Press Releases

Winners from Industry best Mobile Games Awards Announced; Tencent win big

Published

4 years ago

July 27, 2021

MiHoYo’s Genshin Impact took home the biggest prize as it scooped Game of the Year at Steel Media’s fourth annual and industry-leading Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards, supported by Game Insight, held last week.

The ceremony saw the action role-playing title also awarded Best Audio/Visual Accomplishment, while Tencent and TiMi Studio Group secured Best Publisher and Best Developer, respectively.

Innovation of the Year went to Niantic for its ingenious reworking of augmented reality hit Pokémon Go for the 2020 lockdown, Pollen VC was voted Best Service Provider, and Supercell’s Clash Royale conquered the opposition to the Best Live Ops trophy.

As ever the event, which in this pandemic-affected year took place later than its traditional January slot and adopted a hybrid live/digital format hosted by London’s Ham Yard Hotel, aimed to shine a spotlight on the work of the top mobile games companies over the previous year.

Further highlights from the night included the Rising Star award, shared – an event first – by Jana and Sham Al Bdour of Sakura Games, Unity continuing its Best Game Engine dominance with a fourth win in as many years, and Jam City CEO Chris DeWolfe joining the ranks of Mobile Legend.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The coveted People’s Choice Award, nominated for and voted on by readers of Steel Media’s leading consumer site, PocketGamer.com, went to Tilting Point’s SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off.

“We believe the MGAs have a vital role to play in recognising the efforts and achievements of the entire ecosystem that makes mobile gaming the best industry in the world,” said Steel Media CEO, Chris James.

“This is doubly important considering the forced disconnects of the last 16 months and also the incredible role that the mobile games industry has paid not just in contributing to the economy and keeping people in jobs, but moreover in keeping billions of citizens feeling a little more connected and engaged.”

As the full winner breakdown below demonstrates, the 22 categories (including three new additions this year) represent firms spanning the whole industry, from the games developers and publishers to the tools companies, service providers, support agencies, investors and recruiters that all contribute towards this $90 billion sector being the largest and most pervasive in gaming.

After the lobbying and shortlisting phases – the biggest and most complex to date – which took place from March to May, the finalists were subsequently voted on throughout June by our panel of 100-plus mobile games experts from every corner of the industry.

Steel Media is hugely grateful to everyone who took the time to submit themselves, their colleagues, company, or contemporaries, as well as everyone who attended the ceremony itself during these tricky times – whether in person or digitally.

Additionally, we would like to thank main sponsor Game Insight, together with Admix, Huawei Ads, Jam City, Scopely and Tilting Point for coming on board as category sponsors – their support helped make the event a success in a particularly challenging year.

And last but by no means least, congratulations to all the finalists – it really was a hard-fought affair this year – and, of course, the heartiest of praise to the winners themselves.

More info on all things PG Mobile Games Awards at the official website: www.mobilegamesawards.com

//Full Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2021 Winners List

Pocket Gamer People’s Choice – SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off (Tilting Point)

Best Advertising & UA Service – Unity Ads

Best Analytics / Data Tool – AppsFlyer

Best Developer – TiMi Studio Group

Best GAAS Tools & Tech – Azure PlayFab

Best Audio/Visual Accomplishment – Genshin Impact (miHoYo)

Best Game Engine – Unity

Best Storytelling – Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo games)

Rising Stars – Jana and Sham Al Bdour (Sakura Games)

Best Tools Provider – Game UI Database

Best Games Industry Law Firm – Sheridans

Best Service Provider – Pollen VC

Best Live Ops – Clash Royale (Supercell)

Best QA and Localisation Service Provider – Amber Studio

Best Indie Developer – Innersloth

Best PR / Marketing Team – Scopely

Best Influencer Marketing Agency – Game Influencer

Investor of the Year – Play Ventures

Best Publisher – Tencent

Best Innovation – Niantic (Pokémon GO lockdown reworking)

Game of the Year – Genshin Impact (miHoYo)

Mobile Legend – Chris DeWolfe (Jam City)

//notes for editors//

ABOUT THE POCKET GAMER MOBILE GAMES AWARDS

The Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards are the UK’s leading mobile games awards, established to celebrate the very best businesses and individuals who are driving the $90 billion mobile games industry forward. They shine a light on every part of the ecosystem, from the game developers and publishers through the advertising and monetisation companies, to the tool-makers and support companies that enable the magic to happen. They also pay homage to true industry legends who have made their mark on this industry.

The PG Mobile Games Awards have been created by the Steel Media Ltd, a consumer and b2b technology publisher and events company based in the UK which has over 16 years’ experience covering and connecting the mobile games industry with leading media such as PocketGamer.com and PocketGamer.biz. Steel Media Ltd also organises numerous international events, including the world-renowned Pocket Gamer Connects conference series and the developer-focused Big Indie Pitch competitions.

https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

https://twitter.com/MobileGameAward

For enquiries, please contact [email protected].

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Latest News

Firesand launches Firesand Shield to combat rise in iGaming account fraud attacks

Published

11 hours ago

June 16, 2025

George Miller

firesand-launches-firesand-shield-to-combat-rise-in-igaming-account-fraud-attacks

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Firesand, a leader in iGaming security services and software, has developed a cutting-edge Anti-Account Fraud solution to safeguard iGaming operators and platform providers from escalating credential-based cyber threats.

Firesand Shield is a best-in-class product that has been designed to address the growing complexity of account fraud that has impacted the global iGaming industry in recent times, which in some cases has resulted in loss of business, damaged reputation and regulatory fines. Common examples of account fraud include credential stuffing, dictionary attacks, and common password exploitation.

The new solution provides proactive, intelligent detection and prevention against the full spectrum of account compromise techniques, without relying on user-disruptive CAPTCHAs or blunt blocking mechanisms, to ensure the end user experience remains uninterrupted.

Unlike legacy or bot-only detection tools, Firesand Shield leans on the company’s specialism as a penetration testing service provider to focus on attack patterns, regardless of whether the source is human, bot, or hybrid, offering unmatched insight and agility in protecting operator user accounts and platform integrity. It includes in-depth attack analysis and reporting to provide greater transparency and clarity over the source of each security vulnerability.

With a product upgrade roadmap that includes geolocation anomaly detection, VPN usage analysis, and AI-powered behavioural profiling, Firesand Shield is set to offer operators and platforms significant peace of mind to stay ahead of security threats as they evolve.

Chris Blake, Director at Firesand, said: “Account fraud is a growing threat to the global iGaming industry. There have been multiple cases in the previous year alone where user data has been breached, leading to a detrimental impact for businesses targeted.

“Firesand Shield has been designed to support operators and platform providers of all sizes to sharpen their security capabilities as these attacks become more common and sophisticated. Underpinned by our superior iGaming security excellence, we are well positioned to further strengthen online systems on a global scale.”

With a proven track record of developing bespoke security platforms for a range of industries, Firesand brings unmatched credibility and expertise to the iGaming space, combining technical solutions with practical, actionable defence capabilities for high-risk digital environments.

The post Firesand launches Firesand Shield to combat rise in iGaming account fraud attacks appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Industry Awards

Soft2Bet Named Acquisition & Retention Partner and Industry Innovator of the Year by SBC Europe Awards 2025

Published

13 hours ago

June 16, 2025

George Miller

soft2bet-named-acquisition-&-retention-partner-and-industry-innovator-of-the-year-by-sbc-europe-awards-2025

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Soft2Bet has secured two major wins at the SBC Awards Europe 2025, being recognised by excellence for Acquisition & Retention Partner of the Year and Industry Innovation of the Year. Its flagship brand Betinia also earned a Silver Award in the Casino Operator of the Year category, highlighting a company’s ability to create performing brands in saturated and highly competitive key markets.

The awards recognise the continued success of Soft2Bet’s powerful turnkey solutions and Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), which has played a central role in driving player engagement and retention across key markets. During the last 12 months, the impact of Soft2Bet’s cutting-edge gamification solutions for casino and sportsbook has played a major role in enhancing customer experience, loyalty, and engagement, delivering ROI-driven performance that goes beyond retention. MEGA was key in achieving a 128% retention uplift for Campobet in Denmark and 106% for Betinia in Sweden, further proving the solution’s impact.

“SBC Europe Awards recognition is a testament to the vision of our technology and its impact on building strong brands, long-term player relationships, and product excellence that goes beyond retention. MEGA continues to lead the European, Nordic and North America market in creating unique experiences that combine innovation, a strong regulatory framework, high performance results from the start,” – stated Oksana Tsyhankova, CMO at Soft2Bet.

Earlier in 2024, Soft2Bet was also recognised at the SBC Awards, winning in Innovation in Mobile and Innovation in Casino Entertainment categories. Soft2Bet now holds 19 licences across 12 jurisdictions and continues to expand both its B2B and B2C footprint in Europe and beyond. With brands like Betinia, CampoBet, Don.ro, Tooniebet, and Quickcasino, the company remains focused on delivering innovative, localised, high-performance iGaming experiences.

The post Soft2Bet Named Acquisition & Retention Partner and Industry Innovator of the Year by SBC Europe Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Affiliate Industry

Meet MegaList: The Rising Force in iGaming Affiliation

Published

13 hours ago

June 16, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

meet-megalist:-the-rising-force-in-igaming-affiliation

There are affiliate networks, and then there’s MegaList – a performance-first, hype-last kind of operation built for casino and sportsbook brands that prefer results over buzzwords.

In an industry that sometimes feels like it’s powered by vague metrics and recycled content, MegaList steps in as the “Mega Map” – a practical, data-driven network guiding both players and operators to higher ground. Less “look at our reach,” more “here’s your conversion rate.”

So no, this isn’t just another logo-stamped brand promising traffic and delivering bounce rates. This is a carefully engineered affiliate engine built on smart SEO, qualified leads, and just enough caffeine-fueled obsession with results to make even the most skeptical operators pay attention.

The iGaming Affiliate World: Why It (Still) Matters

Let’s be honest – the affiliate space in iGaming has had its fair share of bad actors and empty promises. But when done right, affiliate marketing is still one of the most effective and efficient ways to connect licensed operators with the right players.

Players want fewer popups, more clarity. Operators want actual ROI, not vague impressions.
Enter: the data-driven affiliate network.

It’s simple:

Informed players make better choices.
Strategic affiliates deliver better traffic.
Everyone wins. Except, of course, the shady operators who preferred it the other way.

Meet the MegaList Brands

These aren’t vanity microsites. Each MegaList brand has a specific mission, actual humans behind the content, and a reputation for, well… telling it like it is.

MegaCasinoList

Let’s face it – players don’t need another affiliate promising “top 10 casinos” based on whatever ad paid the most. They need honest, transparent, expert-backed reviews.

That’s where MegaCasinoList comes in – a platform that filters out the noise and delivers legit info on licensed casinos, security, fairness, and gameplay. Slots? Live dealer games? Payout speed? Yep, it’s all in there, and it’s all vetted.

They work with reliable operators only, because – and here’s a crazy idea – not every shiny site deserves your deposit.

MegaTipsList

If you like sports predictions that read like a 20-page legal document, you’re in the wrong place.

MegaTipsList is built for bettors who want real insights, fast reads, accurate tips, and actual value. It delivers predictions, sports news, and timely promotions – minus the fluff and with none of that “win guaranteed” nonsense.

Designed for bettors who like to stay informed without needing a PhD to understand the odds.

MegaBetList

For the practical bettor who just wants the facts: which sites are legit, which ones pay fast, and what to expect before placing your first wager.

MegaBetList reviews betting platforms with a clear, no-nonsense voice. It’s not trying to dazzle; it’s trying to help people bet smarter – and it’s doing a pretty solid job of it.

From licensing to promotions to usability, everything is covered – and everything is filtered through what actually matters to sports fans.

Why This All Matters (And Why It’s Working)

The iGaming world doesn’t need more noise. It needs better filters, smarter partners, and affiliates that actually care whether the traffic leads somewhere useful.

That’s where MegaList comes in – not to impress with buzzwords, but to perform, to scale, and to make sure both operators and players are on the same page for once.

And if we may drop in a little vision while we’re at it:

“At MegaList, we believe informed players and strategic operators shape a stronger, smarter iGaming industry.”

For once, a statement that isn’t just inspirational filler.

So the next time someone pitches you an affiliate network, ask one thing: “Do they have a plan, or just a landing page?”

MegaList has both, and a track record to prove it.

Explore MegaList’s network:
MegaAffiliatesList.com