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| ACF x Allur celebrating their victory in Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 (Image Source: PR Newswire Asia/Phygital International) |
Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 concluded in dramatic fashion, crowning champions across three disciplines while determining the latest clubs and athletes to secure their places at the Games Of The Future 2026. Over five days of competition in Astana, more than 200 participants from over 20 countries competed across Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball and Phygital Dancing, battling for qualification to the Games Of The Future 2026. Taking place in world-class venues across the city, the tournament brought together some of the strongest competitors from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America as the season-long qualification pathway reached its decisive stage.
ACF x Allur claimed their qualification place in Phygital Football after a strong run through the group stage and knockout rounds at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace. They masterfully demonstrated the combination of digital precision and physical execution that defines competition at this level. NS, KMF Titograd, and FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL also secured their spots, having produced strong performances across five heated days of competition. Phygital Basketball saw ZM NITUI crowned champions after an unbeaten tournament run, combining digital precision and on-court excellence to claim the title at the Alau Ice Palace. MINSK, Valencia Basket and Triada also secured qualification to the Games Of The Future 2026, emerging from a highly competitive field to guarantee their places back in Astana later this summer. Reflecting on the achievement, ZM NITUI's Jan Kroflin said, “We faced a strong team and knew we would have to be at our best. We stayed focused, executed our game plan and got the result we wanted. Now our attention turns to the Games Of The Future.” For Phygital Dancing, Andres Guardo claimed the title with a series of performances that showcased the rhythm, precision and consistency required to compete at the highest level of phygital sport. Runner-up Sagdi, alongside third-placed Susan Huertas and fourth-placed Sergio Mayta, also secured qualification after emerging from a highly competitive field. Reflecting on his victory, Andres Guardo said, “When I step onto the stage, I become a completely different person. I feel that transformation is what made the difference in my performance. I hope my performance strengthens at the Games Of The Future 2026.”
Phygital International Director of International Marketing and Communications John Hewitt said, “Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 has showcased the extraordinary talent, determination and competitive spirit that define phygital sport. Bringing together athletes and clubs from across the world, the tournament highlighted both the global appeal of this format and the strength and diversity of the phygital movement. As we look ahead to the Games Of The Future 2026, the performances we have witnessed here in Astana offer an exciting glimpse of what fans can expect when the world's best phygital competitors come together later this summer.” With four qualification places confirmed in each discipline through placement at Phygital Contenders Astana 2026, the final two qualification slots for all three disciplines will be allocated in the coming weeks based on overall season rankings. These places will complete the line-up from the Phygital Contenders for GOTF 2026, recognizing the clubs and athletes who have consistently performed throughout the 2025/26 competitive season. As the sun sets on Phygital Contenders Astana 2026, attention turns to the Games Of The Future 2026, taking place in Astana on July 29-August 9, 2026. The pinnacle event of the global phygital calendar, the competition will bring together more than 800 participants from over 50 countries across Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Dancing, Phygital Shooter, Phygital Fighting, MOBA PC, MOBA Mobile and Battle Royale, competing for a prize pool of more than US$4M (4 million US dollars) as they showcase the future of sport on the world's biggest phygital stage.
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ESIC And MOONTON Games Introduce Integrity Compliance Infrastructure For Third-Party MLBB Tournament Licensing
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| (Image Source: MOONTON Games) |
The eSports Integrity Commission (ESIC) announced a new competitive integrity initiative in partnership with MOONTON Games, establishing a formal integrity framework requirement for organizers seeking approval to operate official third-party Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournaments. Under the framework, prospective Third-Party Tournament Organizers (TPTOs) applying through MOONTON Games' official licensing process will be required to adopt and implement key components of the ESIC Integrity Program within their tournament operations. This includes license conditions requiring TPTOs to incorporate ESIC integrity provisions and model clauses into tournament rules, Tournament Participation Agreements, general terms and conditions, and related competition documentation. To support implementation, ESIC has deployed a dedicated MOONTON Games integrity portal for licensed organizers available on the ESIC website. The portal provides access to ESIC model clauses, integrity guidance, and supporting resources designed to help tournament operators embed integrity protections into their competition documentation and operational processes.
This initiative marks a significant step in publisher-led integrity governance with MOONTON Games integrating formal integrity compliance infrastructure into its third-party tournament licensing ecosystem. By doing so, MOONTON Games is taking a proactive approach to strengthening competition integrity across externally operated MLBB events and establishing a consistent integrity standard for licensed third-party competitions. As part of the framework, licensed tournament organizers will be required to ensure participating teams, players, coaches, managers, and other relevant stakeholders acknowledge and comply with ESIC's Codes including the ESIC Code of Conduct and associated integrity policies. Tournament organizers will also be expected to recognize and enforce ESIC sanctions, suspensions, and disciplinary outcomes connected to relevant conduct. ESIC Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hanna stated, “This initiative represents a major step forward for integrity governance in eSports and reflects the shared commitment between ESIC and MOONTON Games to protecting the integrity, credibility, and long-term sustainability of competitive gaming. By integrating ESIC's proven integrity infrastructure directly into MOONTON Games' third-party licensing framework, integrity standards become embedded into the operational foundation of competition itself. This partnership sets a strong benchmark for how publishers and integrity bodies can work together to build safer, more trusted, and scalable eSports ecosystems. MOONTON Games should be commended for its proactive approach to ecosystem-wide integrity, and their acknowledgement that competitive integrity is a shared responsibility. ESIC welcomes the opportunity to support MOONTON Games through the deployment of dedicated integrity infrastructure that can assist licensed tournament organizers in meeting clear and consistent compliance expectations.”
MOONTON Games Head of eSports Ecosystem Ray Ng added, “Trust is fundamental to long-term success of any eSports ecosystem. As MLBB eSports continues to expand and grow globally, third-party tournaments play an important role in creating opportunities for players, engaging grassroots communities, and broadening the competitive landscape. Our collaboration with ESIC represents an important step in strengthening the foundations of the MLBB eSports ecosystem. By aligning licensed tournaments with internationally recognized integrity standards, we are helping create a more professional, transparent, and sustainable competitive environment for our global community.”
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KRAFTON Announces First Global Community Test For Project ZETA
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| (Image Source: Inven Global/KRAFTON Inc.) |
KRAFTON Inc. recently announced that Project ZETA, an upcoming online multiplayer action game developed by NIRVANANA Studio and published by KRAFTON, will hold its first global community test on Steam on June 25-28, 2026. The playtest will be open to players worldwide including North America, Europe, and Korea. Players can request access through the Project ZETA Steam store page, and those who sign up will be able to play when the test begins.
This marks Project ZETA’s first large-scale public test to include North America and Europe, following earlier community tests in Korea. Feedback and gameplay data from the test will help guide development as KRAFTON and NIRVANANA Studio prepare for a planned global Early Access launch in the second half of 2026. Project ZETA is a multi-team tactical arena game where four teams of three players compete at the same time on a single battlefield. Each match centers on the Prism, an objective that teams must secure and return to a designated point to win. Unlike traditional hero PvP games built around two-team battles, Project ZETA’s multi-team structure creates shifting fights, unpredictable encounters, and constant competition across the map. Combat is played from a third-person action perspective and combines hero-based abilities with both PvE progression and PvP combat. The game currently features 14 heroes across four classes, with controller support included. Crossplay between PC and console is also planned. KRAFTON and NIRVANANA Studio are developing Project ZETA through an open development approach, using community tests to gather direct player feedback from different regions. The global playtest will help the team better understand player behavior, balance, and overall gameplay experience ahead of Early Access.
“Following Korea, we are thrilled to now meet players in North America and Europe directly. We will continue building Project ZETA together with players by listening to feedback from more regions around the world,” said NIRVANANA Studio CEO Namseok Kim. To support the announcement, Project ZETA has released a new video on its official YouTube channel introducing the global community test. For more information on Project ZETA and the upcoming community test, visit the game's official website, Steam store page, and official Discord channel.
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Jingle Jam Announces Charity Partners For 2026 And Presents 2025 Awards
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| (Image Source: Jingle Jam) |
The annual charity event Jingle Jam recently announced its eight charity partners for its upcoming December 2026 edition while celebrating the achievements of Jingle Jam 2025. At a packed venue in central London, hundreds of creators, game studios and industry representatives came together to witness the 2025 Jingle Jam awards presentation and meet the 2026 charities, launching the build-up to Jingle Jam 2026. The eight charity partners for 2026 include long-term strategic partners Campaign Against Living Miserably and War Child UK; returning 2025 partners WWF, Become,The Trevor Project and Make-A-Wish; a Jingle Jam debut for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Charity; and gamers’ charity SpecialEffect. All eight partners are already planning creator-led livestream events for December's Jingle Jam. The formal announcement, held in London for the first time, stepped up that work by facilitating discussions between scores of game studios, creators and the charities.
Jingle Jam 2025 was the second most successful event in its 15-year history, raising over £3.5M (3.5 million pounds) for charity. To celebrate this and recognise the fundraising efforts of major contributors, Jingle Jam Chair of Trustees Rich Keith presented awards to participating game studios and the top fundraising creators, including the Trust in Rust team of Facepunch Studios and Rustoria which raised £295k (295,000 pounds) in Jingle Jam 2025, Fireshine Games which donated Core Keeper to the 2025 Jingle Jam Games Collection and held a 24-hour Survive-A-Thon relay supported by creators around the world, Jingle Jam 2025’s leading match-fund donor Miniclip, and creators who raised tens of thousands or more in Jingle Jam 2025 led by Jingle Jam Ambassadors The Spiffing Brit and RTGame while fundraising platform Tiltify presented The Spiffing Brit with a $1M (1 million dollars) lifetime achievement award. Keith said, “Jingle Jam is an extraordinary, global community of like-minded donors, streamers, gamers and fundraisers who come together every December to raise millions for charity. Tonight's event gave us a chance to thank the incredible supporters and partners who made Jingle Jam 2025 such a success, and to look ahead to Jingle Jam 2026, which is less than six months away. The world is a scary and challenging place right now for so many children and young people, and we're determined to raise as much money as possible to help our eight charity partners do as much as they possibly can to help.”
Jingle Jam 2026 will unite the world’s best games, creators, and their communities for two weeks of entertainment to help make the world better for children and young people. The event takes place on December 1-14, 2026 with fundraiser registration opening on early September. Registered fundraisers will unlock the famous Jingle Jam Games Collection, available to donors who support their streams. Jingle Jam 2025 saw over one thousand creators participate in fundraising festivities alongside founders The Yogscast, achieving over 3 million watch hours and nearly 8 million views on Twitch and YouTube together. The event raised £3.5M (3.5 million pounds), pushing the initiative’s lifetime total past £31M (31 million pounds). The 2025 Games Collection featured 15 premium PC titles across a range of genres including Core Keeper, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Tactical Breach Wizards and a special Train Sim World 6 Collection Pack, all of which were available to donors giving £35 or more.
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RF ONLINE NEXT Launches Worldwide On PC And Mobile
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| (Image Source: COGConnected/Netmarble) |
Netmarble, a leading developer and publisher of high-quality games, recently announced the official global launch of The Ruthless Steel Sci-Fi MMORPG RF ONLINE NEXT on PC and mobile platforms. Building on the momentum established in key Asia countries including Korea, Japan and Taiwan, RF ONLINE NEXT is now available across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and additional regions worldwide. The game supports 16 additional languages, including German, French, Spanish, Indonesian and Thai, allowing more players around the globe to experience its expansive sci-fi world.
RF ONLINE NEXT is the official sequel to RF Online that features a vast sci-fi world where advanced machinery has replaced flesh and blood. The game delivers large-scale warfare and strategic combat through its signature gameplay systems including the Biosuit system that allows seamless class switching, powerful battlefield assets such as the MAU and Launcher, and iconic summons including the Animus. At the heart of RF ONLINE NEXT is “Mining War”, a large-scale faction warfare where players compete for resources, territory and strategic dominance through battles that shape the balance of power across the world. Designed for both PC and mobile platforms, RF ONLINE NEXT also incorporates an interconnected economic system driven by player activity, creating a distinctive gameplay experience where combat, progression, and the in-game economy are closely intertwined. Combined with the strategic use of Biosuits and Sacred Weapons, the system encourages both cooperation and competition across the game's diverse content offerings. The game expands upon the core identity of the original RF Online while introducing modern gameplay systems and enhanced visuals for a new generation of players. Various rewards to celebrate the global launch are now offered to players who participated in pre-registration through the official website and app marketplaces. Eligible players can receive rewards such as a Rare Biosuit Summon Ticket, Uncommon Rover Summon Tickets, Combat Support Packages, an Epic Rover Flora Summon Chest, upgrade kits and other progression items. In addition, players can participate in a variety of launch celebration events, including login campaigns, mission events and progression challenges that offer valuable rewards throughout the launch period.
Netmarble plans to continue supporting RF ONLINE NEXT following the launch with ongoing content updates, events and community-driven initiatives designed to expand the game’s sci-fi universe and provide new experiences for players around the world. RF ONLINE NEXT is available now via the App Store, Google Play, Netmarble Launcher and Epic Games Store. More information about RF ONLINE NEXT can be found on the official website and community channels.
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MIMESIS Major Update Makes AI-Driven Monsters More Unpredictable
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| (Image Source: Inven Global/KRAFTON Inc.) |
KRAFTON Inc. and ReLU Games recently announced the first major update for the four-player co-op horror game MIMESIS which improves the behavior and decision-making of the game’s AI-driven monster, known as the Mimesis, while also overhauling progression, rebalancing difficulty, expanding maps, and adding new gameplay systems. MIMESIS is an AI-native co-op horror game where players work together to survive while trying to identify an AI-controlled entity hiding among them. The Mimesis mimics players’ voices, movements, and behavior in real time, secretly blending in with teammates and creating tension, distrust, and social deception as players try to determine who can be trusted.
Improved AI-Driven Monster Behavior: The update strengthens the core MIMESIS experience by making the Mimesis more natural, varied, and unpredictable. ReLU Games has refined the monster’s situational awareness, including how it recognizes its surroundings, approaches players, and reacts during gameplay. Unlike enemies in many co-op horror games that follow fixed behavior patterns, the Mimesis learns from player voices and actions during each match. Each Mimesis now also has its own behavioral traits, meaning players can no longer rely on memorized patterns and must adapt to different forms of deception each time they play.
Overhauled Progression And Difficulty: The update also introduces a major progression overhaul. The previous three-day cycle has been replaced with a more flexible structure and overall difficulty has been rebalanced to make the early game more approachable while increasing tension in later stages. The goal is to reduce predictability across repeated playthroughs. New players should have a smoother entry point while experienced players will face more varied situations that require different decisions, reactions, and team communication.
Expanded Maps, Monsters, And Gear: The first major update also expands MIMESIS with larger maps, new monsters, environmental devices, and gear upgrades. Factory, Subway Station, and Mansion dungeons now include new interior layouts while Outdoor Areas have been redesigned with updated routes and layouts, giving players more variety as they explore, move, and scavenge for Scrap. Players can also now throw Scrap, creating new strategic options during exploration and encounters. In addition, the spectating experience has been updated. After being eliminated, players can possess the monster that once threatened them and communicate with surviving teammates, helping keep eliminated players involved while maintaining tension throughout the match.
“MIMESIS has shown how AI can move beyond a development tool and become a central part of the gameplay experience itself. With this update, we are continuing to explore how AI can reshape the conventions of co-op horror and create new kinds of player-driven tension, deception, and fun,” said ReLU Games CEO Min-Jung Kim. MIMESIS has continued to build global momentum since launching in Early Access in October 2025, surpassing one million copies sold globally within 50 days. Earlier this month, the game became the first Korean original IP to receive an Excellence Award in the Game Design category at the CEDEC Awards 2026 hosted by CEDEC, Japan’s largest professional conference dedicated to game developers. The award recognized the creativity and technical execution behind the game’s AI-driven gameplay design. For more information on the latest MIMESIS update, visit the game's official website, Steam page, and YouTube channel.
