Microsoft has announced a deal to acquire game studio Activision Blizzard for USD 68.7 billion. If it goes through, it would be Microsoft's biggest-ever acquisition -- and by far the biggest deal ever in the video game biz.
Activision Blizzard's lineup of games includes 'Call of Duty', 'Candy Crush', 'Warcraft', 'Diablo', 'Overwatch' and ‘Hearthstone'.
A new study from the University of Tampere has revealed that Finnish people are playing video games at record levels. The study, which surveyed thousands of Finns of all ages across the country, shows that, on average, all forms of gaming have risen by 2.5% since the previous "Player Barometer" study was commissioned in 2018.
The authors of the study cite the jump in Finnish gaming habits with more people spending more time at home than ever before.
In recent years, Finland has become famous for being ranked as the happiest country in the world. If you are wondering how this honour is decided, it is determined each year by the World Happiness Report, a survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries based on how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be, which the report also correlates with a variety of quality of lie factors.
It’s no secret that the Nordic countries are among the most successful in the European gambling industry. Sweden especially - home to some of the biggest operators, game suppliers and payment providers - has been instrumental in pushing the iGaming market forward in several ways. However, in recent years, the Nordic listed company share prices have decreased notably.
The internet has had a major impact on the everything we do to the extent that the current generation is now being referred to as digital natives. Digital natives are individuals who have grown up during the age of digital technology and have therefore been familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age. The age of digital technology has changed how we socialise, how we work, how we shop and how we travel.
Animal Crossing has sold more than any other console game in history
Covid-19 has changed our lives in many ways. Which of these changes will become permanent or affect our lives far into the future remains to be seen.
Remote working may establish itself as a viable option instead of, or in addition to driving back and forth in the rush hours. How about the cinemas? Would people still want to pack into a theatre with hundred other people to watch a movie with a stranger breathing down your neck, when you could stream it from the comfort of your home in a few weeks? And what would that do to the movie business?
Finnish lottery winners mostly want to stay anonymous. Image ICP
When on one crispy September morning, a young Finnish man from Ostrobothnia played a 20 cents round in an online jackpot game, he could not believe his eyes as the digits of the winning sum rolled into place on his phone: 4 853 321,69 euros!
A life-changing sum for almost everyone on the planet, but not for Finns. A survey by the Finnish gaming company Veikkaus found out that nearly all Finnish lottery winners keep their win a secret, shared only to closest relatives or spouse.
Many Finns might now know it, but the country's gambling sector is evolving into a unique model for other nations.
For starters, Finland's state-directed gambling sector is highly successful. In an age when economists tend to downplay the role of nationalised industries, Veikkaus has managed to create an efficient, popular, and socially responsible role.
When it comes to Finland’s reputation on the world stage, the first words that appear in the minds of most people are design, video gaming, and sometimes, Moomins. It is therefore hardly surprising that Finland continues to be ranked as one of the best places in the world to be a game developer. Surve
The Finnish gaming industry is one of the fastest growing in the global gaming market with an average growth rate of 45%. In 2016, the Finnish gaming industry set a record-high turnover of 2.5 billion euros. The share of Finnish mobile game development was roughly 7% of the global revenue of 35 billion.
PAF will host the entirety of Pragmatic Play's content, including new video slots Da Vinci’s Treasure and Peking Luck
Ålands Penningautomatförening (Paf) has seen a number of important supply deals with gaming specialists in recent months. The online casino operator, still licensed and controlled by the regional government of Åland, has been keen to increase its portfolio, especially given possible future changes in Finnish gambling laws that could mean increased licencing opportunities for foreign competitors.
