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Charlie Cowdrey Appointed CEO of JioBLAST, Esports Joint Venture

Global competitive entertainment company BLAST has announced the appointment of Charlie Cowdrey as Chief Executive Officer of JioBLAST, the recently announced joint venture between BLAST and RISE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.
As part of the appointment, Cowdrey will relocate from London to Mumbai this September to lead the joint venture’s Indian operations, marking a major milestone in the company’s global expansion into India.
Cowdrey has been a pivotal figure within BLAST over the last four years, holding multiple senior leadership roles across the business ranging from Chief of Staff to most recently, Programme Director for Epic Games, where he played a key role in managing one of BLAST’s most high-profile publisher relationships and competitive titles in Rocket League esports (RLCS) and Fortnite Competitive (FNCS).
Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST, said: “Charlie has been a key figure behind BLAST’s growth and publisher operations over the past few years. He is a trusted leader who understands our culture, our partners and our ambitions. India represents an enormous opportunity for BLAST, and we believe Charlie is the perfect person to take this vision forward. We’re proud to have someone of his calibre opening this important new chapter for us alongside our partners at Reliance and RISE.”
Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, said: “I’m incredibly honoured and excited to take this role in spearheading JioBLAST. We will be focussed on bringing together Jio’s unrivalled reach, RISE’s commercial prowess and BLAST’s esports expertise and global publisher relationships. Bringing this all together, there is no doubt that JioBLAST will supercharge the Indian esports industry. India is one of the most vibrant and promising gaming markets in the world, and working alongside Jio offers us a unique opportunity to build something extraordinary. We can’t wait to get started and bring BLAST’s unique approach to creating next level entertainment to India.”
The announcement follows the formation of the JioBLAST, a joint venture between BLAST and RISE, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, aimed at supercharging the Indian esports market. With India now home to over 600 million gamers, accounting for 18% of the global gaming audience, JioBLAST will focus on creating new esports IP, establishing a state-of-the-art production studio, and delivering tournament experiences built for India’s dynamic gaming community.
The joint venture will bring BLAST’s award-winning production expertise and international tournament IPs to India while building localized formats, mobile esports offerings, and digital-first fan engagement initiatives through JioGames. Under Cowdrey’s leadership, the Joint Venture will deliver end-to-end tournament management, publisher services, and broadcast-ready content – ensuring India becomes a central pillar in BLAST’s global footprint.
As the joint venture ramps up its operations, last month JioBLAST opened recruitment for its first six foundational roles, all based in Mumbai. The new hires will join Cowdrey in building the future of esports and competitive entertainment in India. These roles represent the first wave of local leadership and talent being brought in to shape a new chapter in Indian esports.
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First football sponsorship for Pub Casino

L&L Europe, owner and operator of PubCasino.co.uk, is happy to announce their first sponsorship within the English Football League. The sponsorship is with the historical team Preston North End for the upcoming season. This partnership will include the Pub Casino logo on the back of all 3 kits for the season 2025/26.
At Pub Casino we love football and especially football where a lot of history is involved. Preston North End is one of the first professional football teams in the history of UK professional football. And today still the only team winning both the league and FA cup without conceding a goal. That is what Preston North End breathes: Football history. To be part of that makes us extremely proud.
While discussing the partnership with PNE it became clear who the front of shirt sponsor will be. As a result, we even got more excited. SpudBros on the front of shirt, Pub Casino on the back, what a lovely combination.
Head of Commercial and Partnerships at Preston North End, Lisa Whittaker said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with PubCasino for the upcoming season and thank them for their support in making this happen.”
Jan Wienk, Head of Marketing and Product at PubCasino, said: “We are extremely happy to be part of the Championship this year and are proud to be teaming up with a club with so much history in the English game. It’s great to be on board with the team ahead of the new season and the combination of kit sponsors, with SpudBros on the front, should make it a fun and entertaining year.”
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ICONIC21 launches first-person, high-suspense game where players open doors to reveal win multipliers or the possibility of losing it all

A door opens, but what’s behind it? That’s the question players will be able to answer when they take on the latest game from in-demand iGaming content provider, ICONIC21.
In Knock Knock, nothing is guaranteed as players find themselves in front of a door that they must choose whether to open or not.
What’s on the other side? It could be an Increasing Multiplier, or it could be the players’ accrued winnings and original bet being cruelly taken away from them.
Knock Knock takes the first-person, high-suspense format and gives player control over how far they progress into the game – do they want to open another door for the chance to multiply their current win, or do they want to cash out?
This generates unrivalled levels of excitement and anticipation. Do players go for a long door-opening streak, or does the pressure get too much and they opt to lock in their winnings and step away?
Either way, one wrong move and the run comes to an abrupt end.
Knock Knock also comes with a visual path history. The main difference between the three levels lies in the probability of the multiplier: the harder the level, the higher the multiplier – but also the greater the chance of losing.
Either way, players are left with the same question. Do you walk away, or do you knock again?
Edvardas Sadovskis, Chief Product Officer at ICONIC21, said: “Knock Knock offers an intense, high-suspense experience that players will want to experience again and again.
They must put their nerves to the test as they open doors in search of the game’s biggest win multipliers, but in doing so, they risk losing it all.
Knock Knock is designed for all types of risk-takers – from cautious players to fearless thrill-seekers. By choosing the difficulty level, each player tailors their own balance of success odds and potential multipliers, making every round as safe or as bold as they want.
This marks a milestone in the growth of our RNG portfolio, reinforcing our position as a forward-thinking iGaming content provider and expanding our footprint in the non-traditional games space.”
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New Ways to Play: ELA Games Recognised for Casino Entertainment Innovation Subheader: The studio continues to garner industry recognition for its products

Various developments, such as the Winpot game mechanics and standout titles such as Joker Winpot and Shoot Happens, underscore ELA Games’ innovative philosophy.
The Winpot mechanic introduces a progression-based experience that gives players more agency over their gameplay. At the essence of the mechanic, player wins are stored in the Winpot, where they can then choose to continue playing and accumulate a larger payout or cash out at any point.
Joker Winpot and the newly released Shoot Happens are examples of how ELA Games’ creativity and innovation led to commercial success. The former is a 1×1 game that’s simple to understand with high replayability due to the decision-making aspects and accessibility. The latter is a narrative and progression-based title where players have 3 shots to defeat increasingly tougher opponents. Both games break from traditional gameplay with tactical depth, high replayability, and fresh mechanics.
Marharyta Yerina, ELA Games’ Managing Director, commented on the nomination, “What makes innovation meaningful and impactful is when it changes how players interact with content. For example, with Joker Winpot and Shoot Happens, our innovation was not adding complex features but stripping back gameplay to include the player more in decision-making to create a new game archetype. This nomination shows us that we’re making meaningful strides in challenging overplayed and stale gaming experiences, and we’re honoured to receive such recognition.”
The ELA Games team will attend the SBC Summit Lisbon from 16 – 18 September.
The post New Ways to Play: ELA Games Recognised for Casino Entertainment Innovation Subheader: The studio continues to garner industry recognition for its products appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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