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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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Allwyn commits to highest level of 2025 Gift Responsibly Campaign

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– National Lottery ‘Add some play to Christmas’ campaign supported by enhanced protection measures –
– In a UK National Lottery first, Allwyn becomes a Level 3 Gift Responsibly supporter –

National Lottery operator Allwyn has unveiled its multi-channel ‘Add some play to Christmas’ campaign, which puts National Lottery Scratchcards at the heart – positioning them as a fun way to come together, no matter the occasion or the group.

As part of that, Allwyn has once again signed up to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) 2025 Gift Responsibly Campaign – this year as a Level 3 sponsor, the highest possible level and a UK National Lottery first.

Founded in the early 2000s, the Gift Responsibly Campaign works to raise public awareness about the risks of youth gambling. Through partnerships with lotteries and other organisations, the campaign educates communities about the risks of buying lottery products for children.

As part of its commitments as a Level 3 supporter, Allwyn will carry a ’18+ Gift Responsibly’ mark across its National Lottery gifting-related festive advertising – to re-iterate the need for people to be 18 or older to buy, gift, receive and play.

The company has also created three brand new bespoke creative assets promoting responsible play that it will use:

  • across its @TNLUK and @AllwynUK social media channels
  • on in-store National Lottery media screens
  • as part of a digital campaign

Allwyn already carries out extensive training with its 43,500 retail partners to prevent underage and excessive play, as well as running a rigorous ‘Operation Guardian’ programme for mystery shopping and knowledge checks with National Lottery retailers to ensure compliance.

The company’s advanced NCPG participation will also see it prompting its tens of thousands of retail partners to remind their customers to gift National Lottery products responsibly this festive season, through direct communications and trade advertising.

Jordana Jackson, Head of Participant Protection at Allwyn, commented: “Since becoming National Lottery operator early last year, we’ve made great progress on our participant protection plans. We’re proud to once again be supporting the NCPG’s Gift Responsibly Campaign and, for the first time in the UK National Lottery’s history, commit to Level 3 sponsorship – the highest level of support possible. This commitment includes a range of activity to remind everyone that, while National Lottery Scratchcards can add festive fun and help raise over £30m a week for Good Causes, they’re strictly for adults.”

 

The post Allwyn commits to highest level of 2025 Gift Responsibly Campaign appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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LeoVegas Group signs partnership deal with Valletta FC and boosts local footprint in Malta

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LeoVegas Group has entered into a two-year partnership agreement with Malta Premier League club Valletta Football Club. As Exclusive Online Gaming Partner, the LeoVegas Group corporate brand will feature on the men’s squad’s match kits, at training grounds, and prominently across the club’s digital channels. The partnership will enhance the Group’s brand visibility and commitment to the local community, while further strengthening its position as an employer of choice in igaming.

LeoVegas Group and Valletta Football Club, one of the most successful clubs in Malta’s history, today announced a new partnership that will see LeoVegas Group’s corporate brand become the club’s Exclusive Online Gaming Partner during the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons. The agreement includes match kit sleeve branding for the men’s squad, visibility across all club facilities, including the Rabat Football Ground and Dangli Football Ground and the matchday fanzone, as well as branding on the squad’s training bags. The club’s digital channels, which have tens of thousands passionate followers on social media such as Instagram and Facebook, will regularly feature the LeoVegas Group logo in their content.

As partners, LeoVegas Group and Valletta Football Club will also collaborate to create exciting branded experiences across the Maltese capital for both fans and employees. Group employees can look forward to exclusive matchday opportunities and VIP experiences. The partnership enables LeoVegas Group to further strengthen corporate brand awareness across the Maltese islands and continue positioning the Group as an employer of choice for talent seeking careers in the growing igaming industry.

Additionally, the partnership includes branding on the youth team’s kit. This shirt sponsorship opportunity will be donated by LeoVegas Group to a local non-governmental organization (NGO), which will be selected through a popular vote by club members during a club meeting.

Stefan Nelson, LeoVegas Group CFO and Malta Managing Director, said “We are very proud to partner with Valletta FC, one of the most successful and popular clubs in Malta. Our Group has considered itself a partly Maltese company almost since its inception, and we are thrilled to collaborate with the capital’s club to create exciting opportunities for fans, employees, and future talent alike. When two strong lions join forces, great things can happen!”. 

Claudio Grech, Valletta Football Club President, said “This partnership brings together two brands that share Malta’s global reputation for excellence in gaming, entertainment, and sport. LeoVegas Group has become a world leader in mobile gaming while Valletta FC stands as Malta’s largest football club. Both of us thrive on delivering excitement and engagement — whether through live football or immersive digital experiences. We also share a forward-looking vision that embraces technology and online communities to connect with our audiences. As LeoVegas Group continues to expand internationally, Valletta FC is equally determined to evolve into a regional football powerhouse, making this collaboration a natural and powerful alignment of ambition, innovation, and Maltese pride”.

 

The post LeoVegas Group signs partnership deal with Valletta FC and boosts local footprint in Malta appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Gamblers Connect Named Finalist in Three Categories at the International Gaming Awards 2026

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Gamblers Connect has been officially shortlisted in three categories at the International Gaming Awards 2026, one of the most respected global recognitions within the gaming and iGaming sectors.

This announcement marks an important milestone for the company, reflecting its continued growth, consistent industry presence and long-term commitment to responsible and high-quality affiliate operations.

Gamblers Connect has been shortlisted in three distinct categories: Affiliate (Company) of the Year, recognising its public-facing affiliate excellence; the Great Place to Work Award (Operator), highlighting the strength of its internal culture; and the Safer Gambling Award, which reflects the company’s commitment to responsibility standards across its operations.

The 19th annual International Gaming Awards will be held on 18th January during ICE Barcelona. It is regarded as one of the leading global recognitions for excellence across the gaming industry. Each year, the IGA highlights companies that show innovation, quality, responsibility and meaningful contribution to the sector.

Gjorgje Ristikj, Founder of Gamblers Connect, said: “Being shortlisted across three very different categories shows our strength on multiple levels. It recognises our public-facing work, the culture behind it and the responsibility standards that guide everything we do.”

The post Gamblers Connect Named Finalist in Three Categories at the International Gaming Awards 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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