Latest News
AGHANIM RESEARCH GAUGES DMA AWARENESS AND POTENTIAL IMPACT ON DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DISTRIBUTION
Aghanim, a mobile gaming fintech company founded by the former CEO and CTO of Xsolla, today reveals fascinating new research among mobile game developers relating to the recently launched Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The research is based on interviews with 300 mobile game developers across the US, UK and Germany in the weeks leading up to the introduction of the Act. The new European Union legislation aims to ensure a higher degree of fairness and competition in European digital markets and designates a number of major tech corporations including Apple and Alphabet (Google) as “gatekeepers”.
The key findings of the study shows:
- 62% of mobile game developers are aware of the Digital Markets Act
- 82% have at least some understanding of how it will impact their business. Almost a fifth (19%) feel they have a complete understanding of the DMA’s impact
- 31% of mobile game developers feel they will have more freedom under the DMA, though just 9% are confident they’ll be able to keep more of their revenue
- Only 13% have ruled out making changes to their payment processes. A third (33%) have begun implementing them
- Awareness of the DMA is highest in Germany (70%), followed by the UK (68%). Less than half (47%) of US developers are aware of the legislation. While the DMA is a European framework, it applies to US developers operating in the EU
Constantin Andry, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Aghanim, commented: “This data shows that there’s an appetite for change among game developers. Yes, the platform holders instigated the $92 billion mobile games industry, but we need to be asking why game developers – the people who make the games – now only see about 10% of this. With direct-to-consumer distribution, there’s an opportunity to ensure a further $18 billion of annualized value remains within the video games industry, with game creators, which will help soften many ongoing issues including layoffs. Otherwise, the business of making mobile games could soon become unviable.”
Konstantin Golubitsky, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Aghanim, added: “The opportunity for game developers is to create a web-based game hub for their titles which provides added value for their most engaged and valuable users, keeping them coming back regularly. Ultimately, players spend where they see the most value, and our goal is to help developers provide them with the greatest value at the lowest cost.”
A key promise of the Digital Markets Act is to provide fairer competition and greater choice to gamers and game studios. However, Apple’s latest business terms introduced a Core Technology Fee which, for many game developers, cancels out the potential benefits of third-party distribution. Despite the game developers being surveyed before the introduction of the Core Technology fee, just 40% said Apple is a positive force for the games industry. 39% were neutral, while 21% felt Apple was having a negative impact. Since the introduction of App Tracking Transparency in 2021, game developers have increasingly explored direct-to-consumer platforms such as browser stores to supplement on-platform monetization with lower-fee options.
An online survey was conducted on behalf of Aghanim by Atomik Research among 305 mobile game developers in the UK (101), Germany (103), and the USA (101). The research fieldwork took place between 18-22 February 2024. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides by MRS code.
eSports
PUBG MOBILE confirms 31 teams for Esports Nations Cup 2026 in Riyadh
124 countries and territories registered for selection; the 32nd “Solidarity” Wildcard slot is still to be confirmed.
PUBG MOBILE has confirmed 31 of the 32 national teams for PUBG MOBILE at the Esports Nations Cup 2026, scheduled for November 3-8 in Riyadh. The publisher said 124 countries and territories registered and submitted official rosters for the selection process. The event will play for a $1.32 million USD prize pool.
The confirmed lineup includes 14 teams advancing from nine regional qualifiers: Indonesia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, KSA, France, Italy, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Mauritania and Madagascar.
A further 12 teams are invited via ENC Rankings: Türkiye, Mongolia, Brazil, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, South Africa, United States, Ukraine and Argentina. Four Special Invite teams—China, South Korea, India and Japan—also join the Group Stage.
Two Wildcard slots are listed: Kuwait as the Host Region representative, and one “TBD (Solidarity)” team still to be confirmed. From November 3, teams will be split into four groups of eight for a round-robin Group Stage, with the top four from each group advancing to the Grand Finals.
The Esports Nations Cup was announced in August 2025 as a multi-title national-team competition, with future international iterations planned, according to the company. PUBG MOBILE also claimed it is the “#1 game title at the Esports Nations Cup in terms of participating countries and territories,” citing the 124 registered countries and territories for its selection process.
The post PUBG MOBILE confirms 31 teams for Esports Nations Cup 2026 in Riyadh appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Canada
Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize
Tonybet says a player in Laurier-Station, Canada has claimed the “golden card” prize worth $20,000 CAD in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection. The announcement was made Tuesday 21st July 2026.
The World Cup collection featured 51 cards in total, including 48 digital cards representing participating World Cup nations, plus three unique prize cards in bronze, silver and gold. Tonybet said the bronze card—available during the group stage—was previously found by a customer in Saint-Colomban, Canada, while the silver card—available during the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—was won by a player in County Kildare, Ireland.
The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.
Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.
“We designed the collection to evolve with the tournament, and every knockout round created new stories we couldn’t have predicted. Seeing players complete their collections and discovering who would uncover each prize was the most rewarding part of the campaign.
“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”
Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.
The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Canada
Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize
Tonybet says a player in Laurier-Station, Canada has claimed the “golden card” prize worth $20,000 CAD in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection. The announcement was made Tuesday 21st July 2026.
The World Cup collection featured 51 cards in total, including 48 digital cards representing participating World Cup nations, plus three unique prize cards in bronze, silver and gold. Tonybet said the bronze card—available during the group stage—was previously found by a customer in Saint-Colomban, Canada, while the silver card—available during the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—was won by a player in County Kildare, Ireland.
The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.
Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.
“We designed the collection to evolve with the tournament, and every knockout round created new stories we couldn’t have predicted. Seeing players complete their collections and discovering who would uncover each prize was the most rewarding part of the campaign.
“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”
Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.
The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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