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
Welcome to TWIG #95!
This week we cover:
#1. Apple blocking Project xCloud and Stadia because it can't review every game (gamesindustry.biz)
#2. Zynga acquires hypercasual game maker Rollic for $168M (Mobile Marketer)
#3. Why Indies are struggling to be seen on the Switch eshop (MCV/Develop)
SHOW LINKS:
Guest Host: Kenny Liu from ggDigest, now DOF Digest!
FEEDBACK?:
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
SPONSOR:
This episode is sponsored by Beta Hat (www.betahatMR.com)
Indie mobile game developer WildCard Games has been developing mobile card games for the past 7 years launching games like Ultimate Cribbage, Cribbage, and Backgammon. How does this 2 person studio get to the next level in growing their mobile game products?
Let's DIVE DEEP! We review mobile marketing strategy and discuss channels, campaigns, creative types.
Deep discussion on using Facebook's AEO and VO relative to other forms of marketing.
Great discussion with WildCard's Josh Chandley their Chief Operating Officer. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshchandley
Expert UA Advisors:
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Welcome to TWIG #94!
This week we cover:
#1. Could Halo: Infinite be the last ever Halo title, as 343 calls it a “platform for the future”
#2. EA Just had its best june quarter for Sales in 38 year history
#3. Blizzard shows off new Diablo Immortal gameplay
SHOW LINKS:
Guest Host: Kenny Liu from ggDigest, now DOF Digest!
FEEDBACK?:
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
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 to TWIG #93!
This week we cover:
#2. Over half of US kids are playing Roblox, and it’s about to host Fortnite-esque virtual parties too
#4. The Imminent Ragnarok of M&A in Mobile Gaming Space
SHOW LINKS:
Guest Host: Brett Nowak, CEO of Liquid & Grit
FEEDBACK?:
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
If the Metaverse is the next frontier? How should the economy be designed to help support a healthy and vibrant ecosystem for all players?
Today we are joined by Tim Sweeney CEO of Epic Games
The focus of the discussion is how do we build an efficient and fair economy for this new platform.
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
Welcome to TWIG #92!
This week we cover:
#1. Microsoft to launch xCloud streaming free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in September (The Verge)
#2. China removes Supercell’s Hay Day and 2500 other games from iOS app Store (Venture Beat)
#3.Glu reloads its war chest for mobile game acquisitions(Venture Beat)
SHOW LINKS:
FEEDBACK?:
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
This episode is sponsored by Beta Hat (www.betahatMR.com)
Monumental changes are changes are coming to mobile games market.
First one to bear the hit is the performance marketing ecosystem. As Play Store follows suit, attribution platforms, ad networks and Facebook are struggling to adapt to the new reality. And as the shift happens, performance marketing teams will go through a rapid bottoms up change due to all the changes in the ecosystem.
In this episode we dive deeper into the implications of the changes to the marketing ecosystem. What happens to CPIs and CPMs? What is the role of cross-promotion going forward? Will IPs be a more important for games looking to grow? How about ad monetization?
We also discuss the future of various different type of mobile games companies from hypercasual publishers to mid-core developers, from startups to giants with large and diversified portfolios.
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Our guests:
Eric Seufert
www.linkedin.com/in/ericseufert
Yevgeny Peres
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yevgenyperes/
Welcome to TWIG #91!
This week we cover:
#1. Sony invests $250m in Fortnite’s Epic Games (Financial Times)
#2. Why Tencent is looking to buy Warframe parent company Leyou (Venture Beat)
#3. App Annie: Mobile gamers broke app store records in Q2 2020 (Venture Beat)
#4. Everything we learned on Ubisoft Event (Kotaku)
SHOW LINKS:
As per the News updates, check out the incredibly handsome Joe Kim's blog post on Why Epic Games $18B valuation may actually be too low
FEEDBACK?:
Do you have feedback or comments for us?
You can reach us on Twitter at:
This episode is sponsored by Beta Hat (www.betahatMR.com)
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