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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.”

game launches

Greentube adds Piggy Prizes Railroad Rumble to its slot franchise

Published

30 minutes ago

April 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

greentube-adds-piggy-prizes-railroad-rumble-to-its-slot-franchise

Greentube, NOVOMATIC’s Interactive division, has launched Piggy Prizes Railroad Rumble, the latest entry in its Piggy Prizes slot series.

Piggy Prizes Railroad Rumble runs on a 5×3 grid and centres on coin and piggy pot symbols that can be collected and enhanced when the cowboy lands on the centre reel. Greentube said the cowboy acts as a wild and can trigger coin drops that feed piggy pots, which can award Free Games.

The release adds a Gold Train feature that can add and boost coin values and contribute to filling the piggy pots. Greentube said reaching the pots’ limit can trigger Super Free Games, while Free Games keep the cowboy locked on the centre reel and Super Free Games keep the Gold Train sticky on the centre reel.

The game also includes Magic Spin and Magic Rewind modifiers. Greentube said Magic Spins can randomly lock the cowboy or Gold Train on the centre reel, while Magic Rewind gives players another chance to land symbols or jackpots. A Bonus Buy option is available in the base game, which triggers the bonus round once activated.

Richard Ganster, Director of Games Strategy and Games Portfolio Management at Greentube, said: “Piggy Prizes has become one of our standout series because of its ability to evolve while staying true to the core mechanics players enjoy. With Piggy Prizes Railroad Rumble, we’ve introduced a more dynamic setup and layered feature set that enhances both engagement and replayability.

“The combination of familiar mechanics with new modifiers allows us to keep the experience fresh for existing fans while also attracting new players to the franchise.”

The post Greentube adds Piggy Prizes Railroad Rumble to its slot franchise appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

iGaming

Strive Gaming selected to support Resorts World Bet’s New Jersey iCasino launch

Published

30 minutes ago

April 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

strive-gaming-selected-to-support-resorts-world-bet’s-new-jersey-icasino-launch

Strive Gaming has partnered with Genting’s Resorts World brand to support Resorts World Bet’s planned launch in New Jersey’s online casino market, subject to approval by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Under the agreement, Strive will provide player account management services, including payments, risk management, and fraud detection.

Strive will also support development of the Resorts World New Jersey front end, including use of Strive’s mobile app, and will integrate the operator onto Strive’s “infinity engine” engagement and automation tools.

Max Meltzer, CEO from Strive Gaming said: “I am delighted to add a well-established and high-profile online casino operator such as Genting’s Resorts World to our growing list of partners in North America. Their decision to partner with us for their online launch in New Jersey is testament to the standard of our first-class platform.

“We are certain Resorts World will prove to be very popular with online players in New Jersey, just as it has with land-based players around the world, and that will in-part be driven by our market-leading platform and player account management services.”

Robert DeSalvio, President of Genting Americas East, said: “We are very aware of the success Strive Gaming has seen across North American markets so far, and this makes them the ideal partner for our player account management services.

“We’ve been really impressed by not just their technology but their team depth as well. They understood our needs and they are perfectly positioned to play a key role in our online casino launch in New Jersey. We look forward to working with them for a long time.”

The post Strive Gaming selected to support Resorts World Bet’s New Jersey iCasino launch appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

content distribution

ICONIC21 integrates full game portfolio with Hub88

Published

30 minutes ago

April 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

iconic21-integrates-full-game-portfolio-with-hub88

ICONIC21 has integrated its full multi-vertical content portfolio with Hub88 under a new content agreement, giving Hub88’s operator network access to the supplier’s live casino, slots and virtual games.

Hub88 said the integration was delivered via its Casino API, enabling operators in its distribution network to add ICONIC21 content. The companies said titles are already live across several brands within Hub88’s distribution pool, with further rollouts planned in the coming weeks.

A key launch in the package is ICONIC21’s Gravity Wheel, a live game show title built around fast rounds and always-on multipliers—Saturn, Moon, Comet, and Sun. ICONIC21 said the Sun multiplier offers wins of up to 1,000x.

The agreement also covers ICONIC21’s slot and virtual game catalogue, including Las Piggas and formats such as Crash and Plinko.

“Partnering with Hub88 is a significant milestone that aligns with our focus on speed and product agility. Hub88 is respected for offering a prime environment to its operators, and seeing our full portfolio go live across their network is standing as proof of our shared standards for quality.

We look forward to a long-term relationship built on delivering high-performance content that meets the evolving needs of global players,” said Alina Mihaela Popa, Chief Commercial Officer at ICONIC21.

Hub88’s Head of Supplier Relations Jessica Inglott added: “Our objective is to provide our partners with a competitive edge, and ICONIC21’s catalog does exactly that. The inclusion of unique titles like Gravity Wheel brings a different energy to our offering. The speed at which we’ve been able to roll out these games across multiple brands speaks to the synergy between our technical teams and the quality of the product”

The post ICONIC21 integrates full game portfolio with Hub88 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.