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Azerion Acquires Remaining 49% Stake in 20-year-old Finnish Game Studio, Sulake Oy

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Azerion successfully completes its business combination with EFIC1
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Azerion Holding B.V. (Azerion), a pan-European gaming and adtech company, reached an agreement with its co-shareholder, Elisa Oyj, to acquire the remaining 49% shares in Finnish game studio, Sulake Oy.
The studio is best known for publishing popular social games including Habbo, which has a monthly active user base of 800k across 115 countries. The studio is also responsible for the popular social mobile game Hotel Hideaway, which attracts 840k active players monthly.
Azerion has held a 51% stake in the game studio since 2018 and has been helping to drive revenue growth, which has increased by 46% on average year-on-year (January 2019 – December 2020). The transaction will enable Sulake to take full advantage of Azerion’s growing ecosystem. It will ensure the publisher can expand its global game communities, increase ingame monetization and strengthen its game development capacity. The deal also means Sulake’s gamers will be able to leverage promotions provided via the Azerion network, which continues to grow through acquisitions like Spil Games’ Portal business and Woozworld.
Umut Akpinar, co-founder and CEO: “Sulake has proven to be a great fit for our gaming and adtech platform and Elisa has remained a very loyal and supportive partner over the past years. Together, we re-energised the game studio, which is now a profitable and flourishing business.
We have full confidence in the current Sulake team. They are working well to develop a pipeline of new games while continuing to grow their existing games and communities. We support the decisions they are making and are committed to helping them achieve future plans.”
Valtteri Karu, Sulake CEO: “Azerion has been supporting us to grow and develop Habbo and Hotel Hideaway for over two years now so this acquisition feels like a natural continuation of our partnership. We’re happy to continue our journey with Azerion as there is a lot of synergy with Sulake and all the Azerion businesses.
With Azerion’s help and support we were able to modernize Habbo and to ensure its future, whilst working as an independent unit having full control over design and development decisions. This year we look forward to adding features and expanding Habbo and Hotel Hideaway. We will also be looking at possibilities to develop new games utilising our current game technology.”
The complete Sulake leadership and team of 96 will remain in place. The game studio will continue to operate from its base in Helsinki, Finland with full responsibility for existing games and improvements. This means that nothing will change for the Sulake game communities as a result of this acquisition.

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Scientific Games Campaigns for Seventh Holiday Season to Promote Responsible Gifting of Lottery Games

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Company Raises Awareness for NCPG’s Annual Gift Responsibly Message

Scientific Games continues to promote responsible gaming worldwide, joining the National Council on Problem Gambling’s annual Gift Responsibly holiday campaign for the seventh consecutive year. Through this initiative, the world’s largest provider of lottery games underscores the NCPG’s important message that lottery games are not intended for children. Scientific Games joins lotteries in Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and U.S. in the 2024 Gift Responsibly campaign, helping raise awareness about the risks of gifting lottery games to minors during the holidays.

Jim Schultz, Executive Vice President, Global Legal & Public Policy, said, “Scientific Games is committed to educating all stakeholders about what it means to practice Healthy Play. This includes empowering consumers with the knowledge to make informed choices by keeping lottery games out of children’s hands through our ongoing support of NCPG’s Gift Responsibly campaign. Lottery games make great gifts for adults, but not for kids. Through the continued efforts of our VP of Responsible Gaming Carla Schaefer, it’s all part of our goal to help educate.”

Scientific Games champions responsible gaming education year-round through its award-winning Healthy Play program. The program equips lotteries with science-based tools, insights and best practices to inform all stakeholders about the healthy enjoyment of lottery games, including understanding appropriate age guidelines for lottery play.

As the first lottery supplier to support the NCPG’s Gift Responsibly campaign, and one of the first suppliers to attain global certification as a Responsible Gaming Supplier from the World Lottery Association, Scientific Games is at the forefront of the industry’s responsible gaming efforts. Since then, the Healthy Play program has been recognized with multiple Communitas Awards, including the 2023 Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, further solidifying the company’s continuing role as a steward of responsible gaming.

Scientific Games is the world’s largest creator, producer and manager of lottery instant games and a leader in lottery technology, sports betting systems, digital lottery games, mobile apps, and player loyalty programs.

Healthy Play™ is a trademark of Scientific Games. ©2023 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 

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eSports

Red Bull Media House Announces Global Premiere of Counter-Strike Documentary ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’

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  • Emmy Award-winning Red Bull Media House-produced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) documentary is set to premiere on 4 December
  • ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’ features personal insights from legendary talent, including Casper “cadiaN” Møller, Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, Alexandre “gAuLeS” Borba and more
  • Fans can tune in via Red Bull Gaming’s YouTube channel

Red Bull’s deep dive into the glory years of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) continues with the announcement of ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’, a brand new documentary set to premiere globally on 4 December 2024.

Produced by Emmy Award-winning Red Bull Media House, the new feature-length film closely follows 2024’s ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Early Years’, which charted the origins of one of the world’s most influential games from its grassroots beginnings to its evolution as a global esports phenomenon. Continuing the saga, ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’ chronicles an emotional journey from the perspective of its key protagonists, recalling the thrilling rise of Team Liquid as Team Astralis’ reign falls, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the way to Team Vitality’s victory at the last-ever CS:GO Major.

Hosted by Freya “Freya” Spiers, the brand new 90-minute film features personal accounts from iconic figures including Astralis’ trio of Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, Casper “cadiaN” Møller, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, as well as Team Liquid’s Jonathan “Elige” Jablonowski and Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert. As it explores fierce rivalries, pivotal roster changes that changed the course of CS:GO history, and the perseverance, teamwork and passion that forged the game’s legends, ‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’ also delves into the fierce dedication of the Brazilian community with Alexandre “gAuLeS” Borba and Wilton “zews” Prado, looking back at Brazil’s first-ever Major.

‘Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years’ is a sweeping tale of toil, triumph, and teamwork that offers an insightful look into the remarkable trajectory of CS:GO and the unwavering support and dedication of its community. It’s scheduled to premiere December 4, 2024 via Red Bull Gaming’s YouTube channel.

Event Details:

  • What: Premiere of “Memories of CS:GO – The Final Years”
  • When: December 4th, 2024
  • Where to watch: Red Bull Gaming’s YouTube Channel

 

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eSports

Guilhoto to lead GIANTX in the LEC

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The Portuguese head coach signs a two-year deal to guide GIANTX in Europe’s top esports league and aim for the Worlds. Guilhoto embarks on his third tenure with the organization and returns to the LEC after reaching two finals.

Nico Perez and Emi complete the coaching staff

André Guilhoto will be the head coach of GIANTX in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), Europe’s premier esports league. Guilhoto returns to the organization to replace Christophe ‘Kaas’ van Oudheusden and lead its League of Legends international project. His goal is to qualify the team for the Worlds. He has signed a two-year contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Guilhoto (Portugal, 1994) returns to both GIANTX and the LEC. Between 2018 and 2020, he coached several teams in the European league, including reaching two finals with Schalke 04 and Origen. He entered the European scene after winning the Spanish league with GIANTX, then known as Giants Gaming.

After his time in the LEC, he coached in North America with Immortals and Team Liquid. In 2023, he returned to Málaga to work with Giants, which later merged with British club Excel to form GIANTX. In 2024, he coached in the Superliga with CASE Esports and Team Heretics, where he won the Spanish championship.

Guilhoto is one of the most experienced head coaches in the scene and a well-known figure within the Spanish-speaking League of Legends community. GIANTX announced his return with a video confirming his new role as head coach.

GIANTX looks to Guilhoto to improve its results in the LEC. The team finished eighth in the winter and spring splits and reached the summer season finals, but missed out on qualifying for the Worlds. The organization aims to achieve this goal with Guilhoto leading the coaching staff.

Joining Guilhoto in Berlin, the home of the LEC, are assistant coach Nico Perez (France, 1998) and strategic coach Emanuel Ursachi ‘Emi’ (Romania, 1995). Nico spent the last year with GIANTX, first as head coach in the Superliga and then as assistant coach in the LEC. Emi, now in his second tenure with the company, will serve as the strategic coach.

The LEC season begins on January 18, 2025. GIANTX will announce the roster under Guilhoto’s leadership in the coming days.

 

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