Deconstructor of Fun

Deconstructor of Fun
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Deconstructor 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

  1. The ESA's Essential Facts: Free Player Data Most Companies Pay For

    2日前

    The ESA's Essential Facts: Free Player Data Most Companies Pay For

    Two thirds of Americans now play video games every week. That is more than 212 million people, the average player is 37, and among Boomers, more women play than men. These numbers come from the ESA's 2026 Essential Facts report, the kind of audience and demographic data most companies pay a lot of money for, free to anyone.Jen Donahoe sits down with Stanley Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the group that has represented the U.S. video game industry since 1994. He is a media and IP lawyer who leads the organization that defends games in Washington, runs the ESRB rating system, and makes the industry's case to lawmakers and parents.In this episode: Why "gamer" means something different than it used toThe older and female players reshaping the audienceWhat a $20 monthly median spend says about gaming's valueHow the ESA fights online safety and loot box legislationInside iicon, the ESA's new event connecting games to the wider economyHow to use this free data in your next project, especially for marketersLearn more about the ESA and find the report at The ESA website https://www.theesa.com/

    56 分鐘
  2. TWIG #386: CoD MW4 Revealed, Sony's State of Play, Bungie's End and 007 First Light

    3日前

    TWIG #386: CoD MW4 Revealed, Sony's State of Play, Bungie's End and 007 First Light

    Call of Duty is getting back to basics, Sony is pulling the plug on PC ports, and Bungie is laying off staff after Destiny 2's final update. Meanwhile, Summer Game Fest is here, and everyone has something to announce. In this episode, we break down: ●  Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4, kill blocks, DMZ is back, no last-gen SKUs ●  Why dropping PS4 and Xbox One could hurt units but help revenue ●  GTA 6 pricing debate, is $70 leaving money on the table? ●  Sony State of Play, Wolverine, God of War's female lead, and first-party sales in freefall ●  Why Sony killed PlayStation games on PC and whether that math makes sense ●  Xbox's content problem and why Matthew Ball won't fix it ●  Summer Game Fest and the new platform are trying to make marketing spend attributable ●  Niko Partners Asia and MENA report; 13 markets, $103B by 2030 ●  Why Western publishers still can't crack Asia ●  Female gamers now make up nearly half the market in regions that were 80% male five years ago ●  007 First Light, 1.5M units at launch, but does it pencil at $200M dev spend? ●  Bungie layoffs, end of Destiny 2, and what happens to the studio next ●  Forza 6 at 5M units and why the racing genre is basically spoken for CHAPTERS: 01:52 Banter 02:55 Roundtables And Updates 06:01 Modern Warfare 4 Reveal 09:11 Dropping Old Gen Support 11:56 GTA Pricing Side Debate 14:16 Branding And Korea Setting 16:25 State Of Play Highlights 18:18 Sony Sales Charts Breakdown 19:04 PC Ports And Platform Math 26:43 Xbox Strategy Argument 30:03 Microsoft Content Crisis 30:55 Summer Game Fest Schedule 31:46 Player.gg Marketing Hub 35:49 Niko Asia MENA Report 38:02 D2C Mini Games AI 40:56 China Growth Debate 43:28 Why West Fails Asia 47:58 Racing Market Locked 50:44 Bond Game Economics 55:11 Bungie Layoffs Fallout

    1 小時

  3. 6日前

    Match Masters' Influencer Marketing Playbook: 8 Years of Always-On Growth

    Most studios still treat influencer marketing as an experiment. Match Masters, a top 150 grossing game globally, has run it as a permanent growth pillar for 8 years. Jen Donahoe sits down with Candivore's Aviv Vidro and consultant Marion Balinoff to break down the playbook behind one of mobile gaming's most disciplined influencer programs. Studios that treat influencer as a permanent pillar see compounding returns. The ones that test once and cut the channel watch their installs decline 2.7x faster. Aviv walks through Candivore's 8 year always on model, the blitz approach where 20 creators go live on the same day, and the product marketing funnel his three person team built around creators. Dedicated welcome pop ups, skill based leaderboard giveaways with tangible prizes, and retargeting mechanics that drive 6x higher in app purchases from returning players. Marion breaks down why the standard 24 hour click window is broken for influencer content, why 7 days is the floor, and why day 365 installs run 75% higher than day 30. The two also tackle vertical testing (true crime crushed it for Match Masters with female audiences aged 30 to 55, tech reviewers flopped), country penetration strategy, why TikTok still doesn't work for performance, and where influencer marketing ends and UGC begins. If you've ever been told influencer marketing doesn't work after a single test campaign, send this episode to your CMO.

    47 分鐘
  4. TWIG #385: $100M for Indies, Lilith Goes Casino, Google Play Changes and Toon Blast Breaks Bad

    5月28日

    TWIG #385: $100M for Indies, Lilith Goes Casino, Google Play Changes and Toon Blast Breaks Bad

    Griffin just handed $100M to indie developers, Lilith is back with a pachinko creature collector that's turning heads, and Toon Blast hired Gus Fring for reasons that actually make sense. In this episode, we break down: ● Griffin Gaming Partners' $100M indie fund and why project financing beats VC math for games ● Why the tourists are gon,e and the OG gaming VCs are back ● Embracer's endless restructuring and the Fellowship Entertainment spin-off ● The full Embracer collapse timeline, 44 studios closed, 80 projects canceled ● Google Play's AI-powered game discovery and what it means for your ASO strategy ● Why keyword stuffing is dead and how to write for Gemini ● Clash of Critters: Lilith's pachinko-core creature collector and the casualization of mid-core ● Why Chinese studios didn't invent advanced casual — they just perfected it ● Monopoly Go's decline and what levers Scopely has left ● Coin Master Board Adventure vs Monopoly Go, is there any real competition? ● Toon Blast's Gus Fring campaign and whether celebrity UA still moves the needle ● Why re-onboarding lapsed players matters as much as acquiring new ones CHAPTERS: 01:39 Banter Roblox and Xbox Takes 02:47 Roundtable Events and Consulting Talk 05:14 Quick Correction It Takes Two 07:20 Google I O Play Updates 10:58 ASO SEO for AI Debate 14:01 Griffin Fund for Indies 17:57 Why VC Math Broke 21:10 Embracer Splits Again 24:13 Embracer Fallout and Asset Timeline 29:02 Mobile Game Data Setup 29:30 Lilith Clash of Critters Deep Dive 30:25 Portfolio Reality Check 30:49 Grim Metrics Decline 31:33 Pachinko Creature Collector 32:35 Gacha And Meta Layers 35:27 Why It Works Now 38:01 Advanced Casual Debate 41:19 Graphics And Monetization 44:25 Coin Master Vs Monopoly Go 48:08 Franchising And Growth Levers 55:38 Toon Blast Celebrity UA 01:00:21 Wrap Up And Next Week

    1 小時 1 分鐘
  5. The Brutal Truth About Gaming Consulting Nobody Talks About

    5月25日

    The Brutal Truth About Gaming Consulting Nobody Talks About

    The gaming industry has seen 24,000+ layoffs in 2024–2025 alone, and a wave of new consultants has followed. But how many of them actually chose this path?Michail Katkoff sits down with John Wright to unpack the raw, honest reality of gaming consulting: the anxiety, the income rollercoaster, the identity crisis, and the strategies that actually work.In this episode, we break down: ● Why 70% of gaming consultants are in survival mode (not thriving)● The psychological shift from exec to consultant, and why it's harder than it looks● How to avoid "doing yourself out of a job" when you succeed● The pipeline trap: when to walk away from a lead● Equity vs. cash: the risk of taking options over fees● Why fractional work is the key to staying sharp● How to build your personal brand before you need it● Who consulting is NOT for

    1 小時 4 分鐘
  6. TWIG #384: Turkey Raises Capital & the West Cuts Jobs, Xbox's Leadership Moves, and Roblox's Pivot

    5月21日

    TWIG #384: Turkey Raises Capital & the West Cuts Jobs, Xbox's Leadership Moves, and Roblox's Pivot

    Turkey's game industry is overheating, Xbox just hired a chief strategy officer that has the panel in meltdown mode, and Roblox is betting big on a HD pivot that could blow up in their face.In this episode, we break down:● Why Turkey is dominating the gaming landscape and what's fueling its growth● The talent shortage threatening Turkey's gaming boom● Why West Coast game development costs are becoming unsustainable● Xbox's sweeping leadership shakeup and what it signals● Why bringing in non-gaming tech executives won't fix Xbox's core problem● Matthew Ball joining Xbox as Chief Strategy Officer, and why Kress is losing his mind● Whether Xbox's real problem is content, platform, or leadership● Why Roblox's push into HD content may be fundamentally misaligned with its audience● The failure of AAA-style games on Roblox and what it reveals about the platform● Whether Roblox's Incubator and Jumpstart programs can actually attract the right developers● The tension between monetizing a young, income-capped audience and growing into a new one● Arc Raiders' content update slowdowns and what it means for the West● Why child safety compliance is becoming a bigger issue for game platformsCHAPTERS:01:34 Shilling And Updates02:56 Shooter Monthly Check In05:31 Corrections And Credits07:24 Istanbul Event Recap12:24 GamesBeat LA Highlights16:32 Supercell NA Rumors20:21 Xbox Leadership Shakeup24:28 Xbox Content Crisis25:42 Talent Exodus Warnings28:04 Matthew Ball Shock Hire33:39 Predicting the Ball Playbook37:28 Roblox HD Pivot Risks38:44 Wall Street Versus Virality41:06 Three Reasons It Wont Work45:41 Incubator Programs Reality49:44 Frontlines AAA Lesson53:09 Monetization Limits Debate54:33 Safety Tools And Wrap Up

    56 分鐘
  7. Shooter Monthly #7: Marathon’s Collapse, Apex’s Comeback, & Disney’s Extraction Shooter

    5月20日

    Shooter Monthly #7: Marathon’s Collapse, Apex’s Comeback, & Disney’s Extraction Shooter

    Marathon’s player numbers are collapsing, Apex Legends is surging again, and rumors suggest Disney may be entering the extraction shooter genre.In this episode, we break down:● Why Marathon’s retention and onboarding may be fundamentally broken● Whether Bungie can still save Marathon● How Arc Raiders became the first mainstream extraction shooter hit● Why extraction shooters still struggle with accessibility● The debate around wipes, PvP pressure, and economy design● Why Apex Legends is suddenly exploding again in DAU● How Apex keeps balancing casual and hardcore players● The hidden importance of movement and traversal in shooters● Why Apex’s live service design is still among the best in gaming● The rise of bots, softer matchmaking, and more accessible BR systems● Why Disney may be working on an extraction shooter● Whether sci-fi shooters are still too niche for mainstream success● Why the extraction shooter genre may still be in its early evolution CHAPTERS: 03:11 Marathon In Trouble06:30 Why Players Bounce08:23 Saving Marathon09:42 Onboarding Versus Difficulty11:08 Marketing Retention Reality15:32 Cryoarchive Endgame Explained17:01 Tarkov Side Project Reveal22:46 Arc Raiders Update Check27:21 Live Service Reengagement30:10 Why Arc Raiders Clicks31:44 Accessibility Push Needed33:23 Sandbox Health Ideas36:19 Apex Season Surge39:02 Movement and Progression42:33 Market Forces and China46:35 Bots and Softer BRs49:02 Disney Extraction Rumor50:35 Star Wars and Fortnite Link52:21 Wrapping Up

    53 分鐘
  8. UA Monthly #4: Freecash Android Comeback, Mistplay Goes All In & Can Anyone Stop AppLovin?

    5月18日

    UA Monthly #4: Freecash Android Comeback, Mistplay Goes All In & Can Anyone Stop AppLovin?

    John Wright and Vincent join Josh Chandley for the monthly deep-dive into what's actually moving the needle in mobile user acquisition.Questions we answer in this episode:● Is Sensor Tower now a monopoly, and should you be worried about pricing?● Why did Google reinstate Freecash but Apple still won't?● Is there one person at Apple secretly controlling which apps live and die?● Is Misplay buying its way to relevance, or is this a smart strategic pivot?● Does Misplay have a window to capitalize on Freecash's iOS ban?● AppLovin added more revenue this quarter than all of Unity's ad networks combined, so why are we still comparing them?● Can anything, or anyone, actually stop AppLovin at this point?

    58 分鐘
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關於

Deconstructor 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

資料

  • 創作者
    Deconstructor of Fun
  • 活躍年份
    2017年 - 2026年
  • 單集
    790
  • 分級
    兒童不宜
  • 版權
    © Deconstructor of Fun
  • 節目網站
    Deconstructor of Fun

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