Deconstructor of Fun

Buckle up kids because this episode has barely any profanity. Kress is MIA while the team talks about Brawl Stars' Baby Shark collaboration and the state of the gaming market. Phil geeks out on inflation, Mishka talks about interest rates, Jen discusses toy lines and Laura is put on the spot to cover the latest layoffs news.

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.

This podcast serves as a valuable resource for non-technical executives seeking to enhance their understanding of backend services and make informed decisions to support the success of their games.

The discussion focuses on the critical role of informed decision-making in selecting between proprietary builds and third-party solutions, navigating transitions between backend services, and maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of backend operations in game development.

Thanks for the expert guests:

Rafael Cordoba (Bandai Namco Mobile)

Chris Molozian (Heroic Labs)

The team shares their GDC reflections, unveils how bankers work in gaming, and ravels in the Web3 bonanza. We also dive knee-deep into two titles: Activision's Call of Duty Warzone which launched last week to challenge Call of Duty Mobile. Moon Active's Travel Town, seems to be scaling without any breaks.

Hosts: Laura Taranto, Erick Kress, Phillip Black, and Michail Katkoff

continue the conversation: www.deconstructoroffun.com

Sola Saulenko, CMO of Pixonic, a MY.GAMES studio joins Mishka Katkoff to discuss the intricacies of building a successful game franchise.

Together they explore topics such as the balance between organic growth and strategic planning, the evolution of games into franchises, the challenges of transitioning from a hit game to a franchise, and the importance of passion and creativity in brand building.

The podcast offers valuable insights into the process of developing and sustaining a game franchise in a competitive market landscape.

Signup to perhaps the best newsletter in the industry: www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe

The whole crew got together for a fun on-site recording. The trash talk reaches Market Street levels as we discuss how bad San Francisco is, what in the hell is going on with Netflix Games, Turkish subsidies for game companies, and Supercell's latest PR salvo.

Team: Eric Kress, Jen Donahoe, Mishka Katkoff, Phillip Black and Laura Taranto

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

DoF Newsletter: https://www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe Hemal Thaker https://www.linkedin.com/in/thakerhemal/ Moritz Baier-Lentz https://www.linkedin.com/in/moritzbaierlentz/ In this eye-opening podcast, industry insiders Hemal and Moritz provide candid insights into the current state of the gaming industry, discussing market challenges, the impact of layoffs, the dynamics of venture capital and publisher models, the potential of Web 3, the role of AI, and predictions for the future. From navigating downturns to seizing emerging opportunities, this conversation offers valuable advice for founders and executives alike, shedding light on the realities of the gaming landscape while inspiring optimism for the road ahead.

Join us in Istanbul:

https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024

John Wright, VP of publishing at Kwalee joins the podcast to discuss publishing in 2024. The thing is, publishing on mobile is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. This is due to all the ever-restricting privacy changes and the decrease in available capital smaller companies were using to scale their games. 

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

Join us in Istanbul!

www.deconstructoroffun.com/istanbul

“Never trust experts nor believe in business friendships. Never allow others to change your vision. And never underpay yourself.” Those are the 4 critical nevers that Anton Krasnyy once wrote on LinkedIn.

Anton is a former founder, CEO, and Chairman of Murka, a social casino company originally from Ukraine acquired by Blackstone in 2019.

Despite the strong words, I’ve always found Anton to be very empathetic. That’s why I wanted him to come on the podcast and talk in detail about the four critical never and show his real personality, which may come off the wrong way in a written form. 

Newzoo's Lead Analyst, Tom Wijman, returns on the podcast to discuss gaming market predictions for consoles and PCs.

You can access the full Newzoo report here:

https://newzoo.com/games-market-reports-forecasts

And check our previous episode here:

www.deconstructoroffun.com/blog/2023/11/2/console-gamings-triple-threat

stanbul Gaming Summit https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-i-google-x-deconstructor-of-fun Elena Grigorian joins the podcast after recently taking over as the CEO of MyGames. In this podcast, we cover both business and personal topics starting with what a new CEO should accomplish in their first 100 days in the position and ending with the challenges of balancing work and life in leadership positions. segments: Intro: (0:00) The role of a CEO role: (5:25) Work-life Balance: (11:56) MyGames SWOT: (16:52) Leadership Team: (21:54) Intercompany Knowledge Sharing: (24:05) Portfolio Strategy: (28:53) Organization Structure: (33:21) Expansion: (41:59) Market Predictions: (47:52)

2024 starts where 2023 ended - and that means layoffs. Unity slashes 1,800 jobs while Twitch fires every third person in the latest layoff rounds at these companies.

In this episode, we announce the Golden Twig "winners", discuss Clash Mini, and continue to scratch our heads about Netflix Games.

Thanks to the show's sponsors: Xsolla, AppsFlyer, Data.ai, and Heroic Labs!

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

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)

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.

We have a full house and lots of topics to cover! The talk of the week is Scopely's Monopoly Go crossing $1B in revenue in just 7 months. We have a Esports smackdown and we also talk a bit about Web3 to keep things spicy.

Kudos to our sponsors: Heroic Labs, Xsolla, AppsFlyer, and Data.ai

In the heyday of 2022, there was an unprecedented surge in investment in Web3 games, capturing nearly half of all investment in both dollars and raw numbers. However, the excitement and speculation didn't translate into quality games, resulting in numerous failures within the industry. Warren Woodward, CCO and co-founder of Upptic, a leading growth agency for games, joins the podcast to explain what happened to the Web3 gaming dream and what the future entails.

Kress embraces grouchiness and brings the fire to today's podcast. Phil gets triggered by behavioural economics delivering an epic rant. Mishka weakly defends his “China” point and Jen talks about the latest Call of Duty that got drowned by the worst score in the history of the franchise. 

The crew discusses why console developers are backtracking from the Games-as-a-Service model and announces the Deconstructor of Fun Gaming Awards. The episode is capped by Zynga’s Match Factory breakdown.

In the latest podcast, Mishka delves into an all-encompassing discussion with Chris Hewish, President and interim CEO of Xsolla. Chris boasts an impressive gaming career that spans iconic companies like Skydance, Survios, DreamWorks, and includes a substantial 13-year stint at Activision.

Topics discussed:

1. Macroeconomics vs. Game Investments
2. Console Gaming: Challenges & Opportunities
3. Behavioral Economics
4. Unity’s Odyssey
5. Transmedia
6. Generative AI and Creative Workflows
7. Bonus…

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!

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.

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

In this episode, we explore the unique challenges and successes of a remarkable woman CEO in the gaming industry.

Our guest, Carol Miu, has shattered glass ceilings and achieved incredible milestones throughout her career. We'll dive deep into her journey, discussing gender disparities in the CEO role, her most memorable achievements in maintaining work-life balance, industry evolution, and her reflections on her career. Y

ou won't want to miss this inspiring conversation with a trailblazing leader in the gaming world. Stay tuned for valuable insights and advice!