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Top-Tier Mobile Game Publishers Spend $21 Million on Custom Tech

Published

2 years ago

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Top-tier mobile game publishers are investing more than $21 million to build and maintain internal technology and tooling. That’s the startling headline of new research from mobile game development company, Metaplay, which also dives into the hidden, human costs of game programmers who are diverted to work on tech instead of gaming content.

Based on a survey of 125 senior executives at large mobile game development companies in the United States, the data shows that large publishers are spending an average of $21,662,784 to build and maintain their backend tech. Respondents, all of whom are C-level execs or tech team leads at companies with at least 50 staff, were asked questions relating to the size of their tech teams, how long they had been working on internal tools, and their teams’ remuneration. They said:

  • $138,864 is the average salary of an employee working on internal tech at major publishers in the United States

  • 52 is the average number of employees working predominantly in internal tech

  • 36 months is the average number of months the companies surveyed had been building internal tech (just over three years)

Beyond the hard numbers, there are human costs associated with the in-house development of backend tech. Almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said their game programmers had been impacted by being redeployed to work on internal tech as opposed to gaming content. Of those who had redeployed staff, 41% said that doing so had slowed the game development process, 34% said it had increased ‘crunch’ working practices, and 34% said this led to higher employee turnover.

Teemu Haila, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Metaplay, commented:

“As a company which has spent almost four years focused entirely on building backend tech for mobile games, even we had to do a double-take when we saw these stats. Shipping a long-lasting hit game was already very challenging, but the current state of the mobile gaming market means investment at this level without any guarantee of success is incredibly risky. We’re trying to fix the binary choice of ‘build vs buy’ when it comes to backend tech – where ‘build’ means expensive and ‘buy’ means unscalable, so mobile devs can focus on making great content.”

Matt Wilson, mobile gaming advisor and investor, said:

“This research shows that building internal tech is becoming prohibitively expensive as well as distracting game-makers from their day jobs. As an investor, I generally want to see as much capital as possible to go towards developing the product. Many companies still suffer from an ‘if it’s not built here, it’s not good enough’ mentality but, while that may have been true in the past, it’s certainly not always the case now.”

Further key findings from the research:

  • Top-tier game studios in the US are most likely to be developing strategy games (58%) and shooters (57%). They’re least likely to be working on hypercasual (22%) and card-collecting games (18%)

  • Respondents’ companies are most likely to outsource or use third-party tooling for security and compliance (43%), multiplayer and/or matchmaking (42%), and game logic server hosting (41%). They’re least likely to outsource observability tooling (26%), and data pipelines (14%)

As well as being available as a whitepaper here, the research has today been released as a hard copy book which is available at Nordic Game Conference stand D6, or on request from Metaplay.

The post Top-Tier Mobile Game Publishers Spend $21 Million on Custom Tech appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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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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Boomerang Partners has been included in 3 prestigious industry Awards, which will be presented in January 2026

Published

5 hours ago

on

December 11, 2025

By

Boomerang Partners, a global Affiliate Gambling & Betting Marketing Agency, starts 2026 with participation in the largest industry awards. The company has been included in the shortlists of several prestigious nominations, notably the International Gaming Awards (IGA), European iGaming Awards, and Global Gaming Awards EMEA. Winners will be announced during the iGB and ICE Barcelona 2026 exhibitions, which will take place from January 19 to 21. Boomerang Partners will participate in the event with its booth, 81-L10.

For Boomerang Partners, this marks a record number of nominations that the company has been included in. Here are the awards it’s competing for:

International Gaming Awards:

  • Affiliate Marketing Campaign of the Year
  • Charitable Community Award (Golden Boomerang Awards – Charity)

European iGaming Awards:

  • Charity Award (Golden Boomerang Awards – Charity)
  • Affiliate Company Of The Year
  • Best Live Event Marketing Campaign (Golden Boomerang Awards)

Global Gaming Awards – EMEA 2026:

  • Affiliate Program of the Year

What’s next

Boomerang Partners will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2026. The company is approaching this date at the peak of its effectiveness. Its inclusion on shortlists of prestigious awards is a testament to its recognition in the market. Experts have noticed Boomerang’s successes and recognize the contribution the company makes to the industry’s development. It feels strong enough to win most awards and is focused on achieving new milestones on the path to becoming the best sports-focused affiliate program in the world.

Currently, Boomerang Partners has over 3,000 affiliate partners and 13+ brands in its client portfolio. The company is the Official Regional Partner of AC Milan, and the second year of collaboration began in the summer of 2025. In 2024 and 2025, it held a global annual tournament for affiliate teams, the Golden Boomerang Awards. In fall 2025, the Golden Boomerang League, its first sports traffic tournament, took place. Boomerang Partners regularly participates in industry events, showcasing its booth and receiving prestigious awards. Over four years, the company has won 10 awards, including in 2025:

  • ‘Unique Gaming Company of the Year’ at the International Gaming Awards 2025
  • ‘Social Media Campaign of the Year’ at the SBC Awards 2025
  • ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’ (Operator) at the SBC Awards 2025

And Boomerang Partners affiliate team lead, Kristina Shkredova, won the award for Best Affiliate Manager AskGamblers 2025.

How many awards will Boomerang Partners win in January? – Follow the official website and social media of the company, so as not to miss anything.

About Boomerang

Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global marketing agency offering a wide range of services. Boomerang Partners is the Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards — a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. The agency launched six new products in 2024-2025, contributing to a nearly 1.5-fold increase in product users.

The agency’s client portfolio contains 13+ brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across 40+ markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide personalized bonuses and 24/7 multilingual support.

The post Boomerang Partners has been included in 3 prestigious industry Awards, which will be presented in January 2026 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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Latest News

Boomerang Partners has been included in 3 prestigious industry Awards, which will be presented in January 2026

Published

5 hours ago

on

December 11, 2025

By

Boomerang Partners, a global Affiliate Gambling & Betting Marketing Agency, starts 2026 with participation in the largest industry awards. The company has been included in the shortlists of several prestigious nominations, notably the International Gaming Awards (IGA), European iGaming Awards, and Global Gaming Awards EMEA. Winners will be announced during the iGB and ICE Barcelona 2026 exhibitions, which will take place from January 19 to 21. Boomerang Partners will participate in the event with its booth, 81-L10.

For Boomerang Partners, this marks a record number of nominations that the company has been included in. Here are the awards it’s competing for:

International Gaming Awards:

  • Affiliate Marketing Campaign of the Year
  • Charitable Community Award (Golden Boomerang Awards – Charity)

European iGaming Awards:

  • Charity Award (Golden Boomerang Awards – Charity)
  • Affiliate Company Of The Year
  • Best Live Event Marketing Campaign (Golden Boomerang Awards)

Global Gaming Awards – EMEA 2026:

  • Affiliate Program of the Year

What’s next

Boomerang Partners will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2026. The company is approaching this date at the peak of its effectiveness. Its inclusion on shortlists of prestigious awards is a testament to its recognition in the market. Experts have noticed Boomerang’s successes and recognize the contribution the company makes to the industry’s development. It feels strong enough to win most awards and is focused on achieving new milestones on the path to becoming the best sports-focused affiliate program in the world.

Currently, Boomerang Partners has over 3,000 affiliate partners and 13+ brands in its client portfolio. The company is the Official Regional Partner of AC Milan, and the second year of collaboration began in the summer of 2025. In 2024 and 2025, it held a global annual tournament for affiliate teams, the Golden Boomerang Awards. In fall 2025, the Golden Boomerang League, its first sports traffic tournament, took place. Boomerang Partners regularly participates in industry events, showcasing its booth and receiving prestigious awards. Over four years, the company has won 10 awards, including in 2025:

  • ‘Unique Gaming Company of the Year’ at the International Gaming Awards 2025
  • ‘Social Media Campaign of the Year’ at the SBC Awards 2025
  • ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’ (Operator) at the SBC Awards 2025

And Boomerang Partners affiliate team lead, Kristina Shkredova, won the award for Best Affiliate Manager AskGamblers 2025.

How many awards will Boomerang Partners win in January? – Follow the official website and social media of the company, so as not to miss anything.

About Boomerang

Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global marketing agency offering a wide range of services. Boomerang Partners is the Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards — a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. The agency launched six new products in 2024-2025, contributing to a nearly 1.5-fold increase in product users.

The agency’s client portfolio contains 13+ brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across 40+ markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide personalized bonuses and 24/7 multilingual support.

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Latest News

SCCG Announces Strategic Partnership with Yellow Elephant Studios to Expand Multi-Channel Gaming Content Worldwide

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 11, 2025

By

SCCG Management, a global leader in advisory, business development, and strategic partnerships for the gaming industry, announced a strategic global distribution partnership with Yellow Elephant Studios (YES), a rising force in casino, charitable gaming, and iGaming content development.

The partnership brings together SCCG’s expansive global operator network with YES’s rapidly growing portfolio of high-performance digital and land-based gaming content. Known for blending classic casino experiences with modern creative design, YES is redefining player engagement through advanced math models, cutting-edge visual design, and player-centric mechanics engineered for regulated casino markets, charitable gaming systems, and iGaming platforms.

A Studio Built for the Next Generation of Gaming

Yellow Elephant Studios is quickly emerging as one of the most innovative content developers in the sector. Their roadmap spans slot-style experiences, interactive entertainment systems, charitable gaming content, and hybrid formats designed for both digital and physical environments. With deep experience across regulated gaming markets, YES creates content that resonates with diverse player demographics while delivering strong performance for operators.

“Our mission is simple: create unforgettable gaming experiences by fusing imagination, technology, and precision,” said Fernando Di Carlo, CEO of Yellow Elephant Studios. “As the industry evolves, players expect more—more interaction, more personality, more ways to win. We’re building the next generation of games for that audience, and SCCG’s global footprint will help us scale that vision faster than ever.”

Accelerated Global Reach Through SCCG’s Network

By leveraging SCCG’s network of more than 120 partners — including tribal casinos, charitable gaming operators, digital platforms, iGaming operators, and emerging interactive entertainment brands — the partnership will accelerate the reach and market penetration of YES content across the most influential global gaming ecosystems.

“Yellow Elephant Studios brings a powerful creative and technical engine to the global gaming market,” said Stephen Crystal, Founder & CEO of SCCG Management. “Their ability to innovate across casino, charitable gaming, and iGaming channels makes them a standout studio ready for scale. SCCG is excited to connect them with operators seeking modern, high-engagement content that delivers real performance across both digital and land-based ecosystems.”

The post SCCG Announces Strategic Partnership with Yellow Elephant Studios to Expand Multi-Channel Gaming Content Worldwide appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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