Gaming Awards

The winners of the 2023 Game Developer Awards are in

Published

3 years ago

May 29, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Relax Gaming, AvatarUX, BGaming, NetEnt and streamer Brian Christopher were amongst some of the winners at the 2023 edition of the Game Developer Awards, which took place last night at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta.

Closing the final day of what was a record-breaking CasinoBeats Summit, the coveted awards ceremony was presented by Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva and returning host Trudy Kerr, who handed out 23 awards aimed at celebrating the best companies, casino titles and people in the following category groups: Game Performance, Game Creation, Game Marketing, Game People and SlotCatalog.

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “ Last night’ awards were phenomenal, especially with the addition of our new categories, dedicated to individual achievements in the industry. I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all our winners for innovatively pushing the boundaries of excellence and helping redefine the industry.”

Relax Gaming continued their winning streak this year by collecting the Slot of the Year award for Money Train 3, and SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – medium award, whilst BGaming took home both the Slot to Watch award for Potion Spells and Game Music/Soundtrack award for Elvis Frog TRUEWAYS.

Other winners in the game performance categories included Barbara Bang who picked up the Slot Debut award for Mustang Freedom and NetEnt who were awarded the highly regarded Slot Legacy Title for Gonzo’s Quest.

It was a successful night for casino streamer Brian Christopher who was awarded Streamer of the Year, whilst also picking up Slot Collaboration of the Year award alongside Gaming Arts for their collaborative effort Brian Christopher’s Pop’N Pays More!

The game creation categories saw Wazdan awarded Game Feature of the Year, for their work on Mystery Drop and Playtech receiving the award for Game Licensed Content, for the game Cash Collect: Gold Rush. Amusnet picked up the award for Game Retro-style with Fruits & Gold, whilst ELK Studios were awarded the Game Design & Art Direction for the stylish Nitropolis 4.

AvatarUX were big winners on the night, collecting Game Mechanic of the Year for their innovative PopWins Mechanic, whilst AvatarUX’s very own Hannah Farrugia took home the Product Manager award for her contributions to the company and wider industry.

Other titans of industry that were recognised for their individual contributions were Iris Wallner of GAMOMAT who collected the Game Composer award and Justin Chamberlain who collected the Game Designer award for his contributions to HungryBear Gaming.

SlotCatalog presented a selection of data-based game studio awards. Print Studios were awarded the SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year award, Push Gaming collected the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – Small award, whilst the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – Large award, was presented to Play’n GO.

In the Outperforming Game Studio Categories, Snowborn Games were winners of the SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Small award, whilst Hacksaw Gaming were awarded SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Medium and Pragmatic Play took home the SlotCatalog’s Outperforming Game Studio of the Year – Large award.

Decided by a live audience vote throughout Thursday afternoon, the winner of the esteemed Game Innovation Spotlight award was Nailed It! Games for their groundbreaking and forward thinking contributions over the course of the past year.

“Last night was truly unforgettable, a special thank you to our headline sponsors BetConstruct, Evoplay, SBC Advisory Partners and SYNOT, as well as all supporting sponsors, for helping us commemorate the special achievements accomplished by these Game Developer studios and the talented individuals behind the most successful titles,” Said Sojmark.

Affiliate Succes

ReferOn wins Best Affiliate Management Platform at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026

Published

3 days ago

July 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

referon-wins-best-affiliate-management-platform-at-igb-affiliate-awards-2026

The award was announced live at iGB LIVE, with the company pointing to product updates including its Refie UX layer.

ReferOn has won “Best Affiliate Management Platform” at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026. The company said the award was announced live at iGB LIVE.

ReferOn positioned the recognition as a result of product development and customer growth over the past year, with a focus on simplifying affiliate operations through automation, real-time insights, and streamlined workflows.

The company also pointed to the introduction of Refie, described as an integrated UX layer designed to translate operational data into “clear, actionable insights” for affiliate teams across onboarding and daily performance tracking.

Alex Bukin, CEO of ReferOn, commented: “Winning the iGB Affiliate Award is a remarkable achievement for our entire team. As affiliate programs grow, so does the complexity behind them. From day one, our ambition has been to remove that complexity, so operators can focus on growth instead of operational friction. This recognition reinforces our belief that great B2B technology should be simpler, more intuitive, easier to work with, and built around the people who use it”.

ReferOn added that it has won other industry awards in the past 18 months, including ‘Affiliate System of the Year’ at AffPapa and ‘Best Affiliate Software’ at SiGMA, and said its roadmap includes expanding AI-powered assistance and increasing visibility into affiliate operations.

The post ReferOn wins Best Affiliate Management Platform at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Affiliate Succes

Kongebonus becomes first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026

Published

3 days ago

July 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

kongebonus-becomes-first-norwegian-affiliate-to-win-best-casino-affiliate-at-igb-affiliate-awards-2026

Kongebonus has become the first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, a landmark recognition that names the independent Norwegian guide as the world’s leading casino affiliate for 2026.

The award was presented on 2 July during iGB L!VE London, where the iGB Affiliate Awards celebrated the affiliates, programmes, networks, suppliers and individuals helping to drive the iGaming sector forward.

iGB Affiliate described first-time contestant Kongebonus as a “Norwegian local hero”, noting that the platform claimed the award in a close race and ended Gambling.com Group’s two-year reign in the highly competitive category. Independent judges praised Kongebonus’ “super smart” approach, highlighting its combination of innovation, engaged player community, and strong editorial presence across Google News and the media.

The recognition reflects Kongebonus’ focus on detailed operator testing, transparent casino reviews, community-led content and player protection. The platform tests casinos with its own money before reviewing them, publishes its full methodology and continues to invest in responsible gambling resources, including practical guidance and support signposting for players.

David Nilsen, Editor-in-Chief at Kongebonus, said: “Winning Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards is a huge moment for Kongebonus and for everyone who has helped build the platform. To be recognised in a category alongside some of the biggest and most respected names in the affiliate industry is something we are incredibly proud of.

“I’ve spent more than ten years on the inside of this industry, and I’ve seen how big the gap can be between what a casino promises and what the player is actually left with. Closing that gap is the whole reason we test the way we do.

“What this award tells us is that being the most trusted guide matters more than being the biggest one, and that’s the only thing we’ve ever set out to build.”

The post Kongebonus becomes first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

affiliate marketing

Hub Affiliations wins iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 campaign prize

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

hub-affiliations-wins-igb-affiliate-awards-2026-campaign-prize

Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout takes Programme/Network Campaign of the Year; company also Highly Commended for Best Affiliate Network.

Hub Affiliations has won Programme/Network Campaign of the Year at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 in London, taking the prize for its Creator-Powered Live Streaming Rollout campaign. The company was also Highly Commended in the Best Affiliate Network category.

The iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 ceremony was hosted at The Shard and recognises performance across affiliate marketing and iGaming. Hub Affiliations said the winning campaign combined sports audiences, live streaming, creator distribution, editorial publishing, AI-supported optimisation, affiliate technology and performance marketing.

The company linked the result to the role of Sporticos within its wider media network, positioning it as the distribution and live engagement layer for major sports moments. Hub Affiliations said its media network recorded more than 500,000 visitors in a single day during the FIFA World Cup.

Hub Affiliations also shared internal performance metrics, stating it averages more than 20,000 FTDs per month, works with over 1,600 registered affiliates and reaches audiences in 187 countries. It added it has logged 51 international finalist placements and 12 international awards.

Commenting on the approach, Charles Herisson said: “The strongest affiliate companies will be the ones that can build audiences, not only buy traffic. Our goal with Hub Affiliations is to connect media, technology, creators and performance into one model.” Francesco Maddalena added: “Sporticos and live streaming allow us to reach sports fans when their attention is highest. The challenge is not only generating traffic, but creating a better user journey before conversion.”

The post Hub Affiliations wins iGB Affiliate Awards 2026 campaign prize appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.