The location initiative Gamecity Hamburg expands its team with project manager Daniel Hericks. In addition to the Prototype Funding and the Games Lift Incubator, Gamecity Hamburg organizes a variety of activities to promote the games industry as well as events and networking activities. Daniel Hericks will support the Games Lift Incubator and its further development with immediate effect. The incubator offers aspiring game developers, start-ups, and studios an extensive workshop and mentoring program, and financial support of 15,000 euros per team.

Daniel Hericks joins the Gamecity Hamburg team as a project manager with many years of experience in the games industry. As Publishing Manager at the Hamburg publisher and indie studio CRATR.games, he organized the scouting and evaluation of studios. Hericks also dealt with risk management and sustainability issues for indie teams. At the Hamburg-based studio Deep Silver FISHLABS, he supported the development of a publishing department and managed the collaboration with external teams. In other job positions, Daniel Hericks was responsible for building up teams of developers and project planning for various games projects and was actively involved in the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) as a lecturer for the Games Master’s program.

In his role at the Games Lift Incubator, he will primarily be managing and supporting up-and-coming teams and young indie studios, as well as using his experience in producing and publishing to implement and further develop the program in its current edition:

“I am very excited to guide and support the teams from the Games Lift Incubator on their way into the games industry. With our incubator program and other activities of Gamecity Hamburg, we will actively contribute to bringing more good games projects from Hamburg to the market in the coming years.”

The Games Lift Incubator 2021 started for the five participating teams in September with a three-month intensive phase. In addition to start-up funding of 15,000 euros, the teams will receive coaching, mentoring, and workshop programs, as well as places in a co-working space.

Here are this weeks latest slots releases!

Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, is feline fine following its new slot release, Lucie’s Cats. This 5×3 game invites players into Lucie’s lovely home where four mischievous cats are causing havoc with balls of thread, fish and food. Wild symbols can appear on reels 2,3 or 4 and will either double or triple the winning line total. And if numerous Wild symbols form part of the winning combination, the multipliers are added together to enhance totals.

Yggdrasil and YG Masters partner Peter & Sons have embarked on a fearsome quest in search of giant wins in new release Hammer of Gods. The high volatility, 729 ways to win hit combines Wilds, Special Wilds, Multipliers and more as Viking hordes search for hidden riches. On each spin, some positions are highlighted randomly, with a multiplier attached. This can be up to 4x, leading to big wins in base play. Special Wilds can land on the reels, filling up a space on a floating shield. If all three spots are filled, a re-spin is triggered with the three Wilds landing on the reels. The collector resets after their release.

Evoplay has wound back the clock on another nostalgia-inducing, fruit-inspired playing experience, titled Fruit Disco. Fruit Disco is not just your average fruity themed adventure, but a vivid explosion of colour utilizing a unique Dance Pattern feature, and Sticky Wilds to trigger it. When a Sticky Wild forms a winning cluster, it stands still and creates the Dance Pattern on the cells that surround it, which will transport fortunate players to the enticing, more up-beat dance floor that features dynamic music and the potential for clusters of colossal proportions!

iSoftBet, has unveiled its fearsome new Apex Predator series with the king of the beasts, Tyrant King Megaways™. Set in the lands of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, the slot centres on the adventures of an intrepid hunter as he quests for huge riches among the dinosaurs. The high octane, high volatility slot contains classic Megaways™ features such as cascading wins and increasing multipliers, as well as an innovative Tyrant King Respins mode, which is triggered when wilds land on each of the middle four reels. This awards three respins on reels 2 to 5, with only wilds in play, not including the top tracker, and wilds remain sticky for the length of the respins.

Greentube, has introduced its exciting new slot Cash Connection™ – Book of Ra™, an action-packed re-imagining of the ever-popular player favourite. In this combination of the Cash Connection™ series with the Book of Ra™ brand, players are dressed head to toe in khaki outfits as they embark on an unforgettable journey to the pyramids in search of ancient treasures, across a 5×3 reel set. To be in with a chance of landing a Mini, Minor, Major or Grand jackpot, players are challenged to first collect six or more Coin symbols on the reels, triggering the Lock & Spin feature.

Relax Gaming, the igaming aggregator and supplier of unique content is offering players the chance to go raiding for wins in its latest slot, Volatile Vikings. A feature-loaded 6×5 adventure on the high seas, play takes place in two harsh environments: an icy setting for the base game, while the bonus game plays out amid broiling fires – both accompanied by an epic, theatrical soundtrack. The Multiplier Reveal feature occurs throughout the entire game, as do cascades, increasing the wins as the player spins in search of the Free Spins round, which is triggered by landing three Bonus symbols. Six free spins are awarded, and every additional bonus symbol grants an extra spin.

A brand new game titled Book of Oil was just released by Endorphina, a prominent and trendy online slots provider. You can look forward to diving into a world where oil rivers shimmer like gold under the sun, while derricks fuel this new game with strong luck! Released in this golden time of year, Book of Oil is designed to put you into a world filled with endless wealth from classy Oil Tycoons. Within this slot, you’ll find 10 lines, 5 reels and 3 rows, bridging timeless mechanics with black-and-gold perfection. In addition, a Bonus Pop feature is available.

Stakelogic and Hurricane Games are taking players to the hot and dusty climes of Ancient Egypt in their latest release, 9 Pyramids of Fortune. In the base game, symbols tumble onto the 5×3 reel matrix with 25 fixed paylines active. If a win lands, the winning symbols are destroyed and new symbols fall into their place to create even more win combinations for the player. These are known as Avalanches; landing Avalanche Wins one after the other increases the Avalanche Multiplier up to a maximum of x5 in the base game. The Avalanche Multiplier is awarded to all winning combinations in that Avalanche.

Fans of ’80s horror films are in for a treat (or maybe a trick) with Play’n GO’s Halloween-inspired game, The Wild Class. It’s the class of ’83, three senior undergrads, Jess, Mike, and Chris, are in their final year. But these aren’t your typical university students. The game is set on a haunted amusement park backdrop with the full moon ever-present. Jess, Mike, and Chris appear on the grid. If you think back to movies such as Teen Wolf, these characters take on the classic aesthetic of senior undergrad students in the ’80s: the cheerleader, the football captain, and the bookish student.

Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, invites players to embark on a journey into the clouds in search of the ethereal princess in latest release, Starlight Princess™. Tasked with meeting the Princess in her hidden castle, the release provides players with a highly-volatile experience and a ‘Pay Anywhere’ system that pays out on clusters of eight or more. Adding tumbling wins and multipliers into the mix ensures that chaos will follow, increasing the potential for huge wins.  Green, blue, pink and orange winged multiplier symbols range from 2x all the way up to 500x the player’s stake and operate alongside a Tumble mechanic that removes winning combinations from the reels and replaces them with new symbols, leading to even more wins.

Playson has added some pageantry to its portfolio of classic slots with the release of 5 Fortunator. The latest blockbuster title is the first in an exciting new gems-style series that Playson has tested out and is now introducing to players. 5 Fortunator includes a Wild symbol which appears as a sparkling crown. This can then expand on the whole reel to increase the chances of getting a winning combination. Additional key features include Gold and Diamond Scatters which, when combined with the iconic red seven, offer the highest pay-outs. The red seven is one of the highest paying symbols in the game, alongside the golden bells.

Booongo, has expanded its Hold and Win range with the release of Tiger Jungle, which incorporates a new Collection symbol that significantly increases the win potential. During the Hold and Win Bonus round, the appearance of the new Collection symbol sums up all values of existing symbols and pays out the total for bigger wins. The 3×5, 25 payline slot is packed with features, with a Tiger acting as a Wild in base play while ancient temples are Scatters, with a Lotus flower being a Bonus symbol.

Lucksome, the games studio powered by leading developer Blueprint Gaming, has unveiled its latest game Loki: Lord of Mischief that features a new Super Lux Reels™ feature. In this high volatile game release, the Lord of Mischief can choose to be the God of fortune; acting as a mystery symbol, Loki transforms into a Money Scatter in the main game and improves the chances of triggering the Lux Reels™ feature. Within Lux Reels™, which is activated when six or more Money Scatter symbols land on the reels, Loki continues with his cheeky demeanour and drops significant cash values for players to claim.

Kalamba Games has released its latest hit Jewels of Jupiter, a feature-packed title set in the opulence of ancient Rome. The lavishly designed ode to one of history’s most fascinating periods plays out against a backdrop of classical, grand Roman statues and glittering gold while the unique, descending reel layout offers win potential of over 2,800x the bet. The game re-introduces the classic and much-loved missions mechanic, with four levels of saveable assignments for players to explore and enjoy, from Bronze to Platinum, ramping up engagement to new levels.

Microgaming has united with Fortune Factory Studios to present the next instalment in its Jurassic World slot series with the brand-new licensed slot, Jurassic World: Raptor Riches. Players can join Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they journey back to the abandoned island of Isla Nublar to rescue the beloved raptor, ‘Blue’, and preserve the last genetically resurrected dinosaurs of Jurassic World’s Fallen Kingdom. Featuring Walking Wild Respins, this enhanced slot feature is triggered when the stacked Indoraptor wild symbol lands in any position on the reels. Nudging to fill the reel, the Indoraptor wild walks across the reels one at a time, awarding up to five free respins with increasing multiplier.

Penta Esports, the esports division of Newgen Gaming has announced its upcoming tournament titled, ‘Penta Challenge – Valorant’, supported by Facebook Gaming and Trinity Gaming. This tournament will be a part of Penta Esports’ newly launched IP, ‘Penta Challenge’. Taking place from 5th to 24th October, the tournament has a prize pool of ₹5,00,000 and will have two open qualifiers between 5th to 10th October and 12th to 17th October, followed by a Grand Finale where 2 teams from each qualifier and 4 invited teams will battle it out for the winner’s title.

The registrations for the tournament started on 24th September and will go on till 8th October on Penta Esports’ newly launched platform. Matches will be broadcast quarter finals onwards for qualifier 1 and 2, while all matches from the Grand Finale will be broadcast. The matches will be available for streaming exclusively on Penta’s Facebook Page. Says Penta Esports CMO Akshay Paul “We’ve always had the vision to bring opportunities to the player and amazing viewing experience to the spectators and our newest IP, Penta Challenge, is a step in that direction. While we’ll start with Valorant, going forward, we will have the Penta Challenge for multiple game titles.” Trinity Gaming founder and CEO Abhishek Agarwal says, “We’re always on the lookout for good partners to be able to bring tournaments like these for the Indian esports community. Our vision is absolutely in line with the team at Penta Esports and we’re sure this is going to be an amazing event!” This event will also mark the launch of Penta Esports’ platform, pentaesports .com. The platform will be a one stop destination for all things esports, including match schedules, match results, VODs of tournaments and leagues, content, news, announcements and much more.

The platform will allow users to discover and register for tournaments. It will also allow teams to create recruitment posts and players to find teams. This will enable a lot more players to participate in tournaments for team-based game titles.

Penta Esports head of esports, Kiran Noojibail said, “We’ve been working on this platform for a while and it feels rewarding to launch it for everyone. We wanted to create a platform for Indian esports players and enthusiasts, which encompasses all major aspects of esports. Penta Challenge – Valorant will be the first tournament for our platform and we look forward to building a strong community through the platform!”

Founded by industry veterans Anurag Khurana, Kiran Noojibail and Akshay Paul, Penta Esports aims to disrupt the ecosystem in India with a holistic approach towards the sector, including leagues, tournaments, content and much more.

Prize Pool for the tournament: