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ITV invests £2.5 million in live gaming tech startup Live Tech Games

Published

5 years ago

August 4, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

ITV selects pioneering Live Tech Games as part of Studio 55 Ventures.

Live Tech Games announces that ITV has injected a £2.5 million investment into the pioneering tech startup, via the Studio 55 Ventures arm, for a minority stake. The ITV team selected Live Tech Games as part of its wider strategy to enhance ITV’s reach amongst 16-34 year olds.

ITV set up Studio 55 Ventures in 2020 to work with entrepreneurs to build and scale a business within the organisation, taking advantage of ITV’s impressive business experience, backing and support as the businesses take off. With Live Tech Games, ITV has identified a start-up in the burgeoning games sector as a worthwhile investment to complement its wider portfolio of businesses as part of the scheme.

This investment and support in Live Tech Games presents a pivotal opportunity for the company to work with ITV and the UK audience, by leveraging ITV’s globally recognised IP to create new, exciting forms of entertainment direct to consumers’ mobile devices. Earlier this year, Live Tech Games successfully ran a pilot with ITV, working with the This Morning team, to keep viewers connected even after the programme had ended as thousands of players downloaded Roshambo Live, to play the exclusive This Morning game.

‘We are delighted to announce our investment into Live Tech Games this month. Studio 55 Ventures has sought out new business ideas which bring something fresh and unique to the media and entertainment worlds.’ says Rufus Radcliffe, MD ITV On Demand. ‘Samuel and Nathan perfectly encapsulate what we were looking for: innovative, creative and dedicated to their vision. We believe our investment will allow them to flourish and enable Live Tech Games to work alongside ITV in expanding the reach of our internationally recognised programmes and brands.”

The Live Tech Games offering is a unique platform, combining mobile entertainment and live game tournaments, both exclusively in-venue and nationally, bringing people together, regardless of where or who they are. The platform seeks to fill the gap in the mobile gaming market for live, light-hearted yet competitive games, taking familiar, well known games and transforming them into effortless yet rewarding live experiences. Live Tech Games’ first free app, Roshambo Live, has already enthralled UK players with its adrenaline-filled but nostalgic and simple tournament of Rock Paper Scissors, pitting players nationwide head-to-head in live knock-out rounds for the chance to win huge prizes, ranging from cash to the latest tech to unique experiences! In the last 12 months of play, Roshambo Live has given away over £60,000 worth of prizes to winners up and down the country, changing lives all from the comfort of players’ own sofas. Rapidly expanding its team to keep up with public demand, Samuel and Nathan are looking for the best-in-class talent to join the pioneering mobile game studio; including Senior Producer, Lead Artist, Game Designer, Senior Game Developer, Game Developer and QA & Test Lead. Looking for highly motivated and ready to be challenged individuals, the Live Tech Games core team will work together on the next wave of mobile gaming.

‘Following an incredibly successful pilot with ITV at the start of the year, we were delighted at the opportunity to continue working together. The team at ITV are great and we know their support will help us take Live Tech Games to new heights.’ says Samuel Worsley, co-founder of Live Tech Games. ‘We already have huge plans for new games, but we’re keeping them quiet for now – all utilising our unique Live Tech Games platform and live gaming engine that we’ve spent the past 18 months perfecting. Our pledge to our players is as always: super simple, adrenaline-filled tournament games, to win exciting prizes, that everyone can play, and anyone can win!”

Alona Shevtsova

Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova moderates Global Gaming Expansion panel in Riyadh

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

sends-ceo-alona-shevtsova-moderates-global-gaming-expansion-panel-in-riyadh

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a panel at The Blockchain show on 29^th June, bringing together experts from entertainment, location-based gaming, and content localisation to examine what it takes to build sustainable gaming ecosystems across emerging markets.

The panel, titled “Global Gaming Expansion: Lessons from Untapped Markets,” will structure its discussion across four themes: the growth dynamics reshaping emerging gaming markets; the role of localisation in creating experiences that genuinely connect with new audiences; the infrastructure and communities needed to build gaming ecosystems beyond the game itself; and the lessons and opportunities that will define successful expansion in the years ahead.

Alona Shevtsova plans to frame the discussion around the central challenge for companies looking to expand globally: entering a new market requires far more than bringing an existing product to a new audience. Understanding local cultures, building communities, adapting experiences, and creating ecosystems that allow gaming to grow sustainably are all as important as the product itself.

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, said:

“The future growth of gaming will come not only from new technologies, but from understanding people — their cultures, communities, and the experiences they want to be part of. Successful expansion will belong to those who can combine global ambition with local understanding.”

The first segment will examine why regions including the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia are becoming increasingly significant for developers, operators, and investors — driven by young audiences, accelerating digital adoption, and new entertainment models creating substantial growth potential. Panellists will explore how consumer preferences differ across markets and what trends among younger audiences are shaping the future of gaming and entertainment.

The third segment will broaden the lens beyond the game itself, exploring the role of location-based entertainment, gaming centres, esports, and experiential destinations in attracting new audiences and building long-term communities. Panellists plan to address how entertainment ecosystems — spanning physical venues, events, and community infrastructure — accelerate gaming adoption in markets where the category is still establishing itself.

Earlier this month, Alona Shevtsova was shortlisted for the 2026 Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Established Business of the Year category. Her team is also preparing for the Fintech Connect conference in London later this year. Sends will be a leading sponsor of this event.

*Sends is a trade name of SMARTFLOW PAYMENTS LIMITED, registered in England and Wales (Company No.11070048). For more information, visit sends.co .

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