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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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Legends Collide and the Stage Ignites at Red Bull League of its Own 2025, Munich

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Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday 29 November, when Red Bull’s one-of-a-kind League of Legends tournament ‘Red Bull League of Its Own’ is set to make its grand return.

Taking place in the iconic SAP Garden in Munich, reigning champions and esport titans T1, along with some of Europe’s most celebrated teams – G2 Esports, Karmine Corp, NNO Old and Los Ratones, will go head-to-head in an unmissable end-of-year showdown.

Red Bull League of Its Own 2025 is set to light up Munich’s SAP Garden, turning the state-of-the-art arena into an electrifying esports stage in the heart of Olympic Park. 11,500 fans will fill the stands, with countless more watching online, as international icons and Europe’s elite face-off in this year’s ultimate League of Legends clash. Red Bull League of Its Own is all about pushing the action to the limit, delivering high-energy matchups, unexpected twists, and the possibility of mixed rosters that keep every game fresh. All matchups will be played in a Ultimate Fearless best-of-1 format, keeping every game high-stakes and unpredictable.

The 2024 Red Bull League of Its Own delivered an unforgettable spectacle in Paris’ Accor Arena as T1 swapped roles, Los Ratones stunned after causing an upset, and Rekkles made a triumphant reunion on stage. This year’s edition aims to raise the bar even higher, promising elevated competition and moments that will captivate the global League community once again.

Returning as the official Monitor Partner for 2025, AGON by AOC will once again deliver high-performance gaming monitors to ensure contestants get the ultimate gaming experience. Razer makes its debut as the official Chair Partner of Red Bull League of Its Own, bringing the Razer Iskur V2 – an ergonomic chair built for comfort, durability, and focus – to keep players at their best throughout every match. MSI also joins as the official Gaming PC and Laptop Partner, while KFC comes on board for the first time as an event partner.

With record viewership last year, Red Bull League of Its Own 2025 promises unforgettable clashes, daring strategies, and moments fans will talk about long after the final match.

See below for full event details, timings, and where to watch.

Schedule:

  • -15:00 CET – Opening Ceremony
  • -15:15 CET – G2 Esports vs NNO Old
  • -16:00 CET – Los Ratones vs Karmine Corp
  • -17:00 CET – G2 Esports vc Karmine Corp
  • -18:00 CET – T1 vs Match 3 Winner
  • -19:00 CET – T1 vs NNO Old
  • -20:00 CET – T1 vs Los Ratones

Talent:

  • -Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere – Host
  • -Keltoum “Giniro” Baddaje – Host
  • -Robert “Dagda” Price – Caster
  • -Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain – Caster
  • -Joe “Munchables” Fenny – Caster
  • -Daniel “Aux” Harrison – Caster
  • -Jona “JustJohnny” Schmitt – MC
  • -René “MasterPlay” Geigenberger – MC

On-Site Streamers:

  • -Caedrel
  • -Kameto
  • -NNO Old (NoWay, Tolkin, Agurin, Karni, and Broeli)
  • -Ilha das Lendas (Baiano, Tay, Brucer, and Pedro Bosco)

Where To Watch:

  • -Fans can tune in to Red Bull Gaming’s YouTube and Twitch channels at 3 PM (UTC+1).
  • -YouTube: youtube.com/live/mNV9ZU_YunA
  • -Twitch: twitch.tv/redbull

 

The post Legends Collide and the Stage Ignites at Red Bull League of its Own 2025, Munich appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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1xBet Becomes the First Official Betting Partner of MIBR’s VALORANT Team

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1xBet has signed a partnership with the VALORANT roster of esports powerhouse MIBR, becoming the first-ever official betting partner in the Riot Games ecosystem.

Under this partnership, 1xBet and MIBR will focus on creating a new, immersive fan experience, strengthening the team’s global fanbase, and boosting overall engagement with VALORANT.

MIBR’s VALORANT roster currently includes players from the United States and Brazil. Over the past few years, the team has been a regular competitor in VCT Americas, and in 2025 they qualified for VALORANT Masters Toronto — the only Latin American team to do so. Later that year, MIBR also earned a spot at VALORANT Champions 2025, finishing in the Top 5 worldwide.

Beyond their esports success, MIBR continues to expand its media presence through collaborations with leading Brazilian influencers such as Sacy, producing original entertainment content, and hosting watch parties during major tournaments — all helping the organization remain one of the most talked-about and fan-favorite names on the regional scene.

Among the team’s stars is Erick ‘Aspas’ Santos, widely regarded as a VALORANT legend in Latin America. In 2025, he set the VCT Americas record for the most kills in a BO3 series and became the first player in VALORANT Champions history to surpass 1,000 kills across tournaments (2022–2024). Outside of competition, Aspas is a three-time Prêmio eSports Brasil “Athlete of the Year” winner and a massive fan favorite — during VCT Americas 2024 Kickoff, he became the most-mentioned player on Twitch chats, with over 11,300 mentions.

1xBet is one of the most recognized brands in esports betting, regularly supporting major global tournaments and sponsoring top-tier teams around the world.

Simon Westbury, Strategic Advisor at 1xBet: “This is a historic step for 1xBet — becoming the first official betting partner of an esports team within the Riot Games ecosystem. MIBR features some of the most talented and visible players in Latin America, and together we aim to strengthen VALORANT’s presence across the LATAM region, elevate its appeal internationally, and deliver a unique fan experience for audiences around the globe.”

Raphael Castanheira, MIBR’s Director of Marketing and Partnerships:  “Being the first organization in the entire Riot ecosystem to obtain approval for a betting sponsorship is a direct result of how MIBR operates today, as an organized company with robust governance, clear processes, and protected by policies that put competitive integrity at the forefront. ”

 

The post 1xBet Becomes the First Official Betting Partner of MIBR’s VALORANT Team appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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ComeOn Group climbs to 21st place in the EGR Global Power 50 following a year of strategic growth

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Leading iGaming operator ComeOn Group has secured the 21st position in the 2025 EGR Power 50 rankings, reflecting a year defined by expansion, product innovation, and strengthened regulatory presence across Europe.

In 2025, the Group broadened its footprint in the regulated European markets with the launch of its casino-first brand Casinostuen in Denmark. The Group also advanced its activities in the Netherlands through the operation of Evoke’s 888 brand within the regulated Dutch market.

ComeOn Group continues to benefit from its strategic focus on locally regulated jurisdictions, which is powered by its own technology platform including an in-house sportsbook platform, proprietary games studio SpinOn, and unique, innovative jackpot products have been key contributors to differentiation and growing market share in core territories.

Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our proprietary technology is powering our products and services, giving us a strong competitive edge in highly dynamic and regulated markets. This foundation allows us to innovate faster, deliver differentiated experiences, and scale with confidence.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is transforming how competitive we can operate. We’ve equipped our teams with the tools and governance to experiment boldly and apply AI where it creates the most value. At ComeOn Group, we want to learn faster than our competition, because speed, agility, and innovation are essential to staying ahead in this industry.”

The Group closed the period with strong financial performance, demonstrating consistent growth across all key indicators for the 12 months ending 30 June 2025. Combined with the company’s increased market reach and accelerated innovation initiatives, ComeOn Group enters the coming year with robust momentum and a strengthened market position.

 

The post ComeOn Group climbs to 21st place in the EGR Global Power 50 following a year of strategic growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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