Press Releases

Northern Lights first to join Yggdrasil’s YGS Masters

Published

6 years ago

April 18, 2018

Northern Lights first to join YGS Masters

Reading Time: 3 minutes

17^th April, 2018 – Yggdrasil Gaming has announced that Northern Lights Gaming will be the first independent game studio to develop on its platform as part of the Yggdrasil Game Server (YGS) Masters programme.

The partnership will see Northern Lights’ high-quality, UK-targeted slots content made available to Yggdrasil’s operator partners.

The agreement is the first of its kind since the launch last month of YGS Masters, an invite-only, semi-open platform where Yggdrasil will curate content from the world’s leading independent games studios.

As part of the programme, Yggdrasil will provide access to BOOST™, the collection of in-game promotional tools, allowing studios to develop their own versions of these tools within their game clients.

Manchester and Stockholm-based Northern Lights was formed in 2017 by a group of industry veterans with decades of combined igaming experience. Its top-end, UK-focused content will significantly bolster Yggdrasil’s offering.

Stuart McCarthy, Head of Studio Partnerships at Yggdrasil, said: “Since launching YGS Masters last month, we have received many enquires and I am thrilled to announce our first partnership.

“Northern Lights Gaming has built a team with unparalleled expertise when it comes to developing for the UK market, and we’ve been hugely impressed by what we’ve seen so far.

“We are certain YGS Masters will help take Northern Lights’ content to the next level, and we are excited to share the games with customers in the coming months.”

Andrew Goodale, CEO of Northern Lights Gaming, said: “As we are finishing off our first games and preparing to show them to the world, we are extremely proud to be the first external game developer to gain access to Yggdrasil’s innovative platform.

“We look forward to building a close working relationship with Yggdrasil and making the most of the powerful tools they have developed. These are exciting times for Northern Lights Gaming.”

Northern Lights Gaming (NL Gaming Sweden AB) was founded by ex-Barcrest and WMS executives with decades of experience at the forefront of the online gaming industry.

Team members are behind some of the UK’s most successful games, including Rainbow Riches, and have repeatedly created and successfully launched games and entire gaming platforms both for desktop and mobile gameplay.

About Yggdrasil Gaming:

Yggdrasil Gaming is a provider of superior online and mobile casino games. It has emerged as one of the industry’s most respected and acclaimed suppliers and provides games for some of the world’s biggest operators, including: bet365, Betsson Group, bwin.party, Cherry, LeoVegas, Mr Green, Casumo and Unibet.

The company is headquartered in Malta, with a major development office in Krakow, Poland and regional offices in Stockholm and Gibraltar. The firm holds licences in Malta, Romania, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.

Yggdrasil’s slots are renowned for their outstanding graphics and gameplay and many have become global hits. They are integrated via the industry-changing iSENSE 2.0 HTML client framework which allows for simultaneous launches on desktop and mobile, and is supported by BOOST™, a collection of promotional tools focused on engagement and retention via concepts such as Missions, Super Free Spins™ and Cash Race, and BRAG, an industry-first concept which allows for the promotion of games via social channels.

iSENSE 2.0+, launched in April 2017, includes a number of industry-leading features, including retina support for crisper visuals, a new minimalistic mobile UI with a sleek and fresh feel, and a new and easy in-game deposit process.

Yggdrasil was the winner of Innovator Supplier of the Year at the 2017 and 2018 International Gaming Awards, Slot Provider of the Year at the 2016 and 2017 EGR B2B Awards, Gaming Software Supplier of the Year at the 2016 International Gaming Awards and Software Rising Star at the 2015 EGR B2B Awards.

About Northern Lights:

Northern Lights Gaming was founded in the beginning of 2017 by a small team with 50+ years of experience from the online gaming industry. Our team consists of creators, developers and designers all with the aim of creating the best high-end video slots to ever hit the market. Team members are behind some of the most successful games ever on the UK market, and have repeatedly created and successfully launched games and entire gaming platforms both for desktop and mobile game play.

Our games are designed for multiple markets across the world, but our specific edge in the UK market will have us initially focusing on building games for the UK player. The games will be available on major operators, starting in 2018.

Industry News

SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level

Published

11 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.

Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.

Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.

GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.

eSports

North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

11 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

partnerships

BNXT League and PepperMill Casino join forces

Published

11 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

BNXT League , the professional men’s basketball league played across the Netherlands and Belgium, and PepperMill Casino, the online casino licensed in Belgium, are pleased to announce their partnership centered around the BNXT League’s Belgian Play Offs.

PepperMill Casino will be a naming partner of the Belgian play offs. For the 24-25 season, PepperMill remains a partner of the BNXT League until the restrictions on gambling advertising take legal effect on January 1, 2025.

The partnership between BNXT League and PepperMill Casino aims to create engaging and customized content that engages and captivates fans on multiple fronts while increasing brand awareness.

“The basketball community is growing and buzzing with excitement and energy,” stated Anthony Rus, General Director of PepperMill Casino. “This partnership allows us to create memorable moments that build brand awareness and capture the hearts of fans.”

“Wim Van de Keere, general manager of the BNXT League, adds, “The playoffs are undoubtedly the sporting highlight of the season. We are delighted to still be able to tie a dynamic partner like PepperMill Casino to us despite the restrictions coming up from 2025.”