Latest News
Football for Friendship eWorld Championship to be held for the second time in F4F World multiuser simulator
The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will be taking place for the second time at the end of May. After sports fans from over 100 countries took part last year, 211 countries and regions will be represented this time round.
The important events in Gazprom’s International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship (F4F) will be taking place in a digital format this year too because of the pandemic. Following established tradition, a few highlights are being organised to take place in Istanbul, the host city for the final of the UEFA Champions League, from 28th to 30th May.
The 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place on the multiplayer simulator Football for Friendship World (F4F World), which was specially developed for F4F. International team matches can be organised on this platform in real time. The individual users, each of whom is a player on the team, come from different countries. The team consists of a goalkeeper, a defender, two midfield players and two attackers. There is also a trainer and some substitutes. A game runs for 2 halves of 3.5 minutes.
Since 19th April, football academies all over the world have been invited to nominate girls and boys aged 12 to 14 as players. The draw that will put the kids into International Teams of Friendship will be in the middle of May. The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place from 27th to 29th May.
The winners of the 2020 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship were the team “Granular salamander”, whose players came from Bosnia Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey. In the course of the final events in the 8th season of “Football for Friendship”, a new GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title was set for the most users in a football video hangout. This year too F4F is aiming once more to set what would be a third GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title.
Since December 2020, F4F World has been available to anyone interested, outside of the eF4F tournament as well, free of charge in 27 different languages. An exciting match, in which the Nine Values of Football for Friendship: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour, are emphasised, awaits F4F World players. The particular features of F4F World include an original, hand-drawn design, a unique profile modification function, the option of playing in various divisions and leagues, of founding one’s own club or of inviting randomly selected players from around the world to take part in the match. In addition, participants can design their own player as they wish. For example, the players’ hairstyles show the colours of their respective national flags. The 2021 version will also offer some new features like training sessions. The F4F World game is available on MS Windows, Apple MacOS and iOS and was developed by the company DataArt.
Andrey Trusov, DataArt: “It was very interesting and motivating to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of F4F. For me, it was a new experience that there is such a competition for children – one that also promotes values like friendship, fairness, and peace. My colleagues and I engaged very intensively with the whole F4F concept in order to be able to give it form and expression in virtual reality.”
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship has been run by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous eight seasons, the programme has brought together over 15,000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 6,000,000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants in the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams of the Football for Friendship World Championship. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.
In 2020, Football for Friendship was held online. A special digital platform connected over 10,000 players of all ages. It has become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone can train, join in the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.
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Conferences
ProgressPlay Celebrates Major Success at ICE Barcelona 2026 and Prepares to Expand Worldwide
ProgressPlay, a prominent iGaming platform provider, today looked back on a transformative and highly successful presence at ICE Barcelona 2026, where its recently launched Dual-Engine Strategy struck a strong chord with operators and industry leaders. The occasion acted as an active confirmation of the company’s targeted vision, creating notable partnership momentum and paving the way for rapid international expansion in the coming year.
The company’s strategic focus on its Standalone and dedicated Sweepstakes solutions was central to discussions at its booth, indicating a distinct market need for more sophisticated and bold partner opportunities.
ProgressPlay indicated a remarkable number of high-caliber meetings with well-known brands and driven newcomers, all in search of strategic resources to develop, possess, and grow their gaming enterprises effectively.
“The response at ICE was phenomenal and precisely aligned with our thesis,” said Itai Lowenstein, CEO of ProgressPlay. “The industry is actively seeking more than a one-size-fits-all solution. Operators are strategists, and they came to us looking for the right engine for their specific ambition.”
Lowenstein continued: “Whether it was the profound control of the Standalone model for building a legacy asset or the agile, acquisition-focused power of our Sweepstakes framework, we demonstrated that ProgressPlay is the versatile partner for this new era. The conversations have moved from ‘what can you do’ to ‘how do we build our future together’.”
Operators expressed strong appreciation for the Standalone solution’s potential for genuine commercial autonomy, allowing full ownership of the player relationship from start to finish, while utilizing ProgressPlay’s powerful technology framework. At the same time, the Sweepstakes category was acknowledged as a brilliant way to access high-growth, engagement-driven markets, especially in areas where combining entertainment with gaming elements is essential.
“ICE 2026 was a defining moment for our partner-centric narrative,” stated Marina Nahhas, Head of B2B Sales and Marketing at ProgressPlay. “We engaged with visionary leaders who saw our Sweepstakes solution not as a niche product, but as a strategic funnel for community building and market entry.”
Nahhas explained: “Equally, the Standalone model attracted partners with deep brand equity looking for a technology ally, not just a supplier. The energy confirmed we are providing the essential toolkit for the next wave of iGaming innovation.”
After the achievement in Barcelona, ProgressPlay is now strongly dedicated to transforming this momentum into enduring partnerships. The company reiterates that its robust, adaptable platform is accessible to operators in every market, as long as the operator secures the required local license.
This concept of empowered collaboration allows brands to utilize ProgressPlay’s acclaimed casino and sportsbook offerings, managed services, and unique technology to enter their selected markets effectively and in compliance.
The team is currently getting ready for the upcoming series of significant industry events where they will further promote discussions on growing strategic partnerships.
“The journey continues from here,” concluded Lowenstein. “ICE was the launchpad. Now, we enter a phase of execution and collaboration with the partners who joined our vision in Barcelona. Our platform is ready, our strategy is proven, and our commitment is to be the growth engine for every licensed operator, anywhere in the world, who shares our ambition for excellence.”
The post ProgressPlay Celebrates Major Success at ICE Barcelona 2026 and Prepares to Expand Worldwide appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Ebaka Games
Ebaka Games secures first aggregator partner with Hub88 deal
Ebaka Games has taken a major step in its growth journey by securing its first aggregator partnership with Hub88, officially ending its period of exclusivity with menace.com and opening up to new commercial opportunities.
The new agreement will see Hub88’s network of operators among the first to access Ebaka Games’ distinctive portfolio, known for its original mechanics and bold approach to instant-play gaming.
Through seamless integration via the Hub88 API, partner operators can quickly onboard Ebaka’s full suite of instant games. The portfolio is designed to stand out, featuring dynamic gameplay, striking visuals, proprietary Ebaka game modes, high-volatility mechanics, and generous multipliers. The studio’s focus is firmly on delivering instant entertainment and driving strong player engagement.
Commenting on the partnership, Ebaka Games CEO Vitalii Zalievskyi said:
“It is time to bring Ebaka Games’ genuinely thrilling content to players around the world, and partnering with Hub88 is an important step as we scale our operations. We’re excited that operators can now integrate our games so easily, and we look forward to building a strong, long-term partnership with Hub88 as we expand globally.”
The Hub88 deal marks the first phase of Ebaka Games’ wider distribution strategy. The studio has confirmed that additional partnerships are already in the pipeline, with its content set to roll out across major operators and leading aggregators in the near future.
The post Ebaka Games secures first aggregator partner with Hub88 deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
QTech Games Partners with PEA Gaming to Roll Out More Premium Weightless Games
QTech Games, the top game distributor in all emerging markets, has sustained the momentum in its 2026 pipeline, attributed to its recent agreement with the up-and-coming supplier of weightless games, PEA Gaming.
Lighter than light, this weightless category features games that are under 1% the size of conventional light games. Importantly, PEA Gaming provides the sole games that are entirely compatible on various devices, ranging from basic feature phones to advanced smartphones.
Incorporating offerings from the most imaginative and cutting-edge “weightless games” supplier further enhances QTech Games’ expanding platform, which brings the broadest selection of online games to new markets, featuring both renowned brands and the industry’s most thrilling emerging developers.
The games offered to its partners include well-known favorites and new titles, such as Penalty, Roulette, Hilo, Tusks & Tails, and Target, all of which are supported by robust mathematical modeling and easy, recognizable gameplay.
Participants in developing markets frequently face technological obstacles to participation, including limitations in handset quality, limited access to high-speed networks, or elevated data expenses. Consequently, PEA Gaming’s games are tailored for this particular segment, aiming to address these challenges while maintaining a high-quality product. The agreement further expands PEA Gaming’s global presence, opening up previously inaccessible regions from Africa to Latin America for varied development.
Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “PEA Gaming is injecting a prized weightless specialism into the sector, particularly in emerging markets where network connectivity can encounter serious challenges. We’re integrating more and more “weightless” games for markets like Africa to overcome those ongoing data/network obstacles without sacrificing the delivery of high-quality product.
“PEA Gaming’s keystone is developing easily intelligible and engaging games for all – prioritizing performance wherever you set your scene on the map. These games are indicative of our strategy to bring more agile entertainment options to the QTech Games platform for our partners worldwide.”
Permi Jhooti, CEO of PEA Gaming, added: “We’ve created a new space of weightless games that finally provide an immersive gaming experience to all users, regardless of device and bandwidth limitations. Partnering with QTech represents a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our product distribution across emerging territories and deliver our great games to a range of top-tier partners.
“That’s why we design every game with emerging market players in mind: those facing real-world challenges like basic handsets, slow networks, and expensive data. Our games are purpose-built for this audience, tackling these limitations head-on while still delivering a high-quality, seamless experience. Our approach is simple: create fun, rewarding games without the excess — and it works. By stripping out all the fluff, our games are a mind-blowing 2,000 times smaller than many so-called “light” games, making costly data usage a thing of the past.
“Above all, this collaboration marks a significant step forward for PEA Gaming’s growth strategy in untapped territories like Africa and Latin America where our games will doubtless prove popular since they work everywhere, even in regions where low-end devices and limited network speed are prevalent.”
The post QTech Games Partners with PEA Gaming to Roll Out More Premium Weightless Games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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