SlotCatalog SBC Awards Europe 2025 Shortlists

Introduction

For the fourth year in a row, SlotCatalog partners with SBC to celebrate the forces driving innovation across the slot gaming industry. This time, however, the spotlight turns to a more focused stage, SBC Awards Europe, a newly rebranded format that recognises the best-performing operators, developers, affiliates, and other suppliers across the European market. Taking place on 12 June 2025 at the Hilton Malta, the event brings together the region’s most influential iGaming teams for an evening of well-earned recognition.

As part of this year’s ceremony, we proudly return with four exclusive SlotCatalog Awards, each based on analytical data and real-time performance indicators. To determine the studios truly making an impact on the iGaming industry, we evaluate several key metrics such as presence in casino lobbies, spin activity, and market demand across our partner network.

The focus is now firmly on the European market, and so is our methodology – refined and as data-driven as ever. That, however, also means that our geo-based nominations introduced in the previous year no longer make sense. In 2025, studios will compete for the Rookie of the Year title, as well as recognition in the Game Studio of the Year category, split into Small, Medium, and Large segments.

Without further ado, here’s an early look at the contender studios shortlisted across all SlotCatalog Awards nominations:

SBC SlotCatalog Awards Shortlists

For 2025, we spotlight four awards: Rookie of the Year, celebrating standout newcomers, and Game Studio of the Year, divided into Small, Medium, and Large to reflect the scale of each company. All nominations are based on performance data to ensure fair evaluation across the European market.

This year, we’ve enhanced our methodology to include presence in casino lobbies, lobby share percentages, number of spins, as well as utilized machine learning to allow us to process vast amounts of data more accurately and objectively.

SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year

SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year category celebrates studios established in 2023 or later, those who have only recently entered one of the most competitive industries and are already making waves. While building visibility as a newcomer is never easy, strong distribution partnerships, working under the wings of iGaming giants, on par with standout game design, of course, have helped these studios earn their place among Europe’s rising stars. All shortlisted nominees have been assessed through real-time performance data, including spin volumes and lobby presence.

Logo	Game Provider	Year	Games Q-ty	Employees
	Backseat Gaming	2023	25	11–50
	BitPunch	2023	3	11–50
	Blue Ring Studios	2023	8	11–50
	Bullshark Games	2023	16	2–10
	Clawbuster	2023	31	51–200
	Lambda Gaming	2023	20	11–50
	Prospect Gaming	2023	25	2–10
	SpinOn	2023	18	2–10
	Upgaming	2023	24	201–500
	Wishbone	2023	24	11–50

Game Studio of the Year

Our Game Studio of the Year award returns with the familiar three-tier format, namely Large, Medium, and Small. This structure helps ensure fair comparison by grouping developers based on the scale of businesses.

Game Studio of the Year (Large / Medium / Small)

SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Large)

This category is designed to recognise the true giants of iGaming, studios with expansive portfolios and large-scale teams. These companies consistently dominate casino lobbies across Europe and continue to shape the direction of the slot industry through volume, reach, and production power.

Just like last year, we’ve accounted for major companies together with their subsidiary studios when measuring performance. For instance, Evolution Gaming is considered alongside NetEnt, Red Tiger; Pragmatic Play is measured together with Reel Kingdom; and Games Global is evaluated as a whole, including its extensive network of over 30 development studios.

Logo	Game Provider	Year	Games Q-ty	Employees
	Pragmatic Play	2015	800+	1,001–5,000
	Play'n GO	1997	400+	501–1,000
	Games Global	2022	1,000+	501–1,000
	Evolution Gaming	2006	500+	10,001+
	Playtech	1999	1,000+	5,001–10,000
	Amusnet	2010	300+	501–1,000
	EGT Digital	2002	200+	501–1,000
	Greentube	1998	500+	501–1,000
	Inspired Gaming	2002	250+	501–1,000
	Merkur	2005	250+	10,001+

SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Medium)

The Medium category highlights studios that have steadily built a solid reputation in the industry, with growing but not yet massive portfolios. These companies typically have more than 50 employees and demonstrate consistent visibility in lobbies, strong engagement stats, and high production value. While not the largest players in the market, they are undoubtedly among the most influential rising forces in European iGaming.

Logo	Game Provider	Year	Games Q-ty	Employees
	3 Oaks	2015	100+	51–200
	ELK Studios	2012	100+	51–200
	Hacksaw Gaming	2018	150+	11–50
	Nolimit City	2008	100+	51–200
	Playson	2012	150+	201–500
	Push Gaming	2010	100+	201–500
	Relax Gaming	2010	150+	201–500
	Spinomenal	2014	700+	51–200
	Spribe	2018	15+	51–200
	Wazdan	2011	200+	201–500

SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Small)

This category recognises smaller studios that operate on a more compact scale, often with limited teams. The number of released games is no longer the defining factor here – some nominees, like Gameburger Studios or Octoplay, have already surpassed the 50 and even 100-title mark. But can they be considered large studios? Not quite. What unites this group is not their output alone, but their structure: most operate with fewer than 50 employees, and their success is often tied to strong partnerships, strategic integrations, and highly focused production models. Despite their size, these teams continue to perform well above their weight class in the European iGaming landscape.

Logo	Game Provider	Year	Games Q-ty	Employees
	4ThePlayer	2018	40+	11–50
	Area Vegas	2023	20+	11–50
	Fortune Factory Studios	2018	30+	11–50
	Gameburger Studios	2019	50+	11–50
	Octoplay	2022	100+	51–200
	PearFiction	2014	25+	11–50
	Peter and Sons	2019	60+	11–50
	Reel Kingdom	2020	80+	11–50
	SpinPlay Games	2020	50+	11–50
	Triple Edge Studios	2018	40+	11–50

Conclusion

From promising newcomers to the industry’s heaviest hitters, this year’s SlotCatalog Awards at SBC Europe showcase the studios that truly stand out within the European market. Our updated methodology, based on spin tracking, lobby analysis, and machine learning tools, helps spotlight the game development companies that are actually making an impact, regardless of size or legacy. We look forward to celebrating the winners on 12 June in Malta – see you there!