Deconstructor of Fun

Leisure EN ↓ 836 episodes

Deconstructor of Fun podcast is created by games professionals for games professionals. We explore the business side of the games industry with the goal of bringing listeners content that is relevant, insightful, and entertaining on a weekly basis. Hosts:Michail Katkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/Eric Kress www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/Phillip Black www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/Jen Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.deconstructoroffun.com

Author

Deconstructor of Fun

Episodes

TWIG 130: EA's New Battlefield Game, Epic vs. Apple, New Leadership for Overwatch 27.04.2021 56:38

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1. EA announced its new Battlefield game #2. Fortnite’s Mastermind Goes to Battle With Apple #3. New Leadership for Overwatch LINKS: - LILA Games Job Opportunities: https://www.lilagames.com/jobs/ - JK's New Investment Podcast: SUPER STONK BROS: APPLOVIN IPO BREAKDOWN - Get Notified of GameMakers Events!

TWIG 129: Applovin Falls 19%, Playstation IP to Mobile, Square Enix M&A Rumors, JK Retiring! 20.04.2021 57:29

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1. AppLovin Shares Fall 19% in Market Debut #2. Sony wants to bring its top PlayStation franchises to mobile #3 . Multiple potential buyers interested in Square Enix reporting JK's NEW INVESTMENT PODCAST: - SUPER STONK BROS: APPLOVIN IPO BREAKDOWN SPONSOR: - Betahat : Reading the pulse of the consumer is at the heart of everything we do. Wi...

Games That Last a Decade with Ken Go, CEO & Founder of DECA Games 19.04.2021 56:38

Which one is more important - to ship a good game or to grow a good game? DECA Games founded by Ken Go is a truly unique gaming company. They became highly successful by reversing the steps to success. Instead of developing new games, the company started off by first growing live games. Only after proving successful in operating decade-old titles have they taken a step towards developing and one-d...

Blockchain Basics In Gaming Explained | Upland's Dirk Lueth 17.04.2021 32:39

Dirk Lueth Co-founder of Upland Explains Blockchain Basics and How It's Used in Games SPONSOR: - XSOLLA: Xsolla Funding Club is a complimentary matching service that puts video games like yours in front of multiple publishers and investors. Join Xsolla Funding Club today at Xsolla.com/funding . Your host: - Joe Kim (@jokim1) Speaker: - Dirk Lueth , Co-founder Uplandme UPLAND: Upland Website

TWIG 128: Epic Will Lose $300M on Epic Games Store, Epic Raises $1B for Metaverse, Could Apple/Google Kill F2P? 15.04.2021 1:08:24

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1. Epic will lose over $300M on Epic Games Store exclusives, is fine with that #2. EPIC Games raises $1B for long-term metaverse plans, with $200M from Sony #3. Could Apple and Google pull the plug on mobile game monetisation? #4. Wild Rift is League of Legends p r e dictions SPONSOR: - XSOLLA: Xsolla Funding Club is a complimentary matchin...

How War Robots Grossed $500M with Vladimir Krasilnikov, CPO at Pixonic 12.04.2021 1:07:07

War Robots is the largest tactical shooter on mobile having grossed $500M since launch. Despite the massive success, the beginning of the game's journey was very rough. The game launched as a barebone version boasting KPIs that were unimpressive at best. Yet with hard work, smart decisions, determination, and having their back against the wall the team at Pixonic was able to not only turn the gam...

The Dos and Don'ts of Cross-Platform Development with Maxwell Zierath 08.04.2021 55:52

Cross-platform makes all the sense on the paper. More platforms increase your games' reach and will limit your dependency on a single platform. Yet despite all the tools, cross-platform development remains extremely difficult and thus incredibly risky. In this episode, we discuss the following questions: How do you approach cross-platform development? Do you focus on one platform? If so, which one...

TWIG 127: Clash of Clans 3 New Games, Tencent Timi $10B in 2020, Manticore Raises $100M 07.04.2021 1:00:56

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games #127. News for today: #1. Exclusive: Tencent's Timi gaming studio generated $10 billion in 2020, sources say #2. Manticore Games raises $100M for user-generated games in the ‘multiverse’ #3. Clash Of Clans Reveals Three New Games: Clash Quest, Mini, & Heroes #4. Wild Rift is League of Legends for everyone (We didn't really cover this) SPONSOR: - The Indu...

Growth Triggers #8 Latest ATT Drama, Digital Turbine's Shopping Spree, Working with Celebrities and the Most Expensive Ad 02.04.2021 1:03:26

Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth.  In this episode, we discuss Digital Turbine's shopping spree, the latest in ATT, Warpath's launch trailer, and working with celebrities. Your hosts: Michail Katkoff ( twitter ) and Eric Seufert ( twitter ) + Christian Calderon

TWIG #126: Rocket League Mobile, League of Legends Wild Rift, & Tencent Regulatory Compliance 31.03.2021 1:02:43

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games #126. News for today: #1. Rocket League Coming to Mobile #2. The 'League of Legends: Wild Rift' Open Beta Is Out Now in the Americas on iOS and Android alongside Version 2.2 #3. Tencent Stresses Regulatory Compliance as Profits From Gaming, Payments Surge News that Triggered Eric: #1 . Qualcomm is reportedly developing a Switch-like Android gaming device #2....

Game Publishing on Roblox | Gamefam CEO Joe Ferencz 29.03.2021 54:49

The creator community on Roblox to date has consisted of many younger former players that have advanced from playing to building games on the platform.  Many have wondered when and if the platform would start bringing in more professional developers and publishers.  ' Here with us today to talk about Roblox’s development platform and opportunity space for devs is Joe Ferencz, CEO of Game...

Scaling So Far with Savage Game Studios 29.03.2021 57:38

CEO & Co-Founder of Savage Game Studios , Michail Katkoff , joins Matthew Ellis for a chat in the latest episode of Scaling So Far 🎙 Having led and built teams at the like of Supercell, Rovio & Zynga in the past, Michail shares advice on hiring awesome studio talent, the impact of having leaders who listen, & keeping your culture alive & evolving 👾 ... oh & he answers the ques...

TWIG #125: Mr. Beast VC Fund, IronSource SPAC, 2K Tiger Woods, Discord $10B+, NYT Games Biz ft. Dean Takahashi from GamesBeat 24.03.2021 1:06:57

Welcome to TWIG #125! Today we cover: #1. MrBeast’s management company, Night Media, has a new venture fund that’s backed by creators #2 2k Sports Acqures HB Studios, signs PGA Tour 2k deal with Tiger Woods #3. Thoma Bravo SPAC Agrees to Take IronSource Public #4. F acing Post-Trump Slowdown, New York Times Eyes $100 Billion Games Market #5. Discord exploring sale that could be worth more than $10...

Danger of Integrated Studios + Ad Networks: Applovin and Zynga 22.03.2021 1:16:57

Recently Applovin a major ad network and games studio - announced the acquisition of Adjust which is a company known as an MMP or mobile measurement partner. Zynga recently announced its intentions of acquiring an ad network including supply and demand side tech, mediation, and an MMP We discuss the potential implications of these kinds of vertically integrated acquisitions with a games studio bus...

Growth Triggers #7 China's Tech Giants' Attempt to Circumvent IDFA, Our take on AppLovin's S1, Is Clubhouse a Fad? 18.03.2021 45:15

Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth. In this episode, we discuss AppLovin's S1, the future of Clubhouse, and how China's tech giants are exploring ways to skirt Apple's privacy changes. Your hosts: Michail Katkoff ( twitter ) and Eric Seufert ( twitter )

TWIG #124: Star Wars to Marvel -> Licensed IP, Applovin S1, Roblox: Dawn of the Metaverse 16.03.2021 56:35

Welcome to TWIG #124! Today we cover: #1. From Star Wars to Marvel, licensed video games are becoming more ambitious. Here’s why. #2. AppLovin S1 (our take on the MTM take)  #3. Roblox: Dawn of the Metaverse LINKS: AdTech + Game Studios: The BIG Danger Creators at Work Podcast (Liquid & Grit) Hosts: - Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff) - Joe Kim (@jokim1) - Eric Kress (@ekress) - Adam Telfer (@ad...

Building Games For A Female Audience | Ft. Renata Caldani, Joana Marques, and Maryna Iaremenko 12.03.2021 37:31

How do you design mobile games for a female audience? In this talk, we cover genres, motivations, mechanics, and much more! Speakers: Maryna Iaremenko , Lead Game Designer, GameHouse Joana Marques , Sr. Product Manager Renata Caldani , Brand Manager, Square Enix Montreal Moderator: Joseph Kim, CEO LILA Games SPONSOR: This podcast is sponsored by Square Enix Montreal.  Check out a ton of open...

Game Biz #1: Future of Game Industry M&A Ft. Chris Petrovic, Eric Kress, J Kim 10.03.2021 53:37

Game Biz is a new segment discussing big game industry trends, strategy, and public company movements. Catch us on Clubhouse this Friday for an after discussion on this topic: Clubhouse Friday 3/12/21 at 12PM PST Your hosts: Joseph Kim Eric Kress Chris Petrovic

TWIG 123: Fortnite Acquires Fall Guys Dev Mediatonic, Ubisoft NFT Game, and Dream Games Secures $50M 10.03.2021 1:01:41

Welcome to TWIG #123! Today we cover: #1. Fortnite developer Epic buys Fall Guys studio Mediatonic #2. Gaming Giant Ubisoft Partners With Ethereum-based NFT Platform Sorare #3. Dream Games secures $50m Series A round LINKS: Join us on Clubhouse this Friday 3/12/2021 at 12PM PST to discuss the Future of Games Industry M&A https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/MRQ1Z7pE Hosts: - Miska Katkoff (@m_k...

How to Turnaround a Company with Offer Yehudai, President of Fyber 08.03.2021 48:56

Let's be honest, leading a winning team is easy. Success breeds success and you're rolling from one victory to another with the momentum growing day-by-day.  What is hard is taking over a team that is failing and turning it around. What is even harder is turning around a declining public company, whose numbers are scrutinized every single quarter by shareholders and analysts. I'm joined by Of...

Growth Triggers #6 The Right Way to Build Your Game Marketing Team 04.03.2021 53:04

Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth. In this episode, we discuss: Whether to embed UA staff or not? Who do you count in a UA team What are the vital UA functions for a game team? Who/what do you need for the best chances of success in SL? Your hosts Michail Katkoff and Eric Seufert

TWIG #122: PUBG New State, Genshin Impact Dev Costs, Google Stadia Problem?, & Spotify Remote Work 03.03.2021 58:31

Welcome to TWIG #122! Today we cover: #1. PUBG: New State is a futuristic new battle royale game for Android and iOS #2. Genshin Impact Dev Costs #3. Google Stadia Problem?  A Video Game Unit That’s Not Googley Enough #4. Spotify says it's letting employees work from anywhere, while still paying San Francisco and New York salaries Hosts: - Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff) - Joe Kim (@jokim1) - Eric...

How to Market Mobile Games in 2021 with Kieran O’Leary, VP Marketing at Rovio 01.03.2021 40:57

ATT will handicap ad platforms’ abilities to target specific users throwing a wrench in the growth strategies of most top mobile game publishers. The three key changes will be: Resurrection of Product Marketing  The Role of an IP in performance marketing  The Broadening of Media Mix In this episode I'm joined by Kieran O'Leary , VP of Marketing at Rovio, to discuss mobile games marketing...

TWIG #121: BlizzCon, Zynga accelerates, Rovio's financials and VALHEIM! 24.02.2021 57:50

Welcome to TWIG #120! Today we cover: #1. Zynga’s plan to accelerate growth in 2021 #2. BlizzCon Online 2021 #3. Valheim: How a 5-Person Team Created the Most Popular Game on Steam #4. Rovio 2020 Financial Statement  Hosts: - Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff) - Joe Kim (@jokim1) - Eric Kress (@ekress) As always, pls feel free to send us feedback! Check out TWIG on the GameMakers YouTube Channel !

Growth Triggers #5 Why AppLovin and Zynga are Building Content Fortresses 22.02.2021 47:07

Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth. In this episode, we discuss AppLovin's acquisition of an attribution platform Adjust, and Zynga's intention to invest in ad tech. Your hosts Michail Katkoff and Eric Seufert