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David Darling – Key Architect Of The UK Video Games Industry And Founder Of Kwalee, Honoured With Fellowship From WCUC

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A key architect of the UK video games industry has been honoured with a Fellowship from a Midlands college group and university centre.

David Darling, Founder & CEO of game development studio and publisher Kwalee and co-founder of Codemasters, has been named a Fellow of Warwickshire College and University Centre (WCUC).

The Fellowship was awarded in a ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Warwick on 13th October, which also saw students graduating from across the university centre.

David Darling, CEO of Kwalee, receiving the Fellowship Award from Angela Joyce, CEO of WCUC.

WCUC is the Higher Education arm of college group WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group), which includes Royal Leamington Spa College, Warwick Trident College, Moreton Morrell College, Rugby College, Pershore College, and Evesham College.

Royal Leamington Spa College is based in the heart of Silicon Spa, a moniker for Leamington Spa, one of the biggest clusters of games developers in the UK.

The college runs a series of Games Design and Games Art courses from Level 3 up to degree level, with many of its graduates going on to work for games developers including Kwalee.

David Darling is recognised as one of the founding fathers of ‘Silicon Spa’, having founded Codemasters with his brother Richard in the region in 1986.

Codemasters launched classic game series, including Micro Machines, Dizzy, and Colin McRae Rally, which have gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide. In 2007, the Darlings sold their interests in the business.

David Darling founded Kwalee in Leamington Spa in 2011 and has grown the business into one of the world’s most successful hypercasual game publishers. Since its inception, their games have been installed over 900 million times. Darling is still innovating after decades in the industry and he remains as committed as ever to bringing great games to millions of players on mobile, PC, and console platforms.

Kwalee employs approximately 300 people across its studios in the UK, India, Portugal, and China and remote team members worldwide. The company’s success has seen more than £1.5 million in profits paid directly to its employees. Currently, Kwalee has over 180 open roles on its careers portal.

David Darling opened up about his shared history with Warwickshire, saying: “It was a great surprise and I’m really proud to have been made a Fellow of WCUC. I’ll try and motivate the students and take a particular interest with those on the games art and games design courses. My daughter studied at the college and really enjoyed and benefited from their creative, practical, and hands-on approach.

We’re always looking for new talented people at Kwalee and the educational system’s role is very important in developing that talent.”

It’s great that people have the opportunity to learn about games now, that wasn’t really an option when I was a student back in the 1980s.

When I was a child, we moved around the world. I went to 14 different schools and lived in a lot of countries. We settled here in Warwickshire and have been here for 30 years now. It’s home to me, a beautiful place, and I love living here in the heart of the country.

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCUC, said: “The title of Fellow is the highest accolade we can award as a college group and university centre. Fellowships are presented after great consideration, and we were delighted to recognise David Darling this year.

David is one of the most influential figures in the nation’s video game industry of the last 40 years and is still innovating and creating great games for millions of players worldwide.

His work has had a significant positive impact on the economy in Leamington and wider Warwickshire, and we are pleased to welcome David to our select group of Fellows.”

Watch the video from the ceremony:

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Meridian Donate: Revolutionizing CSR in the Betting and Gaming Industry

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  • Innovative engagement strategy positions MeridianBet as a leader in CSR within the betting and gaming industry
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Transforming Customers into Environmentalists and Humanitarians

MeridianBet’s pioneering initiative, Meridian Donate, is transforming the betting industry by engaging customers directly in corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions. This unique platform allows customers to actively participate in and fund various environmental, societal and humanitarian projects, setting a new standard for customer engagement and community impact.

Key Features of Meridian Donate:

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  • Partnerships with renowned organizations: Collaborates with entities like the Red Cross and UNICEF

Expanding Impact: A Year-by-Year Growth

The Meridian Donate platform has seen substantial growth in its scope and impact:

  • Number of individual campaigns: Grew from 8 in 2021 to 20 in 2023
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In 2023 alone, the platform’s expansion into eight markets facilitated 20 customer-funded campaigns, directly benefiting 159 NGOs, up from 122 the previous year.

Continued Commitment to Innovation and Community Involvement

Meridian Donate not only showcases MeridianBet’s dedication to CSR but also redefines the role of digital marketing within the industry. By converting sports bettors into active CSR participants, Meridian Donate enhances customer loyalty and brand value, making it a critical element of MeridianBet’s market strategy.

Recent Successes and Future Outlook

In its recent operation, Meridian Donate has launched an ambitious global afforestation initiative, committing to plant 20,000 seedlings across various regions. This project not only underscores our environmental commitment but also enhances our brand’s community presence. Already, several hundred contributions have been recorded in the platform’s first month, indicating robust customer engagement and support.

The post Meridian Donate: Revolutionizing CSR in the Betting and Gaming Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Imagine Live Launches Casino Hold’em

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Imagine Live proudly unveils its latest game addition – Casino Hold’em. This thrilling new game promises to elevate the poker experience for enthusiasts and novices alike, combining the excitement of traditional Texas Hold’em with the thrill of live casino action.

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Key features of Casino Hold’em include:

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Captivating Gameplay: Stunning graphics and seamless gameplay transport players to the heart of the action.

Bonus Bet: In Casino Hold’em, players can place a Bonus bet alongside their initial Ante bet. Even if the Play bet is lost, the Bonus bet remains unaffected and can still be won if the specific hand criteria are met.

Multiplatform Compatibility: Enjoy Casino Hold’em on desktop, tablet, or mobile devices, allowing players to play anytime, anywhere.

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The post Imagine Live Launches Casino Hold’em appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Relax Gaming increases Italian presence via Octavian Lab aggregation deal

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Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and supplier of unique content, has further increased its footprint in the Italian market with Octavian Lab.

Octavian Lab is a software house and service provider for online gaming suppliers. Led by highly specialised technicians, the company is committed to the development of products, protocols and integrated solutions in key regulated iGaming markets.

This partnership will see Octavian Lab’s operator partners in Italy, including leading sportsbook and casino Eurobet, gain access to a host of popular Relax Gaming titles.

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Gianluca Crimaldi, Director of Italy at Relax Gaming, said: “In order to continue our hugely successful trajectory in key markets such as Italy it is imperative that we continue working alongside some of the industry’s best aggregators.

“We are delighted to partner with the talented team at Octavian Lab who are helping ensure our games reach Italian players via the country’s top operators.”

Emanuele Nocentelli, CEO of Octavian Lab added: “We are proud of our partnership with Relax Gaming, one of the industry’s leading providers of high-quality games. It’s fantastic to be distributing their portfolio via our Gaming and Aggregation platforms and we are confident that Relax content will resonate with a wide audience of players across Italy. We look forward to maintaining and building upon this partnership for a long time to come.”

The post Relax Gaming increases Italian presence via Octavian Lab aggregation deal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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