Gaming
Kwalee Reaches One Billion Mobile Games Installs Milestone

Kwalee, a leading global game developer and publisher, is ecstatic to announce that its mobile app games portfolio has reached the much-anticipated milestone of 1 billion installs. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Kwalee team, partners and the support of its loyal players. Kwalee games have been downloaded on every continent – even Antarctica.
Founded in 2011, Kwalee has become the leader of hypercasual mobile game development in the UK, and its success prompted the company to open studios in India, China, and Portugal. It has consistently delivered fun and innovative titles such as Draw it, Teacher Simulator, and Airport Security. Kwalee has over 45 chart-topping games, and with over 200 million installs last year alone, it has accelerated towards the 1 billion install milestone.
Kwalee CEO, David Darling CBE, says, āWeāre elated to reach this milestone. As a founder of Kwalee and someone with a long history in the games industry, it’s incredibly rewarding to see us reach this level of success. I’ve always been passionate about creating games that bring joy and entertainment to people, and to have reached one billion installs is a clear indication that we’ve been able to achieve that goal.
Weāve always believed in the potential of mobile games as a medium to connect people from all walks of life. I’m incredibly proud of our team and their work to get us to this point, and I’m excited to still be playing Kwalee games when we hit 2 billion installs.”
First introduced in 2017, Creative Wednesdays was one of the defining innovations that enabled Kwalee to achieve this astronomical success. Team members in all parts of the business are given the freedom to pitch games and share in the profits if they become a success. Every week, in addition to hearing new pitches, the full Kwalee team gathers in person and remotely to share news, trends and play a new game together. This creative culture has helped Kwalee attract top talent, with the team reading tens of thousands of applications a month for its many remote and hybrid vacancies.
In addition to the success of games developed in-house, Kwalee has built a strong community of third-party game developers from around the world. Games such as Rocket Sky, Letās Be Cops 3D and Build Your Vehicle were all developed by independent studios. They partnered with Kwalee to benefit from industry-leading marketing, monetisation, funding and development guidance from Kwaleeās expert hypercasual and casual teams. Developers are encouraged to sign up to Kwaleeās Publishing Portal to access free coaching and game testing.
Its strong marketing credentials and commitment to collaborate closely with talented game developers have made Kwalee the partner of choice for established and up-and-coming mobile game developers. Over a tenth of its billion installs have come from publishing external developers, with a success rate recognised by industry awards – Kwalee won Publisher of the Year at both the TIGA and Mobile Game Awards in 2022.
On this special occasion, Kwalee thanks its players, developers, and in-house teams who have driven this success. The company is thrilled to continue growing and expanding its community of players and is looking forward to many more years of successful mobile, PC and console game development.
Gaming
Gamers around the globe are invited to celebrate the Game Development World Championship Award Show online and on-site

Game Development World Championship (GDWC) season 2022 is coming to an end and now itās time to celebrate amazing game developers and their games in a much-awaited Award Show which will happen on the 22nd of April in Tallinn Estonia. Tickets are limited, so make sure to reserve your spot ahead of time. The event will also be streamed on the GDWC Youtube channel.
The Award Show will be celebrating the following categories: Studio, Indie, Hobby, Mobile, Game Jam, Student, Brainwave Award, Houdini Award, Xsolla Award. The final round of Fan Choice Voting is open starting today, 20th of March (8 am GMT+2) for Studio, Indie, Hobby, Mobile & Game Jam categories.
“We’re extremely happy with the GDWC 2022. With over 3700 teams signing up this was the largest year in the Championship history. Your awesome Judges are currently working hard to select the Jury Choice Winners, and now we just need help from the players to decide on the Fan Choice Winners. So head onto our website and vote! And while there, check out the GDWC 2022 Awards coming up in Tallinn, Estonia on April 22nd.” – Olli MƤntylƤ, Director of GDWC.
For the Fan Choice Voting each category (Studio, Indie, Hobby, Mobile & Game Jam) will feature 10 games to vote from and have 1 winner and 4 runner-ups. Here are the prizes for all categories.
Fan Choice Runner ups:
- GDWC Swag & Certificate
- 1-year JetBrains Rider license
- Opportunity to be featured in Helpshift Showcase
- 20% discount for IGDA Memberships
Fan Choice Indie, Studio & Hobby Winners:
- Trip to Finland for 1 team representative
- GDWC Swag & Certificate
- 1-year Houdini Core license
- 1-year JetBrains Rider license
- Opportunity to be featured in Helpshift Showcase
- 20% discount for IGDA Memberships
Fan Choice Mobile & Game Jam Winners:
- GDWC Care Package, Swag & Certificate
- 1-year Houdini Core license
- Opportunity to be featured in Helpshift Showcase
- 20% discount for IGDA Memberships
Gaming
Back to the 80s with Samantha Fox Arcade, the new slot game from MGA Games

Driving a vintage car, shooting space invaders, and listening to a boombox are just some of the fun festive eighties sensations recreated in the newĀ “Samantha Fox Arcade”Ā fromĀ MGA Games.Ā The game takes us back to that glorious time and theĀ arcadesĀ with their arcade video games, pinball machines, and table football. And if any woman was to be admired in those days, it was Samantha Fox. TheĀ English singer and modelĀ starred on magazine covers worldwide and sold 30 million albums, with hits like Touch Me, Naughty Girls, Love House, and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now – the video for which was shot in Marbella.
MGA Games had previously worked with the famous singer on the successful 5-reel Samantha Fox tribute slot game back in 2020. With this latest production,Ā Samantha Fox Arcade, MGA Games, leaders in creating and developing innovative online slot games in Spain, adds another title to its spectacular catalogue: a new premium production demonstrating once again the companyāsĀ know-how in the development of 3-reel slot games, unrivalled in the market.
With anĀ excellent download timeĀ and flawlessly adapted for mobile phones, tablets, and computers, the game starring the exuberant, world-famous British artist and model is here to triumph. The attractive model and singer invites players to accompany her in thisĀ classic arcade game, reminiscent of the eighties,Ā where music and Arcade video games transports players back to this truly memorable time.
In addition, among theĀ 7 mini-games, accessed at random with certain prize lines, there are someĀ great Arcade classicsĀ to be played. With the singer, players can play vinyl music, watch one of her concerts or shoot space invaders in true eighties style, and if players manage to get the disco ball symbols, they canĀ play 8 linesĀ in the upper game. TheĀ accumulative hearts game and the mixed sevensĀ are other surprises to be discovered in “Samantha Fox Arcade”.
The main game ofĀ Samantha Fox ArcadeĀ takes place in the arcade bar, with Samantha Fox ready to drink a milkshake and accompany the players in their return to the past full of prizes and surprises. With enough bonuses and credits, players can access theĀ upper game, an arcade game room with cassettes, classic cars, planets, and Samantha – ready to win every game.
“Samantha Fox Arcade”Ā is a low volatility, 3-reel, 9-line game inĀ Spanish and EnglishĀ with Wilds, Advances, Holds, and Vertical Lines. A premium slot game from MGA Games programmed with HTML5 technology and with a responsive design that makes it compatible with all digital formats.
The game is available to online casino operators in Spain from theĀ 20th of March, 2023.
Central Europe
New Metaverse Game Star Life by iCandy’s Flying Sheep Receives German Government Funding

Flying Sheep Studios, a subsidiary of iCandy Interactive, an Australian-listed international games studio, is proud to announce it is developing Star Life, a social massively multiplayer online (MMO) game focused on cooperation, and community-driven experiences that will prioritise socialising and being the party and event part of the metaverse, eventually hosting events and concerts.
iCandy Interactive has an international footprint of having other video games studios across Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia) and Flying Sheep Studios is its first major investment made in Europe.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has agreed to support the development of Star Life with a generous funding of approximately EUR 1.1 million (approximately USD 1.2 million). Flying Sheep Studios, known for its expertise in HTML5 web-based game development, is utilizing its skills to create a sophisticated web-based metaverse game.
High-Availability Metaverse
One of the key features of Star Life is its high accessibility, making it conveniently playable from any browser on any device without needing downloads, installations, or high-end technology.
Players can start entering the Star Life metaverse with just one click via a web browser on both desktop and mobile devices. The game also prioritizes diversity, offering players various options for character creation, shopping, and community-driven events, such as concerts and exhibitions.
In addition, Star Life will incorporate optional blockchain-enabled items, or NFTs, giving players more ownership and agency over their virtual belongings. These belongings can be transferred and used on different platforms, making the process streamlined and convenient. Star Life will be a free-to-play game available to everyone.
“We are grateful to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action for their support and trust in our project. This funding demonstrates the federal budget for video games working as intended, fostering the development of cutting-edge technical know-how ‘made in Germany’ and creating and securing jobs,” says Thomas Rƶssig, Founder and Managing Director of Flying Sheep Studios.
Addition of Senior European Industry Talent
For the development of this groundbreaking project, Flying Sheep has also hired additional talent, including four industry veterans:
Renke Bahlmann ā Lead Game Designer
With 12 years of experience working on browser games for industry leaders such as Bigpoint, game development allrounder and media technology expert Renke Bahlmann is the perfect fit for the position of Lead Game Designer. He will guide the team in creating a highly engaging game experience.
Frank Reitberger ā Lead 3D Developer
Flying Sheep’s new Lead 3D Developer Frank Reitberger is renowned for his work as a Designer and Programmer. In the past two decades, he has worked for well-known brands and customers such as Porsche, IBM, and Activision Blizzard.
Daniel Schemann ā Head of Back-End Development
Cultivating his passion for multiplayer experiences in the early days of MUDs, Daniel Schemann founded his studio Silent Future in the early 2000s and would later work on free-to-play MMO Earthrise. In his new position as Head of Back-End Development at Flying Sheep, he will create the foundation for the multiplayer experience of Star Life.
Nina Kiel ā Head of Diversity & Inclusion
As one of Germany’s foremost game diversity experts, Nina Kiel has worked in various industry-related fields such as games journalism, game development, game event management, game studies and media education for over a decade, and published several books. Now they’ve joined Flying Sheep as Head of Diversity & Inclusion to support the studio in making diversity and
inclusion a key part of their endeavors.
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
Netherlands Gambling Regulator KSA Fines Bet365 for Marketing Breaches
-
Latest News7 days ago
Stakelogic brings the heat to PepperMill Casino in Belgium
-
Latest News7 days ago
PADDY POWER AND SPOTLIGHT SPORTS GROUP ANNOUNCE RENEWAL OF VIDEO CONTENT PARTNERSHIP
-
EveryMatrix Press Releases7 days ago
Tor Skeie appointed new OddsMatrix CEO
-
Asia7 days ago
Singapore Gambling Regulatory Authority to Crack Down on Use of Crypto Assets
-
Industry News7 days ago
Sportradar Wins Major Bid for ATP Rights
-
Africa7 days ago
Mind Sports South Africa’s (MSSA) 2023 Gauteng Online Championships held on 11 March 2023 showed sterling results.
-
Baltics7 days ago
TOPsport makes Lithuanian slot history with record payout