Deconstructor of Fun

Get ready for your weekly dose of unfiltered game industry news. In this episode, the crew discusses Supercell's and Dream's latest titles. We also talk about the history and future of celebrity collaborations within games. Your hosts: Jen Donahoe, Eric Kress, Laura Taranto & Phillip Black our partners: AppsFlyer, Xsolla, Heroic Labs & Data.ai

Product Deep Dives looks at Playrix's Township to deconstruct how this game went from a farming sim to a multi-billion dollar success. Join Laura Taranto and Jen Donahoe as they reap what this game has to offer! Make sure to watch with video, as we have data and insights you won't want to miss.

In today’s mature mobile gaming market, the importance of building a brand, storytelling, and creating distinct brand identities is crucial for success.  This podcast delves into the journey of revitalizing Futureplay’s Merge Gardens through an emphasis on strategic IP creation, branding improvements, and effective storytelling.  Guest: Martin Mohr, CCO @ Bond Creative Agency Links: The case of Me...

Who are BIG gaming funds good for? Are the AAA game studios going to extinct? And why is Fallout such a damn good show? This and many more questions were mulled by the TWIG crew.  Oh, and Eric Kress is back. That means that the profanities are flying once again.  Your hosts: Eric Kress, Michail Katkoff, Jen Donahoe, and Phillip Black. Our partners: Xsolla, AppsFlyer, Heroic Labs, and Sensor Tower.

Dive into the world of Istanbul's venture capital scene with Laton Venture's Görkem Türk. Together we explore essential topics like investment strategies prioritizing founding teams' quality, the evolving role of culture in startups, and future trends in gaming such as AI and socialization-focused experiences. Don't miss out on industry insights. Sign up for our newsletter! www.dec...

What is the impact of privacy updates on ad revenue and user acquisition strategies?  In this episode, Google’s Ross Brockman and Kwalee’s John Wright discuss the need for adaptation, innovation, and the importance of leveraging first-party data for customized user experiences.  The conversation reflects a balance between acknowledging challenges and maintaining optimism for growth and evolution i...

Buckle up kids because this episode has barely any profanity. Kress is MIA while the team talks about Brawl Stars' Baby Shark collaboration and the state of the gaming market. Phil geeks out on inflation, Mishka talks about interest rates, Jen discusses toy lines and Laura is put on the spot to cover the latest layoffs news.

Eric Kress sits down with Matt Wyble, COO of Second Dinner, to talk about Marvel Snap and what's next for Second Dinner. What does a studio do with $100M in the bank? The two spend some time talking about the state of Blizzard and the state of the industry.

The rowdy crew is back at it talking about Lilith's decision to skip soft launch, Embracer's selling of Gear Box, and the New York Times move into gaming. We also talk about Discord's ad business. Because when in doubt do advertising. Hosts: Michail Katkoff, Jen Donahoe, Eric Kress and Phillip Black

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...