Deconstructor of Fun (Deconstructor of Fun)

In this episode also: mobile publishers open up blockchain divisions, new SPAC from ex-Sony exec, Madden passes away and both Erics catch the COVID.

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

Sponsors:

ironSource, Appsflyer, PlayerWon, Xsolla

Image: Newzoo

First, join us all in welcoming Jen Donahoe as the new, full time member of the TWiG crew! This week, Kress talks about the Embracer implosion, Phil falls for Fall Guys' new creator mode, Jen explains PUBGs reenlistment in India, Ethan unpacks the critical production blunder that was the root cause behind Overwatch 2's PvE cancellation, and Laura takes the MC microphone for a drive.

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 monetization ecosystem. connect with Felix (www.felixbraberg.com)

In this episode, Dennis Fong, CEO and co-founder of GGWP, discusses his remarkable journey from being the world's first professional gamer to a successful serial entrepreneur. He shares insights from founding and selling four companies, emphasizing the importance of open conversations and the tough realities of making pivots and layoffs. Dennis also reflects on his motivations, and the challenges he's faced, and offers advice on culture building, securing funding, and overcoming doubts in the entrepreneurial world.

Host Jen Donahoe is joined by a panel of emerging game industry professionals—Pedro Bravo (Lead PM Monopoly Go at Scopely), Vlada Kumova (Game Producer at GameFam), and Lara Burić (Game Designer at Hutch).

The discussion centers around the challenges and barriers faced by the next generation of game developers as they enter the industry, the difficulties of securing opportunities, and the ongoing changes in hiring practices.

They share candid experiences about breaking into the industry, the expectations placed on junior versus senior talent, and the evolving dynamics of leadership and mentorship. The panel also explores the importance of fostering supportive environments and reducing crunch culture.

Tune in to hear valuable insights on how the next wave of creators is navigating the complexities of game development and paving the way for future industry practices.

02:34 Guest Intro

03:16 Pedro

04:07 Vlada

04:47 Laura

05:14 Challenges of Breaking into the Industry

11:20 Bipolar Hiring Vibes

18:07 Training and Mentorship

24:42 Early Career Challenges

28:10 Crunch Culture and Work-Life Balance

34:09 Specialization and Workload Management

36:54 Creating a Positive Work Environment

42:19 Effective Communication and Management

46:45 Gen-A and the future of Social Gaming

51:35 Wrap-Up

Articles discussed:

Ubisoft's NFT Announcement Has Been Intensely Disliked

Fortnite kicks off Chapter 3: Season 1 with Dwayne Johnson and Spider-Man

Tencent brings Spider-Man to PUBG Mobile

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

Sponsors:

ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable, Betahat, Xsolla

Image: Epic

As Microsoft reorgs Xbox leadership, we debate who could be the perfect person to replace Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision. We also discuss why our industry has all the layoffs in the middle of breaking sales records. And we also talk about games: Mario Wonder, Supercell's Mo.Co and Wonder Blast from Good Game Studios.

shoutout to our world-class spornsors: AppsFlyer, Xsolla, Heroic Labs, and Data.ai

the book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team 

the author: Patrick Lencioni 

the hosts: Joakim Achren, Sophie Vo and Michail Katkoff

The way I think about instant games is different after recording this podcast with Justin Waldron.

As do you, I had certain perception of instant games that were based on what has been done before. You know, the HTML5 games, the Facebook Messenger games, and the iMessage games. Yet what Playco sees as an opportunity is quite different from what has been done before.

I think you'll enjoy this podcast since it's not about the post app store world or how to do instant games better. This podcast is about emerging social platforms an how games can be a vital part of those.

Links:

Playco Careers 

Justin Waldron

Get in Touch:

Send us Questions and Feedback

Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter

Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff

Sponsors: Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable

Eric Kress sits down with Matt Wyble, COO of Second Dinner, to talk about Marvel Snap and what's next for Second Dinner. What does a studio do with $100M in the bank? The two spend some time talking about the state of Blizzard and the state of the industry.

In the latest TWIG we discuss:

#1 Playtika Doubles down with new casual games division

#2 Mario Kart Tour’s beta has arrived

#3 Mobile version of League of Legends

#4 Blizzard Entertainment President Interview On Priorities

#5 Microsoft and Sony form partnership

#6 Call of Duty 2020 In Upheaval

Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1 & @ekress) 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 latest news in games

Eric, Ethan, Laura and Phil are back from GDC and are eager to share all that they learned during the week long celebration of all things game development. They talk the biggest news of the show, including Unreal Engine for Fortnite + Creator Economy 2.0, the surprise announcement of Counterstrike 2, CCP's massive raise for a AAA Web3 game and more. And most surprisingly, vests! Kress hates vests y'all! Mind your drip or else face Kress's wrath :)

Welcome to TWIG #116!

Today we cover:

#1. Mobile game maker Playtika goes public at $11 billion valuation

#2. 2020 year in review | Bayjinger

#3. Star Wars Games to Be Branded Under Lucasfilm Games Banner

#4. Hypercasual Prediction 

#5. RPG Prediction 

Hosts:

- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)

- Joe Kim (@jokim1)

- Eric Kress (@ekress)

- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)

As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!

The crew debates Netflix’s Games strategy after the company announces its new controller to play games on TV.  Jen goes into a full on Kress mode after Assasin’s Creed beta test rejection. Phil shares his praises to Baldur’s Gate and the team discusses the importance of community when gearing up for the launch. The crew also discusses Nintendo’s mobile plans. To cap it off, Mishka is back from his ultra-long vacation and is in his prime shilling mode. 

Get your spray paint ready, Twiggies, because this week Jayne Peressini returns to the guest host chair to break down Sybo's latest - Subway Surfer's Blast - alongside the reigning puzzle queen, Laura. Can you believe Laura commented on this game without first beating level 100, as is her custom?

Spurred by the latest, dramatic twist in the Microsoft/Activision "will they, won't they" merger, Kress and Phil get into a heated debate about the console business and cloud gaming (again). With Ethan missing in action due to an internet outage, there is no one to defend the honor of Eastern Gacha games as Kress foolishly doubts the prospects of impending blockbuster Honkai: Star Rail, dragging the latest juggernaut from miHoYo despite it's #1 spot on the US Top Downloads chart.

Don't forget to check out the latest MGVC Game Drive business accelerator program where DoF's very own Phillip Black will be sharing key insights shaping the games industry.

Jori Pearsall now Chief Product Officer at mobile financial access firm Tala has had a stellar career in mobile gaming working at companies like GREE and then most recently leading Product at mobile giant Scopely. 

What has Jori learned from his time working in mobile games and free to play? What can he apply from our industry to his new industry?

Listen to Jori speak on the biggest lessons he's learned and what's next for him in this fantastic discussion as he now transitions to his new industry.

Host:

• Joseph Kim (aka K1min8r aka jdiggity aka JK aka J Money aka Joe Kim), Insta or Twitter @jokim1

Guest:

• Jori Pearsall, Chief Product Officer at Tala, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joripearsall/

Hit me up if you have any requests, comments, or feedback. Thanks!

In this episode, we discuss iOS 14, whether Android can provide safe havens, and the future of creatives post-ATT.

Check out the latest growth strategy course: ios14strategy.com code: DT50

Your hosts:

Michail Katkoff (twitter) and Eric Seufert (twitter)

Roblox has grown like crazy since its launch in 2006. Today 10 Roblox games have been played over 1 billion times and Adopt Me! has surpassed 4 billion plays. Since the launch of the mobile app, Roblox is also regularly a top 10 grossing mobile game as well.

Today we cover:

1. The history of Roblox and how it became successful
2. How Roblox monetizes now and in the future
3. What’s coming up for Roblox
4. The Key Secrets to Roblox’s success

Join hosts:

• Joseph Kim, @jokim1
• Eric Kress, @ekress

Reach Matt Curtis here: devrelations@roblox.com

You can also view this interview on the GameMakers Youtube channel: HERE

Welcome to TWIG 66!

This week we cover:

#1. GameStop’s woes deepen as revenues crash

#2. Might & Magic: Chess Royale is an auto battle royale from Ubisoft

#3. Epic Games Store tops $680 million in player spending

Plus a lot of game updates including Team Fight Tactics, Escape from Tarkov Twitch Stats, and more!

Hit us up on Twitter with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at:

@jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff

Topics covered:

Steam Bans and Epic Allows NFTs

Kixeye shareholders sue Stillfront for $30M over earnout dispute

AppLovin SDK Re-Routed Apple’s SKAdNetwork Postbacks To Itself

Ironsource will buy mobile ad and app monetization firm Tapjoy for $400M

Unity reveals Ad Mediation and Bidding coming to its Dashboard

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

Sponsors:

Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable, Betahat

Image: makeuseof.com

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 blockchain games. 

Links:

Questions and Feedback

Sponsors:

Google, ironSource, Xsolla, Recur

Hosts:

Ethan Levy, Adam Telfer, and Eric Seufert

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, Kabam and EA when it comes to M&As and corporate development.

Welcome to TWIG 74!

This week we cover:

#1. Coronavirus impact on mobile games

• Even Virtual Goods From China Are Taking a Hit From Coronavirus (Bloomberg)
• Corona's impact on mobile ad spend (LI Post by Andre Kempe, who runs an app marketing agency)
• Coronavirus contributes to mobile game downloads climbing 39% (Business of Apps)

#2. China approves 27 games including Brawl Stars

#3. The exclusive as we know it is ending, and that’s a good thing

#4. Call of Duty: Warzone surpasses 6 million players in 24 hours

Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at:

@jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff

Sign-up to the industry's best video games newsletter at: ggdigest.com!

• Industry news and editorial every week

In this episode of the terrific trio: Jen Donahoe, Laura Taranto, and Adam Telfer dive into product strategy and market insights, highlighting how developers are differentiating themselves in a saturated market.

The three also discuss Apple’s September event, analyze the PlayStation 5 Pro, analyze Sony’s broader strategy, and look at Roblox’s ambitious goals for expansion and its push to lead in user-generated content.

00:00 Introductions

04:05 Heroic Labs 2 Mil User Milestone

04:45 Apple's September Event

06:38 PlayStation 5 Launch

10:55 Layoffs & Closures

13:57 Sony

16:45 Top Games by Revenue in North America

24:01 Product Strategy & Market Insights

28:49 Differentiation in Gaming

33:44 GameDev & Marketing Challenges

40:48 Roblox's Ambitious Goals

Netflix entry in the games business has been rapid, methodical and diverse.  In this episodes we'll discuss what has happened till date, review Netlix' strategy and offer predictions of what could happen next. 

Links:

Chris Heatherly

Ethan Levy

Get in Touch:

Send us Questions and Feedback

Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter

Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff

Sponsors: Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable

As Kress’ World of Warcraft account turns 20, we blow out the candles and reflect on a surprising reason behind EA’s disastrous AI investor presentation. Jen delivers a valiant defense of Monopoly Go’s new TV campaign, while Phil reviews the early returns of Pokémon TCG Pocket. Big in Japan, as they say? The group wraps up with what might be the year’s final Embracer hazing session, absolving themselves of any remaining crimes.

chapters: 01:19 Birthday Wishes for WoW and Half-Life 2

04:48 EA Tries to Soothe AI Worries

10:03 Game Industry Awards and Nominations

14:47 AAA Devs and Startups

19:04 PlayVentures' New Gaming Fund

21:24 Miniclip Acquires EasyBrain

28:32 X Rioters and Supervive

31:15 Capybara Go and Archero 2

32:02 Pokemon TCG Pocket Success

38:47 Marvel Snap and Sinister Loot Boxes

41:15 New Monopoly Go Campaign

As you may guess from his dadtastic body, the host Ethan Levy is a big fan of Peloton’s bike and fitness platform. That’s why he literally jumped at the chance to speak with Jim Green of Peloton Interactive about the present and future of gamified fitness on the Peloton platform. 

The two discuss Jim’s background in Facebook and mobile free-to-play, his transition to a Product role within a non-gaming org, the testing, launch, and reception of Peloton’s first game, the Guitar Hero-inspired Lane Break, and the future of gamified fitness for Peloton. Ethan also puts his wishes for a Vin Diesel-inspired bicep blow-out game to be designed for Peloton’s upcoming Guide product. It’s literally the only thing standing between Ethan and the fabled EA exec-approved body-mass index. 

links: careers at Peloton

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 challenges the team faces as it works to forge a long-term sustainable, multi-game, token-based economy that balances the needs of multi different player types. This was an eye-opening conversation about what it is like working as an economy designer in this new frontier of architecting ownership-based digital economies.

This interview is hosted by Ethan Levy, Executive Producer of Legendary: Heroes Unchained at N3TWORK, and Anton Backman, Principal at Play Ventures.

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 how we can improve. Also, hit the subscribe button to get notified when we deconstruct the latest news in games. Enjoy and hit us with feedback on Twitter!

How do Playtika and Wooga nail their Live Ops strategies? What does GameRefinery say you’re missing?

In this episode, Nadav Moshes (Product & Market Insights Lead at Playtika), Maxime Graux (Head of Product Management at Wooga), and Erno Kiiski (Chief Game Analyst at GameRefinery) sit down with our very own Jen Donahoe to dissect the art and science of Live Ops.

From mobile to PC/console gaming, we break down the latest trends driving social, engagement, and monetization events. Discover how understanding player motivations is the key to creating better events and why a holistic event framework is critical to your Live Ops success.

We dive into practical strategies around segmentation, iteration, and gamified offers to level up engagement and boost your monetization. Whether you’re building your Live Ops muscle or refining your existing strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights for every game developer.

01:05 Meet the Experts: Nadav, Max, and Erno

07:36 Social LiveOps: Trends and Examples

12:31 Monopoly Go's Collaborative and Competitive Events

15:02 June's Journey: Social Features and Player Motivations

25:11 Engagement LiveOps: Long-Term and Short-Term Events

33:07 The Importance of Long-Term Engagement

36:40 Short-Term Collection Mechanics

38:15 Multi-Stage Mission Events

43:19 Advanced Segmentation in LiveOps

49:54 Challenges in Testing and Iteration

51:19 Monetization Strategies and Bundle Offers

01:01:50 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

Google announced huge play store web3 changes but with extraordinary strings attached. Is it enough sunshine in crypto winter? Jen issues a red card to FIFA rebrand doubters while Phil laments a FIFA Platform. Eric ponders Microsoft’s next moves as Laura preps impression material.

This is the last TWIG of 2022! Closing out the year, Seufert, Kress, and Laura discuss the 2022 Game Awards and what game launches to look forward to in 2023, Apple’s concessions on outside the app store payments, a brief FTC vs MSFT update, Playtika’s layoffs and Brawl Stars removing Loot Boxes. Have a great end of the year and we look forward to delivering all your game-related news in January.

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 Activision

Links:

Send us Questions and Feedback

Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter

Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group

Host:

Mishka Katkoff

What up people? Welcome to TWIG #105!

Today we cover:

#1. Introducing the Game Growth program - Unity Technologies Blog

#2. China-owned gaming firm Playtika files confidentially for U.S. IPO

#3. Among Us isn’t just blowing up on Twitch — it’s dominating mobile gaming

#4. How Discord Won

LINKS:

• Riz Virk: Here's how the Big Tech breakup should go down
• Riz Virk on GameMakers: Riz Virk on US vs. China App Wars, Simulation Hypothesis, Startup Myths & Lessons

Your Hosts:

1. Joe Kim
2. Eric Kress
3. Miska Katkoff
4. Adam Telfer

Eric and Laura cover their respective trips and dig into a few positive updates on Landmark’s funding and new game. The two rehash Nintendo’s partnership with DeNA, discuss releasing games in China, and rant on Newzoo’s mobile market update. Kress offers an update on Microsoft and Activision Blizzard acquisition.

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 to get Sumit Chandel from Google to join the conversation and provide insights on how he’s seen game developers like Superplay unlock growth with Firebase’s wide range of tools.

Cameron Stewart, Group Vice President at SciPlay, shares valuable insights on the robust growth of social casinos, emphasizing retention and monetization strategies.

We explore how SciPlay operates with low concentration levels in the market, the importance of personalizing user experiences, and the innovative approaches driving their success.

Get an insider's look at the strategic decisions, including talent investment and the unified infrastructure for game development, that make SciPlay a leader in the field.

Additionally, Cameron speaks on the benefits and challenges of a return-to-office workplace culture and the strategic value of acquisitions and portfolio diversification.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:28 Understanding the Social Casino Market

03:15 Challenges and Strategies in Game Development

06:15 Segmentation to Personalization

10:25 Retention and Engagement Metrics

16:39 Monetization and Live Operations

33:09 Direct-to-Consumer Strategies

37:19 Exploring the Social Casino Market

38:32 Partnerships and Strategies

40:37 Innovations and Player Behavior

42:11 The Role of IP in Casino Games

43:45 Player Engagement and Retention

51:05 Work Culture and Talent Investment

59:04 Strategic Acquisitions and Diversification

01:06:18 Key Learnings and Advice

01:10:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Social Casino, Monetization, Retention, Personalization, Gaming KPIs, Player Experience, Live Operations, Direct to Consumer, Market Trends, SciPlay, social casino, game development, innovation, acquisitions, player engagement, market strategy, IP integration, casino industry

A $55M seed round for a mobile gaming company sounds like a mistake until you talk to Rina Onar, the CEO of the company that raised it.

Rina is the co-founder of Peak Games, which sold to Zynga for nearly 2 billion Dollars. But instead of taking it easy after 13 grueling years growing Turkey's first unicorn games company, Rina hopped back on the grind mobile with her ex-Peak co-founders and is now steering Spyke Games as a CEO.

In this episode, we talk about the unique characteristics of Turkish gaming companies, how to enter mature categories successfully, what it takes to build a winning culture, and of course - how to raise monster seed rounds.

thanks to our sponsors: Hereic Labs, Xsolla, AppsFlyer, Data.ai

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 Seufert

Sponsors:

Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, Xsolla

Join Jen Donahoe TWIG co-host and Strategic Marketing Consultant at Beta Hat and JadeInferno and Gordon Bellemy, CEO of GGP (Gay Gaming Professionals), to hear how GGP supports underrepresented or, better phrased, under-estimated groups in the game industry.

GDC2024 features a number of events that everyone can benefit from. Come join us!

Find all the event information at GGPs LinkedIn page events section

March 20, 3:30pm GDC - LGBTQ+ Executive and Entrepreneurship and Allies Roundtable moderated by Jen Donahoe

March 20, 7:30 GGP Networking Event at DNA lounge right next foor to the Zero Proof board game night at Buzzworks

March 21, 5:40 PM GDC Breaking Boundaries Roundtable

AppAnnie released their State of Mobile 2020 Report.

In this podcast, we speak to AppAnnie to go over key takeaways from the report especially for mobile game developers. In particular:

#1. High level overview of the main health of the mobile economy and or the mobile gaming sector

#2. Key trends related to usage and monetization of mobile games and geo/country  

#3. A look at some of the top games from 2019

Host:

Joe Kim: @jokim1 Insta, Twitter 

And we have special guests:

Amir Ghodrati, Director, Market Insights AppAnnie

Lexi Sydow, Data Analytics, Market Insights AppAnnie

Xsolla State of Play report:

https://xsolla.com/newsroom/xsolla-autumn-2024-report

Mobile gaming is bigger than ever, with the industry set to hit $98.7 billion in 2024. But where is that growth coming from? In this episode, we sit down with Xsolla’s Chris Hewish to break down the key trends shaping the global market—from Asia’s dominance to the rise of emerging regions like Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

We also dig into how player demographics are shifting and what it means for game makers. With diversity becoming a bigger focus, studios are rethinking how they engage and design for an increasingly varied audience.

Chris unpacks the impact of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), explaining how developers are navigating new monetization opportunities beyond traditional app stores. We also tackle the surge of direct-to-consumer web shops, how gaming is merging with mainstream entertainment (yes, we’re looking at you, Secret Level), and what all of this means for the future of the industry.

If you want to stay ahead of where mobile gaming is headed, this episode is a must-listen.

Host: 

• Joe Kim, Deconstructor of Fun Podcast Host, Managing Partner of GameMakers, and CEO of LILA Games.

We are joined by the founders and CEOs of 3 recently funded game studios:  

1. Antti Hattara, CEO of StarBerry  ($1.3M led by Play Ventures)    

2. Emily Greer, CEO of Double Loop ($2.5M led by London Venture Partners)   

3. Travis Boatman, CEO of Carbonated ($8.5M led by Andreessen Horowitz)    

Today we’ll be talking about what it takes to start a games studio and also how to get funding for your studio. 

So more specifically we’ll talk about:      

1. What is the current environment for starting a games studio?
2. What are the key opportunities to pursue?
3. What does the funding environment look like?
4. What are challenges? 
5. Advice for new founders?

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. With each engagement, we combine industry expertise with the research and analytical methodologies targeted to your specific needs. From research surveys to ethnographies, market segmentations to predictive modeling, we offer a full suite of services.

Your hosts:

- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)

- Joe Kim (@jokim1)

- Eric Kress (@ekress)

- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)

As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!

Kress’s Corner - I sat down with Jason Chapman at Konvoy to discuss how VC’s really work.. How they invest, why they invest and most importantly how much money they make… We also explore how VCs navigate the booms and busts in the business cycle

Welcome to TWIG 70!

This week we cover:

#1.

Unity Technologies Targeting 2020 IPO: Sources

#2.

MY TAKE ON SUPERCELL IN 2019 AS WE ENTER OUR SECOND DECADE

#3.

Tim Sweeney at DICE

#4.

Rovio profits tumble as Hatch continues draining resources

Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at:

@jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff

LINKS:

• IronSource Developer Day at GDC 2020
• Making hit new games: The concept big studios are missing

Welcome to TWIG #107!

This week we cover:

#1. If You Play Videogames, China May Be Spying on You

#2. Mobile Games Company Scopely Boasts Of ‘Significantly Profitable Business’ As It Raises $340M

#3. "For Descenders, it has been immense. Sales across all platforms increased after we went into Game Pass" – What does Game Pass mean for indies? | Business News | MCV/DEVELOP

#4. Bringing more franchises to mobile is Activision Blizzard's biggest opportunity, says COO

Hosts: (Twitter)

• Joseph Kim: @jokim1
• Eric Kress: @ekress
• Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer
• Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff

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

Free-to-Play and Play-to-Earn seem to be two contradicting business models. But what if you could make a game that takes the best of both worlds? A game with infinite upside while being scalable, never-ending, and generally fun to play. Enter Thetan Arena...

Links:

The Istanbul Event

Questions and Feedback

The Newsletter

The Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff, Ethan Levy, Javier Barnes

Sponsors:

ironSource, Appsflyer, PlayerWon,

In this episode, host Mishka Katkoff is joined by Sergei Vasiuk, LiveOps Director at Wargaming and author of 'Running a Successful Live Service Game.'

The two delve into Sergei's book, discussing everything from the evolution of gaming models to data-driven development, player engagement, monetization strategies, and the challenges of global operations.

This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone in game development or LiveOps. Tune in for practical advice, learnings from Wargaming, and how to keep players engaged and your game profitable!

00:41 Importance of Live Operations

01:08 Overview of Sergei's Book

03:34 Sergei's Journey and Role at Wargaming

07:50 The Evolution of Gaming Models

12:03 Challenges and Strategies in Live Service Games

31:29 The Future of LiveOps and Community Engagement

38:23 Building Relationships with Content Creators

40:12 The Role of Data in Game Development

42:11 Understanding LiveOps and Player Engagement

45:34 The Importance of Decision Making in LiveOps

58:34 Balancing Monetization and Player Experience

01:11:16 Global Operations and Regional Relevance

01:18:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Ethan and Eric S are in the house to talk about all the dramatic news this week! We're talking about massive layoffs across the tech industry and gaming in particular, new mobile game studios from NetEase and Nintendo, Playtika's latest earnings report, the dramatic and sudden collapse of FTX and the ongoing creator royalty debate going on in the world of NFTs.

Sensor Tower State of Gaming 2024 www.sensortower.com/state-of-gaming-2024

Data.ai Mobile App Market Forecast 2030

www.data.ai/en/go/mobile-app-market-forecast/

Don't miss out on this in-depth discussion — subscribe to the Deconstructor of Fun Podcast and newsletter for more expert insights.

https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe

In this episode, Lexi Sydow, Director of Corporate Marketing and Insights at Sensor Tower, unleashes her mobile gaming market insights. She covers significant trends in mobile gaming and marketing, app vs game dynamics, ad spending on TikTok and YouTube, regional differences, IP collaborations, and the future of subscription gaming. Gain valuable insights on market normalization post-COVID and ATT changes, and learn about the trajectory of apps surpassing gaming revenues.

00:00 Introduction

02:58 Mobile Gaming Market Trends

07:26 Regional Differences in Mobile Gaming

11:23 Impact of ATT and Post-COVID Market

21:38 Subscription Gaming: Netflix and Apple Arcade

25:48 Top Games and Publishers

28:56 Marketing Trends in Mobile Gaming

31:01 UGC Ads and Community Engagement

31:21 Monopoly Go's Strategic Community Targeting

34:53 The Power of Social Media Platforms in Gaming Ads

36:27 The Rise of IP and Brand Integration in Games

39:41 Transmedia Trends 

44:11 Apps vs. Games

58:42 Marketing Predictions 

01:04:50 Final Thoughts

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 they improve marketability, what metrics they are looking at and how have the privacy changes affected the soft launch.  

Get on board with one of the best newsletters in the business: https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe Joakim is a seasoned entrepreneur (Next Games) turned venture capitalist (F4 Fund). In this conversation Joakim provides valuable insights into the intricacies of venture capital investments, emphasizing the importance of innovation, adaptability, and strategic planning for startups aiming to thrive in the competitive gaming industry. F4 Fund https://f4.fund Joakim’s book, Long Term Game: How To Build A Video Games Company https://www.amazon.com/Long-Term-Game-Build-Company/dp/952942874X

Eric, Eric and Laura are joined by guest David Nelson, former head of the experimentation group at King, to discuss the last 10 years of Candy Crush Saga and the Blizzard and NetEase divorce. Seufert shares his experience at Slush last week in Helsinki and Kress blames the switch hardware for the lackluster performance of the otherwise interesting new Pokemon game, Scarlet and Violet. And lastly, it wouldn’t be an TWIG episode without at least 1 mention of Netflix. Until next week.

ALL upcoming events in our newsletter:

https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe

Supercell had a monster year with €2.8B in revenue, proving that bigger live ops teams and aggressive marketing can still drive growth—but let’s be real, Squad Busters flopped hard despite the hype. Meanwhile, Unity continues its slow-motion train wreck, losing key talent and scrambling to fix its ad tech, while AppLovin is absolutely crushing it, with stock up 700% thanks to AI-powered ads. Now, in a power move, AppLovin is dumping its entire games portfolio for $900M—so who’s buying? Scopely? Zynga? Playtika? Drop your bets in the comments. 🚀🎮

01:29 Shills
07:25 Dream and Venture Capital
10:27 Battlefield and Shooter Games
14:23 Minecraft Studio Leadership Changes
20:39 Supercell's Record Year
25:57 Live Ops and Monetization Changes
26:52 Squad Busters' Marketing Missteps
31:35 Spark Labs's Bootcamp Vibes
37:44 Unity's Struggles and Layoffs
41:45 AppLovin's Strategic Shift

Our IRL events. Signup via the newsletter:

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Scopely and Niantic are making moves, but can they actually change the game? NetEase unloads Marvel Rivals US studio—a political or an efficiency move? Plus, SMicrosoft’s console strategy looks shakier than ever, and we break down what the future of console gaming really looks like. And just when you thought it was over, King pulls another card from its sleeve. 🚀🎮

03:55 - GDC Shills

11:03 - Scopely & Niantic

20:10 - Jam City & Ludia AR Market

21:43 - Marvel Rivals & Netease

31:13 - Sony Earnings

32:06 - Microsoft's Console Struggles

38:00 - The Future of Console Gaming

50:54 - Return of King

Audio ads. It's not a new thing. In fact, audio ads is the oldest way to deliver an ad from one human to another. So in this podcast we discuss the thesis behind audio ads on mobile in the post IDFA era, go into the weeds on how audio ads work and of course discuss the monetization potential they offer.

Links:

ODEOO

Case Study in Hypercasual games

Amit Monheit

Get in Touch:

Send us Questions and Feedback

Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter

Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group

Hosts:

Michail Katkoff (twitter) & Eric Seufert (twitter)

Sponsors: Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable

Marvel Puzzle Quest was first launched back in 2013 and has been going strong for over 6 years now grossing over $100M in life of product revenue. Demiurge has had a bit of a roller coaster history and Al has successfully led the studio through both good and challenging times.

Find out more about the story behind it all including the most recent re-acquisition of the studio from SEGA and the future with founder Al Reed!

We cover:

• #1. The history of Demiurge, the origin story and how it all started
  • #2. The story behind Marvel Puzzle Quest and what were the keys to the success of that title
  • #3. Selling Demiurge to SEGA and now re-acquiring the studio
  • #4. The biggest lessons learned over his career as an entrepreneur and head of a games studio
  • #5. What’s next both for Demiurge, Marvel Puzzle Quest, and for Al

Host: 

• Joseph Kim (@jokim1 - insta/Twitter)

Guest:

• Albert Reed (@almnop, Twitter)

Barbie movie anticipation reaches all-time highs, but it’s not clear who paid who for brand integration into Stumble Guys. Marvel Snap escaped our H1 review, but not before dropping a doubling cube; we review its performance to a somber reality. Niantic doubles down on a confusing strategy while Xbox Trial leaks continue to bring home the insider bacon.

We're running an anonymous games industry job satisfaction survey. Findings will be shared next week. Consider adding your voice ⁠here⁠ (⁠https://forms.gle/RFVWVZZz5bG3awDE9⁠), it only takes a couple of seconds to complete.

This podcast was brought to you in part by Xsolla Pay Station. You can see it in action at xsolla.pro/payments-dof

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.com/events/think-games-istanbul-i-google-x-deconstructor-of-fun⁠

segments:

Last two years at SciPlay: (0:00)

Why SciPlay keeps growing: (26:20)

Why SciPlay was acquired: (40:50)

Outro: (51:50)

Join Jen Donahoe and Laura Taranto in a cozy yet banter-filled deconstruction of Century Games' Whiteout Survival. You'll feel like you’re stepping into a meeting with product and marketing, figuring out how to make and market the next great game as we deconstruct winners. Have a game you want to see on Product Deep Dives? Contact us at info@deconstructoroffun.com Intro 00:00 - 05:08 Century Games Key Takeaways 05:08 - 06:57 Key Takeaway 1 06:57 Key Takeaway 2 09:19 Key Takeaway 3 11:08 Key Takeaway 4 14:38 Key Takeaway 5 17:12 Data.ai Review 21:49 Century Games Company Review 25:50 Whiteout Survival Predecessors 27:10 Whiteout Survival Decon 33:46 Summary 58:00

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 team efficiency by serving as the primary liaison between the game team and internal/external marketing and user research teams. The episode delves into questions about what to expect from a PMM, how to identify a good one, the evolving nature of their role post-privacy changes, and optimal placement within a company's organizational structure. Jesse Lempiäinen, the CEO and Founder of Geeklab, a platform for efficiently testing product/market fit, provides insights and answers to these inquiries.

Most of the team (and the audience) is off at the Istanbul Gaming Summit, leaving Ethan and Phil to hold down the fort. Today is LiveOps, LiveOps, LiveOps. We talk about the Apex Legends Mobile shutdown and the incredibly difficult challenge of feeding a live service content treadmill. We talk Knockout City's shutdown and the incredibly difficult challenge of profitably running a cosmetics forward monetization strategy. We talk Angry Birds Classic and the incredibly hard problem of getting organic traffic to your profitable games they are not #1 in the search results. And we talk Niantic's next game and the incredibly difficult challenge of finding a second, globe spanning phenomenon. 

Headed to GDC later this month? Don't forget to show up for Ethan's Sunday night casual meetup at Standard Deviant Brewing company to meet your fellow Fundies. Or the Xsolla Game Night we are co-hosting with Mattel and Xsolla on Tuesday. And if you see a member of the DoF team, don't forget to tell them "Mice Nuts!"

Eric Kress, Ethan and Laura gather this week to tackle Nintendo’s mobile strategy, the importance of taxonomy and game classification (part 2 to “Hybridcasual”), an Apple update on pricing and NFTs and Rovio’s newest character to their long successful Angry Birds franchise. Eric also shares his short but sweet second career as a basketball coach. Until next week.

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 an autopsy.

BIG ups to our sponsors AppsFlyer, Heroic Labs, Data.ai and Xsolla!

Topics covered:

1. Can Supercell Boost Beatstar Into a Major Hit
2. Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple
3. 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

We’re here today to talk about the current state of M&A aka mergers & acquisitions in the games industry. There’s been a lot of recent activity and there seems to be an open question now of whether the current trend can continue as Zynga seems to indicate or whether we’re likely going to see a major slowdown.  

Specifically we’ll speak to:     

- #1. What has driven the recent spate of M&A in the games industry?     

- #2. Why has Zynga historically sucked at M&A and suddenly seem like they are amazing at it more recently?     

- #3.  Who are the buyers in the market     

- #4. Whoa are the acquisition targets  including speculation on WB?     

- #5 Predictions on M&A trends short term/long term?  

And with us today to speak to all of these issues and more are:     

- #1. Saad Choudri, Chief Commercial Officer, at Miniclip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saad-choudri-4691384/     

- #2. Jeff Cohen, Research Analyst at Stephens Inc.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-cohen-29930455/     

- #3. Michael Metzger, Partner at investment banking firm DrakeStar Partners: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmmetzger/

Originally aired on GameMakers.com YouTube channel HERE

The best monthly blockchain report: Promo code: NAAVIKDOF

Articles:

Deconstructing Axie Infinity

Report: Activision Blizzard CEO knew about misconduct at the company for years

Roblox Analyst Day recap

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

Sponsors:

Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable, Betahat, Xsolla

Image: Cointelegraph

In this episode of This Week In Games  we discuss:

#1 Subscriptions are the future of app monetization

#2 Mike Morhaime's highlights and lessons of nearly three decades at Blizzard

#3 Glu Mobile: Highly Likely To Beat Estimates For Q2 2019

#4 HQ Trivia Lays off ~20% as It Preps Subscriptions

Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1. @adamwtelfer & @ekress) 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 latest news in games

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 yet challenging waters of big IPs. Hope you enjoy the podcast! Stay in touch with me, your host, and Joseph Kim: @jokim1 joe.kim@nbcuni.com @deconfun @m_katkoff

In a recent episode, Yevgeny Peres, the EVP of Product Strategy at Appsflyer, returned to the podcast to reveal and cure Ethan of his ignorance of many critical parts of the user acquisition side of game development. One of the big takeaways from this interview was the importance of a measurement framework that provides a unified, single source of truth for your marketing team.

Welcome to TWIG 77!

This week we cover:

#1. Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics Surpasses 4.5 Million Downloads on Mobile

#2. Amazon Pushes Into Making Video Games, Not Just Streaming Their Play

#3. Microsoft: Staggered launch would hurt Xbox Series X

#4. The Kick-Ass Founding Team

Do you want to come on the podcast with us? Do you have feedback or comments for us?

You can reach us on Twitter at:

Joseph Kim: @jokim1 Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff

In this episode, Jen Donahoe, Laura Taranto, Phillip Black, and Mishka Katkoff dive into the unexpected closure of Game Informer.

The conversation then shifts to financial matters, with insights on the stock market and breakdowns of quarterly earnings reports. We examine the latest on the Microsoft & Activision deal, VC funding trends, and web-based game distribution.

The podcast continues with a discussion on Bungie's recent layoffs and Jam City's strategic moves, followed by a spotlight on Supercell's hiring spree in Helsinki and the console launch of Valorant along with other new game announcements. Wrapping up, we explore the explosive growth of Roblox and share their final thoughts and recommendations.

Sarah Fuchs's background and success in game development is formidable to say the least. With a career spanning James Bond, The Godfather, Spore, We Rule, serving as the Head of Production for The Sims Mobile and the GM for Covet Fashion, Sarah's experience leading top-grossing mobile games is hard to match. Now, she has red-pilled on Web3 and teamed up with Amber Bezahler to bring fashion gamers to Web3. With $5m in funding from Griffin Gaming Partners and an all-star team, Muus Collective is poised to take the world of Web3 gaming by storm. 

In this wide ranging interview, Ethan and Sarah go deep on Sarah's experience developing games, how you go about building team and company culture, the importance of building a people first game studio and how Muus Collective is going to bring Web3 gaming to fashion gamers. 

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 event: https://event.appsflyer.com/appsflyerandheroiclabs

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 leverages Game OS to co-develop with and support game studios by providing core technical functionality, infrastructure, and live operations services.   

links: 

UnCaged Studios

Guests: Shahaf Bar-Geffen, Raz Friedman

Host: Mishka Katkoff

Are you ready for the Merger & Acquisition Masterclass? Learn from Chris Petrovic, former Zynga Head of Corporate Strategy, why game companies venture into M&A, what are the biggest challenges and reasons leading to failed deals, current M&A trends, and more.

Ron Ashtiani has spent a career in art and as an art director. Ron's had an over 25 year career in art and has served as an art director in multiple game studios including at Midway Games. He also co-founded Atomhawk in 2009 and currently starting a new adventure.  

In today's discussion with Ron we discuss the role of an art director (AD), the different kinds of ADs, how to determine an art style for a game, documentation best practices, biggest lessons/mistakes, art differences for mobile vs. PC/console, and much more!  

Find out more about Ron Ashtiani here:

• https://www.ronashtiani.com/
• https://www.artstation.com/ashtiani
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/cumronashtiani/

Subscribe to our weekly insights-filled newsletter: https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe In this episode, we’re focusing on the impact of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and antitrust policies on game monetization. Our guest, Archie Stonehill, Chief Product Officer at Stash, is providing insights into how the DMA is changing the landscape for app stores and game developers. From sideloading to third-party app stores, we dive deep into the regulatory shifts and their implications for developers, publishers, and the entire mobile gaming ecosystem. Discover why this could be a positive turning point for the industry and how innovative businesses can navigate these changes. 00:00 Introductions 03:14 The Digital Markets Act (DMA) 04:55 Apple's Response to DMA 14:04 Global Antitrust Movements 25:21 App Monetization Outside the App Store 25:42 Deals and Engagement Outside the App Store 26:53 Sideloading and Third-Party App Stores 28:38 Anti-Steering Policies and Their Impact 32:59 Global Regulatory Landscape 36:10 Future of Game Monetization 38:32 Economic Implications for Developers 43:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Welcome to TWIG #81!

This week we cover:

#1. Cloud Gaming: Why It Matters And The Games It Will Create

#2. Fortnite’s “Party Royale” mode ditches the guns, asks players to “chill”

#3. 10 Years of Excellence - Deconstruction of Supercell

#4. Design + Behavioral Economics = Apple

Do you have feedback or comments for us?

You can reach us on Twitter at:

Joseph Kim: @jokim1 (Twitter, Insta)

Eric Kress: @ekress

Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer

Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff

Today we will be talking about how to most effectively utilize consumer insights in gaming.

A lot of research studies can go wrong due to various problems and errors that can lead to false conclusions.

What should studios watch out for? And how can we do this right?

So today we will be discussing consumer insights with arguably the best CI practitioners in the entire industry:

• Mark Allenbach, Founder of Well Played Research,
• Stan Kwon, Founder of Beta Hat
• Matt Penfield, VP of Consumer Insights from Zynga
• Mike Swiontkowski, Head of Global Research and CI from Blizzard

Host:

• Joe Kim, CEO of LILA Games

Welcome to TWIG #111!

Today we cover:

#1. Farlight 84 is an impressive and whacky looking battle royale that's heading for iOS, Android and PC next year

#2. Will Fortnite's Subscription Work?

#3. Supercell shutting down Hay Day Pop after less than a year

Check out JK and his co-founders from LILA Games break down the Farlight 84 trailer: Farlight 84 Reaction & Analysis

Hosts:

- Joe Kim (@jokim1)

- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)

- Eric Kress (@ekress)

- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)

As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!

Apart from the truth we will also talk about crunch in the gaming industry and give our personal view on it.

In the latest TWIG we discuss:

#1 The truth about hypercasual games

#2 Apex Legends will avoid crunch

#3 Google Is Banning A Play Store Developer With More Than Half A Billion App Installs

Hit us up on Twitter (@m_katkoff, @jokim1 & @ekress) 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 latest news in games.

*please keep in mind that all opinions expressed in the podcast are strictly personal and do not reflect those of our employers

The TWIG team unpacks the latest developments in Ubisoft’s internal drama. They also dive into the troubled launch of Squadbusters and explore whether toxic positivity is a growing issue in game development. Plus, get the latest on the Epic vs. Google legal battle and the controversies surrounding Roblox. Tune in for sharp analysis and thoughtful discussion on all things gaming!

02:02 Event Highlights and Industry Insights

04:37 Savvy Games Group and Upcoming Podcasts

08:21 Ubisoft Drama and Tencent's Stake

13:35 Squadbusters Game Launch Misfires?

32:51 Exploring Toxic Positivity in Game Development

52:23 Epic vs Google Legal Battle

59:00 Roblox Under Fire

Anime corrections, baseless speculation about Applovin, Take-Two earnings, and the GTA 6 launch date window. We speculate on the reason for Squad Busters’ massive 40M pre-registrations. Phil can’t wait to talk xDefiant. Mishka cosplays Jen and covers ad creative.  All that and more on today’s TWIG

your hosts: Jen Donahoe, Eric Kress, Phillip Black and Michail Katkoff

It's a newspacked and unfortunately negative news cycle this week for the games industry. This week opens (as always) with a non apology apology from Kress. Laura talks about the let down of the promising looking Forspoken. Phil reads Supercell's offloading of Everdale to Metacore as a bad portent and Ethan defends the strategy. We lament the death of E3, the death of Apex Mobile, the death of Battlefield Mobile and rumored lackluster PSVR2 pre-orders. We discuss Embracer and the Amazon acquisition of Tomb Raider, and round it out discussing the recent piece of investigative journalism into Valve's work culture.

Gamefam founder and CEO - Joe Ferencz - was early among professional game developers to spot and chase the Roblox opportunity. Now he runs the top publisher on the platform with hits including Sonic Speed Simulator, Twilight Daycare and Military Tycoon, as well as games on other UGC platforms like Deadpines on Fortnite Creative. Joe sits down with Ethan to talk about UGC gaming, if the Metaverse ever even existed, and what it takes to run a venture scaled business inside of another company's UGC platform.

Articles:

Baseless NFT hype hits a crescendo

Zynga hires a VP of blockchain 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

Sponsors:

Facebook Gaming, ironSource, Appsflyer, Beamable, Betahat, Xsolla

Image: Cointelegraph

Mishka takes a break from his Chatty Cat Euro Tour and joins the podcast with the fabulous, Jen Donahoe, Laura Taranto, Phillip Black, and Eric Kress. The crew discusses the legacy of John Riccitiello's, who stepped down as the CEO of Unity. We also talk about how EA is doing after getting rid of FIFA and deconstruct TakeTwo's latest mobile game, Top Troops. Donate to those impacted by the war: https://linktr.ee/SUPPORT.ISRAEL?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

News:

Google reportedly aims to pivot Stadia into wider streaming market 

The Unnerving Rise of Video Games that Spy on You

Links:

Send us Questions and Feedback

Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter

Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Ethan Levy and Eric Seufert

Sponsors:

Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, PlayerWon,

12 years ago, Andrei van Roon was working in transportation modeling and analysis in New Zealand. But ever since seeing a job posting on the Riot Games forums, he has been on a meteoric ascent through the ranks of the League of Legends maker. Beginning as a Champion Designer, Andrei has worked his way up to his current post as a SVP and Head of the League Studio. In this wide ranger interview, Ethan and Andrei cover topics ranging from just how one runs a 700+ plus organization, the many considerations that go into creating and tuning Champions on one of the world's most popular live service games, the impact of the hit show Arcane on the League ecosystem, the lessons learned bringing LoL to mobile with Wild Rift and what Riot has learned about cross-platform development and play between LoL/Wild Rift and Teamfight Tactics. This insider look at what Andrei has learned from 12 years contributing to some of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world is one for the history books.

Many of us know how to develop a game. Many of us are experienced in running live operations. Yet only a few of us truly know how to successfully navigate through a soft launch and ship a modern mobile game. In this episode, Annelie Biernat (Game Director at Wooga) and Aaron Hiscox (Business Development Manager at Google Play) shared their insights and learnings on how to successfully complete a soft launch in today's market.

Links:

Questions and Feedback

The Newsletter

The Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff

Sponsors:

ironSource, Appsflyer, Google

Eric Seufert, Kress and Laura cover 2 major headlines this week: an update to Loot Box legislation down under and looking back at the effects of ATT on mobile gaming from Mobile Dev Memo. Smaller updates include the ATVI & MSFT deal, Boom Beach Frontlines’ sunset, a PocketGamer sponsored piece wanting to coin a new genre, Wildlife Studios layoffs and Supercell’s first hire in Austin. Until next week.

This episode was recorded live at the end of the first Deconstructor of Fun event. Major thanks for Google for powering the event. All the videos from the event can be found here: (www.deconstructoroffun.com/blog/2022/4/3/deconstructor-of-funs-istanbul-event-highlights)

News:

Sony officially unveils its revamped three-tier PlayStation Plus subscription service

Apple struggles with Netherlands court could lead to a major shift

Links:

The Istanbul Event

Questions and Feedback

The Newsletter

The Slack Group

Hosts:

Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Ethan Levy, Eric Seufert

Sponsors:

Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, PlayerWon

HELP UKRAINIANS:

For refugees fleeing to Poland: Polish Humanitarian Action, or the Polish Center for International Aid. For medical assistance on the ground in Ukraine: Médecins Sans Frontières or the Ukrainian Red Cross.

I'll be honest. Before sitting down with Uri Marchand the most I knew about Overwolf is the ridiculous story that the company is going full remote and setting up their offices in the metaverse of Roblox.

Based on that Roblox story I knew we'd hit it off. After all, I too love pranking Web3 fanatics.

I'm happy I got to talk to Uri and Lee McNeil. There are simply no better people to discuss user-generated content. These two gentlemen have been a vital part of the modding industry that is now a thriving and rapidly evolving business.

If you don't know much about modding, this episode is for you. Overwolf is no joke. They've raised $150M over five rounds with the latest round being $75M led by A16Z

In today’s episode, we ask a very important question - how to build a studio that can make genre-defining hit games. Even though game mechanics are powerful forces, what can truly drive massive and sustainable growth are culture, processes and teams that comprise high-performing studios - a perspective that I’m excited to dig into today. I’m truly thrilled to get Mishka’s insights distilled from hundreds of games from tens of studios in our interview today.   

Key Highlights: 

🤔 Why is it important to know and understand how to build a successful studio, versus, say how to make successful game mechanics? 

🎮 The seven elements that make for a great studio.  

✅ Why ‘right sized’ teams are important to a great studio. 

👨🏻‍💻 Why Mishka values software and art over presentations. 

🎨 Why Mishka considers an art director a key early hire. 

❌ The one common characteristic of unsuccessful games.

📐 How engineers, designers and business people on teams look at problems from very different perspectives. 💭 Why a PM or businessperson-driven culture can find it hard to release anything genre-defining. 

✌️ How to change the composition and leadership of studio teams as a game matures. 

💯 How to think about being design driven vs. metrics driven.

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games!

News for today:

#1. Respawn reveals details on Apex Legends Mobile

#2. Fortnite made more than $9 billion in revenue in its first two years

#3. Johanna Faries named new Call of Duty general manager

LINKS:

Level Up Academy

Modern Mobile Marketing at Scale

Welcome to TWIG 72!

This week we cover:

#1. GDC 2020 has been canceled

#2. State of Word Games: Rising Revenue, Emerging Markets

#3. EPIC Questions SuperData on Fortnite Figures

#4. Roblox raises $150M Series G, led by Andreessen Horowitz, now valued at $4B

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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 game around but turn it into a massive success. Guest: Vladimir Krasilnikov Host: Mishka Katkoff