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Researchers Develop an Intelligent Observer for Esports
Human game observers are a vital part of the Esports industry. They use extensive domain knowledge to decide what to show to the spectators. However, they may miss important events, necessitating the need for automatic observers. Researchers from South Korea have recently proposed a framework that utilises an object detection method, Mask R-CNN, and human observational data to find the ‘Region of Common Interest’ in StarCraft—a real-time strategy game.
Esports, already a billion-dollar industry, is growing, partly because of human game observers. They control the camera movement and show spectators the most engaging portions of the game screen. However, these observers might miss significant events occurring concurrently across multiple screens. They are also difficult to afford in small tournaments. Consequently, the demand for automatic observers has grown. Artificial observing methods can either be rule-based or learning-based. Both of them predefine events and their importance, necessitating extensive domain knowledge. Moreover, they cannot capture undefined events or discern changes in the significance of the events.
Recently, researchers from South Korea, led by Dr. Kyung-Jong Kim, Associate Professor in Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, have proposed an approach to overcome these problems. “We have created an automatic observer using object detection algorithm, Mask R-CNN, to learn human spectating data,” explains Dr. Kim. Their findings were made available online on 10 October 2022 and published in Volume 213 Part B of Expert Systems with Applications journal.
The novelty lies in defining the object as the two-dimensional spatial area viewed by the spectator. In contrast, conventional object detection treats a single unit, for instance, a worker or a building, as the object. In this study, the researchers first collected StarCraft in-game human observation data from 25 participants. Next, the viewports—areas viewed by the spectator—were identified and labeled as “one.” The rest of the screen was filled with “zeroes.” While the in-game features are used as input data, the human observations constituted the target information.
The researchers then fed the data into the convolution neural network (CNN), which learnt the patterns of the viewports to find the “region of common interest” (ROCI)—the most exciting area for the spectators to watch. They then compared the ROCI Mask R-CNN approach with other existing methods quantitatively and qualitatively. The former evaluation showed that CNN’s predicted viewports were similar to the collected human observational data. Additionally, the ROCI-based method outperformed others in the long run during the generalization test, which involved different matchup races, starting locations, and playing maps. The proposed observer was able to capture the scenes of interest to humans. In contrast, it could not be done by behavior cloning—an imitation learning technique.
Dr. Kim points out the future applications of their work. “The framework can be applied to other games representing some of the overall game state, not only StarCraft. As services such as multi-screen transmission continue to grow in Esports, the proposed automatic observer will play a role in these deliverables. It will also be actively used in additional content developed in the future.”
Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has released its latest title, Queen of Oasis.
Set against the rolling ancient Egyptian dunes and lush, palm-lined oases, Queen of Oasis immerses players in an elegant world of riches. Camels, vultures, antelopes, snakes, and the powerful Queen herself bring this 5-reel slot to life. The reels sit within two ornate marble pillars where the bejewelled Queen represents the Wild symbol.
During the main game, the Queen counts for any symbol except Free Spins and Bonus symbols. Finding five Wild symbols on a winning line pays x2,000 the bet.
Queen of Oasis is a crowning triumph thanks to the two superb features, a Bonus game and Free Spins. Three or more Scattered Free Spins symbols trigger the special feature. Before Free Spins commence, players can either accept the current number awarded or throw caution to the wind to earn more – up to 50 free spins. Once activated, one to three stacked Wilds are placed on random reels during each spin and boosting potential returns.
The bonus game is initiated when three or more Scattered Bonus Symbols land on the reels. Players kick off with three spins and the goal is finding as many urns as possible to increase the multiplier metre which pays out once the spins are finished. Each sector of the multiplier metre is filled by five winning symbols and there is an opportunity to bag an extra spin by finding the +1 symbol.
Synced Reels and Expanding Reels add another exciting element to the Bonus Game.
Spinomenal CO-CEO, Omer Henya commented: “Queen of Oasis is a beautiful blend of visual elegance and bold gameplay. Every feature has been created to captivate, reward, and raise the bar for what an Egyptian-themed slot can deliver.”
The post Spinomenal presents new slot: Queen of Oasis appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Stats Perform has been named Live Streaming Supplier of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards 2025, in recognition of the strength, innovation, and global scale of its Bet LiveStreams platform for licensed sportsbook apps, websites and retail betting venues.
Bet LiveStreams, first launched as ‘Watch&Bet’ in 2005, now delivers more than 40,000 exclusive low-latency live events each year, across 15 sports. Football, the world’s largest betting sport, accounts for more than 15,000 matches, with rights including LaLiga, CONCACAF, English Football League and top domestic leagues and cups across Europe, South America, and APAC. Other sports include tennis, basketball, volleyball, darts, badminton, rugby and cricket.
Judges noted that Stats Perform’s Bet LiveStreams is unique because of its extensive year-long, round-the-clock coverage and high performance. In 2024, the platform securely delivered billions of live video sessions to hundreds of licensed global sportsbooks such as bet365, Betano, Superbet, Betfair, FanDuel and many more.
They also praised its interactive, built-for-betting features like betslip integration, instant highlights, and in-stream contextual stats (also known as Opta Interactive Overlays) that have made the watching and betting experience more engaging for bettors.
“Our focus with Bet LiveStreams has been to make live streams easy to watch and bettable, whoever is playing,” said Mike Perez, Chief Operating Officer at Stats Perform. “The features give bettors more entertainment from every stream, whether it’s a headline fixture like Tottenham v Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, or a six-goal thriller in South America that might otherwise have been overlooked. We’re delighted our efforts have been recognised with this award.”
The judging panel pointed to three standout recent Bet LiveStreams innovations:
- Opta Interactive Overlays: Live game and player stats and odds available directly in-stream, with bets added to the slip in one click
- Instant Highlights: Key moments can be replayed during the game to help bettors quickly catch up on relevant action, such as the moment their bet won, or see action they missed in other live games, with multi-game playlists across competitions
- Live Match Gallery: Easier discovery of concurrent events, helping bettors follow more matches and sports at the same time
Adoption of these features has been fast and operators have reported a 7x increase in interactions per session, longer watch times and more in-play bets placed.
“This award is a reflection of how far streaming can go when it’s built for betting, not just viewing. We’re excited to continue to integrate our Opta data and AI into the experience to make the future of streaming on sportsbooks more engaging, intuitive and bettable,” added Perez.
The post Stats Perform Named Live Streaming Supplier of the Year at EGR B2B Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
WorldMatch, leading provider of online casino games, is pleased to announce that it has obtained the Recognition Letter from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). This important milestone officially authorizes WorldMatch to provide its services to B2C operators holding an MGA license.
The acquisition of the Recognition Letter represents a significant step forward for WorldMatch, greatly expanding its commercial opportunities in regulated markets beyond those it currently serves, and further strengthening the company’s position in the online gaming sector.
“We are extremely proud to have received the Recognition Letter from the Malta Gaming Authority,” said Andrea Boratto, CEO of WorldMatch. “This recognition not only confirms our commitment to high standards of compliance and transparency, but also serves as a key lever to consolidate our presence in regulated markets and grow our customer base globally. In many ways, it’s a return to Malta and at the same time a new opening toward growth opportunities.”
The Malta Gaming Authority is widely recognized for the excellence and rigor of its regulatory standards. Obtaining the Recognition Letter complements a series of certifications already acquired by WorldMatch in major European markets, further strengthening the company’s reputation as a reliable, compliant, and innovative partner.
With this new authorization, WorldMatch is ready to strengthen its presence in international markets, providing its B2C operator partners with a broad library of high- quality, technologically advanced games.
The post WorldMatch gains Malta Gaming Authority recognition appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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