The cross-game initiative invites fans to predict outcomes, build fantasy rosters, and compete for prizes while advancing interactive fan participation at EWC 2025

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today unveiled Fantasy at the Esports World Cup 2025, an interactive experience that invites fans around the world to participate in the tournament through prediction, competition, and strategy. With a dedicated prize pool of $200,000 USD, the launch represents a significant expansion of the global fan experience at EWC 2025, the world’s largest esports and gaming event, and marks a new step in fan engagement, digital innovation, and community participation.

The fantasy experience is available now through the official EWC 2025 Game Hub, a unique, cross-game fantasy platform at esports, at fantasy.esportsworldcup.com and through the EWC mobile app on iOS and Android devices.

“The Esports World Cup is built to serve every level of the esports ecosystem – from grassroots fans to the world’s top Clubs and players,” said Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “With the launch of Fantasy, fans can connect more deeply with the competition – competing with friends, representing their favourite Clubs, and putting their game knowledge to the test. It turns spectators into participants and makes every match matter more.”

Real-time scoring, intuitive navigation, and built-in social sharing features make it easy for fans to stay connected and engaged throughout the tournament, whether they’re competing with friends, representing their favourite Clubs, or simply putting their game knowledge to the test.

The Fantasy suite at EWC 2025 features two distinct formats designed to broaden participation and reward strategic thinking. Pick’ems across all 24 game titles allows fans to predict the top eight finishers for each tournament. Using a drag-and-drop interface, players can lock in their predictions before each event begins and accumulate points based on the accuracy of their rankings. Participation is free, with a total of $100,000 in prizes awarded to top Pick’ems performers.

Fantasy League, live once each tournament begins, offers a deeper layer of engagement. Focused on five titles – VALORANT, Dota 2, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Counter-Strike 2 – the format allows fans to become the CEO of their dream team, and assemble a virtual roster using a $100 million fictional budget. Participants draft their teams, improve their roster via substitutions, strategic transfers, and boosters, track player statistics in real time, and score points based on actual in-game performance. $100,000 in prizes will be distributed amongst the highest-ranking Fantasy League players.

Each title within the Fantasy League has a tailored scoring system, designed to reflect the nuances of its competitive format. Both Pick’ems and Fantasy League are available via the mobile app and desktop, in English and Arabic, entirely free to play, with built-in sharing features and leaderboard tracking that foster ongoing competition throughout the tournament.

To register and begin playing, visit fantasy.esportsworldcup.com or download the official Esports World Cup app today.

Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.

Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.

This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.

Highlights from the report include:

• Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement: In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.
• Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers: In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.
• Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance: “Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.
• UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps: The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.
• Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences : Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.

Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”

Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”

2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index

Following the success of its original release, Spinmatic’s Pinky Plinko returns with a beautifully reimagined Deluxe edition. The innovative B2B provider elevates the beloved game with refined mechanics, enhanced visuals and immersive sound design for a high-performing addition to any operator’s content portfolio.

Set during a mythical Japanese matsuri – a spirited festival where the human and spirit worlds briefly collide – the game invites players to join Pinky, a cheerful half-human, half-cat spirit, on a joyful journey through lantern-lit streets and supernatural surprises.

The core mechanic of the game remains the classic Plinko format, but the Deluxe version introduces a completely reworked Hold & Drop system. Players can now choose to release 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 balls at once, with each drop visualised through a fluid, lottery-style counter that enhances anticipation and immersion.
This new edition also offers a more visual and accessible approach to risk levels. The game now makes it easier for players to read the volatility of each session at a glance.

One of the most exciting additions is the introduction of Prize Multipliers – magical glowing bands that appear on the board and double the value of any ball that lands within them. These appear in one zone in the 8-line mode and two zones in the 16-line setup. Each winning drop is accompanied by bespoke visual and audio effects that scale with the prize’s value, creating a celebratory atmosphere that mirrors the game’s festive theme.

To support long-term engagement, a live results tracker has been integrated into the interface, sitting discreetly in the top-left corner. This feature allows players to monitor their recent outcomes and keep track of lucky streaks without disrupting the rhythm of play.

Beyond mechanics, Pinky Plinko Deluxe delivers a complete sensory upgrade. The background art and game board have been redesigned with intricate detail, enhancing the depth and richness of the game’s world. Every element has been refined to evoke the spirit of the festival and elevate the player experience.

The sound design also adapts dynamically, with subtle sparkles for small wins and full-scale fireworks when larger prizes are secured.
The result is an atmospheric and polished experience designed to delight players and perform strongly across a wide range of markets.