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Love at First Sight: Kwalee Acquires Narrative Specialists Tictales

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3 years ago

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Kwalee, a world-leading game developer and multiplatform publisher, has made its first ever studio acquisition with a deal that brings French developer Tictales into its increasingly-global family.

Established as one of the world’s foremost mobile game developers and publishers, Kwalee has achieved more than 750 million downloads across its hypercasual games portfolio.

The deal to buy Tictales is the first acquisition by Kwalee in its 10-year history, signalling its serious intent to build upon global hypercasual success with both casual and hybrid-casual titles.

Tictales, whose narrative-based mobile games have been downloaded more than 6 million times and played for more than 350 million hours, will continue to operate with creative independence while benefiting from Kwalee’s marketing expertise.

Screenshot from Perfume of Love by Tictales

14 games have been developed and published by Tictales since the studio’s founding in 2015, including Perfume of Love, Fictions and Swiit Crush – Interactive Stories. The company specialises in free-to-play romance narrative games, and its titles are acclaimed by fans globally.

Headquartered in Leamington Spa, UK, Kwalee has doubled in size over the past year thanks to rapid global expansion. The developer and publisher also has offices in Bangalore, India and Beijing, China along with remote team members all around the world. With the acquisition of Tictales, the company now has team members spread across 18 countries.

Kwalee boasts the world’s most prolific hypercasual games development studio, having published more than 40 number one mobile games – most of which were developed by a dedicated internal team. Internal development is complemented by a dedicated mobile game publishing team working with talented developers all over the world, led by SEGA and Ubisoft veteran Will Cox.

“We have been committed since day one to creating amazing mobile fiction for our audience and I’m very proud of all the team members of Tictales for this milestone,” said Christophe Chocho, Sales Manager and Co-Founder of Tictales.

“The long-term vision of Tictales is to bring bigger franchises to the world, with our production capacity increasing and new talents joining our team. We and Kwalee share the same philosophy about high-quality games and we cannot wait to show our exciting new projects to the world.”

“Our talented team crafts the best narrative experiences for fans to enjoy for many years,” added Harouna Camara, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Tictales.

“Joining Kwalee allows us to concentrate on these passions and specialisms while benefiting from their expertise, particularly in marketing and publishing.”

“It’s a proud moment for us to make Kwalee’s first acquisition, and Tictales is the perfect partner,” said Kwalee CEO David Darling.

“With their successful track record of casual mobile games and ability to tell a compelling story through their games, their ambitions match our own and we’re looking forward to building collective success.”

A legend of the UK games industry who co-founded Codemasters and led the company for 20+ years before establishing Kwalee, Darling is writing yet another chapter in his decades-long gaming career with this acquisition – and he’s not ruling out more deals for companies with complementary skill-sets.

David Darling, CEO of Kwalee

Developers with hypercasual, hybrid-casual or casual mobile games can submit, market-test and get their games published using the Kwalee Publishing Portal. In a process that takes only minutes, all that’s needed are a few 15-second gameplay videos, or a simple prototype: https://www.kwalee.com/publish-with-us/.

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International Game Technology PLC

IGT Wheel of Fortune Video Poker Makes Global Debut at Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

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49 minutes ago

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April 4, 2025

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International Game Technology PLC announced that it recently introduced its much-anticipated Wheel of Fortune Video Poker game in the world’s most prolific video poker market: Las Vegas, Nev. Guests of Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino (Downtown Grand) in Downtown Las Vegas became the first players in the world to enjoy legendary IGT multi-hand video poker paired with the puzzle-solving, wheel-spinning fun of Wheel of Fortune via IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Video Poker game.

“Becoming the first casino in the world to offer IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Video Poker was an exciting moment for Downtown Grand and one that generated palpable buzz and significant play on our gaming floor. For decades, our players have enjoyed IGT video poker and Wheel of Fortune slots, so combining the DNA of those two products to create something new is an exciting proposition for our players,” said Rick Coltor, Slots Manager at the Downtown Grand Las Vegas.

“Launching IGT Wheel of Fortune Video Poker in Las Vegas, the world’s largest video poker market, marked another important milestone in the rollout of our expanded Wheel of Fortune games portfolio. Our Wheel of Fortune Video Poker game delivers an ideal blend of proven multi-hand poker, jackpot excitement and the signature elements of Wheel of Fortune games that have propelled the theme’s success for more than 25 years,” said Nick Khin, IGT President, Global Gaming.

IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Video Poker is currently available on the CrystalCurve cabinet. Wheel of Fortune Video Poker incorporates the franchise’s famous puzzle-solving features and the iconic “Wheel Bonus” that has had players chanting “WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!” for decades. The multi-hand poker game is available in triple-play, five-play and ten-play configurations and can award players 30,000, 50,000 or 100,000 credits, respectively, for a dealt royal flush.

The post IGT Wheel of Fortune Video Poker Makes Global Debut at Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Frank Arthofer

MLB Players Sign Licensing Agreement with PENN Entertainment

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49 minutes ago

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April 4, 2025

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MLB Players Inc., a commercial affiliate of the Major League Baseball Players Association, and OneTeam Partners announced they’ve reached a licensing agreement with PENN Entertainment.

The agreement designates PENN’s sports betting platforms – ESPN BET in the U.S. and theScore BET in Canada – as Officially Licensed Sportsbooks of MLBPI.

PENN now has the rights to use MLB player names, images and likenesses on its sports betting platforms, marketing assets and promotional campaigns.

The deal also includes PENN’s retail sportsbook operations (32 retail sportsbooks at its casino properties, including 19 under the ESPN BET brand).

Last fall, FanDuel and MLBPI reached a similar licensing agreement after the MLB players’ union sued FanDuel and Underdog Fantasy in New York Supreme Court, accusing them of using the names and likeness of ballplayers on their players without permission.

”As baseball season gets underway, we’re excited to offer fans an enhanced betting experience that includes player likenesses, expanded wagering options and a more dynamic product. Partnering with MLB Players Inc. strengthens our connection to the league and its star players and creates additional opportunities to engage fans throughout the season,” said Jason Birney, Vice President of Operations at PENN Interactive.

OneTeam Partners specializes in commercializing group licensing rights for professional athlates, and is a joint venture between the NFL Players Association, MLB Players Association, Women’s National Basketball Players Association, MLS Players Association, and U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association.

“By integrating MLB player rights into PENN Entertainment’s platforms, this partnership brings fans closer to the game while unlocking new business opportunities in sports betting. It highlights the growing influence of players in shaping premium, fan-focused betting experiences while enhancing player NIL rights and widening distribution,” said Frank Arthofer, President of OneTeam Partners.

The post MLB Players Sign Licensing Agreement with PENN Entertainment appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Caesars Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment Debuts its First Live Dealer Studio Inside One of its Caesars Rewards Destinations

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49 minutes ago

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April 4, 2025

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Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced the launch of its first branded, live dealer studio inside one of its world-class destinations made possible through its partnership with Evolution. The debut of the space inside Tropicana Atlantic City in New Jersey marks the second custom studio made for Caesars live dealer offerings on its online casino platforms following the launch of its first such studio in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

Players 21 and older on Caesars’ online gaming platforms Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino, and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino can now enjoy a live dealer experience on mobile that draws inspiration from table game play at the Las Vegas Strip’s most iconic casino, Caesars Palace.

“The opening of this branded studio at one of our Caesars Rewards destinations introduces the newest addition to our ever-expanding online gaming platforms. We’re always striving to marry the world-class experiences our players enjoy at our destinations with the online casino play they love,” said Matt Sunderland, Senior Vice President and Chief iGaming Officer at Caesars Digital.

The New Jersey studio features five blackjack tables, which includes a VIP-exclusive blackjack table, one baccarat table and one roulette table. The tables feature custom felts with imagery and branding from iconic Caesars destinations on the Las Vegas Strip including Caesars Palace & Horseshoe. The studio also caters to VIP players, much like Caesars Rewards destinations, with a VIP-exclusive blackjack table offering an authentic 1-to-1 live high-limit blackjack experience, that could previously only be found in a physical casino.

“Evolution is thrilled to open a second dedicated Caesars live dealer studio inside Tropicana Atlantic City. This studio was made possible through our close partnership with Caesars. Once fully operational, it will generate approximately two hundred job opportunities in Atlantic City. We’re very proud to see a concrete example of how iGaming helps to create jobs and develop the workforce in our local communities,” said Jacob Claesson, Chief Executive Officer of Evolution North America.

Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino, and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino are available on iOS, Android, and desktop for those 21 and older in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ontario, and West Virginia. Each platform offers a dynamic online casino experience with a range of unique Caesarsbranded games alongside hundreds of classic land-based casino favorites and core casino game mechanics, including high limit slots, private live dealer tables, linked progressive jackpots, variations of poker and roulette, and more.

The post Caesars Entertainment Debuts its First Live Dealer Studio Inside One of its Caesars Rewards Destinations appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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