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What is Dead Canary?
Harrison Barrett, VP of business development, spoke to the iGB team at iGB L!VE 2026 to discuss the evolution of Soft2Bet’s MEGA platform, which started out as a purely gamification layer but has become “much more compelling than simply leaderboards, missions and point-based rewards”.
As Barrett puts it, MEGA is “ultimately a retention tool that helps our partners move away from heavy bonus and costs”.
With ice hockey and UFC-themed initiatives driving engagement in North America and a 45% lifetime value increase seen with the launch of MEGA Shoot, a player-versus-player simulation penalty shootout game initiative which launched during the World Cup, it is an exciting time for the Malta-based platform provider.
What is Dead Canary?
The result, according to Curwen, is “democratising game creation”.
“The priority is to prove the model properly; make sure the games perform and demonstrate that it works commercially.”
The proposition is already being tested commercially. Live casino supplier Eeze has become the first supplier to utilise Studio in a Box as it looks to expand its proprietary content into slots. Using Yggdrasil’s framework also gives Eeze access to its wider distribution network.
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“So this is not an either/or. It is a B2C acquisition that we expect to strengthen our B2B pipeline on the continent.”
GiG exited the B2C space in 2023 when, after a strategic review, the company split its media and platform divisions, the former of which was rebranded as Gentoo Media.
The 888Africa acquisition announcement raises questions about why GiG have opted to return to the B2C sphere. Richards warns against over-analysing the deal as a wholesale return to B2C, insisting that GiG remains a B2B platform and tech business at its core.