structural changes to the sportsbook.

The feature integrates seamlessly, allowing operators to enrich their content strategy while maintaining a clean and intuitive interface.

About BETBY

BETBY is a leading B2B provider of top-tier sports betting services, renowned for its groundbreaking technology and dedication to excellence.

BETBY’s team of industry veterans tap into their knowledge and expertise to deliver a premium, adaptable, and scalable sportsbook platform tailored to meet the varied demands of operators across the globe.

From dynamic in-play betting options to robust risk management tools and ground-breaking AI tools, BETBY is committed to propelling the success of its partners in the rapidly evolving landscape of online sports betting.

For more information visit betby.com

The post “Stories”, a new feature design to elevate sportsbook engagement and promotional visibility from BETBY appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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