Deconstructor of Fun

This podcast serves as a valuable resource for non-technical executives seeking to enhance their understanding of backend services and make informed decisions to support the success of their games. The discussion focuses on the critical role of informed decision-making in selecting between proprietary builds and third-party solutions, navigating transitions between backend services, and maximizing...

The team shares their GDC reflections, unveils how bankers work in gaming, and ravels in the Web3 bonanza. We also dive knee-deep into two titles: Activision's Call of Duty Warzone which launched last week to challenge Call of Duty Mobile. Moon Active's Travel Town, seems to be scaling without any breaks. Hosts: Laura Taranto, Erick Kress, Phillip Black, and Michail Katkoff continue the co...

Sola Saulenko, CMO of Pixonic, a MY.GAMES studio joins Mishka Katkoff to discuss the intricacies of building a successful game franchise. Together they explore topics such as the balance between organic growth and strategic planning, the evolution of games into franchises, the challenges of transitioning from a hit game to a franchise, and the importance of passion and creativity in brand building...

Mihai Gheza is the CEO of Machinations, an economy simulation software. Recorded at Slush, we cover economy simulations, AI balance, and whether data scientists should become economy designers Machinations: https://machinations.io/

Signup to perhaps the best newsletter in the industry: www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe The whole crew got together for a fun on-site recording. The trash talk reaches Market Street levels as we discuss how bad San Francisco is, what in the hell is going on with Netflix Games, Turkish subsidies for game companies, and Supercell's latest PR salvo. Team: Eric Kress, Jen Donahoe, Mishka Katko...

Get on board with one of the best newsletters in the business: https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe Joakim is a seasoned entrepreneur (Next Games) turned venture capitalist (F4 Fund). In this conversation Joakim provides valuable insights into the intricacies of venture capital investments, emphasizing the importance of innovation, adaptability, and strategic planning for startups aiming t...

The cast recaps the 3rd annual Think Games Istanbul Summit hosted by Google and Deconstructor of Fun. See the link below to register and watch the recorded sessions. The team tackles new news from Epic being allowed on iOS in the EU to Discord's new game SDK to the state of startups in Finland. Also, the cast appears on a data.ai state of mobile webinar. Check it out here https://go.data.ai/st...

DoF Newsletter: https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe Hemal Thaker https://www.linkedin.com/in/thakerhemal/ Moritz Baier-Lentz https://www.linkedin.com/in/moritzbaierlentz/ In this eye-opening podcast, industry insiders Hemal and Moritz provide candid insights into the current state of the gaming industry, discussing market challenges, the impact of layoffs, the dynamics of venture capital...

Join our newsletter: www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe Andy Duthie, Executive Producer of a soaring title HAWKED , joins the podcast to peel back the curtain on remote team management and offer his playbook on how to make remote work work and projects of all sizes and scopes.  Andy Duthie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyduthie/

Jen, Kress, Laura, and Phil continue with the food puns analogies and decide if Apple Arcade is rotting after a mobilegamer.biz article. Also, the cast praises Unity for its newfound transparency, hits some of the Nintendo Direct Highlights (which aren't that high), keeps taking layoffs, and uncovers Playtika’s new strategy. Apply to join the Slack Community. https://www.deconstructoroffun.com...

Join us in Istanbul: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024 Paul Gouge is one of the best founders in the industry. He has built three companies over the past two decades. These companies have not only made fantastic games but have also been acquired four times, with Playdemic, being bought first by Warner Brothers and then by EA under Paul’s leadership. In this episode,...

The TWIG crew breaks down the Xbox news. The egg puns fly as the crew debates who wins the Eggy Party, Stumble Guys, Fall Guys battle. We feature our first-ever TWIG junior segment with a friend of the pod Henry Lowenfels and his sons Mickey (8) and Rocky (10), who don't mind ads in Roblox but call people who make ads in console games F*wads. Any cursing was 100% supervised and approved by par...

Join Jen Donahoe TWIG co-host and Strategic Marketing Consultant at Beta Hat and JadeInferno and Gordon Bellemy , CEO of GGP (Gay Gaming Professionals), to hear how GGP supports underrepresented or, better phrased, under-estimated groups in the game industry. GDC2024 features a number of events that everyone can benefit from. Come join us! Find all the event information at GGPs LinkedIn page event...

Join us in Istanbul: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024 John Wright, VP of publishing at Kwalee joins the podcast to discuss publishing in 2024. The thing is, publishing on mobile is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. This is due to all the ever-restricting privacy changes and the decrease in available capital smaller companies were using to scale their games. 

event links: GDC Marketing Brunch / GDC Tech Brunch When Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen drops his annual blog post, the gaming folks around the world rush to read it. The TWIG crew is no different. Though we might be a tad mod critical… In this episode, we also discuss Disney’s investment in Epic. What are the implications of this deal? Why does Epic need this money? And what is Epic's future? T...

Join Jen Donahoe and Laura Taranto in a cozy yet banter-filled deconstruction of Century Games' Whiteout Survival. You'll feel like you’re stepping into a meeting with product and marketing, figuring out how to make and market the next great game as we deconstruct winners. Have a game you want to see on Product Deep Dives? Contact us at info@deconstructoroffun.com Intro 00:00 - 05:08 Centu...

Think Games Istanbul talks announced: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024 No matter how you look at it, we’re witnessing the inevitable demise of Xbox. All signs (read: leaks) are pointing to the fact that Microsoft’s foray into gaming is coming to an end. The crew analyses why this happened and what it will mean for both the ecosystem and the people involved. In this...

Join us in Istanbul! www.deconstructoroffun.com/istanbul “Never trust experts nor believe in business friendships. Never allow others to change your vision. And never underpay yourself.” Those are the 4 critical nevers that Anton Krasnyy once wrote on LinkedIn. Anton is a former founder, CEO, and Chairman of Murka, a social casino company originally from Ukraine acquired by Blackstone in 2019. Des...

While it's not as crazy as the Unity Runtime fee fiasco, it's a close second as the cast reviews Apple's plans to address the EU's DMA rules. Kress eats it and admits that Zynga might have potential this year, with Match Factory showing promise. Blizzard picks a new president, and the cast weighs in on her resume, making recommendations and predictions for her future. Riot and Bliz...

Newzoo's Lead Analyst, Tom Wijman, returns on the podcast to discuss gaming market predictions for consoles and PCs. You can access the full Newzoo report here: https://newzoo.com/games-market-reports-forecasts And check our previous episode here: www.deconstructoroffun.com/blog/2023/11/2/console-gamings-triple-threat

Sign up to Istanbul Gaming Summit By deciding not to hear the appeal of the Epic v. Apple case, the injection against Apple's anti-steering rules stands. This means that developers are now free to push US iOS players into web shops. But what doest that mean for the industry? And if this conversation doesn’t tickle your toes, the crew talks Palworld. A real Pokemon killer.  The doom and gloom o...

Josh Wilson, CEO of Sciplay returns to the podcast to tell the story behind the company’s evolution over the last two years. SciPlay has grown every quarter despite the economic and privacy headwinds thanks to strategic initiatives discussed in this episode. We also talk about the accusations the company has made and why it has been itself acquired.  Istanbul Gaming Summit ⁠https://rsvp.withgoogle...

Istanbul Gaming Summit pre-signup: https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-i-google-x-deconstructor-of-fun The squad dips their spoons into the Monopoly Go drama by giving their take on the profitability of Scopely’s blockbuster. We discuss the real reason why NetEase and Activision have suddenly kissed and made up. Scratch our heads as to why Tencent is launching yet another mobil...

stanbul Gaming Summit https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-i-google-x-deconstructor-of-fun Elena Grigorian joins the podcast after recently taking over as the CEO of MyGames. In this podcast, we cover both business and personal topics starting with what a new CEO should accomplish in their first 100 days in the position and ending with the challenges of balancing work and life i...

2024 starts where 2023 ended - and that means layoffs. Unity slashes 1,800 jobs while Twitch fires every third person in the latest layoff rounds at these companies. In this episode, we announce the Golden Twig "winners", discuss Clash Mini, and continue to scratch our heads about Netflix Games. Thanks to the show's sponsors: Xsolla, AppsFlyer, Data.ai, and Heroic Labs!