Mind Sports South Africa’s President, Colin Webster, today confirmed that MSSA has entered International Esports Federation’s (IESF) 17th World Championships which is to be known as WEC25.MSSA has been a staunch, and loyal member, of IESF since 2009, and has participated in every single IESF World Championship since 2009.

MSSA has always advocated greater inclusion of events for females at such World Championships. With Colin Webster having served on IESF’s Board from 2013 to 2020, the number of events specifically for females has grown in number. It was in 2018 that South Africa fielded the first all female Counter-Strike team at IESF’s 10th World Championships – an act which many see as a forerunner of IESF implementing an all female Counter-Strike event at its 14th World Championships.

It is therefore not surprising that MSSA has thus entered all IESF esports titles on offer at IESF’s 17th World Championships – especially the female events.

The esports titles entered by MSSA are:

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• Counter-Strike 2 (open)
• Counter-Strike 2 (female)
• DOTA 2 (open)
• eFootball (Open)
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (open)
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (female)
• PUBG mobile (open)0

Colin Webster stated, “This is the largest entry that South Africa has ever made, and MSSA is confident that the 2025 Protea Team will be the strongest team ever to represent South Africa as the Protea Team’.

Colin then added, “The teams that attended both AEC24 and WEC24 have left solid foundations on which to build. MSSA is thus excited to see the performance of the teams that will be selected in March 2025 to represent South Africa”.

Dirtcube Interactive, a pioneering game and game-tech studio based out of Navi Mumbai has officially announced the launch of Specter, India’s first-of-its-kind backend platform designed to revolutionise the gaming ecosystem. This fully integrated solution combines all essential backend services such as player progression, game economy management, automated achievement and rewards systems, leaderboards, LiveOps, real-money features and much more into a unified platform that empowers developers and marketers to create immersive and scalable gaming experiences.

With a portfolio that includes hyper-casual games, game development and art services, and innovative products like Capshot, a social media app for memes and videos, and GameStarz, a mobile-based virtual world blending gaming and social interactions, Dirtcube Interactive has consistently pushed boundaries. The development of Specter stems from their experience and a keen understanding of the need for integrated backend tools in game development.

Consolidating multiple tools into a single solution, Specter enables developers to streamline operations and focus on creativity. Comprising features like dynamic achievements, currency and store systems, real-time competitions, and LiveOps, the platform enhances engagement while reducing complexity. The product is currently rolling out some early AI features, and over the next few months, it aims to completely transform how games manage Live Ops, respond to player behaviour, and generate new in-game content.

Specter’s USP lies in offering customisable backend services to meet the diverse needs of the gaming industry. It enhances cost and time efficiency, accelerating development timelines by up to four times, allowing teams to focus more on creating impactful gaming experiences. The platform’s cross-platform support unifies player communities across devices, creating a seamless and integrated experience for users.

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Co-founder Pravan Parikh brings a wealth of experience from financial services, market research, and product development. His background in data analysis and market strategy has been instrumental in shaping Specter’s vision as the go-to backend platform for developers and studios.

Sharing his excitement on the launch of Specter, Pravan Parikh, Co-Founder & Product Lead, Dirtcube Interactive LLP expressed, “We are delighted to officially launch Specter, a platform that represents years of dedicated effort, learning, and innovation. While India’s gaming and esports industry is experiencing rapid growth, significant gaps persist in the game development ecosystem. Specter is designed to bridge these gaps by empowering creators across industries with the tools they need to make game development more accessible, efficient, and rewarding. Our vision is for Specter to become the invisible hand that powers truly immersive gaming experiences.”

While Pravan focuses on shaping the product vision, his co-founder, Mikhail Bhuta, brings the technological backbone to Specter. As a seasoned technology innovator, Mikhail has been instrumental in crafting the platform’s high quality and scalable infrastructure, ensuring it meets the complex needs of today’s game developers.

“Specter is designed to address the challenges game developers face, from scalability to real-time operations and seamless cross-platform integration. We’ve focused on delivering a backend solution that simplifies the development process while enhancing the player experience. Our goal is to create a platform that evolves with the rapidly changing gaming industry, featuring cutting-edge tools that keep developers ahead of the curve. With Specter, we aim to help developers all over the world lay the foundation for the next generation of immersive gaming experiences,” said Mikhail Bhuta, Co-Founder & Tech Lead, Dirtcube Interactive LLP.

Specter empowers multiple industries with its tailored solutions. For traditional video game development, it supports indie developers, hyper-casual publishers, and casual game studios with cost-efficient infrastructure and dynamic features. In gamification and consumer apps, the platform boosts engagement through leaderboards and rewards, benefiting fitness apps, social platforms, and loyalty programs.

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In esports, Specter simplifies tournament management with dynamic leaderboards, match data handling, and secure prize distribution. Additionally, it also enables marketing and brand engagement by powering gamified campaigns, community challenges, and live events to create interactive brand experiences.

Looking ahead, Specter will focus on building a thriving developer community through collaborations with indie developers and midsize studios to shape new features. The platform is also pioneering the use of AI in LiveOps, aiming to revolutionise player engagement and revenue models by leveraging predictive and responsive AI systems. Additionally, Specter is expanding its reach by forging strategic partnerships with leading gaming engines and service providers to further enhance its ecosystem.

Almedia, the data-driven platform engineering the future of mobile gaming user acquisition, today releases the first independent research into reward-based user acquisition’s evolution from an experimental tactic to an essential component of successful mobile game marketing strategies. The data reveals that 77% of mobile game developers have already run a reward-based marketing campaign, with an astonishing 95% saying this has given them a competitive advantage in the market.

Based on an survey of 502 mobile game developers across the US and UK, the Rewarded Returns Part One whitepaper details how reward-based UA – where players earn in-game currency, premium content or real-world rewards for downloading and playing games – has rapidly reached critical mass. 82% of developers report that reward-based campaigns are outperforming their traditional marketing efforts, with 59% planning to scale their investment in rewarded channels in 2025. Among the minority who haven’t yet tested reward-based UA, 62% express concerns about falling behind their peers.

Moritz Holländer, Founder and CEO at Almedia commented:

“Reward-based user acquisition has evolved from a channel once viewed with skepticism into a sophisticated, data-driven approach which delivers exceptional returns for players and advertisers alike. The numbers show this isn’t just another UA trend, but a competitive advantage which is quickly turning into a non-negotiable part of mobile gaming advertisers’ marketing strategies.”

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The research also reveals that while 64% of developers continue to describe the current UA landscape as challenging, particularly regarding privacy regulations and performance tracking, 54% expect mobile game UA to get easier in 2025. Reward-based strategies are helping overcome these obstacles. As well as the 82% who say rewarded campaigns outperform their other UA channels, 79% report that players are also staying and playing longer.

Key findings of Rewarded Returns Part One:

• Mainstream Adoption: 77% of developers have run reward-based UA campaigns, 95% of these developers reported a competitive advantage from this strategy and 59% plan to increase reward-based UA spending in 2025.

• Performance and Retention: 82% found reward-based campaigns outperform traditional UA, 79% observed stronger player retention as a result of these campaigns.

• Future Growth: 59% of developers plan to expand reward-based UA efforts in 2025, 43% of non adopters are looking to integrate reward-based UA into their strategies and 90% expect reward-based strategies to expand into console gaming.

• Surmountable Challenges: 47% cited fraud concerns, similar to those faced in traditional UA method,  48% noted high acquisition costs sometimes outpacing player LTV.

• Return On Ad Spend (ROAS): 68% of developers reported improved ROAS from reward-based campaigns compared to other UA strategies, 45% indicated that reward-based campaigns helped reduce churn by engaging high-value players.