Latest News
Lockwood Publishing Adds Senior Development Talent to Bolster its Web3 and Metaverse Expansion Plans
James Cox, Rob Hendry and Chris Tilston join the studio behind smash hit ‘Avakin Life’
Vast experience will help drive Lockwood’s ambition to be UK’s leading metaverse developer
Leading British metaverse games developer and publisher Lockwood Publishing has added significant firepower to its development team with the addition of three key strategic hires. James Cox (VP of Engineering), Rob Hendry (VP of Production), and Chris Tilston (Studio Design Director) will help spearhead Lockwood’s further efforts to cement Avakin Life as one of the world’s foremost metaverse and web3 experiences.
Avakin Life, a proto-metaverse launched on mobile 2013, boasts 200million user accounts and 6million monthly active users. Industry veteran James joins Lockwood from NaturalMotion, and he has previously worked in senior roles at Konami and at PlayStation where he was Head of Development for PlayStation Home for almost a decade. James will head up client, server, systems and tools development for Avakin Life and future projects. He will also oversee cyber security, automated testing, QA, live operations for Avakin Life feature development, and drive R&D initiatives for new metaverse products.
Rob was Executive Producer of storied fantasy-MMO Old School RuneScape before joining Lockwood. He boasts more than 25 years in the games industry with prior roles at NaturalMotion, Marmalade and Warthog Studios. Rob will be working closely with the executive team and Lockwood’s passionate team of developers to craft and deliver the strategies and organisation to meet ambitious goals for shaping the Avakin Life metaverse and future product development.
Rounding off the big-hitting triumvirate of hires, Chris started at Rare almost 30 years ago and has occupied senior design roles at Konami and at EA’s fabled DICE studio, and was most recently the Head of Design at Smilegate Barcelona. Chris will be primarily focused on improving both monetisation and fun in Avakin Life, and building an in-house design team.
Halli Bjornsson, Lockwood Publishing CEO, said: “Being able to attract such amazing talent to Lockwood is a testament to our ambition in an industry that’s only really now catching on to the immense possibilities that games such as Avakin Life have in the metaverse. James, Rob and Chris bring to Lockwood a combined 80 years’ experience in the games industry. That kind of talent is invaluable to our company’s maturation and transition plans to be market leaders in the web3 space. We’re confident that this is just the start of a massive year for Avakin Life and for Lockwood, both of which are evolving at pace.”
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Gamification
GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding
GoldenRace has launched its next-generation V5 mobile solution, the supplier announced on 1 July 2026 in Malta. The company positions the release as a mobile delivery upgrade for its virtual sports and betting content, aimed at maintaining performance under high player traffic.
According to GoldenRace, V5 consolidates its previous architecture into a single application and “drastically reduces load sizes by 80–90%.” The company also said the platform is built “completely from the ground up” with a unified UI/UX designed to remain responsive across different network conditions.
On product features, GoldenRace said V5 introduces “advanced WebGL capabilities” to support high-fidelity graphics and operator-controlled branding. It also adds native gamification tools across games, including custom Tournaments, Leaderboards and Free Bets.
The company also outlined three mobile upgrades intended to reduce friction in the betting flow: a Lobby with modular layouts and a one-click toggle between scheduled and instant views; a next-generation Betslip with richer visual components and “smart organisation”; and dynamic Leaderboards with configurable funding and custom point logic.
GoldenRace said operators can switch to V5 by “changing a single line of code,” and added that a demo is available for operators evaluating the new mobile solution.
The post GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
certification
PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market
PopOK Gaming has obtained certification for the Portuguese iGaming market, adding Portugal to its list of regulated jurisdictions where it can offer compliant gaming content to licensed operators.
The company said the certification confirms it meets local regulatory and technical requirements and supports its strategy to expand in regulated markets.
PopOK Gaming did not disclose which regulator or test lab issued the certification, which products are covered, or the date the approval was granted.
Portugal continues to operate a ring-fenced regulated online gambling framework, with market access dependent on product approvals and operator licensing. For suppliers, local certification is typically a prerequisite to distribute content to licensed brands.
The post PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
API
St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform
Replay tool builds on St8’s graphical game round details and launches first with nine casino game studios.
St8 has launched game round replays, adding visual playback of completed casino game rounds to its existing single API platform. The company said the feature is designed to help operators verify outcomes faster and resolve player queries more efficiently.
The new capability builds on St8’s graphical game round details, which it said is already used by operators. With replays, support and operations teams can access a round’s visual playback to investigate gameplay disputes and respond to players with more transparency.
St8 also positioned the feature as a player engagement tool, with operators able to surface notable moments such as big wins and bonus rounds for promotional use.
Game round replays will initially support titles from AvatarUX, BGaming, Endorphina, Hacksaw, Peter & Sons, Pragmatic Play, Scatter Kings, Shady Lady, and Tequity Originals, with more providers to be added. St8 said the feature is delivered through its existing single API integration and requires no additional development work, and is intended to scale across multiple brands and regulated markets.
David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Operators are under increasing pressure to deliver exceptional customer support while keeping operational costs under control. Our graphical game round details have become a trusted and widely used tool for operators, giving support teams quick access to the information they need to resolve player queries efficiently. Game round replays complement this capability by providing a visual playback of each round, helping teams resolve cases even faster and with complete confidence.
“Beyond operational efficiency, the feature also opens up new opportunities for engagement. Operators can showcase exciting gameplay moments, celebrate big wins and create richer player experiences – all through the same integration. Because game round replays are delivered through our existing single API, partners can access this functionality immediately while continuing to benefit from the simplicity and scalability that sit at the heart of the St8 platform.”
The post St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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