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Introducing the Winners of the 2024 Game Developer Awards
Play’n GO, Playtech, Elk Studios, Pragmatic Play and streamer CasinoDaddy were some of the big names celebrating victories at the 2024 edition of the Game Developer Awards ceremony.
Concluding the final day of the highly successful CasinoBeats Summit, the illustrious awards ceremony, which took place at the Hilton Malta, was a night dedicated to honouring the remarkable achievements of the iGaming industry.
The evening witnessed the return of veteran host Trudy Kerr, alongside award-winning game developer John Romero, as they handed out 28 awards to accomplished operators, game studios and individuals.
Award categories included:
- Game Performance,
- Streamers,
- Game Creation,
- Game People,
- SlotCatalog,
- Casino Platform, and
- Best Game Release.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “The Game Developer Awards offers a pivotal opportunity to honour the remarkable accomplishments of the industry, celebrating both regional and global brands as well as individual talent. This year’s shortlist was by far the most competitive we have seen, and I would like to congratulate all our esteemed winners.”
It was a good night for Play’n GO, who secured the prestigious SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Large) award for the second consecutive year, whilst also picking up the Game Music / Soundtrack accolade for their title Hugo Legacy.
The game creation categories saw:
- Playtech once again take home the Game Licensed Content award for their work on Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link.
- Hacksaw Gaming was awarded Game Feature of the Year for their title Chaos Crew 2,
- Relax Gaming was honoured with the Game Design & Art Direction award for Money Train 4, and
- GAMOMAT was named winner of the Game Retro-Style award for Fancy Fruits Deluxe.
Pragmatic Play notably took home two awards on the night, winning both the Game Mechanic of the Year award for their MultiHold mechanic and Slot Legacy Title for Gates of Olympus.
The SlotCatalog categories saw:
- GAMOMAT return to the stage to pick up their second award of the night for Best Game Development Company Central Europe, while
- Playson was awarded Best Game Studio In Development Countries.
- Reel Kingdom secured the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Medium) award,
- Fortune Factory Studios was named SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Small) and
- IGT Play Digital claimed SlotCatalog’s Best Game Development Company North America.
The coveted SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year accolade was presented to industry newcomers Area Vegas.
In honour of the individual achievements in the industry, the Game People categories saw:
- Andrei Filipovich of Aviatrix awarded Game Designer of the Year,
- Julia Aliakseyeva from BGaming named Product Manager of the Year and
- PearFiction Studios’ Jean-Pierre Larouche presented with the Game Composer of the Year award.
EveryMatrix won the Aggregator of the Year award, The Mill Adventure was awarded Platform Innovation of the Year, while the Best Game Release award went to Lambda Gaming for 8Bit Football Twinko.
This year’s edition saw the introduction of two new awards:
- the FTN Game of the Year award which was sponsored by BetConstruct and presented to Rubyplay for Mad Hit Olympic First, and
- the CasinoBeats Annual Community Recognition Award which was awarded to SoftConstruct for its work on BFTH Arena.
It was a big night for CasinoDaddy who took home the esteemed Streamer of the Year award, while The Slot Beasts and Haddzy were recipients of two new Streamer awards, Responsible Streamer of the Year and Next-Gen Streamer of the Year, respectively.
In the Game Performance categories:
- PowderKeg Studios claimed the Slot Debut award for their title Munition Mines,
- Stormcraft Studios won Slot to Watch for their work on Immortal Romance 2, while
- Light & Wonder and Netflix took home Slot Collaboration of the Year for Squid Game.
The illustrious Slot of the Year award went to Elk Studios for Pirots 2.
“Last night’s ceremony was a tremendous success and proved to be a truly memorable night. I would like to thank our official partner Gaming Malta, alongside all our supporting sponsors for their help in honouring the incredible achievements of the industry” Sojmark added.
The awards ceremony concluded the final day of the CasinoBeats Summit, which saw 4,500 industry professionals convene at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta, the hub of iGaming.
Canada
Canada set to host the next BLAST R6 Major with world’s best Rainbow Six esports players to compete in Montreal in November
World’s best Rainbow Six Siege esports teams from 9 regions will compete in Montreal, Canada. $750,000 in total prize pool up for grabs at final Major of 2024.
Today, Ubisoft and BLAST have released details for the final BLAST Rainbow Six Major of Season 2024, which is due to take place in Montreal, Canada from 7 to 17 of November.
Rainbow Six Esports is back in Canada for the first time since 2023, with Montreal’s Verdun Auditorium set to welcome 20 of the world’s best teams over two weeks in November. The BLAST R6 Major Montreal will feature a three-phase format with the final weekend playing out in front of a live audience with thousands of fans expected to pack out the Verdun Arena.
Tickets are available here: eventim.ca
Dates & location:
- Phase 1: 7 – 8 November – not open to public
- Phase 2: 10 – 13 November – not open to public
- Phase 3: 15 – 17 November – open to the public at the Verdun Auditorium, Montreal
Venue: Verdun Auditorium
Address: 4110 Bd LaSalle, Verdun, QC H4G 2A5, Canada
With Stage 2 of the Regional Leagues is set to get underway from September, teams across the nine different regions of BLAST R6 will be looking to become one of the 20 teams to qualify for the Montreal Major. These teams will compete for the lion’s share of the USD $750,000 prize pool, as well as points to qualify for the Six Invitational 2025.
Montreal and Rainbow Six have a long history together since the teams behind the development of Rainbow Six Siege are based in Ubisoft offices in Montreal. The city had previously hosted international Rainbow Six Esports tournaments such as the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023 editions of Rainbow Six’s SIX Invitational where Brazilian team w7m had been crowned World Champions.
Additional details on the venue, ticketing, and more are available via Eventim here: eventim.ca
For more information about BLAST R6, please visit rainbow6.com and follow us on social media.
If Texas ever approves commercial casinos and sports betting, Louisiana could see a big falloff in gaming revenue, says the Bayou State’s top regulator.
“It’s going to be a huge blow to Louisiana,” Ronnie Johns, Louisiana Gaming Control board chairman, said.
Johns, who is retiring at the end of June after three years as chairman, spoke with Gambling.com in a wide-ranging interview on “The Edge.”
Johns also said additional parishes in Louisiana could approve sports betting within a few years. In addition, he expressed doubt that a tax hike is coming on sports wagering in the state.
If using any of this content please reference Gambling.com and link back to our on-site article, where you can also find additional information: https://www.gambling.com/us/news/louisiana-gaming-threat-from-texas-plus-more-parishes-could-legalize-sports-betting
Texas Might Not Expand Gaming Until 2030s: Johns
A 75-year-old former Republican state senator, Johns noted that Louisiana has already gone 35 years with legalized commercial gaming, while Texas still doesn’t have it. Louisiana has since seen the build up of first-rate casino resorts in the state, he noted.
In Texas, sports betting and Las Vegas-style commercial casinos are prohibited. Efforts at the Texas Legislature to expand gaming have been unsuccessful. To date, sports betting is legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C.
Currently, Louisiana benefits from Texans like “Mattress Mack” traveling next door to the Bayou State to gamble. Houston, the fourth most-populated city in the U.S., is only about two hours from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Johns said he sees gaming expansion happening one day in Texas, the nation’s second most-populated state. However, that might not occur until well into the 2030s because of opposition from anti-gaming lawmakers and others, he said.
When it does happen, it will have a negative impact on Louisiana.
“We’re predicting a 50% decrease in state revenue, should that happen,” Johns said. “It’s going to be big.”
No Tax Hike On Sportsbooks, Some Parishes Might OK Sports Wagering
During the interview on “The Edge,” Johns also addressed other gaming-related issues facing Louisiana, including:
A national conversation about an increase in sports betting taxes in some states.
Johns said he has not heard any rumor or discussion about a tax hike in Louisiana on sports wagering.
“Sports betting’s been highly successful in Louisiana,” he said. “It’s actually brought in more money than projected. With that being said, I just don’t see any movement at this time to increase taxes.”
Legalizing sports betting in the nine parishes where it is currently prohibited.
Johns said he anticipates a public vote will occur in some of those parishes to legalize sports betting. Those nine parishes previously rejected sports betting, while 55 parishes approved it.
“I’m not sure that all nine will get there,” he said. “I predict over the next, say, four to five years you could probably have half of those attempting to approve sports betting again.”
The implementation in Louisiana of online casino gaming, known as iGaming, allowing bettors to play casino games such as slots and craps on their smart phone or computer.
Johns said there is a conversation in the state about the issue, but the casino industry itself is divided — some want it, others don’t. That sort of division makes legislative approval difficult, he said.
“The other aspect is going to be those legislators who view it as an expansion of gaming,” he said. “You’re going to have some pushback from some of the traditional Christian-based organizations, such as the Family Forum here in Louisiana and others who are traditionally anti-gaming.”
More riverboat casinos moving their operations ashore.
Johns said he does not think all 15 riverboat license holders will ultimately build casinos on land. A handful already have moved ashore or are in the process of becoming land-based.
“I see a point where we’re going to have a number of them do it,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll ever get to the point where all 15 are going to do that. Just from the economic standpoint, is it feasible for them to do that?”
Leading egaming advisory, SolutionsHub have seen significant growth over the last 18 months, resulting in one of the business’s key figures being promoted to serve as its first Director of Gaming Services. Steven Welsh will assume his new position with immediate effect.
Steven’s appointment reflects the significant expansion in his responsibilities. In his new role, Steven will be responsible for SolutionsHub’s eGaming business strategy, which will includes overseeing the execution of long-term growth strategies and maintaining service standards for existing clients. Steven said “As a market leader in the online gambling sector, SolutionsHub has always provided an unparallelled level of service to our clients. As we continue to grow it’s important to maintain the bespoke nature of the services we provide”.
Having spent almost two decades with some of the Island’s most prominent corporate service providers, Steven has gained a wealth of experience with eGaming businesses, assisting some of the industry’s biggest names. He’s played a pivotal role in the establishment and licensing of these businesses, developing a deep understanding of the operational requirements for success.
Steven’s comparatively short time with SolutionsHub has coincided with a period of considerable growth, with the Douglas based advisory winning new business with some of the most notable names in the eGaming sector, along with industry awards. This new role is also a recognition of the support Steven has provided to a diverse group of new businesses, ensuring SolutionsHub’s high standards have been applied, which has played a fundamental part of the company’s recent success.
Established to challenge the status quo, SolutionsHub have always done things differently, specialising in eGaming, recruiting industry veterans and subject matter experts that understand the sector and its challenges intimately.
By focusing on its long-term business strategy, the company intends to continue leading the way in what is a rapidly growing sector for the Isle of Man. SolutionsHub Founder and CEO Lee Hills said, “having supported businesses through to successful licensing, listings and acquisitions, Steven is the ideal person to step into what is a critical strategic role.”
The post SolutionsHub promotes Steven Welsh to Director of Gaming Services appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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