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Exclusive Q&A with Si Crowhurst, VP Vungle Creative Labs
Reading Time: 5 minutes
We usually start with a brief introduction. Could you tell us about yourself and your current role in your organization?
S.C.: At Vungle, we strive to transform how people discover and experience mobile apps. Our goal is to be the trusted guide for growth and engagement, helping our clients optimise ad performance by creating and rapidly adapting ads that maintain user experience. As the VP of Vungle Creative Labs, I lead the charge on creating data-optimised content to drive engagement and increase returns for publishers and advertisers, ranging from indie studios to powerhouse brands.
Vungle Creative Labs’ secret to success is the multidisciplinary DNA of the team that combines creatives, technologists and data analysts. We’re constantly advancing our creativity and automation platform for custom creative, using data and machine learning to ensure our clients are on the leading edge of mobile advertising.
The main focus of this interview is Vungle’s joint initiative with the WHO/UN Call Out to Creatives to Help initiative – for creating ads and in-app advertising for public health awareness. How did this project come up? Who made the first moves?
S.C.: At the height of the pandemic, the United Nations/World Health Organization launched its first ever “call out to creatives to help” and we simply felt that it was an opportunity to create some really impactful work and really live up to our values. In short, we wanted to do our bit.
The focus of the brief was for designers to create visual content explaining what steps people can take to slow the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle harmful misinformation campaigns. In a modern-day ‘Rosie the Riveter’ effort, we pooled our design talent, data analytics and gaming expertise and set to work creating a series of playable ads (i.e. interactive ads). Drilling into the principles of gamification, we created ads to drive user engagement around the key WHO messages of maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene.
Tell us a bit more about the whole thing. Basically, you send health awareness messages just like in-app advertisements. Tell us more about the processes involved?
S.C.: The campaign strategy we developed and sent into the WHO/UN focused on delivering playable or interactive ads that carried a public health message instead of a consumer brand performance ad. The design process was also similar. We know from our wider work that gamification works in in-app advertising because it triggers powerful human emotions – think: the need for achievement, competition and status; the desire for reward etc. – so we applied the same thinking to this context. In one design, people interacting with the ads had to interact with the screen, swiping back and forth for the duration of time it takes to wash your hands before they could continue in their given app.
What is exactly Vungle’s role in it? Do you use your data, testing and research insights to create, place and run the health awareness in-app ads, just like you do in the case of usual commercial ads?
S.C.: After reviewing the UN/WHO’s main goals and objectives, we selected the playable ad format as the most effective creative medium. Playable ads are dynamic, non-verbal ads that can transcend language and cultural barriers that could otherwise mean that certain messages don’t carry or fall flat. Visual language is a powerful way to drive home messages and encourage positive behaviour. We knew as the weeks of lockdown passed, there had been a significant uplift in mobile app downloads, so this format was really useful given the context.
The team developed several creative options, choosing to capture the key messages of physical distancing and personal hygiene; some of the most salient health messages that many governments have advocated as fundamentally necessary to the emergency response. We then applied creative testing to learn, scale and adapt the ads at rapid speed to enhance user experience while still achieving engagement goals.
How are the users reacting to these health messages through in-app ads. Are their responses in similar lines as towards the commercial ads?
S.C.: We’re delighted to say that the ads have attracted over 36,771,804 million viewers so far, reaching both Apple and Android users in over a dozen countries. Excitingly, the work now also sits in a WHO library of artwork that will be used to educate individuals and communities all across the world as we pass through this global crisis and, hopefully, learn from it for next time. You see the library here: UN COVID-19 Creative Content Hub. In terms of the comparison to commercial ads, the click through rate has been impressive – 55 percent higher than the average click rate for advertising campaigns in apps –, but given the variables involved in the ad content and aims, you can’t really compare apples with oranges!
You recently wrote about monetization strategies for in-app adds during COVID-19 outbreak. How are things going in the in-app monetization front over the last two months? Are the ad engagement and the revenues from in-app monetization going up or down? Would love to hear some stats and observations on this topic.
S.C.: As with every major crisis, the public turns to news and online platforms for information. With school closures and mandatory work-from-home policies, many of us in the industry expected some uptick in the number of mobile games being downloaded, and the initial upsurge post-lockdown was pretty massive. While entertainment advertisers are seeking to leverage this increase in demand and garner extra conversions as a result, it still feels too early to speculate on how things are going in monetisation and how resilient companies will be as we navigate these unchartered waters.
That said, as time goes on, we’re likely to see more and more people turning to apps that run on freemium models. This is what happened in China during the lockdown there. With users flocking to apps, it’s a good time for mobile marketers to strategically optimise their in-app spend, but we recommend engaging with partners who can really help them navigate this uncertain terrain.
We focus on the gaming and gambling sector. The real world of sports has come to a standstill, with all the major sporting events getting cancelled. How did that affect the mobile advertising sector? Is there being a case of another door opening when one door is shut?
S.C.: While in-app advertising for sporting and gambling apps has taken a hit, users have transferred their attention to other apps that help tackle boredom, find some fun or, in many cases, manage their anxieties – for example, anecdotally we know that people have been trying to “upskill” with language apps like Memrise or Duolingo. So, the users are still there, but their allegiance to which apps has simply changed. When sporting events start up again (and as we’ve seen with Premier League football recently restarting), we can expect the sector to see a change in their fortunes.
We shall conclude with a look into the future. What are the major changes, if any, that we could see in mobile advertising? Our readers appreciate your insights on this.
S.C.: AI continues to shape the future of mobile advertising, with the continued proliferation of machine learning algorithmic and automated bidding products from the likes of Facebook and Google having a strong influence. These technologies are taking control away from advertisers with respect to which target levers to pull in their campaigns and instead decisions are being made based on data. This data includes aggregated intelligence from different industries and markets, as well as billions of consumer data points like key words and searches, device types, and geographic locations – all of which will inform what works best in terms of ad spend and budget allocation.
“Seed” audience data – consisting of users who have already shown their interest by taking actions like clicking an ad or purchasing a product – and creative remain the two most impactful levers for a marketer to influence performance and scale. This has led to considerable investment in creative studios and technology that support the ability to produce massive amounts of creative variants, which can be piped into campaigns for testing. Creative that is adaptive and responsive to user preferences will continue to grow.
Finally. short-form, video-sharing apps are a huge trend, and have enormous potential to reshape mobile advertising. Because this type of content feels more native – its users self-describe as creators rather than “influencers,” developing ways to draft behind it is exciting new territory we need to explore.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Exclusive Q&A with Si Crowhurst, VP Vungle Creative Labs
Reading Time: 3 minutes
GIANTX launches iTero Standalone — the new and improved version of its AI-powered coaching tool already used by more than half a million players worldwide
If you’ve ever thrown a game because of a bad draft, missed rotations, or your jungler vanished before minute three, there’s now an app that might finally help you clean up your gameplay: iTero.
Developed by the global esports organization GIANTX, the new version of its artificial intelligence training tool —iTero Standalone— arrives with a clear mission: to help players level up their League of Legends performance once and for all.
The new version is fully independent and available for direct download, offering faster performance, better precision, and a smoother overall experience. Lighter, smarter, and more stable, iTero Standalone represents the next step in the evolution of GIANTX’s technology ecosystem, with full control over development and updates.
Founded by Jack Joseph Williams in 2022 and acquired by GIANTX in 2024, iTero Gaming has been developing and refining AI-driven coaching systems for both casual and professional players. Its first virtual coach was designed to enhance the League of Legends experience -developed by Riot Games- by analyzing millions of real matches every patch to deliver personalized recommendations, from strategic macro decisions to champion select choices.
With over 500,000 downloads worldwide, iTero has become one of the most popular performance tools among players of all skill levels. With the release of iTero Standalone, it now aims to become the leading AI coaching platform for gamers.
Five Ways iTero Actually Helps You Get Better at League of Legends
1. It tells you what to pick — and why.
The AI analyzes your team’s and the enemy’s composition to recommend the champion that has the highest chance of winning that game, based on your stats and the current meta. No more questionable picks.
2. And what Build to choose!
After helping you pick the best Champion for the game, the AI also analyzes the enemy composition to decide what the best items, runes, and summoners to take for that specific game. That even includes checking whether anti-heal or anti-shield items are efficient enough to buy!
3. It reviews your matches like a real coach.
After each session, the AI gives data-driven feedback on your macro performance throughout the game and identifies areas you performed well on, and what you struggled with. After ten games, you unlock the AI Macro Coach, which compares your stats with players of your same rank and shows where you’re consistently falling behind.
4. It provides actionable insights about the players in your lobby.
Using its unique data the Scouting Tool provides you with all the information you need to know whilst loading into a game, whether that’s learning that the enemy support loves to invade, your Jungler likes to spend their early game power-farming, or that your lane opponent plays aggressively.
5. All the overlays you expect, and more.
From tracking the gold difference, timing your inhibitor respawns, or quickly checking who has the Baron buff, iTero has every overlay you need to stay on top of your solo queue games.
A New Chapter in the GIANTX Ecosystem
The launch of iTero Standalone reinforces GIANTX’s commitment to technological innovation and expands its presence beyond competition, driving the creation of useful, data-powered products for the gaming and esports community. The organization also practices what it preaches: GIANTX’s performance department already uses AI-based tools to scout talent and support decision-making at the highest competitive level.
With this new version of iTero, GIANTX strengthens its leadership at the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence, and performance, paving the way for a new generation of smarter training in League of Legends —a title that averaged nearly 30 million active players in September 2025 alone.
The post The App You Need to Download if You’re Tired of Throwing in League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Developer of slots with a German accent integrates 43 games with German top operator
Apparat Gaming, the developer of slot games with a German accent, has added yet another big-name operator to its growing list of partners by entering into a partnership with bwin.
Under the agreement, 43 of Apparat Gaming’s unique slots are made available to players of the award-winning online casino brand bwin.
The operator, which belongs to the Entain Group, has now one of the largest Apparat portfolios on the German market online since November, with 43 of the currently 54 Apparat games eligible for approval under German regulations.
The timing for the partnership couldn’t be better, as bwin was one of the major brands sorely missing from Apparat’s customer list for the German market. The addition of Apparat slots to bwin’s gaming lobby will help position the operator in its fight for German market leadership.
Founded just five years ago, Apparat is one of the up-and-coming game developers in regulated markets due to its German approach to development, with a focus on quality, engineering and providing plenty of Augenweide (eye candy) with absolutely no sense of humour(!) to ensure a superior player experience across its games.
This includes titles such as Total Eclipse XXL, 5 Moon Wolf, Fishin’ the Biggest or Gates of Ishtar. The partnership will also include the missing as well as all of Apparat’s future slot releases like the next release, Piggy Balloons.
Martin Frindt, Chief Product Partnership at Apparat Gaming, said: “It’s great to see that bwin understands the language we speak, even though the casino team is made up of Austrians, and has opted to add our slots with a German accent to its game lobby.”
“We now just hope that the German regulator GGL will approve the remaining games as soon as possible.”
Wanja Richter, Director of Gaming North and Central Europe at Entain, added: “Providing players with access to the best content in the business is a major part of our success story to date, and to be able to offer German players slots that have been developed by Apparat Gaming and that truly capture the essence of Germany is a slam dunk for us.”
“We are happy to finally be working with Apparat and hope to get their upcoming games content approved as quickly as possible!”
The post Winning Partnership: Apparat live on bwin in all-German content deal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The iGaming industry has evolved far beyond spinning reels and flashy win screens. Today, it’s a rapidly shifting space where player expectations define innovation. Creativity, data, and emotional design have become central to building not just games — but experiences.
We sat down with Gabor, Chief Product Officer at DreamPlay, to discuss what modern slot development really means, how ideas transform into products, and why the future belongs not to games that are simply entertaining — but to those that resonate.
What makes a slot competitive today — math, visuals, gameplay, or a combination of factors? And which matters most?
Gabor: A great game is like an orchestra: you need every instrument playing in harmony or the whole thing falls apart.
The math and design are the heart and soul of every game — without them, even the best art is just a pretty face. Today’s players also expect to be entertained: strong pacing, polished audiovisuals, and features that feel meaningful, not gimmicky.
I always say that one of the challenges of creating great slots is that you have to be able to tell a whole story just through a push of the button — making them feel exciting while being simple and smooth for the player, but this means a lot of complexity for the creator.
So the real magic happens when everything clicks together. The best slots feel effortless, but behind that effortlessness is a very deliberate balance of math, flow, visuals, and just the right level of innovation.”
When working on a new release, what helps you shape the product vision before development even begins?
Gabor: Ideas can come from anywhere – a family vacation, a conversation, a movie, a meme, pretty much anything you can think of.
Creativity thrives when everyone on the team can chip in with their own ideas – we actively encourage that.
But inspiration alone isn’t enough. Every game needs a clear purpose. Is it pushing boundaries? Refreshing a classic theme? Continuing a successful series? We always start by defining the ‘why.’
Then we let data and experience meet in the middle. When the numbers support the idea and our collective instincts say ‘yes, this will work,’ that’s when a concept becomes a vision worth building.”
Do you see potential for an even closer integration of video games and slots, or are they still two different markets?
Gabor:There’s definitely potential — and honestly, the two worlds have been borrowing from each other for years. iGaming has embraced progression systems, more complex storytelling, achievements… while video games picked up loot boxes and other elements from gambling.
They will never fully merge, because the motivations and regulations are different, but there is clearly much more overlap than 10–15 years ago when these two industries were completely different. Today’s players grew up with games that blend entertainment, challenge, psychology, and reward, and they
expect a different form of entertainment than previous generations.
So we’re moving from ‘old-school gambling’ toward ‘interactive entertainment with a gambling core.’ And that trend will only continue.
Is the industry truly ready for bold experimentation, or does it still prefer playing safe?
Gabor: This is where it gets interesting. The industry loves talking about innovation and bold ideas – but in reality, the audience is still quite conservative. Most players enjoy evolution, not revolution.
We’ve seen a few big hits like Megaways and crash games, but they didn’t throw the core DNA of gambling out the window. These mechanics are mainly focused on enhanced entertainment value and presentation.
So yes, there’s room to experiment, but true format-breaking innovations tend to become niche and usually struggle to gain wider traction. The sweet spot is pushing boundaries without losing the essence of why players show up in the first place.”
What was your first step in iGaming, and when did you realize this was your industry?
Gabor: My start was completely unplanned. I moved to Israel from Hungary at 26, didn’t speak Hebrew yet, and was looking for any English-speaking job. A friend worked at an online casino, said they were hiring, and I thought, ‘Perfect, something temporary to help me get settled, I will find a proper job once my Hebrew improves.”
I have never even tried finding a ‘proper job’ afterward. That ‘temporary’ role turned into a 15+ year career across multiple countries, teams, and roles across casino management and game production — and I’ve loved every minute of it.
This industry is fast, sometimes (often) chaotic, but full of brilliant people and challenges that keep you sharp. Even after all these years, I still wake up excited about what we’re building. It’s hard to imagine doing anything else at this point.”
Final Takeaway
The iGaming industry continues its transformation — not just technologically, but emotionally. As Gabor pointed out throughout our conversation, the future belongs not to those who release the most games, but to those who understand what players truly feel.
We’re seeing a shift toward more immersive, meaningful experiences — where design, psychology, and data work together to create lasting engagement.
And it’s leaders like Gabor — and companies like DreamPlay — who are moving the industry forward, proving that innovation isn’t just about features or mechanics… it’s about connection.
Dream Play’s most recent releases and upcoming products here:
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