Latest News

Market Leader mod.io Announces $26m Series A to Fuel UGC Growth in More Games

Published

5 years ago

November 9, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

mod.io, the leading platform connecting game studios with community driven user-generated content (UGC), has secured US$26m in its latest round of investment. The funds will be used to further build upon a vision to evolve collaborative digital play, a passion shared by new investors, led by Tencent, who join LEGO Ventures, OIF Ventures and existing investors Makers Fund, Play Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and GameTech Ventures in the round.

Within an industry set to surpass $180b annually in 2021, popularity of UGC in video games continues to grow rapidly. mod.io predicts that by 2025, $1 in every $10 spent on video games will be spent on UGC, a 400 percent increase of estimated spend in 2021. UGC would then top $25b globally by 2025. Yet so much of the value modders create lives on the fringes – out of reach for most studios and players. By making mod support easy for studios to adopt and embed within their games and communities, mod.io enables and empowers the next generation of creator-driven economies.

“The metaverse will be built with UGC as foundational components. Player-made content, hand in hand with professional content, made by game studios. Our goal at mod.io is to enable games to launch their own creator economy, providing studios with the building blocks wanted and needed by players,” said mod.io CEO and Co-Founder Scott Reismanis.

As digital play transitions into increasingly social play experiences, game studios are recognising the value and the engagement mods provide. The shift is driven by a growing community demand for deeper personalization, delivering breadth of content and creativity. By actively embracing UGC, studios are choosing to focus on nurturing a stronger relationship with their players.

Bo Wang, Corporate Vice President of Tencent Games said,

“At Tencent, we believe that UGC drives innovation in gaming. Many of the largest video game genres today started out as UGC, or mods, built by enthusiasts on top of existing products. For over two decades, Scott and his team have been instrumental in supporting the growth of this community. As a stakeholder in the future of this industry, Tencent is proud to support mod.io on its path to unlock creativity across the gaming ecosystem.”

Rob Lowe, Managing Director of Digital Play, LEGO Ventures said,”The awesome team at mod.io have created a UGC platform that allows any game to be rebuilt and adapted by the player. We believe this is a great example of the core LEGO idea applied to digital play, and we are extremely excited to support mod.io as they further expand the platform, community and range of games utilising this highly promising technology.”

“Our shared vision with our investors is to help game studios harness the power of their communities’ creativity. Securing this milestone investment helps us develop our existing platform, expand our team, and continue to provide the best modding service for developers, creators and players alike,” adds Reismanis.

Since its launch in 2019, mod.io has been used by more than 80 games including Deep Rock Galactic, Humankind and SnowRunner to grow their creator communities, pioneering the adoption of mods in games spanning PC, console, mobile and VR platforms. Each month, more than 20 million pieces of unique user-generated content are distributed using mod.io to over 3 million players. Annually, that’s hundreds of millions of pieces of content, made by fans, shared with their community, and supported by the developer whose product continually evolves.

Game studios praise the role mod.io has played in helping to further a connection with their community. Over 500 mods have been downloaded 1.4 million times since Ghost Ship Games’ Deep Rock Galactic launched in-game mod support on Steam and Xbox in September 2021.

“Collaborating with mod.io has been a great experience, and we are very satisfied with the integration and player experience mod.io as a platform provides to the game. It also became clear to us that mod.io is working hard to constantly improve their platform, which shows significant promise for the future of the service,” said Søren Lundgaard, CEO Ghost Ship Studios, creators of Deep Rock Galactic.

Fast facts about mod.io and UGC

20 million pieces of user-generated content are distributed monthly using mod.io, to over 3 million players.
In 2021, mod.io experienced 300% YoY growth with 177 million mods downloaded year to date.
mod.io was the first to launch cross-platform mod support in SnowRunner, Skater XL, Space Engineers and TABS on Xbox and PlayStation as well as PC.
mod.io supports more than 80 different games, across 11 platforms and stores.

eSports

Esports Foundation names Faker Game Ambassador for EWC and ENC through 2028

Published

8 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-foundation-names-faker-game-ambassador-for-ewc-and-enc-through-2028

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen in the Esports Foundation’s Ambassador Program.

The Esports Foundation (EF) has appointed Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as a Game Ambassador for the Esports World Cup (EWC) and Esports Nations Cup (ENC) through 2028, the organization said on July 15, 2026 in a statement issued from Riyadh and Paris.

EF said Faker joins Cristiano Ronaldo, listed as the Foundation’s Global Ambassador, and Magnus Carlsen as part of the Esports Foundation Ambassador Program. The Foundation said Faker will represent “the perspective of esports players” across its international events, athlete initiatives, media engagements and leadership forums.

“You can’t talk about esports without mentioning Faker. He is the defining athlete of competitive gaming: a champion whose excellence, discipline and longevity have inspired an entire generation,” said Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer of the Esports Foundation. “As our Game Ambassador, Faker represents something fundamental to the Ambassador Program: esports creates its own global sporting icons. Across EWC, ENC and NGSC, he will help ensure that the players who built this sport have a voice in shaping where it goes next.”

Faker said: “Competition has shaped my life, and I am proud to join the Esports Foundation as Game Ambassador. I want to continue competing for the biggest titles with T1 while representing the players and fans who have helped esports grow worldwide. Through the Esports World Cup, Esports Nations Cup and the Foundation’s wider platforms, I hope to inspire the next generation to pursue excellence, remain resilient and believe in how far competitive gaming can take them. There is still much more to achieve.”

EF highlighted Faker’s competitive record, describing him as a six-time League of Legends World Champion, EWC 2024 winner, two-time MSI champion and ten-time domestic champion with T1. The Foundation also said Faker became the first esports athlete to receive the Blue Dragon Medal in 2026, describing it as the Republic of Korea’s highest sporting honor awarded by President Lee Jae-myung.

The post Esports Foundation names Faker Game Ambassador for EWC and ENC through 2028 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Brand Partnerships

Midnite signs as Middlesbrough FC principal partner for 2026/27 season

Published

15 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

midnite-signs-as-middlesbrough-fc-principal-partner-for-2026/27-season

Midnite has agreed a partnership with Middlesbrough FC that will see the UK bookmaker become the club’s principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026/27 campaign, which Middlesbrough describes as its landmark 150th season.

The companies announced the deal alongside a fan activation at Riverside Stadium on Thursday, July 9, branded “This Season’s On Us”. The initiative offered supporters prizes including 2026/27 season tickets, 2026/27 shirts, match tickets, or a £25 club shop voucher, with fans required to answer Middlesbrough trivia and complete a football challenge.

Middlesbrough former players Craig Hignett and David Wheater attended the event, and, according to the company, took bonus attempts on behalf of participants who missed out.

Andrew Mook, Midnite’s Head of Brand Marketing, said:

“Middlesbrough have a storied history and we’re delighted to announce this partnership during such a monumental year with the club celebrating their 150th anniversary.

“It was great to see so many Middlesbrough fans at the “This Season’s On Us” activation, we hope they enjoyed taking part and meeting club legends, with David Wheater hitting top bins on several occasions and allowing fans to win big with season tickets.

“We can’t wait to get to Riverside Stadium in August to kick-off a new season and we’re excited to say that we have plenty of new and captivating campaigns planned.”

Lee Fryett, Middlesbrough FC Chief Commercial Officer, added:

“We’re delighted to welcome Midnite as our new Principal Partner.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with Midnite to develop engaging campaigns, content and unique experiences that bring our fans even closer to the club.

“We’re confident this partnership will provide real value for our supporters while supporting our ambitions both on and off the pitch.”

The post Midnite signs as Middlesbrough FC principal partner for 2026/27 season appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AGCO

ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch

Published

15 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

thrilltech-secures-agco-supplier-licence-for-ontario-launch

ThrillTech has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to launch in Ontario’s regulated market.

The licence allows ThrillTech to deploy its opt-in side bet jackpots technology with regulated online casino, sports betting and lottery operators across the province.

Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”

The company said its “ThrillPots” mechanics sit as an independent, player-funded side bet and do not alter the underlying game’s return-to-player mathematics.

ThrillTech said the Ontario approval enables its existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to launch its side bet jackpots locally, while it also holds talks with potential new operator partners. The company lists its regulated footprint as including the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil and Peru.

The post ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.