Yggdrasil has announced that developer Jade Rabbit Studio has become the latest to join its YG Masters program.
Under the partnership, and like all other YG Masters partners, Jade Rabbit Studio will develop and release high-quality new gaming content via Yggdrasil’s GATI (Game Adaptation Tools & Interface) technology, a regulation-ready development toolkit.
Jade Rabbit Studio’s new content will be distributed across several global markets to boost its commercial success. The first slot to release under the collaboration is Word Of Thoth, which will launch on May 17th.
Roger Admeus, the Managing Director at Jade Rabbit Studio, said in a statement: “We are delighted to announce our agreement with Yggdrasil that will see our future titles launched through the UG Masters program with all [of] its advantages.
“The established GATI technology has been proven to propel business growth with amazing promotions and efficient network distribution.”
He continued: “We work hard to produce captivating gaming experiences and becoming a YG Masters partner will help to facilitate and accelerate this process. We are looking forward to delivering awesome games through the Yggdrasil network, so keep an eye out for our first general release through the YG Masters program, Word Of Thoth, available from 17th May.”
Stuart McCarthy, the Head of Partner Programs at Yggdrasil, added: “Part of what we look for in our partners is a vision that complements our own, and Jade Rabbit Studio has just that with its ambition to drive new levels of excitement within game design.
“We are eager to see what they create and look forward to seeing where this relationship takes us.”
Jade Rabbit Studio launched back in 2018 by a group of self-proclaimed “slot heads” and the company is on a mission to become a global gaming content leader. It joins fellow YG Masters partners ReelPlay, Peter & Sons, Bang Bang Games, Reflex Gaming, TrueLab, and several others.
A Telegraph report from last week has claimed that the UK Gambling Commission’s newly proposed affordability checks have been dropped under the UK Government’s review of the Gambling Act 2005.
The Commission proposed enhanced affordability checks on all gamblers that wager more than £100 a month as part of its submission to the review, but the Telegraph claims that the proposed checks may not happen at all.
According to the Telegraph, the Commission’s enhanced mandatory checks will either be “watered down” or “shelved completely” due to the response the Commission received from its consultation on the proposal.
The change comes after the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), which is handling the Gambling Act review, intervened after the Commission reportedly received over 13,000 responses in its consultation and after the horse racing industry expressed concern over the checks.
Reports suggest that the DCMS’s review of the Gambling Act, which is being spearheaded by Minister for Media and Data John Whittingdale, will look into reforming the UKGC’s duties following criticism of its handling of the Football Index collapse.
Meanwhile, it’s been a busy week for developer Pragmatic Play as it’s released a brand new slot and announced a new licensing agreement.
The popular game developer today signed a licensing agreement with fellow developer Gaming Realms, allowing the studio to develop Pragmatic Play-themed Slingo content.
Under the partnership, Gaming Realms will license Pragmatic Play slot brands and create Slingo titles based on them. Some of the brands to be used under the agreement include Buffalo King, Wolf Gold, and Sweet Bonanza.
Michael Buckley, the Executive Chairman of Gaming Realms, said in a statement: “This licensing partnership with Pragmatic Play opens up a range of cross-sell benefits to both parties. The collaboration between two organisations with a key focus on content innovation in the digital space is truly exciting.
“PragmaticPlay creates engaging and immersive gaming content that fits perfectly with Slingo; we’re hoping this announcement should excite both operators and players.”
Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, added: “Creating memorable gaming experiences is a priority for us and Gaming Realms has an excellent reputation through its Slingo portfolio.
“We have an extremely positive feeling about the potential for Pragmatic Play-themed Slingo games and are eager to see this partnership release its potential.”
The above news comes after the developer released their brand new slot, The Amazing Money Machine, which, according to Pragmatic Play, is capable of paying out giant jackpot wins and follows a genius inventor who has found a way of creating large wins on the reels.
The slot uses a 5×3 layout with 10 paylines and has an RTP of 96.42%. It includes respin and jackpot bonus rounds that can be triggered as well as expanding reels of up to 5×5 with 60 paylines, respins wilds which are triggered if five or more money symbols land on the reels.
The game’s jackpot feature can be triggered in three different ways, either through an instant jackpot reward in the base game, through a respin mode or by landing three scatter symbols on a single spin.
Yossi Barzely said in a statement on the slot: “We’re delighted to add this latest title to our portfolio and are confident The Amazing Money Machine will be a huge hit with fans.
“The development of our Hold and Win portfolio remains of great importance to us and we can’t wait to see how this game is received by our operator partners across the globe.”
