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Sandsoft Opens New Studio in Riyadh

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Sandsoft Opens New Studio in Riyadh
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Sandsoft, an innovative mobile-first game developer, publisher and investor, has announced the opening of Sandsoft Riyadh, a mobile games development studio based in the heart of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Creating over 80 exciting career opportunities in the region, the studio is the first step in Sandsoft’s significant investment in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) gaming ecosystem.

Sandsoft is driven by seasoned games industry veterans, including its CEO David Fernandez, who whilst at King expanded the legendary Candy Crush and Bubble Witch IPs; as well as Rovio veteran and Head of Publishing, Miikka Lindgren.

Sandsoft has recently invested in major IP-linked mobile titles including Rambo: Strike Force, and Pacific Rim: Breach Wars, and has recently started to invest significantly into new and emerging technologies and projects in the gaming space such as blockchain.

Sandsoft Riyadh will be led by Yahsir Qureshi, who has more than a decade of experience across some of the most successful AAA and free-to-play games ever released, most recently while building FIFA’s Ultimate Team at EA. The Riyadh studio will act as a worldwide headquarters for Sandsoft, which is committed to nurturing local talent through a first-of-its-kind paid internship programme in the MENA region, Press Start. Launching this year and targeting emergent KSA talent who are passionate about entering the global games industry, the programme will allow a select group of game creators to develop their own games with the support and resources of the wider Sandsoft organisation. Press Start creators will benefit from the guidance of Sandsoft’s seasoned games industry figures while keeping the autonomy to decide what game they want to develop.

Sandsoft is the gaming arm of Ajlan & Bros Holding company, one of the region’s largest corporations, providing the Riyadh Studio with access to unrivalled infrastructure.

“Sandsoft Riyadh will contribute to making Saudi Arabia a global gaming powerhouse, in alignment with the national strategy for games and esports that His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently launched, as a pivotal and important step to start a new phase for this sector, following Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Sandsoft’s studio in Riyadh will be an important part of this vision by identifying and upskilling MENA talent, and combining it with the very best of global games industry expertise to create an international gaming dream team across development, publishing, and investment,” Abdulaziz Alajlan, Managing Director of Sandsoft, said.

“We have established a world-class mobile gaming team that’s poised to position Sandsoft as the premier MENA games company, and we’re excited to be expanding our local footprint. A key mission is to discover and attract the best and brightest local game development talent, and to nurture it with the expertise of leaders from gaming’s top international firms,” David Fernandez, CEO at Sandsoft, said.

Gaming

LORGAR unveils gaming revolution at “Ready to Play” EMEA launch

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LORGAR, the innovative gaming solutions provider, hosted its “Ready to Play” Launch EMEA event on September 27, 2024, at the KCC Event Hall in Prague. The exclusive B2B conference brought together over 150 participants from 25 countries.

LORGAR has established itself as a brand dedicated to building highly functional solutions for both gaming hobbyists and advanced gamers. Their unique approach focuses on improving gaming performance and quality of gameplay through statistical analysis and personalized device configurations, setting them apart in the competitive gaming market.

Attendees experienced firsthand LORGAR’s three unique complete solutions that embody the brand’s “Ready to Play” slogan: Gaming, Streaming, and the newly released Sim Racing direction. These all-in-one solutions showcase LORGAR’s commitment to providing gamers with everything they need to start playing immediately.

The event showcased LORGAR’s extensive product line, which spans across multiple categories essential for a complete Gaming, Racing and Streaming setups. Their offerings include cutting-edge PCs, crystal-clear monitors, professional-grade racing cockpits, ergonomic furniture, immersive headsets, high-performance keyboards, precision mice, and specialized gaming surfaces. The brand further impressed participants by unveiling more than 30 new SKUs across 9 diverse product categories, reinforcing their ability to offer comprehensive gaming solutions.

This expansive product reveal demonstrates LORGAR’s commitment to catering to every aspect of a gamer’s needs, from casual play to professional setups.

The event also featured exciting eSports experiences, allowing visitors to compete in 5v5 CS2 matches on a professional stage with live commentary, or race F1 in one of six high-tech cockpits. These activities showcased LORGAR’s products in action and sparked friendly competition. Top performers in both CS2 and F1 contests won premium LORGAR gear, including complete gaming setups for first place, with the F1 winner also receiving a racing cockpit. Runners-up  received other LORGAR prizes, such as the Azar 514 TKL keyboards, Kaya 460 headsets etc.

A major highlight of the event was the announcement of a distribution contract with Simagic, strengthening LORGAR’s position in the sim racing market. This strategic partnership is set to expand Simagic’s presence across multiple countries, further enhancing LORGAR’s racing simulation offerings.

The “Ready to Play” Launch EMEA event also introduced the LORGAR Platform, a unique statistical analysis tool designed to enhance gameplay and optimize product settings for individual users. This innovative approach to personalized gaming experiences captured the attention of more than 20 media representatives and influencers from 12 countries in attendance.

LORGAR’s “Ready to Play” event marks a new chapter in gaming technology, showcasing the brand’s dedication to revolutionizing how gamers interact with their equipment and each other. The overwhelmingly positive response from partners and media confirms LORGAR’s trajectory towards becoming a leading force in the gaming industry, offering a truly integrated and optimized gaming experience.

For more information about LORGAR and its products, visit lorgar.com/.

 

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eSports

Max Verstappen to attend GAMERGY, the world’s largest esports, gaming and entertainment event

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Max Verstappen to attend GAMERGY, the world's largest esports, gaming and entertainment event
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In an exciting announcement for motorsports and gaming fans alike, three-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen will be making a special appearance at the GAMERGY event for the exciting Heineken Player 0.0 Global Final in Madrid this December. This immersive entertainment and gaming Experience promises to bring together the worlds of motorsport and gaming, offering fans a unique experience.

GAMERGY, one of the largest global gaming and esports events, will take place in Madrid this December from the 13th-15th, 2024. The 10th edition of the event will host exhilarating activities featuring cutting-edge technology, live competitions, traditional sports activations and phygital interactive experiences that cater to a wide audience.

“In the past few years, we have seen how the traditional sports and gaming ecosystems have come closer together in innovative and immersive ways. At our most recent GAMERGY México edition, we saw our tennis, football, boxing, skateboarding and paddle activations being amongst the most popular gaming fair attractions. We are very excited to partner with Heineken in adding Player 0.0 to the digital fandom,” said Cristina Carranza, Global Head of Sales at GGTech.

Heineken® Player 0.0 Global Final featuring Max Verstappen
23 finalists from all around the world will be joining us in Madrid for a simulated racing competition with the aim of winning the title of Player 0.0 Global Champion. Expect a high-octane race where the finalists will demonstrate their skills, speed and agility. During the Player 0.0 Global Final, festival goers will also have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Max Verstappen on stage. This unique experience is expected to draw immense crowds and therefore fans are encouraged to arrive early.

Exclusive Merchandise and Memorabilia
Fans attending the event will have the opportunity to purchase exclusive GAMERGY merchandise. Limited-edition collectibles will be available for purchase. Don’t miss the chance to take home a piece of history!

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Gaming

GameFi’s Untapped Potential: Four Reasons Why Crypto Gaming is Set for a Major Comeback

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GameFi’s Untapped Potential: Four Reasons Why Crypto Gaming is Set for a Major Comeback
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Yaniv Baruch, COO of Playnance, a dedicated GameFi ecosystem running on PlayBlock:

Let me cite the newest DappRadar games report: “While August may have seemed like a relatively quiet month for blockchain gaming, it reached a new all-time high in activity.” The number of daily unique active wallets (dUAW) set another record, hitting the 4.2 million mark — a 5% increase from the previous month. The GameFi industry hasn’t been making headlines lately, but new games keep launching, and users continue to demonstrate increasing engagement with blockchain games. 

However, Web3 gaming has given up its leadership in the dApp niche over the past two months — AI-based applications have claimed the top spot, capturing a 29% share of the market. One might assume that GameFi is losing ground — but I believe Web3 gaming has a stronger potential than any other crypto narrative for four reasons.

First, investment figures suggest that VCs continue to show strong interest in the industry. GameFi projects raised $1.1 billion in Q2 2024, which is 314% more than in the previous quarter. Investments are going towards gaming studios rather than specific titles — we see a strong focus on infrastructure development and the holistic growth of the industry, which should lead to a comprehensive outcome in the next months and years.

Second, GameFi continues to overcome the limitations that have hindered mass users from embracing blockchain games. Thanks to account abstraction, Web3 games are evolving to feel just like traditional games in terms of user experience — they eliminate the hassle of private key management, the need to constantly sign transactions, and even gas fees. Solutions like Arbitrum Stylus allow devs to launch smart contracts written in languages other than Solidity, opening the door to GameFi for thousands of experienced developers in Rust, C, and C++.

Third, GameFi is becoming increasingly immersive — and in the coming year, we’ll hit a new milestone as the first Web3 gaming devices go live. SuiPlay0X1 and Play Solana Gen1 are set to elevate the blockchain gaming experience, making it even more akin to Web2 products. Along with account abstraction, crypto consoles seamlessly integrate blockchain technology into games, making it more accessible to the masses.

Last but not least, we’ve seen a significant influx of users entering the Web3 gaming space, largely due to the popularity of TON and Telegram-based games, primarily tap-to-earn projects. These games and their airdrops have become the first crypto experience for millions of users. Token recipients began seeking ways to trade and withdraw their rewards, create accounts on crypto exchanges and Web3 wallets, and discover other crypto games. New products keep emerging in the Telegram gaming ecosystem every month, so TON is likely to continue pushing GameFi forward.

GameFi is sharing the spotlight with AI applications, but its potential remains largely untapped. Web3 brings specific utility to gaming — it provides ownership of in-game assets and ensures their security in games where these assets hold real value. Blockchain allows users to freely manage them, enhancing the overall experience and deepening connection with the game. Blockchain perks are also widely applied in iGaming — dApps where users can earn based on their predictions. This sector is one of the top 12 crypto narratives for 2024, and also has immense growth potential as part of GameFi. In this case, decentralization creates transparency and trust, fostering trust between developers and players. Ultimately, the speed and performance of new blockchain solutions is a critical factor for this sector. So, the modern L2 and L3 solutions are an important driver here (e.g. Playblock L3 solution has 0.1s time block, with 1.7M daily transactions) to provide the best user experience for any type of GameFi and iGaming solutions.   

The stage is set for Web3 gaming resurgence with continued investment pouring in, user experiences becoming seamless through account abstraction, and exciting Web3 gaming devices on the horizon. The wave of new users drawn in by TON and Telegram is a promising sign that this vibrant ecosystem is just getting started. GameFi has the potential to thrive, taking a position among the most exciting crypto narratives.

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