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How game studios can avoid common network and infrastructure issues

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Mathieu Duperré, CEO and Founder of Edgegap

It’s common for video game developers to launch a day-one patch for new releases after their games have gone gold. The growing size of video games means it’s inevitable that some bugs will be missed during the QA period and go unnoticed until the game is in players’ hands.

Some of the most common issues experienced by game developers at launch are related to network and infrastructure, such as the connection issues causing chaos in Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as some players experience issues connecting to matches. And while there’s no way of eliminating lag, latency and disconnects from multiplayer games, developers can minimize the chances of them occurring and the disruption they cause by following a few simple steps.

 

Plan for the worst, expect the best

For many video game developers, the best-case scenario for the launch of their game – that it’s a huge hit and far more people end up playing it than they expected – can also be the worst-case scenario for infrastructure-related issues. An influx of too many players can lead to severe bottlenecking, resulting in lag and connectivity issues. In a worst-case scenario, servers become overloaded and stop responding to requests, usually leaving players unable to connect to online matchmaking.

Another worst-case scenario is planning for big numbers at launch and building the necessary infrastructure to support this, only for your game to launch and have nowhere near the traffic you were expecting. Not only is this a big problem for your bottom line, but things can get worse if you rush your search for an infrastructure provider and forget to read through the T&Cs properly.

Some infrastructure suppliers will onboard new studios on a fixed contract, not letting them scale back if they’ve overprovisioned their servers. Some infrastructure providers offer a lot of free credits, to begin with, only for those credits to expire after the first few months. Game studios then discover they’re responsible for fronting the cost of network traffic, load balancers, clusters, API calls, and many more products they had yet to consider.

With that in mind, try not to sign up for long-term agreements that don’t offer flexibility for scaling up or down. Your server setup has a lot to gain by being flexible, and your server requirements will likely change in the weeks following launch as you get a better idea of your player base; under-utilized servers are a waste of money and resources.

 

Test, test, and test again

You haven’t tested your online matchmaking properly if you’ve tested your servers under the strain of 1000 players, but you’re expecting 10,000 or 100,000 at launch. Your load tests are an essential part of planning for the worst-case scenario, and you should test your network under the same strain as if you suddenly experienced a burst in players.

Load testing is important because you’ll inevitably encounter infrastructure issues as your network comes under strain. Still, it’s only by facing those issues that you can identify them and plan for them accordingly once your game launches.

Similarly, you want to test your game in as many different locations as possible because there’s no way of telling where your traffic will be coming from. We’ve had cases where studios released a very popular game overnight in Chile but needed data centers. Thankfully, you can mitigate issues such as these by leveraging edge computing providers to reduce the distance between your players and the point of connection.

Consider the specific infrastructure needs of your game’s genre

Casual games with an optional multiplayer component will have a completely different network requirement to MMORPGs, with thousands of players connected to a centralized world. Similarly, a first-person-shooter with 64-player matchmaking will have a different network requirement than a side-scrolling beat ’em up or fighting game, which often requires custom netcodes due to the fast-paced nature of the combat.

People outside the video game industry assume all video games have similar payloads, but different game genres are as technically different in terms of infrastructure requirements as specific applications.

With that in mind, it’s essential for game studios, especially smaller ones, to regularly communicate with infrastructure partners and ensure they’ve got a thorough understanding of how the multiplayer components of your game will work. A decent infrastructure provider will be able to work with you to not only ensure load testing is carried out correctly but also help diagnose any broader issues.

Too many tools and not enough resources to use them

One thing that large network providers are very good at providing is tools, but these are often complex and require specific knowledge and understanding. It’s worth noting that large game studios have dedicated teams of engineers to manage these tools for AAA games with millions of players.

Smaller studios need to be realistic about the number of players they expect for new game releases and their internal resources to manage network and infrastructure-related issues and queries. You should partner with a provider that can handle all of this, so your studio can focus on making the best game possible. The more automation you can plan into your DevOps methodology, the better!

 

Takeaways for small game studios

While game studios likely encounter many issues as part of their game development journey, working these three pieces of advice into your DevOps pipeline is a sure way of minimizing infrastructure-related headaches.

Don’t reinvent the wheel – We’ve seen many studios trying to build bespoke systems rather than automate and use what’s already out there. If you can develop your netcode, engine and manage your Kubernetes, that’s great! But is it necessary, or is building these things from scratch just going to create trouble further down the line?

Understand your workflows – Plan for everything, use tech-agnostic vendors to remain flexible, get real-time visibility and logs for your matchmaking traffic, and have a 24/7 support plan for when your game is live. The more potential problems you’re aware of, the better.

Load testing your game – Build tiny tools and scripts to generate as much traffic as you can, breaking your system as often as possible.

 

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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Week 10/2025 slot games releases

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Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming

Spinomenal has unveiled Irish Treasures 2 – the follow up to the hugely successful original Irish Treasures – Leprechaun’s Fortune. Players return to an enchanted forest that shimmers with green embers under a darkened canopy. The game is set within a 5×3 format, framed in a wooden frame to give the feeling of being inside an old Irish drinking tavern. A red-haired pixie, pot of gold, beer tankard and wooden pipe complete the rustic feel.

BGaming is thrilled to announce the launch of Alice WonderLuck. Inspired by the whimsical world of Lewis Caroll’s iconic novel, Alice Wonderluck invites players to conjure up some magic on the reels. Alice WonderLuck plunges players into a vibrant reimagining of Wonderland, where a series of familiar characters are given a fresh, digital makeover. The classic tale’s creative and slightly off-kilter atmosphere has been brought to life perfectly with an enchanting soundtrack.

Push Gaming reinvigorates classic entertainment with its homage to retro fruit machines in its latest release, Power Vault. This slot is the debut game from Reel Hot Games, a new sub-brand of Push Gaming, blending nostalgic slot themes with innovative mechanics for players seeking lower and medium volatility. Blending modern mechanics with classic aesthetics, Power Vault is played across 3×3 reels and five paylines. Players must match iconic symbols like sevens, bars and bells across these pay lines to be awarded a win.

Prepare to face the legendary Gorgon in Medusa’s Madness, a mythology-infused slot where every cascade brings players closer to her petrifying power. Step into the depths of Medusa’s lair, where a 5×5 cascading grid slot awaits those daring enough to confront the serpent-haired queen. Clusters of four or more symbols trigger wins, charging the mysterious Portal to unlock powerful effects. With Special Wilds, symbol removals, and the chance to summon Medusa’s Mega Wild form, players must tread carefully if they hope to escape unscathed.

Hölle Games has released Jolly Wild Deluxe slot game, a 6×3 return of the Jolly character who some might say is more suited to a horror franchise than a slot. This time the Jolly brings a companion, a gold-faced twin who acts as a multiplier and awards 2x in the base game for any active payline. However subsequent Jollies also multiply, meaning that a payline reward could be multiplied by up to 32x.

Introducing Steamworks – Gears of Fortune, the newest offering from the acclaimed game studio Peter & Sons. This medium volatility video slot boasts unique game mechanics and immerses players in a dystopian, steam-powered universe nestled within the ruins of an industrial city, where the gears of fortune determine your destiny!

Strike gold with Dynamite Trio from Booming Games, the explosive slot featuring a thrilling 3-pot feature! Join the prospector on a deep mining adventure, where golden nuggets of fun and features are waiting to be uncovered. Put on your hard hat and brace yourself for some of the most exciting bonuses and rewards yet! Dynamite Trio is a 3×5, 20-line slot packed with exciting features. At the core of the game is the 3-pot system, with three powerful dynamite Scatters: Boost, Expand, and Collect.

Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and supplier of unique content, is sending players on a mission they’ll never fur-get as they clean up the streets of pesky pooches in Purrrminator. This 6×4 Connected Ways slot can see players net up to 5,000x their stake, Free Spins and an innovative Reverse Avalanche mechanic. The Reverse Avalanche feature sees all winning symbols locked in place and retained whilst new symbols drop A round only ends when no more matching symbols land on the reels.

Evoplay has launched Young Buffalo Song, a nature-inspired slot that takes players on a journey through the vast North American plains. Set on a 5×4 reel layout with 20 pay lines, the game introduces Wild multipliers that appear on reels 2, 3, and 4, boosting wins by x2 or x3 in both the base game and Free Spins. Landing three or more Scatter symbols awards up to 20 Free Spins, with Wild multipliers remaining active throughout.

The post Week 10/2025 slot games releases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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European Esports Championship 2025 to Take Place from July 9-13

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The International Esports Federation (IESF) is thrilled to announce that the European Esports Championship 2025 will be hosted in Pristina, Kosovo, from 9-13 July. This tournament will bring together 180 esports athletes from across Europe, competing in some of the world’s most popular game titles.

The championship will feature:
Counter Strike 2 –  Top 16 teams
Counter Strike 2  Women – Top 8 teams
Dota 2 – Top 12 teams

The road to Pristina begins with an intense online qualification stage, taking place from 16 May to 1 June. The top-performing teams from this stage will earn their spot at the European Esports Championship, where they will battle for national glory in front of a passionate esports audience.

“We are excited to bring the European Esports Championship to Pristina, a city with an emerging esports scene and a strong community of gamers. This event will showcase the incredible talent of European players and reinforce the growing significance of esports in the region,” said Igor Nedeski, Esports Manager at IESF.

The European Esports Championship 2025 promises high-level competition,live broadcasts, and a thrilling esports experience for both players and fans. More details regarding match schedules, venue information, and streaming platforms will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The post European Esports Championship 2025 to Take Place from July 9-13 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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RaceiQ metrics now available for free on Racing TV platforms – in time for Cheltenham Festival

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RaceiQ metrics – the revolutionary data which offers exciting new tools and insights into how we assess horse racing – are now available for free to view on www.racingtv.com and Racing TV Apps.

The metrics – available for all British and Irish races – will prove a valuable tool for all race-fans and punters, especially ahead of the sport’s biggest betting week, next week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Since its launch last year, RaceiQ has become integral to Racing TV and ITV Racing’s pre- and post-race analysis – and is now available for everyone to access (no login required) via Racing TV’s newly enhanced results pages.

Racing TV users can see how horses fared across the full suite of RaceiQ metrics only minutes after every race in Britain and Ireland. This underlying tracking data is provided by Coursetrack, the award-winning live, in-race timing information system, for RMG and Irish racecourses, and also from TPD in respect of other UK racecourses.

The metrics are available in the “expanded view” of the standard Result tab, and in a new RaceiQ Comparison tab, which enables a quick comparison of all the horses in a race.

Metrics include: Finishing speed percentage (FSP), Time Index, Par Time, Par Sectionals, Par FSP, 0-20mph, Lengths Gained Jumping (LGJ) and Jump Index. For more on these, please visit www.racingtv.com/raceiq.

The revamped results pages also feature a fully integrated Sectionals tab – the only place to view both British and Irish race sectionals. The tab shows the below data for every horse in every furlong:

  • Sectional time
  • Race position and cumulative time from leader
  • A line graph visualisation

RaceiQ is the result of an innovative partnership between Ellipse, the leading sports data and analytics company, and Racecourse Media Group (RMG), which represents media interests of 37 racecourses.

Ed Gretton, Director of Racing at RMG, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased with the reaction to RaceiQ, which has really captured the imagination and quickly gained the trust and full confidence of industry professionals. Racing TV’s website and mobile and tablet Apps are the only place to see all British and Irish sectionals, as well as the full suite of RaceiQ metrics. It’s all free to access and will revolutionise how we approach the sport.”

Roderick Grafton, MD – Horse Racing at Ellipse, added: “We have been delighted with the way in which both pundits and punters have adopted RaceiQ. The Ellipse Data Scientists and Engineers have used their expertise and learnings from other sports to generate compelling cutting-edge metrics, providing new angles and narratives in every race. We are very excited that, via RacingTV.com and its Apps, all horse racing fans will now have access to the full suite of RaceiQ metrics.”

Data is available for all British races back to March 2023, and for all Irish races back to January 1, 2024. Historic sectionals are still accessible via links to PDFs.

RaceiQ specialises in using complex modelled metrics to turn detailed GPS tracking data, provided by Coursetrack, into easily digestible content for broadcasters, participants and racing fans alike. The suite of metrics has been developed by Ellipse’s data science and engineering specialists, combined with AI and machine learning.

For businesses looking to learn more about RaceiQ, a B2B website has also been launched – www.raceiq.com. The site houses in-depth detail about RaceiQ metrics, insights, testimonials and the list of products and services on offer.

The post RaceiQ metrics now available for free on Racing TV platforms – in time for Cheltenham Festival appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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