Latest News

PlayStation Studios to Implement International Staff Reductions

Published

2 months ago

March 6, 2024

Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, announced the cutbacks in an online statement last Wednesday while emphasising the importance of the group's need for transparency.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Sony Interactive Entertainment is reducing its international workforce, with much of the staff reduction affecting its PlayStation Studios division. Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, announced the cutbacks in an online statement last Wednesday while emphasising the importance of the group’s need for transparency.

In the statement, Hulst details the reasons for the reductions while pointing out the need for PlayStation Studios to re-examine the group’s operating strategies:

“Our goal at PlayStation Studios has always been to make the best games for PlayStation fans, and our global community of studios represent some of the most creative and talented teams within the gaming industry. PlayStation 5 is in its fourth year, and we are at a stage where we need to step back and look at what our business needs.

At the same time, our industry has experienced continuing and fundamental change which affects how we all create, and play games. Delivering the immersive, narrative-driven stories that PlayStation Studios is known for, at the quality bar that we aspire to, requires a re-evaluation of how we operate.”

With PlayStation 5 games being extremely popular for betting on amongst esports fans, the news will interest many international online punters. For example, as Khadija Bilal, an accomplished writer for Sports Talk Philly out of the US state of Pennsylvania, explains:

“Pennsylvania legalized sports betting long before PASPA was repealed, making it quick and easy for the state to introduce legal mobile betting apps for bettors in the state to use when the Supreme Court repealed the legislation mentioned above. Today, there are more than 10 PA betting apps for bettors in the state to download and enjoy.” (source: https://www.sportstalkphilly.com/pa/betting-apps)

Pennsylvania is thought to be the 10th-most gaming-obsessed state in the US, so the state also likely has a large esports betting market.

Although the PlayStation Studios news is unlikely to directly impact how gamers and esports bettors access their betting apps, either in the US or across Europe, changes Sony is implementing could affect the emergence of future game titles from the network. This in turn will leave esports fans with fewer options for new games to watch and bet on.

In Europe, PlayStation Studios’ London Studio will close entirely, and there will be reductions in staff at the Guerrilla and Firesprite studios, co-developers of the VR title Horizon Call of the Mountain, among others. Smaller reductions will take place at other PlayStation studios across the European continent.

US PlayStation studios are also affected. Insomniac Games, responsible for the recently-released PS5 Marvel title Spider-Man 2, and Naughty Dog, which brought us the popular The Last of Us series, will lose some of their staff contingent.

There will also be staff reductions in PlayStation Studios Technology, Creative, and Support teams across Europe and the US, with the total number of employees losing their jobs likely to reach the 900 mark, around 8% of the group’s total workforce.

Hermen Hulst touched on PlayStation’s growth over the years while ending his statement by confirming that some PlayStation projects will discontinue:

“But growth itself is not an ambition. PlayStation Studios is committed to continually discovering ways to work together; collaborating and combining our efforts to ensure that we are able to craft games that push the boundaries of play and deliver what you expect from us.

We looked at our studios and our portfolio, evaluating projects in various stages of development, and have decided that some of those projects will not move forward. I want to be clear that the decision to stop [working] on these projects is not a reflection [of] the talent or passion of team members.

Our philosophy has always been to allow creative experimentation. Sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best intentions before shifts within the market or industry result in a change of plan.”

While Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation Studios reassess their future strategies, online gamers and esports bettors remain secure in the fact that, while there may be a shift in upcoming PS5 game releases, their existing online gaming experiences should not change and could likely improve in the future.

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Baltics

HIPTHER Announces the BALTIC & Scandinavian Gaming Awards 2024 Shortlists

Published

7 mins ago

April 30, 2024

George Miller

HIPTHER Announces the BALTIC & Scandinavian Gaming Awards 2024 Shortlists

Reading Time: 2 minutes

HIPTHER, the leading event organizer for Gaming and Technology industries in Europe, is excited to announce the Shortlists for the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards (BSG Awards), that will honour iGaming industry excellence in the Baltics and Nordics regions for 2024.

Hosted under HIPTHER’s Pioneering GameTech Event in the Baltics, the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit, the BSG Awards recognize and celebrate the achievements of the very best of the iGaming industry, as voted by their peers.

The Final Vote will be cast at the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit by the participants of the conference, and the Winners will be crowned at the BSG Awards 2024 Ceremony that will take place during the event on 4 June 2024.

HIPTHER is thankful to all the esteemed industry professionals who voted online and decided the Shortlists across a series of streamlined Categories covering iGaming Operators, B2B Providers, and Connected Services such us Testing Laboratories and Payment Service Providers.

View the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards Shortlists

Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards – BSG Awards 2024 Categories

Baltics: Operators Categories:

Best Online Casino in the Baltics
Best Sports Betting Operator in the Baltics

Baltics: B2B Categories:

B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Baltics
Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Baltics
Rising Star in Baltic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
Rising Star in Baltic Sports Betting Technology
Best Sports Betting Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Baltics
B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Baltic Online Casino Technology
Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics

Nordics: Operators Categories:

Nordics: Best Online Casino in the Nordics
Nordics: Best Sports Betting Operator in the Nordics

Nordics: B2B Categories:

B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Sports): Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Sports Betting Technology
B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Nordics
B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Nordic Online Casino Technology
Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics
Connected Services – Best Hosting Provider in the Baltics

Congratulations and best of luck to all the Shortlisted Companies!

See you in Tallinn & the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024 – Register Now

Africa

Kiron Interactive strengthens Ethiopian performance with Hulu Sport deal

Published

49 mins ago

April 30, 2024

George Miller

Kiron Interactive strengthens Ethiopian performance with Hulu Sport deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kiron Interactive, a leading provider of virtual sports and numbers games, has announced the expansion of its partnership with Hulu Sport, a tier-one operator in Ethiopia, with the launch of its innovative Mobile Lite Football Leagues product.

The new offering, known as the Hulu League, is an extension of Kiron’s existing partnership with Hulu Sport, which already includes the integration of Kiron’s products in the operator’s retail and online channels via its omnichannel Betman platform.

Mobile Lite Football Leagues is a tailored version of Kiron’s popular virtual football product, designed specifically for mobile devices in markets with limited bandwidth. The game offers an immersive and engaging virtual football experience, complete with a wide range of betting markets while requiring a fraction of the regular data consumption.

The Hulu League launch will significantly boost Hulu Sport’s mobile offering, providing its players with a unique, entertaining and data-light virtual football betting experience that Kiron Interactive is renowned for in the industry.

Steven Spartinos, Kiron Co-CEO, said: “We are honoured to extend our partnership with Hulu Sport, one of Ethiopia’s leading operators. The launch of the Hulu League demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and tailored products that meet the specific needs of our partners and their players.

“We look forward to working closely with the Hulu Sport team to ensure the success of this new bespoke offering and to exploring further opportunities to enhance their product portfolio with our cutting-edge virtual sports content.”

Kibrom Gebremeskel, Deputy General Manager at Hulegeb Online Solution, said: “We are excited to expand our partnership with Kiron Interactive and bring the engaging Hulu League virtual football product to more players in Ethiopia. This innovative offering perfectly complements our existing sports betting portfolio and provides our customers with a unique and immersive gaming experience.

“Kiron’s Mobile Lite Football Leagues product has been tailored to meet the specific needs of our market, and we are confident that it will be a major hit with our players. We look forward to working closely with the Kiron team to maximise the potential of this new content and to further strengthen our position as a leading operator in the Ethiopian market.”

Latest News

Swintt teams up with Casino 777 to increase regulated market presence

Published

1 hour ago

April 30, 2024

George Miller

Swintt teams up with Casino 777 to increase regulated market presence

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In-demand software provider partners with leading Dutch operator to supply Swintt titles in Belgium and the Netherlands, with Belgium launching first.

Swintt, the rapidly-expanding software developer behind popular titles Aloha Spirit XtraLockTM and Seven Seven Pots and Pearls, has announced that it has formed a new partnership with Casino 777 that will see its full suite of games released on the Netherlands-based platform.

As a result of the new deal, both classically-themed SwinttPremium games and cutting-edge SwinttSelect releases will go live on the platform later this month, with this bumper collection of almost 150 top titles providing Casino 777 customers with an unrivalled choice of gaming options.

The provider also hinted that titles from Swintt’s latest venture – Elysium Studios – will be added later in the year, further improving the range of gaming options available to players.

With Casino 777 already offering hundreds of slots, table games, and ‘Gridders’ from other industry-leading studios, Swintt’s addition as a top-quality software provider will further elevate the operator’s reputation with Dutch and Belgian players. Belgium will be the first to experience this partnership, followed by the Netherlands.

Of all the Swintt games that will shortly be live on the platform, it’s the two aforementioned titles that are likely to attract the most attention from slot fans. The former – Aloha Spirit XtraLockTM – is an innovative Tiki-themed title in the SwinttSelect range that currently stands as the provider’s most successful release to date thanks to its exciting XtraLockTM feature and a max win of 200,500 x bet.

Seven Seven Pots and Pearls, meanwhile, is a SwinttPremium release that puts a fresh spin on the classic fruit-themed slot format. Boasting iconic graphics and sound that provide a fitting homage to traditional land-based machines, the game gives players access to Swintt’s signature Pearl feature which can potentially award one of four local jackpots for truly huge wins.

Lars Kollind, Head of Business Development at Swintt, said: “The goal at Swintt has always been to have a strong presence in regulated markets – and partnering with an operator of the size of Casino 777 will enable us to raise our profile in both the Netherlands and Belgium. We’re really looking forward to working with them and can’t wait to hear what their players make of our slots.”

Jennifer Dettori, General Manager at Casino 777, is thrilled, “At Casino 777, we’re always in pursuit of the next level of entertainment, curating top-tier titles from industry-leading suppliers. Welcoming Swintt to our ever-growing portfolio is a testament to our commitment to offering unparalleled gaming experiences. With their diverse range of Premium and Select slots, we’re confident that Swintt’s innovative games will captivate and thrill our customers, taking our entertainment offerings to the next level.”