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Team Nigma and Galaxy Racer Announce Merger
Team Nigma will head up the esports team division of Galaxy Racer, the fastest growing gaming and lifestyle organisation from MENA, to become Nigma Galaxy, which will house rosters across all major esports titles and will look to create better opportunities for players in the Middle East and become a globally recognised brand
Galaxy Racer, the biggest esports, content and lifestyle organisation, based in the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia, and Team Nigma, the biggest competitive gaming team in the MENA region, which was founded by The International 7 Champions, today announce they are merging to become Nigma Galaxy, a new esports powerhouse.
Based in Abu Dhabi, Team Nigma will become Nigma Galaxy, heading up the esports team division of Galaxy Racer which currently carries rosters across all major titles with over 60 players from over 20 countries. The merger will unite both brands, including their ambitions for the MENA region and international growth, while also allowing each to retain their visual identity.
Together the new organisation will look to build an authentic voice for the MENA region, establish itself as the #1 esports organisation in the world and give its players an international platform. Nigma Galaxy will look to become a household name for players of the region to be proud of, and with aspirations to become a global player it will also use existing resources from Galaxy Racer to expand further within Europe, South and North America, Southeast Asia and China.
Galaxy Racer launched in 2019 and has already become one of the biggest esports organisations globally, and the only entity in the MENA region with a significant international presence. The organisation prides itself on having five separate business offerings; Esports Teams, Content Creators, Tournaments Management, Merchandising and Lifestyle and GXR Records, a newly established record label that already carries two signed artists from MENA.
Within its first year of opening, Galaxy Racer onboarded some of the biggest content creators in the MENA and Asia regions and currently carries over 80 creators with a reach of over 370 million followers across all platforms. Its content creators roster includes some of the biggest YouTube channels with over 2 billion views across all platforms; Abo Flah, the biggest and fastest-growing gaming channel in the Arabic speaking world. Galaxy Racer also carries esports rosters across all major titles including League of Legends, VALORANT, CS:GO, Free Fire, PUBG MOBILE, BGMI and Fortnite.
Paul Roy, CEO and Founder of Galaxy Racer, commented: “We are excited to announce our merger with Team Nigma to transform our competitive esports division into Nigma Galaxy. Team Nigma’s leadership team carries vast experience as professional players, which we believe will be a great asset to building and supporting all the teams under the Nigma Galaxy banner.
“Celebrating and nurturing the untapped gaming community around the world is what Galaxy Racer was founded on. With this merger, we believe we will be able to truly unlock this potential and shape the future of esports on a global scale.”
Team Nigma, a professional Dota 2 esports organisation, was founded in 2019 by former Team Liquid members Mohamed Morad and Christoph Timm as well as four out of five of the champions of The International 2017, Miracle-, Gh, MinD_ContRoL and KuroKy. Within the space of a year, Team Nigma secured a landmark partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, becoming the first esports team to be sponsored by an airline. Based out of Abu Dhabi, Team Nigma also recently partnered with one of the largest telco providers, Etisalat, hosting the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the MENA region – ‘Rising Stars’.
The merger will see Team Nigma become Nigma Galaxy, the esports team division of Galaxy Racer which will be led by Team Nigma’s co-founders, Mohamed Morad, Christoph Timm and Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi. Leveraging Team Nigma’s vast experience, they will help to nurture the development of each roster with players from Nigma’s current Dota 2 roster also joining the new division.
Mohammed Morad, Co-Founder of Team Nigma commented: “We are thrilled to announce our merger with Galaxy Racer. Galaxy Racer has a brilliant understanding of the entertainment business and together we share a mutual passion for supporting and nurturing talent within the MENA region. There is also a lot of natural synergy between our brands with Nigma meaning “star” in Arabic. Before this merger, Nigma was a single star. By becoming Nigma Galaxy, we will have a Galaxy full of stars.”
Nigma Galaxy will operate as a standalone entity with its own budget, brand, direction and identity, retaining the current Team Nigma colours. While Galaxy Racer will also retain its brand identity and will be able to focus on developing its already-robust content creator structure and additional branches to the business. Nigma released its first apparel line last year and will be updating their merchandise in line with the brand update. The organisation will be sending free merchandise to all fans who purchased its first line.
Nigma Galaxy and Galaxy Racer share a common goal of creating better opportunities in the Middle East and Asia to support home-grown talent. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and MENA region is considered to be one of the fastest-growing gaming sectors globally, with 100 million gamers playing in 2020 alone.
According to a recent YouGov study, while familiarity with esports in the MENA was lower compared to Asian countries like China, the population had much higher engagement compared to Western countries like the United States and United Kingdom. The study went on to highlight that in the Middle East, Egypt has the highest gamer population (68%) followed by the UAE (65%), Saudi Arabia (61%) and Iraq (57%) – these four countries have bigger gaming populations than France, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
However, without the infrastructure, funding and support within the region, most competitive gamers have been forced to forge their careers abroad. This merger will enable Nigma Galaxy to create a better support structure and provide upcoming talent with the resources needed for them to be able to pursue a career in the esports and gaming industry. This includes plans to create and develop the Nigma Galaxy Academy, which will help nurture young gamers’ talent within the region.
Nigma Galaxy will also join Abu Dhabi Gaming (AD Gaming), a new initiative that launched earlier this year. Pioneered by twofour54 Abu Dhabi, the initiative will champion the development of regional talent and bring a calendar of year-round gaming events to Abu Dhabi, and aggregates the emirate’s drive to build a thriving gaming and esports ecosystem.

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Pragmatic Play Launches 40,000x Jackpot Spellmaster Slot
iGaming software studio, Pragmatic Play, has unveiled its latest online slot, Spellmaster.
With its wizard-themed gameplay and 40,000x maximum jackpot, it will likely appeal to a broad audience, including big prize hunters and lovers of arcane fantasy.
Launched on August 18, the game is played on a 5×3 grid with 50 paylines. Reels are filled with card ranks as well as magical sceptres, spell books, potion bottles and wise owls.
Wild symbols feature the eponymous spellmaster wizard. Wilds can land at any time during the base game and feature in all but the far left reel.
The base game offers relatively standard fare. Basic symbols like the card symbols pay low prizes, which are enough to keep you in the game. Matching five premium symbols returns up to four times the original bet.
Respins And Jackpots
Players have the opportunity to win big prizes during respins. The game has different types of respin bonuses, depending on which of the three bonus orbs triggered the event. These bonuses are applied to money symbols that land during the spins.
Golden orb respins are played on a 5×6 grid. Golden orbs that land on the grid reveal one of five random jackpot names, and if the player matches three of the same jackpots, they win that prize.
Prizes range from the 12.5x Mini to the 1,875x Grand Jackpot. With red orbs, players receive multipliers between 2x and 10x any money symbols that hit, and the money symbols can be multiplied up to four times each.
Blue orbs multiply the value of randomly selected money symbols on the grid.
During the respins feature, if the entire grid is filled with money symbols, the player wins the impressive 40,000x jackpot.
Spellmaster offers bets ranging from 10p to £5 in the UK, although higher maximum bets up to €250 are available in other jurisdictions.
The game has a high volatility level, and RTP options include 94.5%, 95.5% and 96.5%. Interested bettors can play a demo of the Spellmaster game on the Pragmatic Play website.
The post Pragmatic Play Launches 40,000x Jackpot Spellmaster Slot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Endorphina Releases Electrifying New Title – Thunder Crown
Endorphina, a leading B2B iGaming provider, has announced the release of its newest electrifying title, Thunder Crown, which will be available to players in online casinos starting on 21 August.
Featuring a dynamic 5×5 grid, 50 fixed paylines, and a suite of powerful features, the new slot is designed to deliver a captivating and full-sensory gaming experience.
The game invites players into a realm where the legendary Thunder Crown awaits. As lightning strikes charge its crystals, the very reels and symbols are infused with the storm’s raw power, creating an electrifying atmosphere that builds with every spin.
Thunder Crown combines classic slot mechanics with lightning-charged features, including Free Games with a guaranteed Wild symbol, a Thunder Hold Bonus Game with multipliers up to x30, Column Jackpots from 50x to 1000x total bets, and Endorphina’s Classic Risk Game to double winnings up to 10x.
The release of Thunder Crown reinforces Endorphina’s commitment to crafting memorable and visually stunning games that appeal to a wide range of players.
Will you be the one to unlock the Crown’s full power? Try the Thunder Crown demo: demo.endorphina.network.
The post Endorphina Releases Electrifying New Title – Thunder Crown appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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NODWIN Gaming Acquires Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Stake in Evo; Becomes Majority Holder
EVO ANNOUNCES NEXT PHASE OF INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Multi-year partnerships with Qiddiya and Sony Interactive Entertainment, and new ownership of Evo by NODWIN Gaming alongside existing shareholder RTS, will fuel the global growth of events, content, and experiences
The future for Evolution Championship Series (Evo) takes a major step forward today as the world’s largest and longest-running fighting game festival enters new ownership and multi-year partnerships. Strategic agreements with NODWIN Gaming, Qiddiya, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), and RTS will drive Evo’s international expansion, engaging content, and immersive experiences through 2028 and beyond.
SIE has sold its stake in Evo to NODWIN Gaming, a company backed by SIE’s parent, Sony Group Corporation. SIE will become a new global sponsor of Evo through 2028, and will continue its commitment to the fighting game community through the PlayStation Tournaments platform and key products currently in development that appeal to fighting game players.
“When SIE acquired Evo alongside RTS in 2021, our goal was to help the Evo community grow and spotlight the skills and passion of fighting game fans on a global stage,” said Phil Rosenberg, SVP and Head of Global Partner Development & Relations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “As SIE transitions to become an Evo sponsor, the momentum for Evo has never been stronger, following a successful Las Vegas event and upcoming expansion to new regions. We look forward to supporting the continued growth of Evo globally.”
New co-owner NODWIN Gaming is a leading name in the South Asian gaming, esports, and youth entertainment industries, with Evo complementing its wide range of properties.
“Evo was built by a team whose authenticity and passion for the fighting game community are unmatched,” said NODWIN Gaming Co-Founder and Managing Director Akshat Rathee. “We will continue SIE’s great work and honor the legacy of everyone who has made it what it is today, while opening the door for a new generation to experience the spirit of Evo.”
Qiddiya, which became a global partner of Evo in 2024, announced today that the company is investing in RTS, co-owner and operator of Evo, and will extend its global partnership with Evo through 2027.
“Teaming up with Qiddiya strengthens the future of RTS and what we’re building with Evo, an event that lives up to its name by driving real transformation in the fighting game community through new opportunities, deeper connections, and meaningful growth,” said Stuart Saw, CEO of RTS.
The realignment and new partnerships will also support Evo’s vision for more original content to engage the community and continue to push the boundaries of creating more profound immersive experiences during the live events.
The popularity and global presence of Evo has continued to grow. Most recently, Evo’s flagship event in Las Vegas attracted fans and competitors from more than 60 countries and crowned champions across 16 fighting game titles. The festival show floor covered 14 acres, featuring major brand activations from Chipotle as the presenting sponsor, alongside AT&T, PlayStation®, Qiddiya, Nacon, Zenni, Red Bull, White Claw Zero Proof, Under Armour, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Grand Archive TCG.
Beyond the US, Evo returned to Japan at Tokyo Big Sight and became the largest in-person tournament in the country’s history, with approximately 30,000 attendees. Evo will make its European debut at the Palais des Expos in Nice, France, on October 10-12, which has already broken a record for registrations. The event series is expanding to Singapore in 2027.
“In recent years, Evo hosted record-setting events in the USA and Japan, and our upcoming premiere in France is already breaking European records,” said Rick Thiher, General Manager of Evo. “These latest partnerships join the ongoing support from our global and regional partners in accelerating Evo’s expansion from hosting renowned live events to serving as a nexus point for fighting game culture worldwide.”
The post NODWIN Gaming Acquires Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Stake in Evo; Becomes Majority Holder appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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