The crew is one down as Eric Kress, Jen Donahoe, and Mishka Katkoff hop in to knock one off on the road for #300. In this episode, Mishka gives his takeaways from Gamescom. We discuss a conspiracy theory on why Steam is allowed in China and talk about Wukong and Supercell's new CFO. Most importantly, this episode settles the case about Tim Hortons for good.

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Heroic Labs, Sensor Tower, AppsFlyer and Xsolla

Order your cup of Tim Hortons super hot for this first all-Canadian episode! The lost-and-found podcast host Adam Telfer delves into the state of the industry with Newzoo's Devan Brennan. Topics covered include market trends, forecasts for mobile gaming and the PC market, console performance, and the challenges faced by new free-to-play live service games. The two also explore the optimism surrounding indie and AA game development, and strategies for managing the costs of premium games. Segments 00:00 Ads01:26 Devlin Brennan from Newzoo02:25 Understanding Newzoo's Market Reports04:46 General Market Trends: Growth and Forecasts07:35 Mobile and PC Gaming: Key Drivers and Insights09:24 Console Gaming: Current Trends and Future Prospects21:41 The Rise of PC Gaming and Cross-Platform Play28:14 Mobile Gaming: Heavy Hitters and Market Challenges31:48 Ads33:31 The Rise of Blockbuster Single-Player Games36:58 Balancing Game Length and Development Costs47:54 The Future of Indie and AA Games53:12 Challenges in Free-to-Play Live Services58:53 Strategies for Live Service Success01:07:45 Final Thoughts and Industry Plea

Pete Hawley (former executive at 100 Thieves, EA, Zynga, Lionhead, Sony, Telltale, and Mythical Games) and Alexander Seropian (founder of Bungie, Industrial Toys, Wideload, and Look North Games) unpack their experiences with the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) platform, discussing marketing strategies, player engagement, technical limitations, and opportunities. 

00:00 Introduction to Heroic Labs

01:01 Meet the Legends: Pete Hawley and Alex Seropian

01:43 Pete’s Journey and Insights

03:27 Exploring UEFN: Challenges and Opportunities

08:19 Alex's Perspective on UEFN

11:33 The Future of UEFN 

23:11 ROI in UEFN Development

35:42 Challenges in Game Development

44:14 Monetization Strategies

49:53 Marketing and Launching 

01:02:52 Lessons Learned 

01:12:54 Final Thoughts 

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SPEEDRUN is a program for game startups, unlike anything you've seen before:

1. All teams accepted to the program receive 500k funding from a16z. That’s one of the best venture capital in the world. 
2. Your team will be welcomed to San Francisco for ten weeks to work on a demo that you'll showcase to over 300 top investors during the upcoming GDC. 
3. You'll get the best of the best mentors to make sure your demo will blow everyone's mind. And by mentors, we're talking about the likes of founders of Discord, Zynga, Supercell, King..

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With Mishka multiple Spritz's deep in Italy and Laura somewhere in a Turkish Hot Air Ballon, Jen, Eric, and Phil get to the meat and potatoes: Go-DOT or GOD-oh? Unity’s proposed runtime response is public, while Eric uncovers buried AppLovin news… You can’t hide from the Kress! Jen reminds us that Privacy Manifest is here, and it’s coming for your fingerprints. Phil can’t get over the Microsoft leaks, and Eric is on the ground floor for Roblox’s developer conference.

Tune in for a captivating exploration of AI's impact on the gaming industry with Pieter Kooyman, CEO and Founder of Half Moon Studios. We discuss the role of AI from the perspectives of new and established organizations, C-level executives, individual contributors, and the ethical and emotional dimensions of this transformative technology. Don't miss out on this discussion!

Let's not mess around. You're here to hate listen as we dissect the PR firestorm coming out of Unity this week. We know it. You know it. Let's get into it!

We dive deep into the ever-evolving world of gaming, exploring the latest trends, successes, and challenges in the global gaming market.

We start by dissecting the landscape of mobile, PC, and console gaming. Tackle the question of what's working in the gaming industry, dissecting the impact of AI, the rise of handheld consoles, the promise of transmedia experiences, and the growth of cloud gaming services.

We also examine what's not working. Delving into Web3, the slow adoption of VR and AR, and the intricacies of the esports scene.

This episode provides valuable insights into key trends that we in the industry should keep an eye on. This includes geographic shifts in gaming popularity, macroeconomic influences on the industry, and the ever-evolving technology landscape, which continues to shape the future of gaming.

This week, Ethan sits down with Kayla Kinnunen, Executive Producer for the Minecraft Creator Platform. She explains how the platform empowers Minecraft creators to craft amazing content and share it with millions of players around the world. To date, Minecraft Creators have earned payouts of over $500 million crafting content for the worldwide sensation's still massive audience of over 140 MAU. We also learn some expert tips on managing expectations for such a devoted community, and how the Creator Platform team uses long periods of early access and developer participation to ensure new features deliver delight.

In this podcast episode, we dive into the remarkable success of the Nintendo Switch and what lies ahead for Nintendo. The Switch has surpassed Wii's total US sales and is closely trailing the Xbox 360 and PS2 in worldwide sales. We explore why it has thrived, including its handheld/console hybrid design, an impressive lineup of first-party games, broad demographic appeal, and Nintendo's strong brand loyalty.

However, the Switch does have its limitations, such as its outdated hardware, lackluster performance with third-party games, underwhelming online features, and a disorganized store interface.

Looking to the future, there's speculation about the next Nintendo Switch, expected sometime in 2024.

It's anticipated to follow an incremental upgrade model, offering processor power, storage, screen quality, and connectivity improvements. Despite its potential, it may still fall short compared to current-gen consoles.

Join us as we dissect the past, present, and future of Nintendo's beloved gaming platform.

In this power-packed episode, Joe Schaeppi shares his secrets of success for business leaders, founders, and innovators. From mastering board meetings to becoming the ultimate hub for innovators, building cultural diversity, nurturing empathy, and cracking the code on tricky interviews, this episode is a goldmine of invaluable insights to sharpen your entrepreneurial skills and propel your company to greater heights.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned founder, tune in to level up your game!

We have a full house! Phil and Mishka are back from Gamescom reminiscing their flourishing bromance causing Kress to gag (he’s just jealous). We talk about the recently announced slate of games. Jen and Laura debate Netflix Stories. And we summarize the latest market insight report from Data.ai.

Link > Helsinki VIP Happy Hour

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

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The prodigal pair of Jen and Eric return from trotting around L.A. in the Jade Inferno mobile, while Laura laments the lack of Disco Ball. Phil stacks the chips on Zenless Zone Zero’s role in MiHoYo’s portfolio. Jen gives us the 411 on Disney IP’s 911 on mobile. Why do they all fail? And finally, we get real data on Valve salaries.

With Mishka and Phil living it up with all our lovely listeners at Gamescom, and Ethan to busy building to play pundit this week, it's everyone's three favorite hosts - Kress, Jen and Laura - holding down the fort without any deadweight dragging them down :) This week the crew goes deep on cozy games following the successful beta for cozy MMO Palia as well as discussing Gossip Harbor and the latest trends in the Merge game genre.

Brett Nowak, founder of insights platform Liquid & Grit joins the podcast to answer and ask three questions with Mishka Katkoff. The fellas talk about Brett’s grind from bootstrapping his company to where is today, a team of 45. They chat about Mishka’s immigrant mentality and debate about remote work. In this episode, Mishka also talks about his favorite and least favorite job from his 14-year-long games career. And of course, the two share their insights about the mobile games market and the future of the game industry as a whole.

Join the Deconstructor of Fun Talent Collective! > for Talent > for Companies

After two weeks of no correction, Mr. Kress returns back to the show to correct us all. The crew deconstructs the cannibalization of Genshin Impact by the publisher’s newest title Honkai. Talks about Roblox’s burning business and what the company should do about it. Analyzes Netflix’s foray into streaming. Talks about the subscription as a business model for games and debates whether the Venture Capital model of today is sustainable or not. 

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. 

In this episode, Mishka Katkoff hosts a conversation with Tim Bennison, COO of Hot Head Games and a leader with over 25 years of experience in game development, creative product development, and more.

They discuss the nuances of moving into work-for-hire projects, client engagement, and strategies for success for a co-development studio in a rapid games industry. Tim provides essential qualities for co-development studios as well as strategies to exceed client expectations.

The two also discuss the importance of being honest, transparent, communicative, and understanding client needs. You’ll also learn why time zone alignment can be a key factor in successful co-development, and hear valuable advice regarding pitching and re-pitching projects.

Jen covers the hottest brand reveal of 2023 while Phil checks in on Tim Sweeney’s chess board. Laura designs a roadmap for Epic Games; you’ll never guess what lands first. The crew tries to match up Match Master’s $200M success and marvels Pikimin 4’s monster success. Eric and Mishka DM pictures of their vacation and promise to return soon.

Web Shops for free-to-play mobile games are a topic we bring up regularly on This Week in Games. The ability to monetize your most engaged players outside of Apple and Google's walled garden's is an invaluable tool in maximizing a successful game's potential and one the TWiG crew doesn't have enough first hand knowledge of.

In the spirit of learning, Ethan is very excited to be joined by Ben Tsacoyianis and Dave Hague from Tilting Point, along with Chris Hewish from Xsolla, to educate the DoF community on how we can use web shops to help retain and bring delight to our most devoted players. Tilting Point has long been leveraging Xsolla's web shop on their hit game Star Trek Timelines, and in this interview they drop knowledge bombs on how you can use Web Shops to improve revenue, player delight and even open up new marketing paths.

With Eric and Miska cruisin’, Ethan makes a return to host an Eggy Party. Shells are broken as Phil and Ethan debate the cost of Roblox and mobile “reskins”, but it’s unclear if everything is scrambled or sunny-side up. Jen revisits the 10th anniversary of Dota 2’s battle pass while Laura spills the deets on King’s new pass. Phil does his best Eric impression for Exoprimal’s Premium Plus launch.Listen to Phil’s Tavern Talk appearance on Youtube or Spotify.

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In an era of AAA company consolidation, as independent studios and mega-publishers alike are gobbled up in a war for exclusive content, storied British game developer Rebellion remains stridently independent. Thanks to 25 years of hard work, and the success of franchises Sniper Elite and Nazi Zombie Army, the company now fully controls its fate as it funds and publishes its own games, comics and more. In this interview, Ethan sits down with Rebellion Co-Founder and CEO Jason Kingsley to discuss his new book Leading the Rebellion and learn more about Rebellion's past, present and future.

Discover the intriguing dynamics of remote work at Playrix, one of the industry’s leading gaming companies. Did remote work help them become a top mobile publisher, or are there hidden pitfalls that should be taken into account? Tune in as Maxim Kirilenko, Chief Business Development Officer at Playrix, divulges their strategies, challenges, and triumphs in navigating their large-scale remote and hybrid work setup.

Join the industry's leading weekly newsletter: www.deconstructoroffun.com/subscribe

This episode is perfect for those interested in game development while managing significant brand collaborations.

Join our host Mishka Katkoff as we delve into game development and IP licensing with Peter Hansen-Chambers,  co-CEO of Hutch. 

Peter shares his journey to become a co-CEO and explores the unique strategies behind Hutch's successful racing games like F1 Clash and Top Drives. 

Discover the importance of strong relationships with car manufacturers, learn about the evolving strategies driving Hutch's success, and gain valuable insights into maintaining long-term partnerships with major brands. 

---

00:00 Introduction 

00:45 Hutch's Game Development

03:03 Peter Hansen's Journey at Hutch

04:21 Challenges and Successes in Game Launches

07:26 Licensing and Partnerships with Car Manufacturers

13:13 Navigating Approval Processes and Brand Relationships

19:21 Pitching to Major License Holders

30:40 Evaluating Brand Partnerships

31:52 Understanding Developer Expectations

33:03 Navigating Manufacturer Relationships

35:35 Balancing Enthusiasm and Practicality

43:43 Importance of Face-to-Face Interactions

46:13 Maintaining Long-Term Relationships

48:29 Common Mistakes in Licensing

57:54 Future Plans and Projects

60:31 Final Thoughts

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.

Is there a better way for Mishka Katkoff to return to the podcast than a no bull talk with the one and only, Joseph Kim?

In this episode, the current and former founders talk about the hard knocks and the greatest highlight of a startup life. They also discuss dealing with haters, lessons learned, work-life balance, and of course love of JK's life, Elon Musk.

Shoutout to our fantastic partners: Heroic Labs, Xsolla, AppsFlyer, and Data.ai

The prodigal son, Mishka Katkoff, makes his return to TWiG. And boy, did he bring the hot takes with him. Laura tells us of DC’s latest mobile attempt while the Lasso of Truth wrangles Eric for a failed bet. Jen seemingly tattoos “Deliver on the Core IP Fantasy” live on-air, while Phil inks a lower-back one, “F2P Forever”, in the wake of Naraka: Bladepoint’s defection. The cast delineates throwing their personal money to venture capital’s new wonderchild studio.

You know Clifford "CliffyB" Blezinski as the Lead Designer and face of Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. But in his life after Epic Games he has been a CEO, an angel investor, a restauranteur, a Tony-winning broadway investor and producer, a memoirist and now, a comic book author. He is so much more than just the dude weilding the life-sized chainsaw gun. In this incredible interview, Cliff talks with Ethan about Control Freak, his memoir about a life in the games industry, his brand new comic Scrapper and everything in between.

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

With privacy changes affecting the front-end of the funnel across the entire mobile games industry, the importance of metagame driven long-term retention of your players has never been higher. Heroic Labs is one of the leading providers of gaming backend-as-a-service to help you run your game backend, live operations and social metagame with their services Nakama, Satori and Hiro. In this week's interview, Ethan sits down with CEO and Co-Founder Chris Molozian to talk about their services help small teams focus on the fun while building a deep, retentive metagame, social structures and world class live operations.

Can you believe we're already halfway through 2023? Neither can we. As teased last week, the TWiG crew checks in on some of the biggest mobile, free-to-play releases of the year so far. Laura invests in Baltic Avenue as she breaks down Monopoly Go. Phil brings up Fanlight 84 which Kress quickly deems mice nuts. Ethan illuminates the power of anime thirst in character collectors by highlighting Nikke: Goddess of Victory's jaw dropping revenue-per-download. Jen takes us to the Hell with Diablo Immortal. Plus, we celebrate Kress's birthday and learn all about his third mid-life crisis. All this and so much more this week in games.

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.

We are tackling LiveOps from both sides of the equation this week with Laura deconstructing the latest and greatest in puzzle LiveOps from Candy Crush and Royal Match, and Jen prompting a lively debate on if celebrity marketing is ROI positive for mobile free-to-play. Ethan thirsts for the Jonas Brothers (despite the seemingly mid performance of their Candy Crush event) and also talks about PUBG Mobile's incredible $10b in lifetime revenue. That's right, TEN BILLION DOLLARS!$!$! Phil highlights the new crush in every Steam gamer's heart, the chart topping BattleBit Remastered. As an added bonus, we learn that while Jen is blasting through Champion League levels in Toon Blast, she is also blasting Metallica on her airpods. It's another action-packed week in the games industry and this episode is not to be missed!

An increasingly hot topic amongst the TWiG crew, and the industry at large, is mobile, F2P veterans looking to additional platforms for blue or purple oceans. Between the maturity of the mobile market, the challenges of breaking through as a new game or IP, rising CPIs, diminished targeting capabilities or the limited power of platform-level featuring, it feels like every company with live-service expertise is asking themselves where else they can ply their trade. That's why Ethan invited Adam Smart - Director of Product at Appsflyer and host of "In the Sandbox with..." - onto the podcast. In this wide ranging conversation, they discuss the forces driving the push to console, PC and cross-platform development and how free-to-play developers can bring their mobile platform playbook to these platforms. Given Appsflyer's recent launch of their measurement suite for console and PC, things are getting a lot easier for traditionally mobile developers interested in using performance marketing to scale their games on these platforms.

Join us for a Whiskey Tasting at Gamescom:

https://event.appsflyer.com/gamescomwwwtasting/DOF 

The Californians are out and it’s two-and-a half-Europeans running the show! Instead of talking about the ongoing European Football Championship or the election results in France and the UK, the trio will dive into Nintendo’s AI avoidance, hybridcasual puzzle games, and Squad Busters. We will also address what Netflix told us and debate 4-day work weeks…

Hosts: Laura Taranto, Phillip Black, Mishka Katkoff

With Ethan out, the crew runs amok with more shocking regulatory news from the MSFT and ATVI merger. Will it ever end? Eric gives Embracer a much-needed reality check while Jen checks in the plethora of Summer Games Fest announcements. Laura reveals some surprising match-3 data while the crew debates the prospects of Space Ape’s Chrome Valley. Phil isn’t excited about FOMO rotating stores, despite the huge news of Diablo’s historic revenue week.

The games industry is not taking any time off for summer vacation as we're seeing another absolutely monster week of news. The Vision Pro is here, is Kress impressed by Apple's attempt at changing the world of computing again? Diablo IV is live and Phill breaks down their record setting launch. Jen explains everything you need to know about the latest change to ad tech - Apple's Privacy Manifests. Ethan demands that Kress bow down to MihoYo's global dominance as Honkai Star Rail is crowned the King of May Revenue. Laura analyzes if there are any up and coming puzzle games that can put a dent in the dominance of Candy Crush, Royal Match and Gardenscapes. Line your stomach with a glass of milk and give us a listen, because this is a spicy one!

Halo, Destiny, Hearthstone, Warcraft, Fable, Mass Effect, Shadowrun. What do all these classic series have in common? They've all been improved thanks to the UX research and tactics by John Hopson and the talented teams he has worked on. When Deconstructor of Fun Slack member Hopson shared the release of his book - The Secret Science of Fun - I loaded it up on audible and was blown away. It is filled with pragmatic, no nonsense, hands on advice on how to use the art of user experience research to improve you games with budgets ranging from monumental to microscopic. Ethan and John go deep on what UX research is, how it is best integrated into your game's development, and how the true art of UX research is when to be scientific, and when to be science-ish.

If you enjoy this podcast, you'll love the audiobook of The Secret Science of Fun which you can get on Audible.

Over 500m Tik Tok users watch gaming content every month, according to Jen's recent trips on the conference circuit, and this audience is one that the crew things you should be building your game thesis around from day one! Detective Ethan is on the case making wild conjecture on who may have been the counter-party that suddenly pulled out of Embracer's $2b deal last week. Laura unpacks Voodoo's latest strategic shift from hypercasual to hybridcasual. Is there more to this rebranding than wordplay? Phil uses the recent announcement of Bungie's Marathon extraction shooter to explain his oft cited Game Thesis framework. The full crew dissects Flood Rush and Squad Busters, the two latest Supercell soft launch games aiming for that $1b+ a year brass ring. And Kress goes deep on Sony's Playstation Showcase event that featured Marathon, Spiderman 2, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear, Alan Wake, Final Fantasy, the non-Vita Project Q handheld streaming device and of course, some VR games. This week was filled to the brim with news and, as ever, your loyal TWiG crew is here to digest it for you.

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.

This week the tables are turned as Ethan is the one being interviewed by Savage Games Studio GM and friend of the pod Sophie Vo. Ethan appeared on Sophie's conscious leadership podcast - Rise and Play - to talk about how your life has to be bigger than just your career. After 20 years of hard work, dedication and sacrifices Ethan reflects on his many regrets, the importance of living a balanced life, setting boundaries between your work and your personal life, modeling these values and behaviors for your employees and more. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out Rise and Play where Sophie has a wealth of podcasts and educational material to improve your skills as a conscious leader in the games industry.

New week, new guest host. This week, Director of Product Tiffany Keller gets behind the mic to talk about Omega Striker's cross-platform strategy. Laura talks about the "games for good" trend and if it can help Peridot or Longleaf Valley stand out from the pack. Kress explains why Superman is a terrible IP for gaming, and is bewildered by EA Mobile's seeming lack of support for their big Lord of the Rings launch. Despite the revelation that he is, in fact, a good 'ol Carolina boy, Phil loves talking about Eurovision for some reason. Ethan explains what superheroes he most wants to use to punch countless baddies in open world AAA games. And, we eventually get around to talking about Diablo IV's inevitable sales dominance and live ops plans.

Also, we almost make it a week without talking about Microsoft Cloud Gaming, but Ethan just can't let it lay. Until next week, Twiggies!

With their mysterious, high drama, high production value advertisements featuring soap opera worthy twists and turns, Metacore's creative game for Merge Mansion has always been top notch. But last March, the chart topping merge game made waves when it released a series of live action advertisements staring The Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal. How did Metacore land one of Hollywood's hottest stars at the absolute peek of his fame? How have these ads performed? And just what is Granny Ursula hiding in that mansion? To answer these burning questions, Tapio Tuomola and Mika Tammenkoski join Ethan in conversation to reveal everything. Everything, that is, except for Granny Ursula's master plan.

The crew is dropping heat with another action packed week of news. Guest host extraordinaire Jen Donahoe returns to the podcast to educate us on how to be a better ally in the wake of the Activision and Riot gender discrimination settlements. Phil breaks down the incredible admission of defeat on the part of Xbox's Phil Spencer as he, in Kress's words, says the quite part out loud. Laura defends the honor and integrity of free-to-play games and Ethan explains how Apple Arcade and Netflix aren't competing against each other, but against the hundreds of free, ad supported games launched on mobile every day. As every Twiggy knows, it's tough to beat with free!

Plus we cover the Call of Duty: Warzone delay, the big DOtA 2 update, Nintendo Live 2023 and the absolute dominance of Hogwarts' Legacy.

As every Twiggy knows, successful marketing tactics are the cornerstone of any top grossing free-to-play game. So Ethan was delighted to be joined this week by Brian Murphy, the Head of Gaming at Appsflyer, to discuss their recently released report on the state of game app marketing in 2023. And he was especially delighted because, as you'll hear, Ethan is extremely lazy and does not have time to read and digest an 80 slide report chock full of information about marketing your gaming app. So he perused the key findings page and then spent the following hour grilling Brian about it, as though he read the whole report. The sheer gall! So join in on this conversation, and you too can pretend you've deeply studied Appsflyer's state of game marketing report for 2023.

Join host Mishka Katkoff on the Deconstructor of Fun podcast as he talks with Solsten founders Joe Schaeppi and Bastian Bergmann. They discuss the latest gaming industry trends, the importance of change management, and the critical role of audience resonance. Learn how AI enhances studio efficiency, the value of a measured approach, and how Solsten uses psychological data to improve user experiences, along with insights from unique data sets.

00:00 Introduction

01:08 Market Overview and Challenges

06:44 Attention and Engagement in Gaming

12:29 Marketing and Brand Positioning

32:05 The Role of IP in Gaming

39:39 Fail Fast Mythology

44:36 Web3 Gaming Revolution

46:19 Marketing and Game Development Synergy

49:41 The Lean Startup Method in Gaming

57:52 AI and Efficiency in Game Development

01:20:30 New Revenue Models in Gaming

01:23:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Hold on to your hats, Twiggies! This week and for the first time ever, we have a female host majority on TWIG! We welcome Jen Donahoe to the guest host hot seat to break down the pros and cons of working with Netflix as a publisher, with special insight into the brand and marketing aspects, and debate Laura on the best use cases for the Subway Surfers IP. Nintendo’s move to join Gamescom this year is a surprise to all and Kress supposes that a big announcement is coming. All this and more in the latest episode of This Week in Games from Deconstructor of Fun.

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.

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.