Games Global signs exclusive partnership with UFC to produce unique branded slots

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Leading iGaming publisher Yggdrasil and YGG Masters partner Peter & Sons have shaken up the pirate slot genre with Gunpowder, a battle for oceanic supremacy with a hold full of rich naval-inspired features.

A volatile slot with 10 paylines, Gunpowder promises sticky wilds elevated with respins for the bravest of seadogs. A powerful free spins game sees the Phantom Power feature and retriggers wrapped up in the signature polished animation that Peter & Sons is renowned for.

The theme pits several competing naval vessels against each other in a cutthroat high-stakes battle to decide the ruler of the waves, including ghost ships that use the ethereal power of phantoms to tip the scales in their favour.

Triggered randomly in the base game, Phantom Power comes into its own when a wild lands, initiating a respin. The wild will then battle all high-value symbols surrounding it. The defeated vessel transforms into additional wilds if victorious, with an extra respin awarded.

The main game can also see scatters land on the reels with three or more of them launching the free spins game. Wilds are sticky and remain in play until the bonus round has finished. When all reels include a wild, free spins are retriggered, awarding five extra spins.

Offering the chance at even greater rewards, the Golden Bet empowers players who pay x0.5 extra per bet and increases the chance of getting sticky wilds in the main game or triggering free spins.

Gunpowder is powered by GATI, Yggdrasil’s state-of-the-art technology enabling partners to employ the preconfigured, regulation-ready, standardised development toolkit to consistently produce cutting-edge content followed by rapid distribution.

Zoe Bird, Senior Product & Program Manager at Yggdrasil, said: “Peter & Sons games are unmistakable for their incredibly rich design and attention to detail, not only in their animation but in their feature sets too. Gunpowder continues these standards and broadens our YGG Masters game library with another hit.”

Yann Bautista, Commercial Director & Founder at Peter & Sons, said: “Gunpowder brings the sights and sounds of classic naval battles to the reels! An incredibly fun game, the Phantom Power feature is just one of the highlights that fire a broadside of gameplay into the new slots market. We’re sure it will be the ruler of the high seas!”

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Fincore is pleased to announce the launch of its flagship TRI Software, a powerful, modular solution that allows operators to ultimately own their own platform and tech stack.

TRI is made up of three core components – TRI Hub (player account management, bonus, loyalty and data), Sportsbook and Gaming – and offers a host of benefits for operators that want to take control of their technology to deliver a superior player experience, be more efficient and boost revenues.

It is truly modular and highly customisable with each module or micro-service designed to operate brilliantly as standalone software or combined with the others that make up TRI Software suite.

The key to driving player engagement and retention is being able to give customers what they want, exactly at the moment they want it. TRI turns real-time data into actionable insights, so the Operator knows the next best step.

This becomes super powerful when combined with rules-based automation, which automates the majority of tasks, both ensuring insights are actioned at exactly the right moment and freeing up people to focus on the exceptions, taking efficiency and engagement to the next level.

For any Operator that’s serious about growing their business, owning your own platform is essential. While white label solutions are good for starting out, having control over your technology is crucial as you expand. Why risk your hard-earned customer base by relying on a third party that may prioritise other requests over yours?

TRI Software has been developed specifically to allow operators of all sizes to own their own technology. Fincore supports its customers in the initial customisation, set-up and launch and then hands over the platform allowing operators to unlock the benefits of platform ownership while de-risking the whole process.

TRI Software is built on the latest open-source software and tech stack, future-proofing an operator’s business both in terms of its technology and people skills – the pool of skilled developers for legacy tech is shrinking making existing systems more expensive and harder to maintain.

TRI Software is currently being deployed with operators in the US, UK, Europe, and Africa with a small number of new customer spaces available for the remainder of the year.

Mateja Popovic, CEO at Fincore, said: “TRI Software provides a fast track for operators to own their own platform and tech stack. Operators running on legacy platforms simply can’t keep pace with those using modern solutions, while white-label brands find themselves in long development queues.

“TRI Software has been developed to overcome these pain points, putting the power in the hands of the operator. It is truly modular and highly customisable and leverages the power of data and automation to allow operators to beat the customer clock and drive better engagement and retention.

“We look forward to speaking to operators about how Fincore can help them take their business to the next level.”

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With the iGaming industry currently experiencing a perfect storm of evolving technology, progressive regulation and increased internet penetration, we sat down with BETBAZAR’s Chief Operating Officer, Max Sevostianov, to get his take on the latest emerging trends for operators to keep an eye on and how they could potentially alter the gambling landscape in the next few years.

You’ve previously spoken about the increased adoption of AI being one of the most notable recent developments in iGaming, but outside of this technology are there any other notable emerging trends that you think will play a major role in shaping the future of the industry?

From my perspective the growing prevalence of mobile gaming continues to have a major impact on how the iGaming industry is evolving. Driven by the increased availability of smartphones/tablets and greater internet penetration, mobile gaming offers unparalleled accessibility and convenience, which in turn enables users to enjoy their favourite games anytime, anywhere. Somewhat related to that, I think we’re also seeing live streaming platforms become much more popular and channels like Twitch – which is now the go-to medium for esports coverage – are becoming an essential part of operators’ toolkits. Finally on a more personal note, I’m a big believer in the potential of VR and AR technology. With recent games like No Man’s Sky providing immersive VR experiences where players can really feel the emotion of what it might be like to command their own spaceship, I really think the entertainment they provide will be key to the future of iGaming.

Looking specifically at the changing gaming preferences of customers, it seems that player interaction and community involvement are becoming increasingly important to operators looking to generate sustained user engagement. Do you expect products like crash games and bet-behind slots that offer these social aspects to become even more popular in future?

Definitely. Whether it’s having multi-player compatibility or providing social aspects that allow users to engage with each other and share the betting experience, any product feature that promotes unity will play an important role in increasing audience engagement. You only need to look at recent high-quality titles like Helldivers 2 to see how effective these gameplay elements can be. Here, the developers have created a co-operative third-person shooter where players compete in teams, invite their friends and socialise with one another to create a more immersive experience. I think when analysing this type of game, you have to make a distinction between the gambling side of things and the entertainment aspect – and I’m a big believer in the value of the latter, as this is what will ultimately provide the user experience that keeps players coming back.

Likewise, when it comes to sportsbooks, live streaming and in-play betting – especially micro-betting – seem to be major focus areas for operators these days. Does the availability of better technology for higher-quality streams, more accurate live data and real time interaction now make it even easier for operators to provide a more immersive experience?

I believe at this moment in time, having the capability to supply fast gaming and fast betting is one of the biggest priorities for sportsbook operators. Advances in technology have made it possible to provide better quality live streams and more accurate live data feeds, which in turn enable bettors to make more informed decisions in real time. This of course goes hand-in-hand with live betting and micro betting, as having this up-to-the-second information available gives bettors more confidence in what they’re doing and empowers them to make quick bets on the fly. I think from the operators’ side of things, having access to official data providers has also made a big difference, as they are now able to work with reliable data that not only helps them provide a fairer and more enjoyable experience to users, but also assists them in analysing their business as well.

Finally, in terms of how new iGaming trends are formed, what is it that you think drives change in the industry? Is it shifting regulations, the emergence of new technologies or evolving player preferences/demographics that mainly informs how operators will respond?

The formation of new iGaming trends is driven by a combination of factors – and while in the long term I think the three you’ve mentioned are pretty much parallel, at this precise moment in time I’d put regulation in first place. All countries are trying to provide a healthy environment in which iGaming businesses can grow while also ensuring that player safety remains a key consideration. This is great, because it means that in regulated markets there are clear and understandable rules about what businesses can and can’t do, so they’re all starting from a level playing field. This obviously has a knock-on effect on how technology develops, as once these parameters have been set, your aim is to provide the best product you can within the constraints of that framework. Of course, player preferences also play an big part and regulators are often slow to cotton on to things like the popularity of esports, but over time they’re usually able to adapt to public demand.