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UK Gaming Charity SpecialEffect to Receive Special Award at 20th BAFTA Games Awards
BAFTA has announced that UK gaming charity SpecialEffect, will receive the prestigious Special Award at the 20th BAFTA Games Awards. The award, which recognises outstanding contributions to games, film and television, is one of the highest accolades bestowed by BAFTA. Dr Mick Donegan MBE, founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, will pick up the Special Award at the annual BAFTA Games Awards ceremony on Thursday 11 April.
In 2007, Mick Donegan founded SpecialEffect to help people with even the most severe physical challenges to access video games. The organisation uses specialised technology to enhance access to video games and creative self-expression for people with a wide range of Disabilities.
SpecialEffect’s success began as a result of the collaboration between Mick, a specialist in assistive technology and his son Bill, a keen gamer with a background in product design. Since its creation, the charity has grown to thirty employees, raising all their own funds, and has provided specialist one-to-one assessments and support to severely disabled people throughout the UK and beyond.
Dr Mick Donegan MBE, SpecialEffect founder and CEO, said: “With a background in special education, I realised how much people with severe physical disabilities were missing out by not being able to play. I started SpecialEffect not only to help individuals to play video games but also to collaborate with the games industry to make their games more accessible ‘at source’. Since then, we have been privileged to be invited to share our ideas with more and more developers all over the world. Now, 17 years since SpecialEffect began, it’s an absolute honour for SpecialEffect’s work to be recognised by BAFTA.”
Emma Baehr, BAFTA executive director of awards and content, said: “SpecialEffect’s work is essential to the games world and is hugely deserving of a BAFTA Special Award. Their innovative and supportive approach to making games accessible drives progress within the industry, collaborating with developers and studios on new technologies to make games within reach to more people. We look forward to honouring their contribution to games at the ceremony on Thursday 11 April.”
Throughout the years, SpecialEffect has been involved in collaborating with Xbox, Sony and Logitech, to help design accessible controllers and a switch kit, enabling thousands more severely disabled players to access their games using a wide range of control devices. They have also worked with games studios and developers to help make their games more accessible. The organisation also developed EyeMine, a freely downloadable gaze-controlled interface to enable players to enjoy Minecraft through gaze-control alone.
Later this year will see the rollout of their EyeGaze Games (currently available on PC only) onto Android and iOS, games designed to be fully accessible for people with physical disabilities, whether they use gaze control, joysticks, switches or gamepads.
The post UK Gaming Charity SpecialEffect to Receive Special Award at 20th BAFTA Games Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Season 2 of the Series in Development for 2026
Esports World Cup: Level Up, the five-part docuseries from Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late, Martha), is now streaming for free on Prime Video’s official YouTube channel.
The Level Up series, produced by This Machine (part of Sony Pictures Television) in partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the world’s largest esports and gaming festival, redefining what it means to be a champion in the digital age. A second season is now confirmed, continuing the story of the EWC and the next generation of Clubs and players shaping the future of global esports.
In the first season, Level Up captures human stories of the competition. From Oakland’s Soka of Team Falcons, a swaggering extrovert who defies gamer stereotypes while carrying the weight of a tough past, to FAKER of T1, a South Korean icon battling the loneliness of his own legend, each player’s journey reveals the person behind the avatar.
In the Philippines, 19-year-old Sanford of Team Liquid fights for his family after tragedy strikes, while Drazah of Atlanta FaZe traces his rise from a small shed in Alaska to the global stage. Indonesian sisters Chel and Cinny of Team Vitality lead a dominant women’s team even as personal loss tests their resolve.
Beyond the players, Yevhen Zolotarov of NAVI competes to support a war-torn Ukraine, and Mossad Aldossary, the 24-year-old CEO of Team Falcons, shoulders the hopes of a nation as he strives to keep the championship at home in Riyadh.
Together, their stories reveal what truly drives esports’ greatest figures, not just victory, but purpose, pride, and resilience.
Stay tuned for more information about Season 2 of Esports World Cup: Level Up.
The post Esports World Cup: Level Up Now Streaming on Prime Video YouTube Channel appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Innovecs Games Hosts Expert-Led Webinar: “From Crisis to Clarity — A New Blueprint for AAA Game Development”
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Innovecs Games, a leading game development studio under the Innovecs brand, announces its upcoming live webinar: From Crisis to Clarity: A New Blueprint for AAA Game Development!
Following two years of widespread studio closures and layoffs, the webinar will focus on how forward-thinking teams are reimagining workflows and talent structures to sustain creativity, efficiency, and innovation.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Nader Alikhani, VP of Games at Innovecs
- Chris Rowe, Business Development Director at Innovecs Games
- Amir Satvat, Founder of Amir Satvat’s Games Community
- Sam Carlisle, Co-Founder of XDS Spark
“These conversations are crucial as we collectively reimagine how the AAA ecosystem can thrive,” said Nader Alikhani, VP of Games at Innovecs. “Our goal is to share not just insights — but real frameworks for sustainable growth and creative resilience.”
The event will take place on November 19, 2025, at 9:30 AM PDT / 6:30 PM CET, and will include a live Q&A session. Participation is free and open to all professionals in game development and production.
Register here: innovecsgames.com/online-webinar-future-of-aaa-development/
The post Innovecs Games Hosts Expert-Led Webinar: “From Crisis to Clarity — A New Blueprint for AAA Game Development” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Softquo Holding to showcase integrated content strategy for Caribbean market at GAT Expo Santo Domingo
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Softquo Holding, the international technology group driving innovation across the global igaming sector, announced its participation at GAT Expo Santo Domingo 2025 (12th–13th November). The group will present the unified strength of its ecosystem, featuring industry leaders GoldenRace and Spinmatic, at Stand B3, highlighting a complete content and technology strategy for the burgeoning Dominican and Caribbean markets.
Softquo Holding’s focused presence in Santo Domingo acknowledges the region’s rapidly ascending market status. The Dominican Republic is emerging as a crucial igaming hub, bolstered by the imminent regulation of online gaming and a strong commitment to transparency and prevention of money laundering. GAT Expo Santo Domingo represents the essential meeting point for operators seeking secure, scalable and high-performance solutions in this high-potential region.
At Stand B3, Softquo Holding is dedicated to demonstrating how the combined expertise of its brands delivers holistic, integrated solutions for every betting and content vertical:
- GoldenRace: Highlighting the global market’s leading Virtual Sports, including the high-revenue Multiplier feature on horse and dog races and the dedicated LatAm solution, Baseball2Win, designed for unparalleled player engagement.
- Spinmatic: Showcasing a premium portfolio of slots and casino games, engineered for immersive gameplay and deep resonance with Caribbean and global audiences, driving increased Lifetime Value.
- Novusbet: Available for strategic discussions regarding its next-generation sportsbook and omnichannel platform technology, essential for rapid customisation and market entry.
Meet the Softquo Holding team at Stand B3 on 12th and 13th November to discuss how this unified content, platform and technology approach can immediately elevate your strategic growth in the Caribbean and LatAm markets.
The post Softquo Holding to showcase integrated content strategy for Caribbean market at GAT Expo Santo Domingo appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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