Deconstructor of Fun

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!

Eric Seufert is a one-of-a-kind marketing expert. He has headed marketing at Rovio, Wooga, and N3TWORK. He has built Mobile Dev Memo into the leading site for marketing professionals. He became a venture capitalist after founding Heracles Capital. In this podcast, Eric Seufert returns back to the podcast to discuss predictions for mobile marketing. A must-listen for all of us! sign-up to our PGC e...

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first podcast of 2024! After checking in on the holiday activities, the cast digs into the big news hitting the Chinese game industy. Kress makes predictions about how companies around the world will react to the proposed China game regulations (limiting daily spend, removing loot boxes, etc). Phil pulled out key insights from the Insomniac leak, and the cast dis...

Which company took the most damage in 2023? What was the most disappointing game of the year? Who had the worst layoffs what were some of our most inaccurate takes? Tune in to the realest awards show in the industry and hear our picks for each category on many more! --- Join us at PGC London >>> VIP Roundtables

In-app ads are either important or crucial depending on the genre of games you’re making. In this episode, I’m joined by Felix Braberg, a true ad monetization expert. Together we discuss the effect of privacy changes on ad monetization, practical ways for games to double their ad revenue, the efficacy of different ad formats, and the changes onset by Apple, Amazon, and Google to the whole ad monet...

Host Jen Donahoe sits down with Xsolla's Interim CEO and President, Chris Hewish , to get the juicy facts from Xsolla's State of Play Report. The insights apply to all platforms and regions, so be sure to listen in. They cover 4 key topics: - The rise of real-time payments - Alternative Payments - Web shops with new data from the top 100 companies - The upcoming EU DMA and side-loading in...

With Miska downing soju faster than meat off a KBBQ grill, Eric and Jen lay down the law on Monopoly Go's UA numbers. Laura celebrates Apple's end-of-year awards, while Phil tells developers to hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife; Fortnite is coming for your genre. The crew talks about Epic's court victory that produced Tim Sweney's only natural smile to date.

Want to catch your  Data.ai  2024 predictions in a TWIG-like format? We got you covered!  Jen Donahoe ,  Michail Katkoff ,  Brett Nowak  and  Eric Kress  hosted by  Lexi Sydow , deconstructed the gaming market while planting several jabs at each others' predictions. Topics discussed: Are we seeing gaming bottom out, or is the market on the up? Which areas in gaming are growing and why? What ar...

How do you acquire your very first players without a marketing budget? What guerrilla marketing tactics work for games, and how can you execute them creatively? Host, Jen Donahoe asks Julie Bonnecarrère and Pavel Afanasiev , co-founders of Northern Lights Entertainment (NLE), about their journey to soft launching on mobile under extreme budget constraints. NLE is developing Nebulae ( https://nebul...

The not-so-Fabulous Five are right back at it discussing GTA 6 trailer that broke the internet. We recap Slush, the latest boondoggle with Mishka and Phil. Predict what the console gaming market will be in 2024 and get our engines revved up by the latest Forza Customs and Chrome Valley Customs. Connect with the TWIG Cast to give feedback and keep the conversation going! ⁠Philip Black⁠ , ⁠Jen Donah...

Ethan's back, and so is Kress telling him to "Get the F Out of here!" Laura breaks down June's Journey $1B revenue milestone with Ethan chiming in with a history lesson on Hidden Object games. Jen covers the nominees for the gam3.gg Web 3 awards. Kress gives a state of mobile games industry update and the team talks about the state SKAN4 and the upcoming SKAN5. Connect with the T...

What is the role of Product Marketing Managers (PMMs) in gaming? The discussion emphasizes two key aspects that PMMs enable: Firstly, facilitating the identification of product-market fit early in the development phase, thereby preventing costly pivots after the game's launch Secondly, they allow Product Managers and Game Directors to concentrate on enhancing key performance indicators (KPIs) and...

We have a full house and lots of topics to cover! The talk of the week is Scopely's Monopoly Go crossing $1B in revenue in just 7 months. We have a Esports smackdown and we also talk a bit about Web3 to keep things spicy. Kudos to our sponsors: Heroic Labs, Xsolla, AppsFlyer, and Data.ai

In the heyday of 2022, there was an unprecedented surge in investment in Web3 games, capturing nearly half of all investment in both dollars and raw numbers. However, the excitement and speculation didn't translate into quality games, resulting in numerous failures within the industry. Warren Woodward, CCO and co-founder of Upptic, a leading growth agency for games, joins the podcast to explai...

Kress embraces grouchiness and brings the fire to today's podcast. Phil gets triggered by behavioural economics delivering an epic rant. Mishka weakly defends his “China” point and Jen talks about the latest Call of Duty that got drowned by the worst score in the history of the franchise.  The crew discusses why console developers are backtracking from the Games-as-a-Service model and announce...

In the latest podcast, Mishka delves into an all-encompassing discussion with Chris Hewish, President and interim CEO of Xsolla. Chris boasts an impressive gaming career that spans iconic companies like Skydance, Survios, DreamWorks, and includes a substantial 13-year stint at Activision. Topics discussed: Macroeconomics vs. Game Investments Console Gaming: Challenges & Opportunities Behaviora...

With Miska resuming his jet-set life, Jen reviews hygiene at Blizzcon, while Kress tells us his opinion on the unexpected departure of PlayStation CEO and reminds us of the difference between Trekkies and fans. Laura and Phil go deep on Brawl Stars' new announcement - it's due or die. Phil can't understand The Finals, and neither can Eric. Omega Strikers is dead, and the team performs...