Launches and sign-ups extra 17 October 2014
A round-up of the latest launches and deals in the egaming industry including Microgaming and Inspired
Online games supplier Microgaming has announced the launch of its new multiplayer Playboy-themed slots game to coincide with the launch of a network-wide competition in November.
The launch of the 5×3 reel slot extends the partnership between the two companies previously signed in February with the launch of a new branded live casino studio.
“Playboy is one of the most recognisable brands in the world – it has 97% unaided global brand awareness, [so] to be able to bring our popular Playboy online slot to Multi-player is very exciting,” James Ford, product manager for Microgaming’s multiplayer games, said.
“It is an ideal acquisition tool and provides our operators with a fantastic opportunity for creative and engaging marketing campaigns,” he added.
Inspired Gaming Group has this week launched its new Open VLT platform Jungle Bucks in Italy.
The jungle-themed slot game was approved by both SOGEI and AAMS and is available in VLT venues across the country following success in Latin America and Norway.
“We pride ourselves on developing some of the most engaging and popular games on the market, which drive incremental revenue for Italian concessionaries,” Vitaliano Casalone, president of Inspired Italy, said.
“Given the extraordinary response Jungle Bucks has received from other countries, we are confident that it will be a hit with Italian players,” he added.
Online gaming convergence company Imperus Technologies has announced a deal to acquire social casino operator diwip for up to US$100m.
The US-based firm, developer of the social gaming software platform CASINA, agreed to acquire the Best Casino developer for a closing purchase price of $50m, as well as additional earn-out payments of up to $50m over two years.
The deal includes $40m to be paid in cash, as well as $10m by the issuance of common shares, and will see diwip co-founders Udi Kantzuker and Yaniv Gamzo resign as directors but continue in their senior officer roles of CPO and CTO respectively.
Crowdfunding and sourcing company GamCrowd has announced the launch of Betify and Fenway Games as the first start-ups on its equity crowdfunding platform.
“Betify and Fenway Games prove that innovation is alive and well in the gambling industry,” Chris North, CEO of GamCrowd, said.
Launching both companies simultaneously demonstrates the breadth of portfolio opportunities offered by the GamCrowd platform,” he added.
Earlier this year GamCrowd struck a deal with gaming solutions provider Centurion Solutions to invest almost £5m in start-ups on the crowdfunding platform.
US-based online games developer MX Digital launched its first social casino app this week in partnership with marketing specialists Traffic Generation.
MX Casino is currently available on Facebook and features a number of celebrity-branded slots including games featuring Hulk Hogan, David Hasselhoff, James Dean and Dennis Rodman.
“We have been looking for the right strategy, and the right partner to expand into the social gaming sector for some time,” Eric Bischoff, co-founder of MX Digital, said.
Caesars Interactive has launched an Android mobile application for its Nevada-facing real-money WSOP.com site, as it looks to strengthen its market share in the state.
The app, which can be downloaded on WSOP.com, enables players to access Texas Hold’em cash games, sit and gos and multi-table tournaments on mobile devices for the first time.
The news comes after Caesars revealed a number of major updates to its Nevada-facing WSOP.com site back in August, including improvements to geolocation and launching a mobile platform.