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Fast Company ranks Fnatic in the most innovative gaming firms
Every generation of video-game consoles ushers in faster, more realistic titles. This year’s releases by Sony and Microsoft continue that trend. The PS5 and the Xbox Series X deliver unprecedented levels of realism, with graphics processors that simulate shimmering reflections on puddles, controller vibrations that evoke the feeling of running through sand, and game worlds that are as large and detailed as actual cities. But games didn’t simply become more lifelike in 2020. They also became more intertwined with our everyday lives. In the year where everyone sheltered at home, escapism was accessible to more kinds of people than ever, whether you dreamt of the fashion runways in Paris, a quiet pastoral island life, or literal escape (from Zombies, aliens, enemy soldiers, the list goes on). And gaming companies further worked their way into pop culture, from sports to fashion to movies.
1. MICROSOFT
For subscribing to an anywhere, anytime gaming lifestyle
Microsoft is increasingly becoming the everyman’s gaming system. The company aims to empower Xbox fans to play any game, on any device, anywhere, anytime. In the past year, the software giant didn’t just launch its next-generation console, the Xbox Series X, it upgraded infrastructure, introduced new services, and made a sizable acquisition to bring its vision of gaming ubiquity closer to reality. Games on the Xbox Series X load faster than ever thanks to a screaming-fast solid state drive. Subscribers to Game Pass, Microsoft’s “Netflix for Games,” can now play over 100 Xbox games from any Android-powered mobile phone or tablet by tapping into the company’s xCloud streaming service. A feature called Smart Delivery upgrades games automatically and installs them on the owner’s new console—ready to resume play at the moment a player left off. In September, the company announced they paid $7.5 billion to acquire Zenimax Media, bringing games franchises like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom in house. For more on why Microsoft is a 2021 Most Innovative Company, click here.
2. SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
For leveling up yet again
Long the gaming industry’s paragon of polish and ingenuity, Sony’s gaming division burnished its reputation with new hardware and software in 2020 that built on what games can do—and who can play them. Its next generation console, the PlayStation 5, employs top-notch graphics processors that enhance how the game looks, its new controller employs haptic technology that changes how the game feels—making it possible for players to distinguish between the touch of a sandy surface versus a shiny metallic one. Games like Last of Us Part II, developed by Sony subsidiary Naughty Dog, added accessibility options to make the game playable and fun for players of any ability level, including those who are partially or fully blind (sonar-like pings relay the approach of menacing zombies). Meanwhile, Dreams, a game developed by Media Molecule (another Sony entity) makes it possible for players to crate anything from games to gadgets to puzzles and paintings with the title’s game-making toolbox and social network. For more on why Sony Interactive Entertainment is a 2021 Most Innovative Company, click here.
3. NVIDIA
For enabling auteurs with cinematic graphics
Graphics in video games have always lagged behind Hollywood CGI for a simple reason: time. Movie studios can spend weeks rendering each shadow and reflection in a given frame with intense attention to realism and detail; games have to render graphics on the fly, some 60 times every second, as the player moves through virtual space. NVIDIA’s RTX 30 series graphics chips close the quality gap between games and movies using a supremely clever chip design that combines traditional graphics processing with ray-tracing, a computationally intense process that can simulate how light beams reflect and refract off smoke, shimmering water, or high-sheen chrome. Meanwhile an AI-dedicated processing core finds shortcuts and workarounds to speed the process up to game-appropriate speeds.
4. NINTENDO
For crossing into everyday companionship
If quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic had an official pastime, it would be Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The easy-going, wholesome and social game, in which players plant a garden and decorate a home while making friends with a collection of friendly anthropomorphic animals, was exactly the kind of virtual escape many millennials and kids alike were looking for as they sheltered in place. The game’s social elements—users can visit one another’s island and pass the time with meditative, outdoorsy activities like chopping wood and fishing—provided a way for real-life friends to hang out with one another and feel a little close without violating social distancing rules.
5. DAPPER LABS
For putting collectibles on the blockchain
The blockchain-based game developer behind CryptoKitties launched NBA Top Shot, a blockchain-based collectible game, in 2020. The game offers a blockchain twist on sports cards collectibles, by allowing users to buy, collect, and trade video-clip “packets” of top NBA players and moments—pointing toward a new future for sports memorabilia. This year one such blockchain-encrypted video, also known as a “moment”, of the Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo charging to the basket, sold from one collector to another for $1,999.
6. FNATIC
For upgrading esports teams into elite status
The esports organization is building a lifestyle brand that is synonymous with gaming excellence while selling every aspect of it: Its stable of professional esports players win championships in massively popular games ranging from League of Legends to CS:Go, while using Fnatic’s line of performance gaming equipment (keyboards, mice, chairs) and wearing the company’s co-branded apparel and accessories, which it makes in partnership with fashion houses like Gucci. The company’s CEO, Sam Matthews, sees Formula One as an inspiration; in fact he made Nick Fry, the former CEO of the Mercedes AMG Formula One team, the company’s head of commercial strategy.
7. FAZE CLAN
For elevating video games into pop culture
Rivals may deride the sprawling collective of content-makers and gamers as a Gen Z mashup, but the company’s massive reach is undeniable: FaZe Clan members play video games professionally in tournaments, stream their lives on platforms like Twitch, and make short-form videos for sites like YouTube. The company, led by Lee Trink, a music executive who was once president of Capitol Records, is expanding into novel and traditional forms of content alike, from podcasts on Spotify and clips on TikTok to film and television projects, such as Crimson, which was released in October. The collective is also making its talent for Zoomer whispering available to mass-market brands from Verizon to Nissan to Venmo.
8. HERMAN MILLER
For fashioning the gamers’ throne
9. HOLLOW PONDS
For killing us softly with its quirky creations
10. DREST
For dressing up high fashion into a video game
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Brightstar Lottery PLC announced changes to its senior leadership team as part of its evolution as a standalone pure play lottery business that continues to optimise its operations for future growth.
Renato Ascoli, CEO, Global Lottery, will step down effective June 30, 2026. Over a 20-year career in the lottery and gaming industry at Brightstar, he has held senior leadership roles and led complex teams across global markets.
Effective July 1, 2026, Marco Tasso will be promoted to a new role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Lottery. Mr. Tasso, currently COO, International and Italy Operations, brings more than 20 years of experience across the company’s B2C and B2B businesses and deep end-to-end knowledge of the lottery ecosystem. In his role, Tasso will have responsibility for all of Brightstar’s global lottery operations, including technology, product development, marketing, sales and product management, supply chain, customer support and field services. He will report directly to Brightstar CEO, Vince Sadusky.
“Renato has made a tremendous impact on our company and the lottery industry. His broad experience across lottery product development, technology and commercial strategy helped us to continuously deliver innovative solutions and services to our lottery customers. I want to thank and congratulate him for his many career accomplishments,” said Marco Sala, Executive Chair of the Board, Brightstar.
“As Renato prepares to step down, I want to thank him for his many years of service and steadfast commitment to our business and people. Having Marco as a part of our senior leadership team supports the company’s vision and strategic goals. As we strengthen our focus on growth, transformation and operational execution, Marco’s insights and experience will help shape the lottery operating organization and optimize it to deliver results,” said Vince Sadusky, CEO of Brightstar.
Executive Biography
Marco Tasso is a seasoned professional with more than two decades of experience in senior leadership roles across lottery management, global supply chains, strategy, product development, retail execution and consulting in both Europe and the US. He has held various senior leadership roles at Brightstar and its predecessor company, IGT, including his current position of COO, International and Italy Operations; SVP of Global Supply Chain and Services; and SVP of Global Lottery Marketing.
Marco also previously served as CEO of Northstar Lottery Group, where he managed the first-ever private lottery management contract for the Illinois Lottery, and he later oversaw similar private manager agreements in Indiana and New Jersey. Before that, Marco held leadership positions at Lottomatica, where he managed different business units including instant lotteries, lotto, and commercial services.
Earlier in his career, Marco consulted in roles at Bain and Company and Ernst & Young Consultants, where he developed a specialisation in strategic planning, production and cost-saving initiatives. In this capacity, he worked with prestigious clients such as Telecom Italia, Fiat and Bridgepoint Capital.
Marco graduated Cum Laude with a degree in mathematics from the Università degli Studi in Messina, Italy and received an MBA with Distinction from CUOA in Vicenza, Italy.
The post Brightstar Lottery Announces Changes to Lottery Operations Leadership appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, has officially launched Combo, a new feature within its prediction markets ecosystem, in partnership with its collaborators. This marks the first time a centralised platform has introduced multi-event combination trading capabilities to prediction markets globally, through its partner.
As prediction markets gradually evolve from single-event trading toward multi-event combination trading, user demand for combined predictions has grown rapidly. However, leading prediction market platforms today still primarily offer isolated event trading, limiting a user’s capacity to express structural views. The Combo bridges this gap, bringing advanced combination logic to the centralised prediction market vertical.
Consolidating Comprehensive Market Views into One Order
Users holding clear predictions across multiple events normally need separate positions. The Combo lets them consolidate these into a single order, expressing a fuller market view with less capital and simpler position management.
Using the World Cup as an example, a user could make the following calls within a single order:
• Brazil draws with Spain
• France defeats England
• Bitcoin breaks $70,000 on the day
Multiple predictions are combined into a single order, forming a more complete expression of views on both sports events and market trends.
20 predictions to freely build your combo view
A single order supports up to 20 predictions, providing users with ample space for combinations. Currently, sports and select crypto categories are supported as combo predictions, allowing users to freely link selections across events, timeframes and outcome conditions to build personalised combo views. MEXC, through its partner, will continue to expand available market categories, further broadening the use cases for Combo.
Verifiable Pricing, Clear Rules
The Combo maintains full verifiable from pricing through settlement, ensuring users have complete clarity on every prediction. Full cost and combo pricing are visible before order placement. The system automatically filters out logically contradictory selection combinations. If pricing changes, users receive an immediate confirmation prompt. When all predictions align with the actual outcomes, users receive the settlement payout corresponding to the combo price. If any single prediction does not align with the actual outcome, the combo order yields no payout. This mechanism enables high-conviction quality views to receive reasonable value-based returns while keeping rules and outcomes verifiable.
MEXC CEO Vugar Usi said: “In markets, as in life, nothing happens in isolation. One event ripples into the next. Single-event trading never reflected that reality. Combo does. For the first time, a centralized prediction market lets traders express combination views across non mutually-exclusive events. We are not upgrading a product. We are advancing a category. MEXC intends to lead it.”
The post MEXC Prediction Markets Launches Combo to Enable Multi-Event Combination Trading appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
The former West Indies star will lead marketing campaigns, promotions and social initiatives for the mobile games company.
PG SOFT has appointed international cricket figure Chris Gayle as its Official Global Brand Ambassador, the company said.
Under the deal, Gayle will front global marketing campaigns, promotional activations, social media initiatives, and “exclusive player experiences,” according to PG SOFT.
“I’ve always done things in my own style — with power, confidence, and maximum entertainment,” said Chris Gayle. “PG SOFT creates games that deliver the same thrill and big moments I bring to the cricket field. I’m proud to join the team and can’t wait to give fans an unforgettable experience.”
A PG SOFT spokesperson added: “Chris Gayle is a true icon who represents power, charisma, and success — values that perfectly align with PG SOFT’s vision and commitment in building a strong and positive brand image. His appointment as our Global Ambassador marks a significant milestone in our journey to deliver world-class entertainment and build deeper connections with players and fans globally.”
PG SOFT did not disclose financial terms or a timeline for the planned campaigns and activations.
The post PG SOFT names Chris Gayle as global brand ambassador appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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