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iCandy Acquires Renowned Lemon Sky Studios, To Form Largest Game Development Company in Australia and Southeast Asia

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iCandy Interactive Limited announced its 100% acquisition of the leading Southeast Asian gaming studio, Lemon Sky Studios. This acquisition adds strategic value and significant scale to iCandy’s existing capabilities. It will form the largest pure-play game development company on the Australian Stock Exchange, and in Australia and Southeast Asia too, with more than 450 employees while generating no less than A$17 million (US$12.36 million) revenue per annum.

With significant interest and best-regarded growth in gaming driven by the metaverse concept, iCandy Interactive and Lemon Sky will be a leading powerhouse through its regional expansion plans in developing casual and AAA gaming on blockchain for the open metaverse.

The metaverse is a virtual world that allows work and play, shared by millions (or billions) of people. It is built with next-generation technology encompassing Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Video and Gaming technologies.

iCandy Interactive’s core business is in game development, game publishing, and esports. The company is the co-founder of the global esports league and platform, Esports Players League (ESPL), fast-growing across 17 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Games on the iCandy network are played by over 360 million mobile gamers worldwide. The gaming studios based in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have won multiple awards, including Google Play’s Best of 2016 and 2017 New Android Excellence Game Award* Games Award for Crab War and other various coveted international events.

Its latest game release, Claw Stars, is a top-rated mobile game with over 1 million downloads since its initial release in July 2021. It has received more than 50,000 4-star and 5-star reviews on Google Play and App Store.

Founded in 2006, Lemon Sky Studios is an award-winning video game and animation studio world-renowned for providing innovative visual art solutions for critically acclaimed

AAA gaming titles ranging from Overwatch 2, Call of Duty – Infinite Warfare, to SimCity, Diablo 3, StarCraft: Remastered, amongst many other illustrious titles.

The studio has amassed an incredible clientele over its 15-year history, working with gaming industry leaders such as Blizzard Entertainment, Naughty Dog, 2K Games, Square-Enix, Bandai Namco, Microsoft Studios, EA Entertainment, Disney and Nickelodeon.

“Lemon Sky Studios is a phenomenal acquisition and an excellent addition to iCandy Interactive. We now have this unparalleled capability in the region, we will focus a fair bit of our newly gained superpower to make high-quality games for the metaverse, arguably the most important development for the gaming world.” says Kin W. Lau, Chairman of iCandy Interactive.

He adds, “Lemon Sky Studios’ track record in creating world-class visuals for AAA games is highly regarded in the industry. To merge our expertise with a studio like Lemon Sky is truly phenomenal, and we cannot wait to see the outcome of integrating our teams,”

“Collaborative partnerships in the creative industry are pertinent to keeping things fresh and innovative. We are positive that this merger will encourage creative working methods and bring about new ideas. We are extremely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead,” said Cheng-Fei Wong, CEO of Lemon Sky Studios.

The acquisition will be at a valuation of MYR135 million (A$44.5 million, US$32.4 million), to be fulfilled together with cash and newly issued iCandy shares.

Concurrent with the acquisition, iCandy has also announced that it has raised A$40 million (US$29.1 million) from institutional investors via a placement that is heavily oversubscribed.

Leading iCandy’s latest fundraising round is another gaming heavy-weight, Animoca Brands, iCandy’s cornerstone investor. Animoca is a global leader in gamification technology and blockchain gaming with an extensive portfolio of over 100 investments in NFT-related companies and decentralised projects contributing to building the open metaverse. They raised more than US$200 million in 2021 and is currently valued by investors at US$2.2 billion. Separately, The Sandbox – Animoca’s subsidiary raised US$93 million recently, in a round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2.

The global video game industry is estimated to be worth A$214.33 billion (US$155.95 billion) in 2020**. With the APAC region leading the industry at 49% of the worldwide market, there is a clear pathway for growth with enormous upside potential expansion.

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100 Exclusive Product Launches to Debut at G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo

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Building on 15 years of success, G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo is set to make its highly anticipated return to Macau from May 7-9, 2025, at The Venetian Macao.

The 2025 show will introduce a range of new initiatives, including 100 exclusive product launches debuting in Asia for the first time. These will be showcased across more than 30,000 sqm and will cover the full spectrum of the entertainment and travel industries.

The leading event in Asia is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors from 80 countries and regions. To maximise opportunities for attendees, the event will feature a series of high-impact networking sessions, along with a dedicated business matchmaking team coordinating over 400 pre-arranged meetings to streamline connections.

This year’s show will also introduce the new Gaming Innovation Forum, featuring three full days of sessions that will dive into the latest gaming trends and technologies, all presented by G2E Asia Awards winners and nominees. Located in the exhibition hall, the forum will be accessible to all event attendees.

The G2E Asia Awards celebrates excellence and innovation within the gaming and entertainment industry. The awards will spotlight five prestigious categories, each evaluated by a panel of renowned industry leaders: Best Slot Award, Best Electronic Table Game Award, Best Table Game Award, Best Casino Supply Award and Best IR Tech Solution Award. All award-winning products will be prominently displayed in the exhibition, giving attendees the opportunity to experience them firsthand.

The expanded Asian IR Expo will feature a new Smart Hospitality Technology Experience Zone, offering an immersive and interactive onsite experience. This space will showcase emerging innovations across three unique areas: Smart Reception, Smart Cleaning and Smart Hospitality, each providing guided tours and live demonstrations.

The post 100 Exclusive Product Launches to Debut at G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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DigiPlus Bags 7 Wins at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

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DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus) has won seven honours – including five coveted gold awards – at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. This milestone places DigiPlus among the most awarded companies in the region this year, spotlighting its strategic growth and transformative impact across digital entertainment, social development and investor relations.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards Programme that recognises innovation across all 29 markets in the region. Widely regarded as the world’s premier business awards, the Stevie Awards represent a prestigious recognition of business excellence.

DigiPlus bagged five Gold Stevies for ‘Innovative Achievement in Growth’, ‘Innovation in Investor Relations’, ‘Excellence in Social Impact Companies’, ‘Innovation in Annual Reports’ and ‘Innovation in Corporate Websites’. The company also clinched Silver and Bronze Stevies for ‘Achievement in Product Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Brand Renovation’ respectively.

At the core of these wins is DigiPlus’ commitment to innovation and digital transformation. From redefining the player experience through localised and immersive content, to launching a refreshed brand identity that resonates with a more connected and tech-savvy user base, DigiPlus has embraced a future-forward mindset. The company’s calculated investments in big data, cutting-edge technologies and stakeholder engagement have not only fueled business growth, but also opened inclusive pathways to digital participation through its social development arm, BingoPlus Foundation.

“This momentous victory at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards affirms DigiPlus’ emergence as a true powerhouse of innovation and progress, reshaping industry boundaries and redefining digital consumer engagement on a global scale. Through consistent growth and business performance, DigiPlus reaffirms its unwavering commitment to creating long-term value,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco.

Winning entries in the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards undergo a rigorous, multi-layered evaluation by an esteemed panel of judges composed of business and industry leaders across the region.

“The 12th Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards received an impressive array of outstanding entries. This year’s winners have clearly shown their dedication to innovation, and we commend their resilience and imaginative efforts,” said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards.

The post DigiPlus Bags 7 Wins at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Grand Korea Leisure Partners with Robotis

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Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), a quasi-public firm operating Seven Luck casinos for foreign nationals in Korea, has entered into a partnership with autonomous robot specialist Robotis to introduce artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-driving robots customised for casino operations.

Under the agreement, the two companies plan to establish joint business models and service systems using autonomous robots and deploy the self-driving robots for transporting gaming chips and cards across three Seven Luck casino facilities.

They will also participate in a large-scale convergence robot demonstration project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The latest achievement came as part of GKL’s efforts to digitize casino operations.

The two firms began a six-month pilot Programme in September 2024 at Seven Luck Casino at Seoul Dragon City hotel to collect autonomous driving data and jointly develop software tailored to casino environments.

“GKL is accelerating its transition to smart casinos in line with the government’s drive to realize the so-called ‘digital platform government’. By adopting AI-powered self-driving robots, we aim to provide a new and differentiated customer experience,” GKL CEO Yoon Doo-hyun said.

The digital platform government initiative — pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — aims to resolve diverse social problems and add value using the latest digital technologies.

In August 2023, GKL developed a mobile service platform, the SevenLuck+, for foreign tourists’ easier access to the casino.

The service is the first of its kind developed by a Korean firm. Those who use the app do not have to bring traditional membership cards. It also provides push notifications for new events and promotions for the casino.

The service is powered by a blockchain-based decentralized identity technology, offering various services, such as e-wallet and entry authentication.

The post Grand Korea Leisure Partners with Robotis appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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