Under the six-figure agreement — the exact financing details have not been disclosed — Betway branding will appear on the players’ jerseys and jackets. Betway will also have access to the players for content creation purposes, as well as experiential and social media activities, the press statement says without further clarifying the details.

“Having already had plenty of success with sponsorship in eSports, we are very excited to have signed a new partnership with PSG.LGD. The PSG brand is incredibly strong around the world and their involvement in eSports has already been extremely successful, notably their more recent move into Dota 2 with LGD. The PSG.LGD team has celebrated some early victories on the Dota 2 circuit and we cannot wait to be part of their future success,” said Anthony Werkman, CEO of Betway.

“Betway has always aimed to be at the forefront of the eSports movement, and we look forward to partnering with yet another major player in the space,” he added.

The latest deal expands Betway’s portfolio of eSports partnerships, which currently includes Dota 2 sponsorships with Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) and Invictus Gaming, alongside partnerships with NIP’s CS:GO team, as well as BIG and MIBR. Betway also sponsors a number of CS:GO tournaments, including ESL Pro League, Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and the BLAST Pro Series.

The newly Betway-sponsored team landed two Majors on the 2017-2018 Dota 2 Pro Circuit, which helped them secure a direct invite to The International 2018, where they advanced to the grand finals but lost against OG in game five.

“We are pleased to welcome Betway to the Paris Saint-Germain family as a jersey partner of our eSports team. The partnership between such a globally-recognised brand and our club is yet another sign of the international appeal of the Paris Saint-Germain brand,” said Sébastien Wasels, Managing Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Asia-Pacific office.

“From now on, Betway and Paris Saint-Germain will shine together around the world to the rhythm of our team’s successes, starting with one of the biggest Dota 2 events of the year this summer: The International, which will take place in Shanghai in August,” Mr Wasels added.

“This new partnership confirms our development strategy in the sport. This is the reward for the ambitious project of our PSG.LGD team. With Betway, we will be able to offer more exclusive content for a wide international audience and engage even more with the Dota 2 community,” added Fabien Allègre, Chief Brand Diversification Officer at PSG.

PSG.LGD has been formed as a partnership between French football club Paris Saint-Germain and Chinese eSports organization LGD Gaming in April 2018. The original team was founded in 2009.

The Betway Group is a provider across sports betting, casino, bingo and poker. Launched in 2006, the company operates across a number of regulated online markets and holds licences in the United Kingdom, Malta, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. Based in Malta and Guernsey, with support from London, Isle of Man, Stockholm and Cape Town, the Betway team comprises over 1,000 people.

The post Betway partners with Dota 2 team PSG.LGD first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“When we first began exploring the idea of a partnership between GSA and MPI, we found we shared a desire to educate young people about the technical issues that support the gaming business. Further, we wanted to create more awareness of the industry and the standards it challenged us to develop, all while staying alert to the role that new technologies can play especially in Asia,” said Peter DeRaedt, the President of GSA.

Macao Polytechnic Institute is a public institution of higher education with an emphasis on applied knowledge and skills. It offers courses and research possibilities in — but not limited to — gaming and recreation, casino management, business, marketing, e-commerce, and management.

Gaming Standards Association is an international trade association that creates benefits for gaming manufacturers, suppliers, operators and regulators. The company has offices worldwide including GSA Europe in Malta.

The post GSA and MPI mark ten-year partnership ‘milestone’ first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Through the deal that NetEnt tags as another step in increasing its footprint in New Jersey, a large selection of its casino games will launch in the upcoming weeks, becoming available to Draftkings players.

“We are very excited to have landed a deal with DraftKings. As the world leader in fantasy sports, with a large player base they will add a new dimension to the market and we are confident that their players will enjoy our popular games,” said Erik Nyman, Managing Director NetEnt Americas LLC.

The post NetEnt increases footprint in NJ through DraftKings pact first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The agreement represents the expansion of Newgioco’s distribution footprint in regulated stores and establishments such as bars, coffee shops, convenience stores, betting shops and other route operations throughout southern Italy and Sicily.

“Once again our team in Europe lead by Alessandro Marcelli, boosted by the recent addition of Angelo Merola, a highly respected name throughout the regulated Italian gaming industry, have proven the value of incorporating our ELYS™ betting Platform by Odissea in the highly contested and vibrant Italian sports betting market,” commented Newgioco CEO Michele Ciavarella.

“As a result of our recently launched Angular™ JavaScript website framework, we expect a rapid go-to-market turnaround with bet processing starting in May 2019. Based upon their past performance, we anticipate an increase of approximately $350,000 in sports betting and $2 million in online Casino handle per month from this new operator,” he added.

The company conducts its business under the registered brand Newgioco primarily through its internet-based betting distribution network on its website, as well as retail neighbourhood betting shops situated throughout Italy.

The post Newgioco to fuel Italian expansion from Malta first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The Princeton Review — known for its education services and school rankings in dozens of categories — released its 10th annual ranking lists, which name the top 50 undergraduate and top 25 graduate schools.

The University of Malta in Msida was named the 17th best such institution, being listed among the top 25 graduate schools.

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on data it collected in its 2018 survey of administrators at 150 institutions that offer game design courses, majors, or degree programs. Surveyed schools were in the U.S., Canada and abroad. The survey requested information in four areas: academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects. It covered everything from the schools’ courses and facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and professional achievements. In all, more than 40 data points were analysed to tally the rankings.

“The schools that made our lists this year have stellar programs for aspiring game designers and developers,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. “Their faculties are outstanding, and their facilities are awesome. Just as impressive: their alumni include many of the video game industry’s most prominent artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs,”

The Princeton Review’s full lists are available at the official website of the publication.

The post University of Malta ranks among top game design schools in 2019 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The online marketplace was launched in September 2017. Gamivo says its user numbers were on a “significant” rise in 2018. “We foresee more than 35%growth within the whole PC games market,” says Bart Skarbinski, Chief Marketing Officer of Gamivo, about the near future.

“Many of the top PC games for 2018 were released in prior years, providing a testament to their popularity and longevity. Others regained previously held positions due to new expansion packs,” Gamivo says about its list.

Gamivo’s list of top ten games are as follows. Entries are “in no particular order”, the company says.

• Fortnite – The game made an indelible global mark on the gaming industry and continues to be one of the most popular games of all time.
• Tom Clancy – The franchise is consistently one of the most highly sought games as bigger threats and more ways to play are added.
• World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Massively popular worldwide, the game continues to debut new continents, races, and warfronts for more opportunities.
• Assassin’s Creed – The game stands out for its ongoing popularity. Part of its appeal is that it’s rooted in the story of the real life Knights Templar.
• Battlefield V – Gamers continue to flock to this as one of the most immersive and intense battle games of all times.
• Hearts of Iron IV: Man the Guns – Alternate history pathways and the ability to refit older vessels with new technology keeps the game fresh and popular.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Set in the Wild West of 1899, the allure of surviving rival games, government forces, and the landscape itself makes this a perennial favorite.
• Human: Fall Flat – The quirky puzzle serves up an escape room type exercise without the need to leave home. Player ingenuity, creativity and exploration are the keys to success.
• Grand Theft Auto – Gamers around the world have embraced every new edition of the franchise with fast cars and voice overs by well-known celebrities.
• Overwatch – Set in a future earth, the game has won numerous awards and provides anyone with the ability to emerge as a hero by acquiring extraordinary powers, bending time, and defying the laws of gravity.

The post Gamivo puts out top ten gaming list for 2018 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.