Deconstructor of Fun

Topics covered: When you ‘Ask app not to track,’ some iPhone apps keep snooping anyway New World is Already Steam's Most Played Game of 2021 Despite Server Struggles Niantic Shutting down AR Catan Game Zynga Announces FarmVille 3 for Mobile UK Cracks Down On In-Game Ads And Microtransactions Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host...

During the past couple of years the market has been crazy about merge games. And it's easy to understand why. The core mechanic is simple and engaging leading to high rates of engagement. Merge games are also very simple to soft launch as it takes about 8 weeks to get one of these games into the hands of players. The low entry barrier is also the reason for the market getting flooded by merge game...

Topics covered: Deep games for the masses FIFA 22 is bringing back 'preview packs,' but regular loot boxes are staying too NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs raises another $250 million Links: The We Works book to read "We Works the Cult of We" Send us Questions and Feedback   Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter   Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfe...

The court has ruled that Apple must allow iOS apps to offer payment options besides the ones subject to App Store's 30% fees. Essentially, these payment methods link outside of the core app experience. We explore the best ways for game studios, large and small, to capitalize on this massive change.  Guests: Chris Hewish Eric Seufert Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun N...

Topics covered: Can Supercell Boost Beatstar Into a Major Hit Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple The App Store is the Games Store. Apple should recognize this. Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert Image: Apple

1047 Games is the developer of Splitgate, a portal-like shooter in beta that has amassed 13 million installs. And now this fully remote team of 40 up-and-coming developers has been laced up with hundred million Dollars to take grow their first game into a household name. In this episode we discuss how they achieved their amazing launch numbers after the first beta felt somewhat flat. We'll also ch...

Topics covered: 1) What’s really going on in the market at the moment? 2) Creative testing in iOS 14 3) How to produce creatives 4) Trends in creatives 5) Snap and TikTok Links: Miri Growth Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff

Headlines: Supercell's Everdale: a Genre Definer or a Pretty-Looking Social Appointment System? Nifty Games adds $38M to its coffers for sports Clash mobile games Axie Infinity’s $1.2 Billion Annualized Revenue Overtakes Candy Crush’s 2020 Total Revenue Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam T...

The sudden rise of the weight companies put on cross-promotion is of course due to the IDFA deprecation that has to some extent further accelerated consolidation in the industry. As large publishers grow larger and operate across all the key gaming genres they are looking for tools to increase the life-time values of their large and diverse player base. Paytika is one of the main consolidators in...

Headlines: Apple will let developers accept payment outside App Store, in major concession amid antitrust pressure — The Washington Post   Facebook Undercounted SKAdNetwork Conversions For iPhone 12 Users Since February Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

A great Art Director will make your game stand out. They will build a strong art team and inspire both the developers and the executives with their creative vision. A perfect art director is just as a important as your technical director - and one could argue that sometimes Art Director should be the first hire on the team. In this podcast we discuss: Who's an AD? When to hire an AD? What kind of...

Headlines: New Game Releases Madden, Call of Duty Vanguard , Marvel Analyzing Riot Games’ move to mobile Liftoff and Vungle agree to merge into one mobile growth company LILA Games’ Values Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Headlines: T he Problem with VR App Annie: Mobile games on track to surpass $120B in 2021 Is app store regulation too little, too late? Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

In this podcast we're going to discuss: From Disruptor Beam to Beamable Working with Big IPs and publishers Defining Metaverse Creator Economy and NFTs Investing into Metaverse links: Jon Radoff Building the Metaverse blog Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff ,

Headlines: Zynga’s Q2 2021 bookings of $712M are up 37% from a year ago Zynga acquires StarLark studio and Golf Rival game for $525M FIFA Ultimate Team's new Preview Packs actually boosted loot box sales, EA say s Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Headlines: Blizzard president out in wake of discrimination lawsuit and employee walkout Tencent tanks after Chinese media calls online gaming ‘opium’ as regulatory concerns mount Riot Games' mobile titles generate over $100m Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Headlines: Activision Blizzard Sued Over Frat Boy Culture, Harassment Mark in the Metaverse Tilting Point Raises $235 Million to Fuel Expansion and Acquisitions Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Headlines: Netflix Hires Facebook Gaming Executive Mike Verdu Peloton plans to launch an in-app video game No IDFA. No Problem. Apple Can’t Kill Gaming Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

How Call of Duty Mobile went from concept to soft-launch. How the game broke all the records with 135M installs during launch month. What caused the turnaround in 2021 after revenues declined post-launch. What is the future of Call of Duty Mobile and Activision Mobile as a whole? Guest: Chris Plummer , Head of Mobile at Activision Matt Lewis , VP of Mobile, GM of Call of Duty Mobile Join Acti...

Headlines: WoW Disappointment, Plus Twitch, Start Mass Exodus Into Final Fantasy XIV Google expands ad targeting in mobile games amid pandemic gaming boom NoPixel and Grand Theft Auto V Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Launching a mid-core game with high production values, competitive gameplay and strong multiplayer core requires a long and thorough soft launch.  I'm joined by Volkan Ediz , Chief Revenue Officer at Super Evil Megacorp, as we discuss how they've approached soft launch for their latest title Catalyst Black . What countries and platforms they chose, what has been their marketing budget, how do...

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: Drake Star Partners: Game deals surpassed $60B in the first half of 2021 Supercell's secret for growing Brawl Stars to a $1 billion success Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed will be a live service game Links: Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

According to the book No Rules Rules, Netflix's culture is ruthless - both in terms of execution and in the way they treat their employees. In this episode, Sophie Vo , Joakim Achren , and Yours Truly discuss the merits and the challenges of the Netflix culture in a games company setting. We also talk about the pitfalls many companies face as they attempt to introduce pieces of the Netflix culture...

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1 Duolingo filed to go public #2 Self-publishing is key to attracting VC money for mobile gaming studios #3 EA continues to spend big on mobile games with $1.4 billion Playdemic acquisition LINKS: TWIG Newsletter Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff , Eric Kress , Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Arnd Benninghoff (EVP, Modern Times Group) and Shaun Rutland (CEO, Hutch) join the podcast to discuss MTG's corporate strategy. MTG is one of the top consolidators in the industry having acquired companies like Hutch, Inno Games, and ESL. MTG refers to their consolidation activities as   "family building". Their growth strategy is founded around acquiring resilient game studios that have...