Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games, emphasized the strategic importance of this expansion into Europe, highlighting Bucharest’s reputation as an emerging hub for game development. He believes the city offers a rich talent pool that Amazon Games aims to leverage to advance its ambitious long-term projects.

Cristian Pana, an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, has been appointed to lead the new Bucharest studio. Pana’s extensive background includes leadership roles at Ubisoft Bucharest, where he contributed to major franchises such as Tom Clancy’s The Division, The Crew, Far Cry, and Avatar. His expertise spans various genres, including driving games, action-adventure open-world games, and role-playing games (RPGs).

I’m thrilled to join Amazon Games at a time when the team is actively building across an exciting roadmap. I’ve built and led outstanding teams in the past, and I know this area of Europe is a hot spot for some of the very best talent in gaming.

Cristian Pana, Head of Amazon Game Studio in Bucharest

The new Bucharest studio aligns with Amazon Games’ vision of creating and publishing games that foster community engagement. The expanding portfolio includes live-service games like New World and Lost Ark and upcoming projects such as Tomb Raider, The Lord of the Rings, and Throne and Liberty. Additionally, Amazon Games has several unannounced projects in development at its San Diego and Montreal studios and the independent studio Glowmade in the UK.

Amazon Games is actively recruiting for various roles at the new Bucharest studio, including Software Developers, Artists, Designers, and Animators, to build a robust team that will drive the company’s game development efforts forward.

The post Amazon Opens Game Development Studio in Bucharest appeared first on Valahia.News.

Unable to fight drug traffic, as the Romanian Police have had little or no significant success in this field in recent months, while under pressure from society for the authorities’ incompetence, Romania’s Government found another culprit: casinos. Precisely, the Government wants to ban casinos in the cities. Months ago, the same Government talked about banning casino advertising.

It’s about the addiction casino slots give young people, PM Ciolacu mentioned to journalists this week, announcing his cabinet’s intention to ban all city casinos. In other words, while under pressure from society to find a solution to drug addiction, Ciolacu found it more convenient to fight slot machines. If this doesn’t remind you of Don Quixote, nothing else will.

Romania’s PM justifies his intention by saying that “all the European countries banned casinos inside the cities,” but this is a blunt lie. It’s not the first nor the last a Government tells its citizens, and here, Romania’s Government is no exception. But for the Romanians who travel in Europe, it is easy to spot a blunt lie when bumping into casinos in the center of Prague, Berlin or Paris.

His intention will indeed find resistance and opposition from casino owners, and press releases are to be issued by the Romanian Gambling Associations. Even so, with the majority that the current ruling coalition has in the Parliament, any such law can be quickly passed.

On the other hand, the Government hasn’t been so hastily involved in combating drug trafficking, and Romania has become one of Eastern Europe’s most important drug-consumption countries. According to data published by Romania’s Antidrug Agency in February 2023, 10.7% of those aged 15-64 have used at least one type of illicit drug during their lifetime (experimental use), while 6% have also used it in the last year (recent use). With 10% of the young and adult population using drugs, there’s no wonder why Ciolacu targets other addictions instead.

One thing is true, though – Romania has more casinos than schools and hospitals combined, and psychologists say that gambling addiction is strong and has to be fought. No doubt about that. Meanwhile, drug addiction makes you lose not only your money but your health and your life in many cases. So, instead of prioritizing this fight against drugs, Ciolacu creates a weaker enemy to fight against.

The post Unable to Fight Drug Traffic, Romania’s Government Plans to Ban Casinos Instead appeared first on Valahia.News.

After a top edition in which visitors and exhibitors reunited after the pandemic period, Expo 24 launched the 2023 edition of the largest gaming exhibition in Eastern Europe, expecting to meet face-to-face again in the days of Entertainment. Arena Expo.

Casino gaming provider Euro Games Technology (EGT) has confirmed its presence at this year’s Entertainment Arena Expo, set to take place at the Romexpo Fair Ground in Bucharest, Romania, from September 5th to September 7th. The provider has promised to “once again catch the attention of casino operators, players, and industry experts” with a unique selection of the best products from the Bulgarian manufacturer’s portfolio for visitors at stand 308.

Guests will be able to see the slot cabinets of the General Series, which will be equipped with the titles of the eponymous series of multi-games. The provider notes that it will also present its jackpot solutions at the expo, including the bestseller Bell Link, which has “gained popularity in gaming establishments all over the world,” as well as the four-level Gods&Kings Link, which invites players to “immerse themselves in a magical world and test their strength with the gods of the Ancient World.”

Another significant slot producer, Novomatic, confirmed its presence at EAE 2023.

We invite all our customers and partners to visit our stand #101, which we are premiering at EAE in an exciting new style and discover our many special offers and surprises. Our host at the fair will again be Diana Munteanu, who has already accompanied us at the last two editions. She is looking forward to our visitors testing our high-quality products and participating in surprise tournaments – this year, we will be giving away exclusive prizes! Also, Ilie Năstase, the brand ambassador of Admiral, will join us to sign autographs and take photos.

Valentin-Adrian Georgescu, CEO of NOVOMATIC Romania

About EAE

Entertainment Arena Expo (EAE) is the leader of exhibitions addressed to the casino industry in Eastern Europe both in terms of surface and number of exhibitors.

EAE 2023 will take place from September 5 to 7 at the Romexpo Bucharest Exhibition Center

EAE Landmarks:

Exhibition area 12,000+ sq m
Top exhibitors representing global leaders
International visitors

The post Entertainment Arena Expo 2023: Bucharest, Romexpo, September 5-7 appeared first on Valahia.News.