Deconstructor of Fun

In this episode, I'm joined by Nadav Ashkenazy, who is the VP of Global Partnerships & Biz Dev at ironSource, a leading ad mediation and user acquisition platform with the largest in-app video network in the industry. Nadav schools me on the differences of Ad Units as well as discusses the hottest monetization trends from user level data to programmatic mediation.  Most importantly though...

Epic has been making moves powered by the unheard success of Fortnite. They skipped the Google's Play Store and are now planning to outplay Valve's Steam as well. In the latest TWIG we discuss: #1 Jam City lays off a large number of developers #2 Epic Games launching Steam competitor #3 Zynga CEO presents strategy to investors Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news...

Google, Microsoft, EA, Sony or Valve, Nintendo are all gearing up their streaming services. Who will emerge as the winner when the big players collide? In the latest TWIG we discuss: #1 Best game subscription services of 2018 #2 PlayStation Now Rakes In $143 Million for Sony Q3 2018 #3 Microsoft unveils Project xCloud system to stream games to everything from a phone to a desktop PC - without havi...

Will Jam City and Disney be a Hollywood love story? In the lates TWIG we discuss: #1 Jam City signs a deal with Disney #2 Blizzard working on mobile games for all IP #4 Flaregames restructure leads to 45 layoffs Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know how we can improve. Also, hit the subs...

Also, the fall of Next Games and the surging "Call of Duty Royale" In the lates TWIG we discuss: #1 Next Games Q3 Business Review #2 Blizzard Wasn't Expecting Fans To Be This Angry #3 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 could be a Fortnite killer In this episode, Joseph and I are joined by Eric Kress, Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group. Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which n...

How does 2019 look for Glu? In the lates TWIG we discuss: #1 Glu Mobile redesigns its headquarters and its strategy #2 Why Glu Mobile Inc. Stock Plunged Today In this episode, Joseph and I are joined by Eric Kress, Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group. Together we aim to answer whether Glu is set for success with its new strategy or not. Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1 &) to let us kn...

Could Ubisoft be the one for Zynga? In the lates TWIG we discuss: #1 Ubisoft Could Unlock a Game Changer With Zynga We also have a returning guest, Mr. Eric Kress, Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group. Eric has held high roles in corporate strategy, capital markets research, business development, investment banking and marketing. Eric has and is helping companies like Google, FunPlus. Sega, Kaba...

Report: Zynga attracts takeover interest In this episode, Joseph and I are joined by Eric Kress, Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group. Together we aim to answer who could be Zynga's potential new dancing partner and why. Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1 &) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know how we can improve. Also,...

Will the Zynga's steady incline beat Nintendo's sporadic growth in the long term? News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 42% of Gamers Now Use Mobile as Their Main Gaming Platform #2 Zynga Is Well Positioned In The Favorable Video Game Market #3 Nintendo Bets on Dragons in First Built-From-Scratch Mobile Game Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us...

The four reasons why Telltale Games shut down. News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Telltale hit with devastating layoffs #2 How do you evaluate a mobile game's profit potential? #3 From the world's top Clash of Clans player to game dev Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1 & @heinider) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know...

Everything you need to know about esports as of today. News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Teen influencers are making thousands from gaming #2 Activision Blizzard Management Talks Esports #3 Overwatch League Can Bring in $480M for Activision #4 Is the future of esports in your pocket? Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1 & @heinider) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk a...

Everything you need to know about esports as of today. News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Teen influencers are making thousands from gaming #2 Activision Blizzard Management Talks Esports #3 Overwatch League Can Bring in $480M for Activision #4 Is the future of esports in your pocket? Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1 & @heinider) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk a...

This Week In Games: #1 Super Mario Creator Warns Gaming Industry: Don’t Be Too Greedy #2 Influencers and Community Revolt Against Marvel Strike Force #3 Epic Games named the World’s top Mobile Games Company #4 Fortnite’s Day in the Sun May Be Over Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know ho...

News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Zynga Partners With Disney For New Star Wars Games #2 How does Legend of Solgard engage, retain and monetise? #3 Supercell's Brawl Stars Grew Revenue by 616% in July Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know how we can improve. Also, hit the subscribe b...

This topic was probably the most difficult and definitely most sensitive we've tackled on Deconstructor of Fun podcast. Huge thanks to the powerful ladies from Supercell who didn't shy away from discussing this sensitive topic shaping our industry and who are on the forefront of not only game development but also improving the industry as a whole. Hope you get out as much out of this episode as we...

News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Strained relationships of Riot and Tencent #2 Clash Royale’s New Pro League #3 Revenue Potential of Battle Royale Modes Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know how we can improve. Also, hit the subscribe button to get notified when we deconstruct the...

News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Chinese Games Raked in More Than $600M in the US #2 Why Arena of Valor is Struggling in America #3 Discord Sets Sights on Steam, Launches Online Store #4 Knights of Fury is the Latest Game from King, but it’s Not What You’d Expect Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or...

Welcome to This Week In Games, a podcast series from the fine people at Deconstructor of Fun. News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Confirmed: Fortnite on Android will drive its bus past Google’s 30% cut #2 Google and Unity Partner for Mobile Game Ads #3 Activision to Adapt More IPs as Mobile Games #4 Activision and Tencent Bringing New ‘Call of Duty’ Mobile Game To China Hit us up on Twitter (@m...

Welcome to This Week In Games, a podcast series from the fine people at Deconstructor of Fun. News Deconstructed in this Episode: #1 Supercell’s Clash Royale plunders $2 billion in revenues in two years #2 Konami announces Super Smash Bros inspired Shonen Jump #3 Apple features Super Evil’s Vainglory in ‘Unleash’ video #4 Fortnite may bypass Google Play for Android release Hit us up on Twitter (@m...

Welcome to This Week In Games, a podcast series from the fine people at Deconstructor of Fun. News Deconstructed in this Episode: 1. AppLovin enters publishing 2. Jam City's potential IPO 3. Nexon's upcoming Marvel: Battle Lines Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff & @jokim1) to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk about next or more in-depth. Or to just let us know how we can improve. A...

Welcome to This Week In Games, a podcast series from the fine people at Deconstructor of Fun. The concept is simple: - Your hosts are Joseph Kim (@jokim1) and myself, Mishka Katkoff (@m_katkoff) - We highlight and deconstruct few of the most relevant latest news in games - Most importantly, we keep it (relatively) short Hit us up on twitter to let us know, which news topics you want us to talk abo...

What are the pros and cons when working with a big IP? What are the common challenges and pitfalls when working with an IP holder? And most importantly, how to avoid those pitfalls while reaping all the benefits that an IP provides. In this episode, I'm joined by Joseph Kim (SVP Games and Digital Platforms @ NBC Universal), who will answer the questions above and help you to navigate the promising...

During the past few months, Battle Royale games have taken the mobile market by a storm racking up a whopping 190M installs and $110M in little less than 4 months (source: Sensor Tower)! Not to mention streaming, where Fortnite reached over 2.4 billion views in February alone. In this podcast, Anil and I look at the staggering numbers. We talk about the game and core loops of Battle Royale games,...

As we all know, influencer marketing is about as hot of a buzzword as eSports. And just like with eSports, the key questions revolve around ROI, targeting and scaling. But what makes a good influencer campaign and what are the trends in the world of streaming? This podcast answers those two and many more questions. I'm joined by Jiri Kupiainen, CEO of Matchmade. Jiri is an old skool game developer...

What makes game designers tick? What are the different designer types? How to overcome typical designer pitfalls? These questions and more are discussed in this podcast with Florian Ziegler, lead designer at EA's super successful Firemonkeys studio in Melbourne.