Deconstructor of Fun

The crew returns back to Unity’s merger with ironSource as Eric Seufert offers his view of the deal. There’s a conversation about the latest government ruling not to regulate loot boxes. Talk about Tesla’s new gaming initiative and Netflix’s latest batch of gaming veteran hires. We also talk about E3’s return to in-person events and what we can expect from it. Hosts: Eric Kress, Eric Seufert, Laur...

UnCaged Studios is pioneering AAA-quality Web3 gaming. Co-founded by seasoned Web3 and gaming experts, the studio has over a hundred years of combined experience designing and developing high production value, immersive gaming experiences with sustainable economies. Through its own platform, Game OS, the studio’s first release is an esports franchise called MonkeyLeague. In addition, UnCaged lever...

With so many new games delayed the crew has their long-awaited debate on what is the optimal way of working for game studios. On-site, hybrid, or fully remote. Eric Kress whales on GameStop, which went full “crypto bro” in the middle of the crypto Winter. And gives his hyperbolic analysis of Unity’s merger with ironSource. Links: Questions and Feedback Sponsors: Google , ironSource , Xsolla , Recu...

In this episode, Laura talks about why games are being delayed and whether mobile games suffer from it as much as PC and console games. We also discuss what the metaverse is. Analyze the impact of Samsung Gaming Hub coming to Xbox. And Eric Kress does doom and gloom updates on the mobile market. Links: Questions and Feedback Sponsors: Google , ironSource , Xsolla , Recur Hosts: Laura Taranto, Eric...

Consolidation, IDFA, metverse, Web3 and now a recession… During just the last couple of years, we’ve seen some wild phenomena affect the games industry: First, lockdowns caused engagement spikes. Second, we saw a streak of consolidations with record-breaking deals. Third, the impact of the privacy changes started taking effect, all the while as the crypto boom turned into crypto winter... Today, t...

Hold on to your AirPods because we have more than a full house on this episode. There’s no more doom and gloom. Mishka and Seufert drop teasers for two upcoming parties. We analyze if Blizzard is “back”.  Talk Stumbel Guys, Fall Guys, Sybo and Clash Quest. And take the episode home by talking about the master plan behind creating standards for open metaverse interoperability. Links: Questions...

The team discusses Riot joining Microsoft’s GamePass. Talks about the $24M made by Diablo Immortal after the first two weeks. Reviews the abysmal number of downloads Netflix games has racked up to date. Dives deep into how to survive the mobile marketing winter. And with Ethan back on the podcast, covers your most essential crypto updates, as the wheels are coming off the first iteration of blockc...

Every successful mobile games story is different and offers something unique for the industry to learn from, and the story of SuperPlay and Dice Dreams is no different. In this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Noam Banon , the CMO of Superplay, to talk about how their game Dice Dreams was able to find success in the highly competitive mobile games market. I was also lucky enough t...

Against the backdrop of a crypto winter that has many a team re-evaluating their go-to-market plan, Illuvium pressed ahead with their land NFT sale, taking in over $72m in a well-organized, well run, low-gas fee land sale. In today’s episode, we go deep inside Illuvium with System and Economy Designer Khalid Alroumi . In this wide-ranging talk, we get an inside look at Illuvium and the many challe...

This was a BIG week for console and PC games. We talk about Diablo 4, Modern Warfare 2, Overwatch 2, Stormgate... We got our first take on all of them. We also discuss Summer Game Fest, Saudi Arabia's $1B investment into Embracer, and how to optimally spend a massive stack of cash in Diablo Immortal. As always, we kick off the episode with corrections. Keep the (anonymous) feedback coming and we'l...

A couple of months ago we covered BANDAI NAMCO’s new studio in Barcelona assessing their 4-day work weeks, lack of hierarchy, and deadlines (you can read our analysis here ). We concluded that it all sounded almost too good to succeed. Well, Massimo Caporale, who heads mobile publishing at the BANDAI NAMCO Mobile, heard our analysis and wanted to come on the podcast to elaborate more and share wha...

Adam does a light dive on Diabo Immortal after playing it intensively since launch. Eric Kress breaks down the decline of the mobile games market by looking at the performance of top genres and titles. Eric Seufert analyzes Apple's update to SKAd Network. The crew also talks E3, Pokemon Go passing $6 billion in lifetime revenue, and Summer Game Fest with Geoff Keighlye.  Links: Questions and...

Though veteran game designer spacedog chooses to remain anonymous, trust us, you've played some of the hit free-to-play games she has contributed to. As one of the developers behind the upcoming blockchain game Void Runners , spacedog recently authored the whitepaper for the game and iterated on it in public with her discord community .  In this interview, we discuss Void Runners, the conside...

The most comprehensive breakdown of the Battle Pass system in games. This analysis discusses best practices, biggest fumbles, and optimal ways to price and balance Battle Pass in your game.  Host and Guest: Mishka Katkoff & Javier Barnes Links: Questions and Feedback Sponsors: Google , ironSource , Xsolla , Recur

This episode is all about headwinds. The crew discusses the global mobile gaming market, which is according to Data.ai set to hit $222 billion this year. Eric Kress dissects Sony’s investor day. The crew also predicts Apex Mobile’s success, marvels Diablo Immortal, and discusses Catalyst Black as an example of why MOBAs just don’t work in the West. Links: Questions and Feedback Sponsors: Google ,...

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about Xbox building an advertising program and the implications this program may have on both business and players. We're joined by Dave Madden, President of PlayerWON, to discuss the best practices for in-game ads within PC and console games. Dave has plenty of insights to share as his company, PlayerWON, is the pioneer of in-game ads in the free-to-play console...

Eric Kress dismantles the rumors of EA being for sale. Eric Seufert analyzes Snap's multiple lowered guidances. Laura Taranto looks into TikTok's push into gaming. Team also discusses recent two big mobile launches: APEX Legends from EA and Dislyte from Lilith. And what would be a TWIG episode without hearing the latest of Kress' son's basketball life... Links: Questions and Feedback Sponsors: Goo...

Before he joined L1 solution WAX as their Chief Gaming Officer, Michael Rubinelli had a long and accomplished career in gaming. Spanning companies including EA, THQ, Midway, Take Two, Disney, and Kixeye, Michael’s career has taken him across many gaming platforms and business model transitions. In this interview, we talk about how WAX is the L1 solution purpose-built for gaming, the challenges of...

The $600M GAMES FUND ONE, a16z’s inaugural fund dedicated to building the future of the games industry. A16Z has been investing in games for over a decade being the investor of the likes of Zynga and Oculus.  We're joined by Jonathan Lai, General Partner at A16Z to discuss what makes GAMES FUND ONE stand out from the rest of the gaming and interactive media funds.  Jonathan also breaks d...

We discuss why Ubisoft shifts attention to mobile amidst declining sales. Kress provides a breakdown of the AppLovin quarterly review, where the company put on a show of the ages and got rewarded with a 35% growth in their stock price. We talk about Bethesda's delayed games and the implication of this. Adam breaks down why brain trust, which sounds so amazing on paper, rarely if ever works in real...

If you’ve been following crypto news over the past few weeks, you’ve undoubtedly seen plenty about the dramatic collapse of the Terra ecosystem against the backdrop of the onset of crypto winter. 30 days ago, $LUNA was at $81.45 and is now under $0.0002. $UST was at $1.00. and is now $0.09. Today we are joined by special guest Kenrick Drijkoningen , General Partner at Play Ventures and an early in...

Patrick Carney (aka. Chief Pat) is the founder and CEO of Tribe Gaming, an esports and influencer company for mobile games with over 100M monthly views on YouTube. Together with Pat, we talk about how to be successful with influencer marketing on YouTube. We discuss finding the right influencer for your game and how to get these influencers to talk about your game in an authentic way. Pat also ana...

We discuss the crash of crypto and how it affects blockchain gaming. Dive deep into Space Ape's development process and compare it to the one Wooga used to unsuccessfully follow before the Playtika acquisition. Kress explains why FIFA is the one to lose out after the breakup with EA. Links: Questions and Feedback The Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Ethan Levy, Eric...

The recent launch of Moonbirds is shaping up to be the best NFT drop of 2022 yielding up to $280M. In this episode, we dive into why it worked so well, as well as the lessons learned and actionable takeaways for gaming.  The premium of Utility NFTs is growing rapidly, and we’re witnessing the growth in real-time with innovative projects like Moonbirds that build upon previous successful proje...

We discuss the mixed reviews of APEX Mobile. Congratulate Bernard Kim on his latest baller move. Doom Warcraft mobile. In this episode Kress also ponders why NewZoo keeps triggering him. Seufert updates us on the latest anti-trust charges Apple is facing.   Links: Questions and Feedback The Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Ethan Levy, Eric Seufert Sponsors: Goo...