TaDa Wins Rising Star in Casino Innovation Award at SBC Awards Lisbon and Targets Further Regulated-Market Growth

TaDa Gaming has been recognised as a Rising Star in Casino Innovation at the SBC Awards in Lisbon, an award the studio says reflects both its rising visibility and its contribution to the way modern casino content is built. The winning entry was Fortune Zombie Lightning, a fish-shooting title that blends a cinematic zombie-survival theme with multiplayer mechanics and boss battles.

In an exclusive interview with iGaming News Today, the studio used the moment to look forward rather than back, setting out a growth plan built almost entirely around regulated and newly opened markets. The award is the peg, but the strategy is the story.

Q1.  TaDa Gaming received the Rising Star in Casino Innovation recognition at Lisbon. What do you believe this achievement says about the company’s progress, and which aspects of its approach to game development have contributed most to its growing industry recognition?

Firstly, we are honoured to be recognised with this award, particularly in view of the significant competition we were up against. We feel it acknowledges both our growing visibility and our contribution to innovation in the industry. 

Fish-shooting is a genre that we are proud to own as the No.1 provider for this style of gameplay and our winning entry was based on Fortune Zombie Lightning. This is a breakthrough title redefining modern casino entertainment. It delivers a cinematic zombie-survival theme, multiplayer fish-shooting mechanics and adrenaline-fuelled boss battles. We created an experience that feels closer to next-generation video gaming than traditional online casino content. 

It has a proven ability to attract a broader and younger demographic through familiar gaming mechanics inspired by console and mobile shooter games while still delivering strong monetisation and retention potential for operators.

In terms of how our game development contributed most to our growing industry recognition, Fortune Zombie Lightning answers player demands for strategic decisions, skill-influenced play and learning opportunities. 

Q2.  With established studios and emerging providers competing for player attention, what does TaDa Gaming believe makes a casino game genuinely stand out? How do you balance familiar mechanics with original ideas that give players a reason to try something new?

A stand-out game for us is the one that gives the best retention. 

“Familiarity with a twist” is how we approach balancing recognizable themes so that they still convert but deliver originality in gameplay. We put greater emphasis on the base-game experience, while progression, collection, streaks, multipliers and feature-building mechanics give layered points of engagement. This appeals to both experienced and novice players to give initial engagement and critical retention levels.

Q3.  Not every innovative game concept becomes a commercial success. How does TaDa Gaming identify promising ideas, test new concepts, and decide which ones deserve further investment before bringing them to market?

TaDa is about 80% product-led, so we have a constant pipeline of new ideas and concepts. We are a data-driven business and we are confident that our feedback and market research provides a solid baseline/starting point for everything we do. AI has made initial testing levels quicker and more cost-effective but overall, our team’s experience and know-how means they can prioritise the best ideas for new content and products and deliver them effectively. 

Q4.  Player preferences can vary significantly across markets, particularly in their appetite for different game mechanics, themes, and features. How does TaDa Gaming use player insights and market feedback to shape its portfolio while maintaining a recognisable creative identity?

Again, this is about teamwork. We work closely with our partners to share insights and feedback for continuous improvement as well as using deep research across the industry and the markets we target. So, we know that alongside rigorous compliance with local laws and our global licence requirements, our games are tailored to each market preference. Plus, TaDa has a strong visual identity, is known for signature feature combinations, owns trademarked mechanisms and maintains consistency in new game development and brand visibility.

Q5.  Casino innovation is not only about creating new mechanics; discoverability, operator integration, and distribution also influence a game’s success. How does TaDa Gaming work with operator partners to ensure its content reaches the right audiences and delivers value in an increasingly crowded casino market?

Based on our research and business growth strategies, we understand what gives value in the lobby. This allows us to deliver expertly localised and tailored gaming in our role as a partner for growth. All our content is licensed and certified for specific markets, so clients have full confidence in launching with us. Furthermore, we work with streamers and creators to maximise organic growth and have a strong B2C presence, which means we bring players and not just games. 

Q6.  Following its Rising Star in Casino Innovation recognition at Lisbon, what are TaDa Gaming’s biggest priorities over the next 12-24 months? Where do you see the greatest opportunity to push creative boundaries, expand the company’s market presence, and establish a stronger competitive position?

Reinforcing our position and delivering further growth across regulated markets is our key priority. The recent changes to the Brazilian market, with which we are fully compliant, have refocused our strategy for Latin America. We are successfully developing our brand in Argentina, Chile and Mexico and we are focusing on growth in emerging markets, especially Peru, aided by our latest MINCETUR licence. Africa overall is an important destination for us. We are live in 16+ countries including Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, with South Africa a key focus. Europe, the UK and the U.S.A. are significant markets and, with the rise in take-up of our industry-changing fish-shooting titles and award-winning gamification tools, we feel we are in a solid position to keep pushing creative boundaries and delivering commercial value.

Where TaDa Gaming sees itself heading

For TaDa, the Lisbon recognition reads less as a finish line and more as a marker of intent. The studio points to its strong visual identity, trademarked mechanisms and growing B2C presence as proof it brings players, not just games, to operator partners. Its closing message is steady: growth built on compliance, localisation and partnership, with the award treated as a sign the approach is landing.