Latest News
TIGA reveals shortlist for UK Games Education Awards 2023
TIGA, the trade association representing the UK’s video games industry, has revealed the shortlist for the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2023.
These awards recognise outstanding students, education providers and best practice.
The winners of the 12 categories will be announced in a virtual ceremony on Friday September 29th 2023, together with the winner of a special award that will be revealed during the programme.
Creative Assembly, the studio behind the Total War series and new FPS title Hyenas, is the headline sponsor of the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2023. As a multi-award winner for their education work, Creative Assembly utilises the skills and passions of 850 employees to provide industry outreach to students across the globe.
The Awards are further supported by: Gold sponsor Sumo Group, the award winning international family of game development studios; and Bronze sponsor, Lockwood Publishing.
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said: “The TIGA Education Awards shortlist highlights leaders in games education: outstanding students, excellent providers and good practice in education. Thank you to Creative Assembly, our headline sponsor, Sumo Group, our Gold Sponsor and Lockwood Publishing, our Bronze Sponsor, for supporting excellence in skills and learning, and for making the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2023 possible. We look forward to revealing the crème de la crème when we announce the winners of the Awards on September 29th.”
Sophie Bryan, Head of HR, Creative Assembly, said: “We are pleased to sponsor yet another year of the TIGA UK Games Education Awards and to present the Creative Assembly Best Student Game Award. It is an opportunity to support and promote excellence in games education which is a priority for our Legacy Project education outreach work. Each year, through the awards, we see an incredible calibre of students and educational practice and this year is no different; congratulations to all shortlisted.”
Christina Haralambous, Group Director of Communications & Marketing, Sumo Group, said: “Sumo Group is delighted to be sponsoring the TIGA UK Games Education Awards for 2023. Nurturing, supporting and celebrating future talent, and those that help educate that talent, is important to continue to move our industry forward. Congratulations to all those on the shortlist for these prestigious awards.”
Halli Bjornsson, CEO of Lockwood Publishing, said: “The TIGA Games Education Awards recognise achievements and spur further progress in education and skills. Congratulations to all of our finalists and I look forward to seeing the winners.”
TIGA’s charity partner for the Games Education Awards 2023 is The Passage. The Passage’s vision is of a society where street homelessness no longer exists and where everyone has a place to call home. Founded in 1980, The Passage provides practical support and a wide range of services to help transform the lives of people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Guided by their Vincentian values, The Passage offers their clients resources and solutions to prevent or end their homelessness for good. The charity runs a modern Resource Centre in London, helping people to find routes to employment, benefits and stable accommodation; four residential projects, outreach and health services and homelessness prevention schemes.
TIGA GAMES EDUCATION AWARDS 2023 SHORTLIST
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: ARTIST
- Abertay University: Daniel Tolland
- Birmingham City University: Joseph Gordon
- Norwich University of the Arts: George Kee
- Norwich University of the Arts: Salene Tarling
- Staffordshire University: Megan-Louise Morris
- Staffordshire University: Aaron Burnhope
- University of Gloucestershire: Sam Carrier
- University of Hertfordshire: Maxine Lugg
- University of Hertfordshire: Diana Karakushyan
- University of Portsmouth: Victoria Primmer
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: AUDIO
- Birmingham City University: Zih-Syuan Yang
- Norwich University of the Arts: Rhys Anthony
- Staffordshire University: Felype Goncalves Fernandes
- University of Portsmouth: Antti Liakka
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: COMPUTER GAMES TECHNOLOGY
- Abertay University: Rhys Duff
- Abertay University: Justin Syfrig
- Birmingham City University: Nadia Nadeem
- Bournemouth University: Annie Holliday
- Staffordshire University: Davide Pelino
- Staffordshire University: Conner Pittaway
- University of Portsmouth: Siddhesh Swamy
- University of Portsmouth: Victoria Primmer
- University of the West of England: William Whitehouse
- University of the West of England: Zac Collins
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: DESIGNER
- Abertay University: Dominik Gawron
- Brunel University: Rui Silva
- Bournemouth University: Archie McGrath
- Bournemouth University: Ethan Shellard
- City, University of London: Ayotunde Norman-Williams
- Norwich University of the Arts: Szymon Garczynski
- Staffordshire University: Jade Staines
- Staffordshire University: Olivia Cross
- Staffordshire University: Tyler Timlin
- University of Portsmouth: Liam Peachey
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: PROGRAMMER
- Abertay University: Bridget Casey
- Birmingham City University: Ryan Westwood
- Bournemouth University: Ethan Shellard
- Sheffield Hallam University: Chae Taylor
- Sheffield Hallam University: Benjamin Kimberley
- Staffordshire University: Arnav Mehta
- University of Gloucestershire: Pheobe Pudge
- University of the West of England: William Whitehouse
- University of Portsmouth: Kian Bennett
- University of Portsmouth: Ethan Crooks
OUTSTANDING TIGA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: PRODUCTION/ENTERPRISE
- Abertay University: Lyes Oussaiden
- Bournemouth University: Anita Oyebola
- Bournemouth University: Dario Splendido
- Bournemouth University: Giorgos Karambasis-Rodriguez
- University of Hertfordshire: Zuzana Remenarova
- University of Hertfordshire: Darina Koycheva
- University of Portsmouth: Joshua Hammond
- University of Portsmouth: Zane Oliver
- University of Portsmouth: Patrick Rotzetter
OUTSTANDING TIGA POST-GRADUATE OF THE YEAR
- Sheffield Hallam University: Benjamin Kimberley
- Sheffield Hallam University: Chae Taylor
- Staffordshire University: Jamie Linnell
- University of Hertfordshire: Muthuramalingam Ponnilavan
- University of Hertfordshire: Reshu Shrestha
- University of Hertfordshire: Safwan Sadik
- University of Portsmouth: Adam Jerrett
DIVERSITY AWARD
- London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London
- University of Greenwich
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Portsmouth
EXCELLENCE IN UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE – INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
- Abertay University
- Birmingham City University
- Staffordshire University
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Portsmouth
INNOVATIVE TEACHING
- Abertay University
- Birmingham City University
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Portsmouth
EXCELLENCE IN GAMES RESEARCH
- Abertay University
- Birmingham City University
- Bournemouth University
- EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (IGGI)
- Sheffield Hallam
- Staffordshire University
- University of Greenwich
CREATIVE ASSEMBLY BEST STUDENT GAME
- Abertay University: Slipways
- Birmingham City University: Checkmate Evolution
- Bournemouth University: Rum Runner’s Revenge
- City, University of London: WAFFLE
- London College of Communication, University of the Arts London: Letter Wars
- Norwich University of the Arts: Dog Walking Simulator
- Sheffield Hallam University: Death Rebuke
- Staffordshire University: Prepare to Dine
- University of Gloucestershire: Burger Zombies
- University of Greenwich: Void Edge
- University of Hertfordshire: My Shadow
- University of Portsmouth: Malltopia
- University of the West of Scotland: Project Retro Museum
TIGA has also today unveiled its Graduates of the Year, listing 89 outstanding graduates and post-graduates in games.
Latest News
Grupo EGB projeta aumento de 45% no volume de atendimentos durante a Copa do Mundo
Para absorver pico de demanda, companhia amplia operação interna em 55% e reforça áreas de risco, suporte e monitoramento preventivo
A proximidade da Copa do Mundo levou o Grupo EGB, responsável pelas marcas Esportes da Sorte, Onabet e Lottu, a preparar sua maior estrutura operacional desde o início da regulamentação do setor no Brasil. A companhia projeta um aumento de 45% no volume de interações durante o torneio, com expectativa de salto de 230 mil para 335 mil contatos mensais em canais de atendimento como chat, e-mail e voz.
Para absorver esse crescimento, o grupo ampliou em mais de 55% seu quadro total de colaboradores ao longo dos últimos doze meses, passando de 378 funcionários, em junho de 2025, para 586 profissionais em junho de 2026. As contratações foram concentradas principalmente nos polos de Recife (PE) e São Paulo (SP), com foco nas áreas de atendimento, tecnologia, risco e jogo responsável.
Duas áreas estratégicas concentraram metade das admissões realizadas no período: Atendimento, com 97 novos profissionais, e Risco e Jogo Responsável, que recebeu 60 novos especialistas para reforçar o monitoramento preventivo e a capacidade de resposta durante o Mundial.
“A preparação operacional para a Copa envolve não apenas ganho de escala, mas principalmente reforço da qualidade e da segurança da experiência do usuário. Nosso foco é garantir uma estrutura preparada para responder com agilidade e responsabilidade em um período de aumento expressivo da demanda”, afirma Roberta Cinti, Head de Pessoas e Cultura do Grupo EGB.
Além do reforço nas equipes, o Grupo EGB promoveu ajustes na jornada digital de autoatendimento e nas Unidades de Resposta Audível (URA), buscando reduzir fricções operacionais e otimizar o fluxo de demandas estritamente informativas, como dúvidas sobre regulamentos e termos promocionais. A estratégia visa liberar os analistas humanos para interações complexas e que exijam maior sensibilidade analítica.
A estratégia também inclui a ampliação do uso de ferramentas de inteligência artificial voltadas ao monitoramento preventivo de comportamento. Historicamente, os atendimentos relacionados à área de risco e jogo responsável representam cerca de 5% do volume total mensal de contatos da companhia (cerca de 11.500 atendimentos).
Os sistemas utilizados pela empresa analisam indicadores considerados atípicos em tempo real, como tempo excessivo de sessão contínua, frequência elevada de navegação e movimentações financeiras fora do padrão habitual, permitindo que as equipes especializadas realizem avaliações preventivas quando necessário.
O uso de tecnologia aplicada ao monitoramento e à prevenção funciona como uma camada preditiva de proteção ao usuário, fortalecendo a capacidade operacional do Grupo EGB em períodos de alta movimentação. A combinação entre inteligência artificial, acompanhamento especializado e suporte humano são pilares importantes da construção de uma experiência mais segura e sustentável para o usuário.
A movimentação faz parte do planejamento operacional do Grupo EGB para o período da Copa, combinando expansão de estrutura, investimentos em tecnologia e reforço das áreas ligadas à experiência do usuário para garantir que a experiência do Mundial permaneça estritamente no campo do lazer e da aposta segura.
The post Grupo EGB projeta aumento de 45% no volume de atendimentos durante a Copa do Mundo appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
game-launch
From Game Launch to Player Discovery: Why the Slot Market Has a Distribution Problem
The online slot market has no shortage of new content. The harder question for suppliers and operators is whether players will ever find it.
Game studios continue to release new titles at a rapid pace, while aggregators make it easier for operators to add broad portfolios through a single technical integration. The result is a market where access to content is becoming less of a differentiator, but visibility inside increasingly crowded casino lobbies is becoming far more important.
Recent launches illustrate the scale of the issue. Caesars Entertainment became the first online casino operator to introduce a group of Aristocrat Interactive slot titles in West Virginia in March, bringing games including 5 Dragons and Fu Dai Lian Lian Panda to several Caesars-operated products in the state. Elsewhere, Spinmatic has expanded its content on Stoiximan in Greece, while suppliers continue to announce new Hold&Win releases, jackpot formats, branded games and feature-led titles across regulated markets.
For operators, adding games is relatively straightforward. Ensuring those games are discovered, understood and played is more difficult.
A typical online casino lobby can now contain thousands of titles from dozens of suppliers. Players may arrive looking for a specific provider, a familiar mechanic such as Hold&Win or Megaways, a progressive jackpot, a themed release, or simply the game they saw promoted elsewhere. Most will not browse through a catalogue at random for long enough to find a newly launched title.
That creates a distribution problem for game studios. A launch can be technically successful, reach multiple operators and appear across several markets, but still struggle to gain meaningful attention once it enters a live casino environment.
The challenge is not unique to slots. Streaming platforms, app stores and digital marketplaces all face similar issues when supply outpaces the attention available to any individual product. In iGaming, however, the situation is complicated by market-specific certification, different operator partnerships, responsible gambling rules and the commercial importance of keeping players engaged without overwhelming them.
Aggregators sit at the centre of that process. Their original value proposition was simple: give operators access to large volumes of casino content through one integration. That remains important, particularly as operators seek faster launch cycles and broader supplier coverage.
However, portfolio size alone is no longer enough. An operator that adds hundreds of additional games does not automatically create a better customer experience. Without effective lobby design, filters, recommendation tools and promotional placement, a larger library can make discovery harder rather than easier. The issue becomes one of curation: which games should be surfaced, to whom, and at what moment?
That is increasingly shaping how operators think about game launches. Featured placements, provider takeovers, seasonal campaigns, jackpot races and personalized recommendations are now part of the commercial path between studio and player. A new slot may need more than a prominent position in the “new games” section to gain traction, particularly when it is competing with established titles that already have recognition, search demand and a record of player engagement.
Slot tournaments have become one useful part of that visibility mix. A tournament can give an operator a reason to place a particular title, supplier portfolio or game mechanic in front of players for a defined period, while creating an event around the release rather than relying only on standard bonus messaging.
The format is not a replacement for game quality. A weak title will not become a lasting success because it appears in a leaderboard campaign. However, tournaments, prize drops and network promotions can help solve the initial discovery problem by directing players towards games they may otherwise never encounter in a crowded lobby.
Suppliers are also responding by building more recognisable product identities around their releases. Rather than marketing every new game as a completely separate proposition, studios increasingly develop recurring mechanics, sequel formats and branded families that give players a reference point before they enter the casino lobby.
Hold&Win games are a clear example. The mechanic has become widely used across the market, but suppliers continue to differentiate their versions through theme, volatility, jackpot structures, bonus features and visual presentation. That gives operators more ways to group, promote and recommend games, while giving players a clearer idea of what to expect.
Land-based recognition can play a similar role in regulated online markets. Caesars’ Aristocrat Interactive launch in West Virginia showed how established retail brands can become part of an online product strategy, with familiar titles providing an immediate reference point for players who already know the games from physical casino floors.
The same principle applies to supplier brands. Where players recognise a studio’s catalogue, a provider page or promoted collection can become more useful than a generic list of newly added games. For smaller developers, however, that makes distribution more difficult, because the strongest lobby placements often go to suppliers that already have a record of performance.
This is where operators, aggregators and affiliates increasingly overlap. Operators control the live product environment. Aggregators influence how easily content can be integrated and managed. Suppliers need commercial pathways for their games to reach the right audiences. Affiliates and comparison platforms, meanwhile, often shape discovery before a player even reaches an operator’s lobby.
On the consumer side, this has made independent sources covering online slots increasingly relevant. Players are not only comparing welcome offers; they are looking at provider coverage, game libraries, promotions, payment methods and whether a platform actually carries the types of slots they want to play.
That does not mean every game launch requires a major promotional campaign. Some titles will gain momentum through strong performance data, word of mouth or a place in a popular provider catalogue. However, as the supply of games continues to grow, the market is likely to reward operators and suppliers that treat discovery as a product discipline rather than an afterthought.
The slot market’s next competitive advantage may not come from who can add the most games. It may come from who can help players find the right ones.
The post From Game Launch to Player Discovery: Why the Slot Market Has a Distribution Problem appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
CS2 tournament
LEON announces LEON.bet Masters, a new CS2 tournament in Portugal
LEON continues to strengthen its presence in esports with the launch of LEONBET Masters, a new Counter-Strike 2 tournament set to take place from September 24 to 27 at the SAW Esports Arena in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
The tournament will bring together 16 teams competing for a €30,000 prize pool and valuable VRS points, which play a key role in qualification opportunities for major international events, including the Singapore Major later this year.
LEONBET Masters will feature a group stage with four groups of four teams, followed by playoffs that will determine the tournament champion. The event is expected to attract some of the strongest Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams looking to improve their rankings and continue their path toward the highest level of professional Counter-Strike competition.
The launch of LEONBET Masters marks another step in LEON’s long-term commitment to esports. Over the past few years, the company has actively supported the competitive gaming ecosystem through partnerships with prominent organizations and by hosting its own tournaments across multiple disciplines. Previous initiatives include the LEON Masters Dota tournament, the LEON Masters Deadlock competition, and the LEON Esports Cup Free Fire, further demonstrating the brand’s investment in developing competitive gaming.
LEON currently partners with German esports organization GamerLegion, supporting both its Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 rosters. The company also partners with teams such as SAW, one of Portugal’s most recognizable esports organizations, and FlyQuest, further strengthening its presence across key international esports markets.
By creating LEONBET Masters, LEON aims to provide emerging teams with additional opportunities to compete at a high level, gain valuable ranking points, and showcase their talent on a larger stage.
Additional information about the participating teams, tournament format, broadcast talent, and where to watch the event can be found on the official tournament page here:
About LEON
LEON is an international sportsbook and online casino brand with over 17 years of industry experience. The company actively supports esports through strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and competitive gaming initiatives, working with organizations and communities across multiple regions worldwide.
The post LEON announces LEON.bet Masters, a new CS2 tournament in Portugal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Compliance Updates7 days agoPlayCity Partners with Streaming Platform Kick to Block Illegal Gambling Ads
-
3 Oaks Gaming7 days agoWeekend Reels | Week 26: Slot Drops & Trends
-
Compliance Updates7 days agoKSA – Target for Gambling Tax Increase Not Achieved: Expected Tax Revenues Turn Out Lower
-
appointments7 days agoOS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion
-
Casino Content6 days agoPopOK Gaming secures Argentina certification to supply iGaming content
-
Latest News7 days agoRelax Gaming Releases its Latest Slot Game “Midnight Marauder – ClusterBreaker”
-
Argentinian market6 days agoPopOK Gaming Strengthens Latin American Expansion with Argentina Certification
-
Bragg Gaming7 days agoMega Casino launches Bragg Gaming slot 10 Hot Diamond Desire as exclusive



