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Can Playtech consider the Kingdoms Rise series a success?
In the autumn of 2019, Playtech announced that they were releasing Kingdoms Rise, a brand new game suite that initially featured three new online slot games Forbidden Forest, Sands of Fury and Guardians of the Abyss.
Playtech took a real jump into the unknown by pumping its resources into not only developing a brand new slot series but creating an entire fantasy universe that features original characters and stunning locations, all with their own rich backstories.
Two years later the slot series has continued to evolve into something much bigger than the initial three games that debuted on October 24, 2019… We’re asking what makes the Kingdoms Rise series so unique, and can we look back and consider it a commercial success today?
Kingdoms Rise – iGaming’s first interconnected slot series
The Kingdoms Rise slot series is truly unique because it’s interconnected in more ways than one. Firstly, players can jump between games by clicking an interactive map.
This map is a completely fleshed out world that spans across multiple continents with different biomes, so you could be jumping from a game set in the harsh frozen mountains one moment, a lush elven forest enclave next and a pirate ship after that.
To date, there are ten online slots available to play from the Kingdoms Rise map, each featuring a host of unique characters hailing from one of the many in-depth fantasy kingdoms.
The other element that ties all ten games together is the Features Shop, the ‘driving force’ behind the series, which offers players the opportunity to buy bonus features… Not with real money, but Game Tokens instead, which are earned when playing any Kingdoms Rise slot.
Players can earn up to 15 game tokens per spin, these tokens are shared across all 10 games, so if you earned 645 tokens whilst playing Kingdoms Rise: Shadow Queen then you’ll still have 645 tokens when playing Kingdoms Rise: Chasm of Fear… The only condition is that these tokens are strictly linked to one casino account, so you couldn’t play Kingdoms Rise on two different sites and carry over your tokens.
Tokens are used to automatically trigger the bonus features in any of the Kingdoms Rise games… Whether or not this breaks the rules relating to the UK Gambling Commission’s ban on Feature Buys, we’re not quite sure, but as of today, the Features Shop is still available to UK players… So we can only assume that Playtech has found a clever workaround?
What makes the Kingdoms Rise series so popular?
If we had to pinpoint the main thing that makes Kingdoms Rise so successful it’s definitely the features shop. Whilst online slots require patience… Most online slot players are not that patient, so the ability to jump straight into the action is just too good to ignore.
It’s entirely plausible that players can earn enough game tokens to trigger one of five different bonus features in just 20 spins (if they’re playing at one of the higher stakes)… Whilst it’s not foolproof, it’s likely that this is significantly faster than it would be to trigger the bonus on their own through standard gameplay.
With 29 different bonus features available to trigger for between 300 and 4,000 tokens there’s an abundance of choice, high rollers can trigger the most lucrative bonus feature in the entire series in less than 300 spins. If they’re lucky enough to trigger any bonuses naturally in the lead up then they’ll earn the required amount of game tokens even faster.
Another thing that makes this series so popular is the sheer variety offered in each and every Kingdoms Rise slot, Playtech has created each game so that no one is the same. Some slots have 10 or 20 paylines, others have thousands… There are even slots in the series that ditch the traditional reels in favour of cluster pays mechanics.
Finally, the greatest pulling power the Kingdoms Rise series has is its networked progressive jackpots. All of the slots feature three jackpots, a Power Strike Jackpot that must pay by 2,000, a Daily Strike Jackpot that must pay by the end of every day and an Epic Jackpot, which can offer players the chance to win life-changing sums of money.
Was Kingdoms Rise the successor to Age of the Gods?
Some industry insiders and online slot enthusiasts have speculated whether Kingdoms Rise was a like for like replacement for the Age of the Gods series, because let’s be honest, whilst the god-based mythical-themed slots are legendary, they’ve not aged too well.
There’s a lot of crossover between the two series, both feature ancient heroes, terrifying monsters, and powerful Kings and Queens… Most notably, both online slots have huge networked progressive jackpots that can net players some serious cash.
Has Playtech got the manpower to maintain two similar series alongside one another, as well as create new online slots on a month-by-month basis?
There’s been no indication from Playtech as to whether Age of the Gods’ time in the spotlight has come to an end, but you have to wonder if they’re going to quietly stop making new slots… There are no new games planned, but does that matter when the old slots are still so popular?
Kingdoms Rise feels like a spiritual successor to Age of the Gods, but whether it was officially planned to spearhead the Playtech brand instead, we’ll probably never know.
What’s happening with Kingdoms Rise right now?
There’s another mystery to be solved when it comes to Playtech and Kingdoms Rise. The last game to be released in the series was Battle Beast, which arrived in casinos in February 2021… Since then there’s been radio silence with regards to what’s next.
Usually, that wouldn’t be any cause for concern… It can take months, if not years for new slot games to come to fruition, however, sometime between February 2021 and today, the official Kingdoms Rise website disappeared from the internet entirely… Redirecting players to the Playtech website instead.
Hardcore Kingdoms Rise fans (or anyone that had visited the site) will have seen for themselves just how much information that site held, it contained the biographies of more than 30 in-game characters, information on the game-world and even featured a progressive jackpot tracker.
Looking at the Kingdoms Rise map in-game, it’s quite clear that there are plenty of named areas that were designed to play host to new Kingdoms Rise slots in the future (such as Stonegrow, Dark Strait and Grand Coast), but will they ever arrive? Who knows… The silence is deafening.
Has Kingdoms Rise been a success so far?
Ultimately, we believe the Kingdoms Rise series has been a success up until this point. The PR and hype surrounding the game suite in the early days was unrivalled, players were keen to get stuck in and Playtech couldn’t bring out new slots fast enough, such was its popularity there was even live casino spin-off games.
However, the hype train seems to have slowed down considerably, it may even have come to a complete halt, and that’s down to a lack of communication on Playtech’s part… However, we can’t see the numbers these slots generate, so we can’t say for certain that players have moved on from the series and onto pastures new.
If players are still playing the original Age of the Gods slot with as much enthusiasm as they were in 2016, then players will still be playing Kingdoms Rise slots as well.
Personally, we think these games are a lot of fun and there aren’t any other slot series out there that go into as much depth as these do, we truly hope we haven’t seen the last of them.
The Mobile AppDev Awards 2025 recognizes excellence in mobile games and apps
Liftoff, the leading provider of marketing, monetization, and creative solutions for the mobile industry, has announced the finalists for the 2025 Mobile AppDev Awards.
Now in its fourth year, the Mobile AppDev Awards mark the best collaborations, social events, and minigame events in midcore and casual gaming, as well as marking both notable newcomers and evolving game apps.
For the first time, the 2025 awards will celebrate non-gaming apps for their innovation and use of engagement, social, and AI-powered features, drawing upon the skills and expertise of the team behind AppRefinery, Liftoff’s new insights platform designed to revolutionize app development and growth.
A jury of expert game and app analysts selected finalists across five gaming categories, each split into midcore and casual, as well as for the first year, four non-gaming categories.
Gaming categories (both midcore and casual) are:
- Best Collaboration Event
- Best Social Event
- Best Minigame
- Best Newcomer
- Biggest Evolver
New for 2025, the non-gaming app categories are:
- Best Feature Innovation
- Best Use of Engagement Features
- Excellence in Social Features
- Excellence in AI-Powered Features
The winners will be announced on May 13th, 2025.
The finalists for the 2025 Mobile AppDev Awards are:
Best Collaboration Event (Midcore):
- Summoners War: Sky Arena x Jujutsu Kaisen by Com2uS
- PUBG Mobile x Venom: The Last Dance by Tencent
- Brawl Stars x Spongebob Squarepants by Supercell
- Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Dave the Diver: Aegis the Diver by Level Infinite
- Diablo Immortal x World of Warcraft: Eternal War by Blizzard Entertainment
Best Collaboration Event (Casual):
- Stumble Guys x My Hero Academia by Scopely
- Mob Control x Transformers by Voodoo
- Sky: Children of the Light x Moomin by Thatcamecompany
- Grand Harvest x Snoopy: Snoopy’s Camp by Supertreat – A Playtika Studio
- Monopoly GO! x Marvel by Scopely
Best Social Event (Midcore):
- Legend of Mushroom – Age of Discovery, seasonal 4x mode/event by Joy Net Games
- Squad Busters – Piñata Festival by Supercell
- League of Legends: Wild Rift – Battle of Twin Cities by Riot Games
- Diablo Immortal – Howler Hunt by Blizzard Entertainment
- Free Fire – Outlaw by Garena
Best Social Event (Casual):
- Roblox – The Games by Roblox Corporation
- Phase 10 – Pirate Duel by Mattel163
- Monopoly GO! – Tycoon Racers by Scopely
- Triple Match 3D – Global Animal Challenge by Boombox Games
- Candy Crush Saga – Golden Crowns by King
Best Minigame (Midcore):
- State of Survival – Paw-some Puzzle Party by FunPlus
- League of Legends: Wild Rift – RUINATION: Kalista’s Odyssey by Riot Games
- Whiteout Survival – Tundra Games: Kitty Rescue by Century Games
- Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Dave the Diver: Aegis the Diver by Level Infinite
- Honkai: Star Rail – Conventional Memoir by MiHoYo
Best Minigame (Casual):
- Match Masters – Matchinko: Travel Tales by Candivore
- Love and Deepspace – Bounce, Bounce Planet by InFold
- Homescapes – Restoration events by Playrix
- Phase 10 – Jewel Craze by Mattel163
- Merge Mansion – Secret Supply by Metacore
Best Newcomer (Midcore):
- Legend of Mushroom by Joy Net Games
- Top Heroes by RiverGame
- Pokémon TCG Pocket by The Pokémon Company
- Dungeon Fighter (地下城与勇士：起源, CN) by Tencent
- Age of Empires Mobile by Level Infinite
Best Newcomer (Casual):
- Love and Deepspace by InFold
- Truck Star by Century Games
- Screw Jam by Rollic Games
- Domino Dreams™ by SuperPlay
- Royal Kingdom by Dream Games
Biggest Evolver (Midcore):
- Brawl Stars by Supercell
- League of Legends: Wild Rift by Riot Games
- Last War: Survival by First Fun
- Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus ™ by Snowprint Studios
- Tokyo Debunker by ZigZaGame
Biggest Evolver (Casual):
- Hexa Sort by Lion Studios
- Match Factory! by Peak Games
- Matching Story by Vertex Games
- Dice Dreams™ by SuperPlay
- Seaside Escape®: Merge & Story by Microfun
Non-Gaming App – Best Feature Innovation:
- Chime by Chime
- The Weather Channel by The Weather Channel
- Duolingo by Duolingo
- DraftKings by DraftKings
- Google Maps by Google
Non-Gaming App – Best Use of Engagement Features:
- Instagram by Instagram
- Spotify by Spotify
- Trip.com by Trip.com
- Calm by Calm
- Audible by Audible
Non-Gaming App – Excellence in Social Features:
- Binance by Binance
- Tinder by Tinder Inc.
- Snapchat by Snap
- TikTok by TikTok Pte Ltd
- BIGO LIVE by BIGO
Non-Gaming App – Excellence in AI-Powered Features:
- Pinterest by Pinterest
- Spotify by Spotify
- Snapchat by Snap
- Instagram by Instagram
- Duolingo by Duolingo
For more information about the awards and the finalists, please visit the official Mobile AppDev Awards website.
The post Liftoff’s Mobile AppDev Awards 2025 Finalists Announced appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Riksdag recently decided on changes to the gambling legislation, which, among other things, means that the state will hand over control of the gambling company ATG to its owners Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp.
On Thursday, April 10, the government, together with Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp, signed a long-term agreement that ensures the owner-led model in ATG as well as the conditions, state transparency and financing of the Hästnäringens Stiftelse (HNS).
Since ATG was formed in 1974, the state has always had a majority on the company’s board. This remained the case even after the reregulation of the gambling market in 2019, when ATG lost its exclusive right to arrange betting on horses in Sweden. Since the beginning of 2023, Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp have had an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the government regarding ATG’s ownership model and the financing and operational direction of HNS.
“It is about trust from the government and the Riksdag. Together with the state, we have built a world-class ATG for fifty years. Now we will have full ownership responsibility based on a continued agreement with the state. The model ensures commercial conditions for the sport’s economic future. We will take good care of it and thereby live up to the trust in a sport with roots throughout the country,” said Anders Källström, chairman of Svensk Travsport.
The relationship with the state is now maintained in a new long-term agreement that ensures a number of fundamental conditions for the ownership of ATG. Among other things, the current ownership structure is regulated, where Svensk Travsport owns just over ninety percent and Svensk Galopp just over nine percent of the shares in ATG. This cannot be changed without the government’s approval.
“From Svensk Galopp’s side, we are proud and happy about the increased trust as a responsible owner of ATG. In the increasingly fierce competition in the gambling market, it is important to have an actor that protects our stakeholders, such as players and the horse industry as a whole,” said Anders Lilius, chairman of Svensk Galopp.
Also the financing of the National Foundation for the Equine Industry (HNS) and that it will continue to be operated on similar grounds as today is established in the new agreement. The state will in future be given the opportunity to appoint a member of the HNS board.
A new board of directors for ATG will now be appointed and the work of the nomination committee is already underway. The proposals from the nomination committee will be presented on 28 April, after which a decision on a new board will be made at ATG’s annual general meeting on 8 May.
The post ATG to Appoint New Board as Government Hands Over Control appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Amusnet Spain has won the “Online Gaming” award at Expojoc 2025.
The ceremony took place in Valencia, bringing together industry leaders, public representatives from the Comunidad de Madrid and Melilla and other distinguished guests ahead of the official opening of the Expojoc Congress. Organised by Sector del Juego magazine, it is a well-established gaming expo and congress in the Valencian Community. Since its launch in 2013, Expojoc has become a key platform in the Spanish gaming industry, bringing together companies, professionals and regulators to present innovations and address sector trends.
Winning the award at such a recognized event underscores Amusnet’s impact and ongoing commitment to excellence in the Spanish online gaming market. The company continues to build on its established presence by delivering a portfolio of 140+ slots and roulette titles – with more added regularly – while also expanding its team and strengthening partnerships with local operators. The award was received by Guillermo Ruipérez, Business Development Manager at Amusnet Spain.
“Winning the Expojoc award is an important recognition of our team’s hard work and achievements in the Online Casino vertical. We are proud of our position in the Spanish market and remain focused on delivering top-tier content and reinforcing local partnerships,” Guillermo Ruipérez said.
In 2025, Amusnet is introducing a series of strategic products to further reinforce its strong position in the Spanish market. Among the key highlights is Ruleta Dinámica 500x, a tailor-made Spanish Live Roulette game streamed from a local studio, designed to deliver a localized and immersive experience. Also recently introduced is the Tournament Tool, designed to increase player engagement by allowing operators to create fully customizable tournaments – from rules and prizes to duration and format – tailored to their specific audiences. At the end of April, Coin Gobbler, one of Amusnet’s most dynamic titles, is set to debut in Spain. With its 6×6 reel layout and cluster pay system, the game delivers an exciting and rewarding experience.
The Expojoc 2025 award reinforces Amusnet Spain’s position as a key player in the country’s online gaming landscape and aligns with the company’s strategy to further strengthen its presence in the market.
The post Amusnet Spain Wins “Online Gaming” Award at Expojoc 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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