Stay ConnectedDeconstructor 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
Copyright: © Deconstructor of Fun
In this Deep Dive, Jen drops into the pit with Sean “Clown” Crahan — co-founder of Slipknot, lifelong gamer, and unapologetic creative chaos agent.
We go from masks to Minecraft, breaking down the origin story of VERNEARTH, why creator-led studios are having their moment, and how the things metal has always understood, culture, empathy, friction, and community, are now becoming core pillars of modern game development.
This isn’t a celebrity side quest.
It’s a conversation about world-building, trust, and why great games (and great bands) are built by people who actually give a sh*t.
Headphones on. Controllers ready.
00:40 Meet Sean Clown Rahan: From Music to Game Development
01:24 The Origin of VERNEARTH0
7:22 Sean's Journey in Gaming and Modding
16:54 Collaborations and Creative Challenges
25:16 Empathy and Respect in Digital Spaces
33:05 The Future of Creator-Led Studios
39:17 Failures and Collaborations in the Gaming Industry
42:55 The Inspiration Behind VERNEARTH
49:11 The Role of Culture in Gaming and Music
01:00:32 The Intersection of Metal and Gaming Cultures
Brace yourself. Golden TWIG voting is open!
https://forms.gle/b4HFZkaeczN41BsBA
This isn’t a participation-trophy awards show. Nor some thinly veiled promotion of paid sponsors. Golden TWIG is the industry mirror we all pretend not to look into.
Vote now and help us separate the gold from the garbage.
00:00 Welcome 00:24 Golden Twig Award Nominations00:58 Mishka of Arabia02:43 Upcoming Events and Shills03:48 Podcast Highlights and Industry Insights20:31 Correction of the Year24:53 Most Damage Received31:06 Most Disappointing Game of 202533:07 Disappointing Game Releases34:41 Split Gate 2: A Major Letdown36:21 Underrated Games of the Year39:46 Ubisoft's Surprising Hits44:10 Skeptical Moves in the Gaming Industry49:29 Brilliant Moves in Gaming01:01:04 Limping Donkeys: Gaming's Biggest Failures01:06:01 Golden Twig Nominations Wrap-Up
What actually happens after the hit games, the acquisitions, and the “success”?
In this episode, Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games, walks through the uncomfortable middle of game company building: from Playfish → Space Ape → Supercell → NextBeat → Duolingo.
This isn’t a victory lap. It’s a post-mortem on genre mastery vs. exploration, lean LiveOps, why copying the Supercell playbook breaks most studios, and why Simon ultimately left games to help build Duolingo’s music and learning products.
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
00:43 The Birth of Space Ape
03:26 Fundraising Challenges and Successes
07:48 Innovations and Strategic Moves
13:27 Lean LiveOps Philosophy
16:51 Supercell Acquisition and Cultural Shifts
18:50 Reflections and Lessons Learned
38:59 Spinning Outta Supercell
40:26 Exploring Duolingo Partnership
44:37 Relentless Optimization at Duolingo
49:13 Transitioning to Duolingo
55:42 The Price of Being a Founder
01:03:05 Reflections on Success and Future
FNaF 2 crushes box office expectations, proving (again) that game IP owns Hollywood. We break down Matthew Ball’s take on the EA/PIF deal, why 93% ownership signals a sports-media empire play, not an LBO, and why the press got the story wrong.
Then: the Nex Playground, a $200 kids’ console that quietly outsold PS5 in November. Is this the next underserved frontier in family gaming?
We also tear into UA financing schemes masquerading as “cohort funding.” Spoiler: the effective interest rates rhyme with credit-card debt, and studios have died using them.
Call of Duty launches an apology tour for Black Ops 7 and vows to stop annualized crunch. We assess the odds.
And we close with AppLovin beating Google on Android e-commerce ads, inside Google’s own OS. A massive signal for the future of UA as e-comm competition starts eating the gaming pie.
The dynamics of co-founder relationships, featuring Appcharge co-founders Roei Barassi and Maor Sason. They share insights on building a robust team, the significance of mentorship, and the importance of celebrating success. Learn about the challenges and strategies of scaling a company, raising capital, and maintaining a strong culture across global offices. Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is packed with invaluable lessons on leadership, teamwork, and innovation.00:00 The Importance of Co-Founder Relationships02:56 Handling Conflicts with Respect09:39 Balancing Personal Life and Startup Demands24:40 Raising Funds and Building Momentum31:57 Navigating Early Rejections and Negotiations32:28 Turning Nos into Yeses33:25 The Importance of Positive Mindset34:52 Hidden Risks of Too Much Capital35:44 What Founders Should Avoid Between Rounds38:52 The Evolution of Web Stores41:56 App Charge's Unique Value Proposition51:32 Building a Global Team53:40 Scaling and Maintaining Company Culture57:45 Leadership Challenges in Rapid Growth01:01:58 Final Advice for Founders01:05:15 Conclusion and Farewell
This week in games, the money moves got messy: Dream Games recalibrates everyone's ambitions while the Saudi shopping spree continues. We take a look at Where Winds Meet and what it really says about China’s next wave of global ambitions, and ask the uncomfortable question: how are indie studios actually surviving right now? Finally, we zoom out to the battlefield of 4X strategy, the genre’s current health, the growing wave of female players, and whether a fresh face like Tile Survive can rewrite the rules.
00:00 Welcome
00:22 Introduction and Shills
04:26 Dream Games Budget Correction
14:06 Bite Dance's Mobile Investments
19:22 Arc Games Independence
20:52 Where Winds Meet: A New Chinese Game
29:17 The South Korea Deal and Blizzard's Business Model
31:21 Success and Challenges of Indie Game Studios
33:38 VC Investments in Gaming: A Tough Landscape
36:12 PlayerUnknown Productions and Their New Game
47:37 The State of 4X Strategy Games
51:24 The Rise of Female Gamers in 4X Strategy
55:48 Tile Survive: A New Contender in 4X Strategy
59:56 Conclusion and Future Topics
Loyalty platforms have evolved from sideline UA channels to commanding 25-50% of major studios' media budgets. In this deep dive, VYBS founder Ido Raz breaks down everything game developers need to know about loyalty apps—from the basics to advanced strategies for maximizing player quality and LTV.
We cover the biggest misconceptions about incentivized traffic, why casual games benefit the most, and how to avoid the common mistakes that kill campaigns. Plus, Ido shares the single most overlooked KPI that changes how you evaluate traffic quality.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
02:39 How Loyalty Apps Differ from Offerwalls
03:33 Business Model: From CPI to ROAS Optimization
05:28 Can Loyalty Be a Primary UA Channel?
11:25 Best Genres for Loyalty Platforms
12:29 The Magic Myth: Why Loyalty Requires Specialization
13:45 Are Loyalty Users Different from Traditional Players
17:20 When Should Studios Start Using Loyalty Apps?
18:54 The Cash Flow Advantage: 4 Months vs 2 Years
21:00 Timeline to Success: 1 Week to 7 Weeks
22:35 Patience vs Pressure: Learning Cycles
26:30 Using Loyalty to Amplify Live Events
27:53 Common Mistakes Studios Make
29:52 The Unrealistic KPI Problem
34:58 Loyalty vs App Store Competition
36:07 AI's Impact on Loyalty Platforms
40:36 Best Way to Spot Low-Quality Users
44:46 What's Next for VYBS?
Call of Duty’s worst launch in a decade collides with the rise of extraction shooters, and the balance of power inside the genre shifts. We dig into why Black Ops 7 cratered, how Battlefield 6 stole the spotlight, and why Arc Raiders is suddenly the most important new IP in shooters. Chris Sides and Feras return to map the fault lines, spar over SPMM, and weigh whether Tarkov’s disastrous Steam debut marks the ceiling for the genre’s original heavyweight.
We discuss:
Black Ops 7’s collapse and why marketing, futurism, and CPI pressure all converged
Battlefield 6’s surge, the RedSec flop, and why innovation is still missing in BR design
The extraction boom: Arc Raiders as the “PUBG moment” and its long-term retention risks
PvE as the emerging driver of mainstream extraction demand
Skill-based matchmaking as an economic problem, not a matchmaking one
Tarkov’s failed 1.0 launch and what its country-mix reveals about stagnant reach
Whether Embark should kill The Finals and move every resource into Arc Raiders
The DoF crew break down everything: from Ubisoft’s endless identity crisis to Unity and Epic’s unexpected “Make the Metaverse Great Again” alliance.We get into Roblox CEO David Baszucki’s tense appearance on Hard Fork, the baffling randomness of The Game Awards nominations, Saudi Arabia’s PIF liquidity challenges, and why Turkey’s red-hot gaming scene may finally be overheating.
Plus: a disagreement for Nordic tax schemes and a dispatch from Helsinki’s Slush Conference, home of the world’s most optimistic founders in a country with no economic growth.
00:00 Welcome
01:52 Slush Conference Insights
05:06 Tax Benefits for Expats in Europe
08:29 Shills
09:24 Ubisoft and Tencent Deal
12:28 Epic Games and Unity Partnership
18:30 Roblox CEO's Podcast Appearance
30:11 Game Awards Nominationss
32:19 Most Anticipated Games Discussion
34:23 Controversial Mobile Game Nominations
39:22 Saudi Arabia's Gaming Investments
47:12 Turkey's Booming Gaming Ecosystem
54:43 Steam Machines and Market Challenges
01:01:51 Concluding Thoughts and Thanksgiving Wishes
This isn't your typical "we raised $50M and exited" story. This is what happens when you have no choice but to figure it out yourselves. When the tripod refuses to fall. When you run out of everything except ideas. This is the story of Heroic Labs.
About Heroic Labs: Core infrastructure for game studios. If you've played games from Zynga, Gram Games, or dozens of other studios, you've used their tech without knowing it. That's by design.
📱 Follow for more founder stories that break the mold: www.deconstructoroffun.com/blog
PIN THIS COMMENT:
"The road you're in is a graveyard, full of skulls of previous dead companies." - Bing Gordon, Kleiner Perkins
Timestamps:
00:00 Heroic Safari Adventures
01:24 Switching to Open Source
04:14 Journey to Y Combinator
09:44 Life at Y Combinator
26:01 Demo Day and Investor Meetings
33:03 Heroic Bootstrapping
37:40 Remote Work and Team Dynamics
43:01 Founder Dynamics
50:19 Advice for Founders
01:03:55 Team Pride & Retention
01:13:04 Rapid Fire Questions
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