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
Join us in Istanbul:
https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024
Paul Gouge is one of the best founders in the industry. He has built three companies over the past two decades. These companies have not only made fantastic games but have also been acquired four times, with Playdemic, being bought first by Warner Brothers and then by EA under Paul’s leadership.
In this episode, Paul talks about his fourth company, Fourth Star. And how that is the culmination of all his learnings to date.
The TWIG crew breaks down the Xbox news. The egg puns fly as the crew debates who wins the Eggy Party, Stumble Guys, Fall Guys battle. We feature our first-ever TWIG junior segment with a friend of the pod Henry Lowenfels and his sons Mickey (8) and Rocky (10), who don't mind ads in Roblox but call people who make ads in console games F*wads. Any cursing was 100% supervised and approved by parental consent. Don't cancel the hosts, please!
Event links to apply or register:
Think Games Istanbul:
https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024
GDC Beta Hat & DoF Pre-Game Party March 17 - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceighlzx-X0Khv2NMmJom29dtWhAsEpros-1xhBCNQfIqqAA/viewform
Xsolla, DoF, Mattel Party March 19: https://events.xsolla.com/gamenightgdc2024
DoF, AppsFlyer, Data.ai Brunch March 19: http://dataai-gdc-brunch.splashthat.com/DoF
Hosts:
Michail Katkoff @mkatkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress @ekress www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Laura Taranto @laurataranto www.linkedin.com/in/laurataranto/
Phillip Black @econosopher www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe @Jen_Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferd
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
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.
event links: GDC Marketing Brunch /GDC Tech Brunch
When Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen drops his annual blog post, the gaming folks around the world rush to read it. The TWIG crew is no different. Though we might be a tad mod critical…
In this episode, we also discuss Disney’s investment in Epic. What are the implications of this deal? Why does Epic need this money? And what is Epic's future?
This episode is brought to you by Eric Kress, Jen Donahoe, Philip Black and Mishka Katkoff.
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
Think Games Istanbul talks announced:
https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024
No matter how you look at it, we’re witnessing the inevitable demise of Xbox. All signs (read: leaks) are pointing to the fact that Microsoft’s foray into gaming is coming to an end. The crew analyses why this happened and what it will mean for both the ecosystem and the people involved.
In this episode, we also deconstruct Matthew Ball’s essay “The Tremendous Yet Troubled State of Gaming”. The piece was too long even for ChatGPT, so you can thank us later for going through the insightful yet painful read. Matt, we love you. Please write more often and shorter articles…
The doom and gloom of this episode is brought to you by Eric Kress, Jen Donahoe, Philip Black and Mishka Katkoff.
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.
While it's not as crazy as the Unity Runtime fee fiasco, it's a close second as the cast reviews Apple's plans to address the EU's DMA rules. Kress eats it and admits that Zynga might have potential this year, with Match Factory showing promise. Blizzard picks a new president, and the cast weighs in on her resume, making recommendations and predictions for her future. Riot and Blizzard called cults, in a good way.
Think Istanbul Game Summit (March 7)
https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/think-games-istanbul-2024
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
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