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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.
Latest News
Tom Horn Gaming Unwraps a Frosty Treat with Santa Yetti
Reading Time: 2 minutes
This December, Tom Horn Gaming invites players to the snowy mountain peaks in its new release, Santa Yetti, a playful holiday adventure where the jolly king of the mountains swaps his sleigh for snow boots to deliver frosty fortunes and festive fun.
Santa Yetti brings a flurry of excitement to the reels with Expanding Wilds, Multipliers, Respins, and the Respin Booster feature.
The Snowman is a Wild symbol. When it lands on any of the three reels, it expands and triggers a single respin. During the respin, seven win lines transform into twenty-seven ways to win, piling up prizes like Christmas presents. When all three reels are fully stacked with the same symbol, the total win is multiplied by ten, creating a snowstorm of rewards.
Players can also activate the Respin Booster, which increases their total bet by 1.5x and boosts the chance of triggering a respin by 300%. The feature remains active until manually switched off, giving players full control over their gameplay. For those feeling extra lucky, the Star Gamble Ladder appears after every base game win, allowing them to gamble their winnings by guessing the next star’s colour – pink or blue. Each correct guess doubles the prize and pushes the player up one level. The Golden Star can randomly appear at levels two to five to double the win instantly, no guess required.
“Santa Yeti brings together everything players love about Tom Horn games – fun, engaging mechanics, and a great story to match. It’s festive, it’s fresh, and it’s packed with features that keep the excitement rolling. We wanted to end the year on a high note, and Santa Yetti does exactly that with humour, charm, and plenty of win potential,” said Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming.
Blending simple yet fast-paced gameplay with dynamic mechanics, Santa Yetti offers short, mobile-optimised sessions that are sure to delight both casual spinners and seasoned players. Its engaging format and rewarding features make it a perfect choice for operators looking to boost engagement during the high-traffic festive season. With its playful theme, quirky light-hearted style, and generous win potential, Santa Yetti is set to make this Christmas truly santastic.
The post Tom Horn Gaming Unwraps a Frosty Treat with Santa Yetti appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Emily Tofield Incoming Chief Executive of Ygam
Ygam appoints Emily Tofield as new Chief Executive
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Emily Tofield has been the appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Ygam, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to preventing gaming and gambling harms among children and young people. She will officially join the charity on the 6 January 2026.
Emily joins the charity following a 20-year career in leadership roles across UK government, local government, higher education and research, the media, and the not-for-profit sector. Her previous roles include posts in the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the University of Sussex, and at the City of London Corporation. With a distinguished breadth of expertise in strategic communications, she is recognised as a leading adviser across strategy, corporate affairs, reputation, marketing, policy, and fundraising.
Emily is an experienced non-executive, currently serving on the board of the Kent homelessness charity, Porchlight. She is Chair Designate of the Girls’ Learning Trust (GLT), the largest all-girls state multi-academy trust in the UK and was recently appointed to the Board of the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
Mike Wojcik, Chair of Ygam, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Emily to Ygam following a highly competitive recruitment process. Her depth of experience and proven leadership across stakeholder and political engagement, and social impact, will be instrumental as we enter our next strategic cycle. Emily joins an exceptionally strong leadership team, and this appointment marks an important new chapter for Ygam as we continue to strengthen our position as a trusted expert voice and sector leader dedicated to preventing gaming, gambling, and digital harms among young people.”
Emily Tofield, Incoming Chief Executive of Ygam, said: “Ygam has reached record numbers of young people as part of its critical mission to protect children and young people from gaming and gambling harms and to help safeguard their digital futures. As a passionate advocate for the benefits of prevention, it is a huge privilege to take on the role of Chief Executive of such a respected national education and prevention charity whose work already makes a difference to so many. High-quality, inclusive, evidence-based, preventative education around gaming and gambling harms remains as important today as when Ygam was founded, and I’m looking forward to working with the impressive Ygam team to further grow its reach, partnerships and impact in the years ahead.”
The post Ygam appoints Emily Tofield as new Chief Executive appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
bet-at-home
ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative
Reading Time: < 1 minute
- bet-at-home integrates ZEAL Instant Games titles into its German website
- First selection of ZEAL slots now available
- Partnership boosts reach, portfolio strength, and growth for both companies
ZEAL Instant Games, a brand of the ZEAL Group and a provider of online games, announces a new strategic partnership with online gaming operator bet-at-home. As part of the collaboration, bet-at-home seamlessly integrates the growing portfolio of ZEAL slots into its website. The first titles are already available to customers on bet-at-home.de.
Stronger together: Premium content meets established brand presence
Both partners stand to benefit from the collaboration: While bet-at-home expands its portfolio offering with ZEAL titles – enhancing its appeal and reach within the online games segment – ZEAL Instant Games gains another prominent partner whose market presence accelerates the brand’s dynamic growth and enables access to a broader user base.
In addition to best-selling ZEAL titles such as “The Bookmaker”, “Crime Scene”, “Vegas Blaze“, and other premium slots, the portfolio will continue to grow steadily in the coming months.
Shared perspectives
“Our mission is to make innovative, high-quality games accessible to the widest possible audience,” says Alex Green, Vice President Games at ZEAL. “With bet-at-home, we are gaining a partner that has held a strong position in the market for many years. This collaboration opens up new opportunities for expanding our reach and underscores the enormous potential of our growing games portfolio.”
From bet-at-home’s side: “We are delighted to have ZEAL Instant Games as a partner known for quality, creativity, and reliable performance,” says Claus Retschitzegger, CEO, bet-at-home. “The new ZEAL titles are a great addition to our offering and provide our customers with exciting and varied gaming experiences. This partnership is an important element of our growth strategy.”
The post ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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