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

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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.

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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Booming Games Powers into Winter with Polar Buffalo Hold and Win Extreme 25,000!

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The legendary migration charges into the holiday season with Polar Buffalo Hold and Win Extreme 25,000, a festive twist on the fan-favourite, now featuring a massive 25,000x Grand Bonus! Snow blankets the plains, but the action blazes hotter than ever as buffalo roam through a wintry wilderness of fierce wolves, mountain lions and soaring eagles.

This 5×3, 25-payline slot is brimming with action-packed features and frosty excitement. Trigger the Buffalo Bonus by landing Value symbols, and spin the Wheel of Fortune when you land 5 or fewer coins for a shot at multipliers, the Mini Bonus, Major Bonus or even the Hold and Win Extreme feature!

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Play Polar Buffalo Hold and Win Extreme 25,000 now!

“With Polar Buffalo Hold and Win Extreme 25,000, we wanted to give a legendary title a bold new life for the holiday season,” said Craig Asling, Director of Games at Booming Games. 

“The 25,000x Grand Bonus raises the stakes, while the festive design and exciting mechanics deliver a powerful blend of familiarity and fresh energy. It’s a thrilling evolution of a player favourite that captures the wild spirit of the buffalo in a brand-new winter adventure.”

The post Booming Games Powers into Winter with Polar Buffalo Hold and Win Extreme 25,000! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Ra’s Reckoning unleashes an epic clash of Egyptian gods

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Play’n GO pits sun god Ra against serpent deity Apophis in Ra’s Reckoning, a mythic grid slot inspired by the celestial battles of ancient Egypt.

Ra’s Reckoning brings players face to face with an age-old mythic struggle – the eternal duel between light and chaos. Set in the scorched valleys of Egypt, this 6×5 cascading grid slot casts Ra, the all-seeing sun god, against the monstrous serpent Apophis, a primordial force of destruction. As players traverse this divine battleground, the looming presence of a blood-red eclipse intensifies the conflict, culminating in Ra’s cosmic reckoning.

Following in the footsteps of titles like Legacy of Egypt and Scroll of Dead, Ra’s Reckoning deepens Play’n GO’s commitment to storytelling through dynamic grid-based mechanics. The game’s escalating tension and vivid visual narrative ensure that Ra’s divine war leaves a lasting impression.

Divine Frames track the intensity of Ra’s power, upgrading through bronze, silver, and golden tiers as wins build. When Ra’s Blessing symbol appears, it unleashes these stored energies – revealing Coins, Jars, and Clash multipliers that bring the grid to life with celestial fury. The Mega Drop feature clears the grid of matching symbols beyond the winning cluster, pushing the chaos ever forward.

During Free Spins, Divine Frames persist between rounds, letting Ra’s influence grow stronger. In the heightened Divine Red Eclipse mode, these frames become super sticky, keeping the pressure on Apophis in a showdown of escalating divine forces.

Fans of Rich Wilde and the Amulet of Dead or Book of Dead will find familiar inspiration in this richly layered Egyptian mythos. Where those games explored the secrets of the underworld, Ra’s Reckoning elevates the stakes – delivering a god-level confrontation shaped by precision mechanics and narrative continuity.

Magnus Wallentin, Games Ambassador at Play’n GO said: “Ra’s Reckoning exemplifies our passion for combining thematic storytelling with innovative features. The evolving Divine Frames and Mega Drop mechanic create a sense of momentum and consequence with every cluster.”

Ra’s Reckoning is a high-impact grid slot where every move builds towards a celestial clash between order and oblivion.

The post Ra’s Reckoning unleashes an epic clash of Egyptian gods appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Tom Horn Gaming strengthens its presence in Czech market through partnership with Kingsbet.cz

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Leading iGaming software supplier Tom Horn Gaming has announced a new partnership with Kingsbet.cz, marking another significant step in the company’s strategic expansion within the Czech market.

The collaboration sees Tom Horn Gaming’s engaging suite of top-performing games, including player favourites like 81 Frutas Grandes, Book of Aladdin, Flaming Fruit Deluxe, and 243 Crystal Fruits Deluxe, go live with Kingsbet.cz, providing Czech players with access to a rich selection of locally tailored gaming content.

With a portfolio built on distinctive mechanics that combine classic slot features popular among Czech players with innovative twists, the supplier is steadily enhancing its market presence and remains committed to delivering gaming titles tailored to local player tastes.

“The Czech Republic is one of our key regulated markets with strong potential, and the partnership with Kingsbet.cz, a trusted and fast-growing operator in the region, is another step in our expansion plans,” said Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming. “We’re firmly focused on deepening our footprint in the region and delivering premium localised entertainment that Czech players love while supporting our operator partners’ growth in this dynamic market.”

David VanekCEO at Kingsbet.cz added: “Partnering with Tom Horn Gaming brings tremendous value to our offering. Their portfolio combines quality, innovation, and an understanding of what Czech players enjoy most. We’re confident this collaboration will help us deliver even more engaging gaming experiences and strengthen our position in the market”.

This latest partnership underlines Tom Horn Gaming’s continued focus on regulated market growth, reinforcing its mission to bring distinctive and entertaining gaming experiences to players worldwide while building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with operators in key regions.

The post Tom Horn Gaming strengthens its presence in Czech market through partnership with Kingsbet.cz appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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