

gaming
Pocket Gamer Connects branches out to partner with Games Forest Club to reinforce Sustainability Awareness
The UK’s biggest global games industry conference Pocket Gamer Connects hits London this January and has announced its green initiative with GamesForest.Club innovative non-profit organisation creating awareness about nature restoration within the games industry. This project is set to change the way the games industry values sustainability. This innovative project aims to help restore nature with the power of gaming, and shine a light on the importance of sustainable business travel.
Pocket Gamer Connects, the must- attend event, is kickstarting the new year to meet exciting global game makers, developers and publishers from top international games, as well as investors, tools, service providers and platforms. The event is known to bring together and connect the most influential thought leaders in the industry.
Based in Berlin, the founders of GamesForest.Club project bring a strong background in the gaming industry, from co-founding Phoenix Games to being head of games:net Berlin-Brandenburg the founding members of the initiative have worked in the gaming industry in the past and formed this project in 2021. Games Forest is on a mission to create awareness and make the gaming industry as climate-positive as possible, with reforestation and forest protection at the heart of its projects. 52 companies have already signed up for the initiative to invest in carbon absorption via planting and protecting forests. In a short period of time, Games Forest’s community has successfully planted over 73 000 trees and protected 1.4 million square metres of forests.
To kickstart the year Jiri Kupiainen, CEO of Matchmade and ambassador of Games Forest Club launches the “10 weeks to save the games industry” social media challenge with Maria Wagner, Co-Founder of GamesForest.Club, where they will travel together around Europe to game shows and games hotspots by train to provide awareness around sustainable business travel and to find out how games industry thought leaders tackle the biggest opportunities and obstacles the industry faces today. Their trip aims to shine a light on the importance of making ethical travel choices that are sustainable and to find out what game companies are doing to be more environmentally friendly – showing that small can make a great positive impact on our environment. Pocket Gamer Connects will be the official media partner of this movement and the event will be one of their stops on this sustainable trip.
GamesForest.Club Co-Founder Maria Wagner has expressed her gratitude and hopes for what this partnership can achieve with more people on board: “We want to create a global community of leaders, who shape and benefit from a green future within the games industry. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a highly regarded company and are really looking forward to this partnership to create a bigger conversation within the games industry as to how we can all collectively make a change to restore and protect nature.”
This partnership aims to bring more awareness to the gaming community on the importance of climate change and the action each individual needs to take to protect the future of our our planet. Pocket Gamer Connects London is taking to the stage next week on the 23rd and 24th of January and is expected to be the biggest one yet, with more than 2,000 attendees globally. PGC London 2023 will host more than 900 leading companies in technology and mobile games with names such as Meta, Google, Sony Pictures and Disney
Chris James, CEO of Steel Media, expressed his excitement about this partnership. “It’s great to be involved in this project. We are really proud of being the conference that unites the international gaming community, and that does also come with a responsibility. We aim to support the environment and build an informed and supported community.”
PG Connects has established an outstanding international reputation as a must-attend conference to meet the exciting global game makers, developers and publishers- as well as some of the world’s top investors, tools providers and platforms. Bringing together the best-connected people in the industry, this event will host multiple panels and discussions, matchmaking activities for game makers, as well as networking opportunities and much more throughout the two full days.
You can register for the event and donate to the GamesForest.Club initiative. All of your contributions will help to protect forest in Peru and will be visualised in the Pocket Gamer Connects Forest.
gaming
Valicy Gaming Launches as New Brand in Land-Based Gaming, Evolving from Grover Gaming

The former Founder and CEO of Grover Gaming has officially launched a new brand in land-based gaming. Named by combining the names of his daughters, Valicy Gaming was unveiled during a recent company launch party held in Greenville, North Carolina.
Evolving from Grover Gaming—which was recently sold to Light & Wonder for a total consideration of $1.05 billion —Valicy will now focus on becoming a major manufacturer in land-based gaming across North America. Retaining a majority of the employees from the acquisition, Valicy will continue forward with a veteran team that will have a sharper focus on game development and hardware design.
Despite the name change, Valicy continues under the same experienced executive leadership team and remains dedicated to providing best-in-class customer service and technical support—qualities customers have come to depend on. The company’s values, represented by its CARE triangle—People, Company, and Work—are deeply rooted in its culture and will remain central to its mission moving forward.
The public debut of the Valicy brand will take place at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, October 6–9, at the Venetian Expo, Booth #1623, where the team will showcase its new identity and game offerings to casino partners and operators from across the industry.
“This is an exciting time for our teams,” said Garrett Blackwelder, Founder and CEO of Valicy. “We have the opportunity to do big things in new markets, which gives us energy and enthusiasm. As we grow Valicy, we will focus on relationships, excellence, and innovation.”
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Call of Duty
Monster Energy and Call of Duty Unite Again with Exclusive In-Game Rewards and Expanded Program Timing

Monster Energy is teaming up once again with Call of Duty to deliver bonus in-game rewards, bonus 2XP and an expanded promotional window that gives fans even more opportunities to fuel up and power their gameplay.
Gamers and Monster fans can start collecting codes to stockpile rewards ahead of the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on November 14. Following the record-breaking success of the last year’s program – the 2025 campaign has been extended and will run through March 31, 2026, with code redemption available until April 30, 2026.
Players who purchase specially marked Call of Duty cans of Monster Energy, Monster Zero Sugar, or Monster Zero Ultra can find a unique code under the tab and redeem it online at callofduty.monsterenergy.com. Every can unlocks bonus in-game items and double experience points.
2025 in-game rewards include:
• 1 Can = “Energy Flash” Large Decal + 15 min 2XP
• 2 Cans = “Peacekeeper MK1 – Hyper Green” Weapon Blueprint + 15 min 2XP
• 3 Cans = “Green Fury” Operator Skin + 15 min 2XP
• 4 Cans = “VS Recon – Green Thunder” Weapon Blueprint + 15 min 2XP
• 5 Cans = “Daylight Ripper” Operator Skin Recolor + 15 min 2XP
In addition, select retailers will feature specialty bonus in-game content such as Emblems, Charms, Weapon Stickers, and Dual 2XP.
And as an added bonus, fans who create an account on callofduty.monsterenergy.com before October 31 will score a Black Ops 6 in-game skin – no purchase required.
“Monster Energy is built on fueling competitive spirit and our collaboration with Call of Duty continues to push that to new levels. With expanded timing, bonus rewards and the unmatched value of Double XP in every can, this year’s program is our biggest and most exciting yet,” said Dan McHugh, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Monster Energy.
“We’re proud to continue building on the success of our partnership with Monster Energy. Monster is the go-to fuel of gamers and they are going to drink up these exciting in-game rewards,” added Cody Neal, Associate Director of Global Partnerships, Call of Duty.
The limited-edition Monster Energy Call of Duty cans are available in 16oz in Original Monster Energy, Monster Zero Sugar and Monster Zero Ultra. Special 4, 12, and 15 can Monster Energy Call of Duty multipacks are on shelves now.
The post Monster Energy and Call of Duty Unite Again with Exclusive In-Game Rewards and Expanded Program Timing appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
gaming
Gamescom 2025: New Records and Important Impetus for the Games Industry in Germany and Worldwide

Gamescom 2025 ended with numerous new records and strong momentum for the games industry in Germany and worldwide. Records were once again set, particularly in terms of key figures such as internationality (70% of visitors from abroad, exhibitors from 72 countries), digital reach (more than 630 million views worldwide by 23 August evening alone), exhibition space (233,000 square metres) and the number of exhibitors (1568). On site, 357,000 fans visited the world’s largest festival of games culture. The number of trade visitors rose to 34,000, with a particularly strong increase in participants from the US, China, Canada and Japan.
“This year, gamescom 2025 is sending out a particularly positive signal. After two challenging years for the games industry, you could really feel the mood improving this year. The new record figures underline not only the global appeal of gamescom, but also the upward trend in the entire games industry. gamescom 2025 is also a milestone for the German games industry: political support for the additional tax-based games funding at gamescom was stronger than ever – from both the federal and the state level alike. This creates hope that progress will be made quickly. But there were also positive signals on many other political topics, whether for e-sports from Federal Minister Bär at the political opening or from Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien, who was just as convinced of the important work of the USK in the protection of minors as she was of the enormous potential of games for the education sector,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, the co-organiser of gamescom.
Political interest in gamescom 2025 was greater than ever before. In total, over 600 politicians came to Cologne to see for themselves the current developments in the games industry and the enormous economic, cultural and technological potential of games. Whether from the federal states, the federal government or the EU, the political guests came from all levels. In addition, a particularly large number of international delegations travelled to gamescom, for example from this year’s gamescom partner country Thailand as well as from Brazil, Indonesia and India.
Gamescom 2026 will take place from 26 to 30 August. It will open on 25 August 2026 with the gamescom Opening Night Live.
The post Gamescom 2025: New Records and Important Impetus for the Games Industry in Germany and Worldwide appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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