x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Deconstructor of Fun

Deconstructor of Fun

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

leisure video games

All Episodes

01:11:25

TWIG #377: Epic for Sale, Unity Cuts Deep, and Merge...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/04/02

The industry isn’t slowing down. This week, we break down the biggest shifts across games.Topics Covered:● Disney and Epic: Why the speculation is picking up and what a bigger Disney move into games could look like● Unity’s latest shift: A strong earnings beat, the shutdown of Ironsource, and the sale of Supersonic● Studio closures and shutdowns: What the latest cuts across VR, live service, and Embracer say about the market● The Merge 2 rise: Why the category keeps growing and the debate over

en

01:04:44

TWIG #376: Epic Layoffs, Roblox Tax & Google’s New...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/27

The games industry is hitting another inflection point, and the "old rules" of growth are being rewritten. This week, we’re unpacking:● Google’s "Level Up" Program: Is it actually a win for devs, or just more platform gatekeeping? We look at Sidekick and the new UA economics.● The Epic Pivot: Layoffs, the UEFN "platform" gamble, and what the future of Fortnite actually looks like.● Roblox’s New Play: Their latest brand integration strategy is a massive shift for creator

en

01:00:54

UA Monthly #2: AppLovin's Social Network, Google Fee...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/25

The mobile ecosystem is experiencing some massive shifts this month. We dive into the real implications of Unity Vector's new D28 campaign, break down what Google’s recent fee cut actually means for your studio's growth trajectory, and unpack the wild news of AppLovin stepping out of the ad-network shadows to build its very own social network. Topics Covered:● Unity Vector's D28 campaign and its implications● Google's fee cut impact on growth● AppLovin's plans to build a social

en

00:31:22

The Epic Settlement: Google's "Level Up" Program &...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/23

It's been 2030 days since Google pulled Fortnite, and the Epic vs. Google settlement is finally here. We sit down with AppCharge CMO Gil Tovly to read the fine print of Google’s new 15% fee, unpack the mandatory AI sidekicks in the "Level Up" program, and figure out if this is actually a win for developers going direct-to-consumer.Questions we answer in this episode:● What is the real cost of Google's new 15% fee structure?● What exactly is the "Level Up" program and why

en

01:03:20

TWiG #375: GDC 2026 Post-Mortem, Epic’s Surrender &...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/20

The Deconstructor of Fun crew is back from San Francisco, recovering from a whirlwind GDC week to break down the massive shifts hitting the industry. No prep, no scripts. Just the real conversation on whether the "lowest attendance since 2011" is a sign of a dying conference or just a more efficient executive retreat.Questions we answer in this episode:● What is the "one word" to describe the GDC 2026 vibe?● Is the 30% drop in attendance a death knell or a much-needed

en

00:59:22

TWIG #374 GDC 2025: The Honest Debrief

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/19

The full Deconstructor of Fun crew, all six of us, recorded live and on-site in San Francisco at the end of GDC week. No prep, no scripts. Just the real conversations from a week of side events, back channels, and late nights.Questions we answer in this episode:What's the one word that captures the mood of GDC 2025?Is GDC still relevant?What's the wildest rumor that we heard?Why is everyone at GDC publicly obsessed with AI?Did anyone actually see a compelling AI-native game this week? Where

en

00:54:14

Shooter Monthly #5: The Marathon Revelation,...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/18

Extraction shooters are finally confronting their identity crisis. Is Marathon the answer, or just another branch of the same lineage?Phil, Sides, and Anjos break down a pivotal moment for shooters: Highguard’s collapse, Marathon’s high-stakes launch, and Overwatch’s unexpected resurgence. The debate rage on: are we watching the evolution of battle royale into something more persistent, or just another iteration of Tarkov’s legacy?We discuss:● Highguard’s shutdown and the limits of modern marketing○

en

00:53:44

State of Gaming 2026: What’s Really Winning Now

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/17

Sam Aune from Sensor Tower breaks down the State of Gaming 2026 - from Battlefield 6 proving premium is far from dead, to why free-to-play is getting harder to break into, and how social indie games are driving viral success. In this episode, we go deep on mobile’s slowdown, strategy games dominating revenue, and how Chinese publishers are out-executing the West across both midcore and casual.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and Report Setup00:43 State of Gaming Goes Beyond Mobile03:22 Trend One Battlefield

en

00:45:00

Puzzle Monthly #1: Pixel Flow, UA, and the Future of...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/10

We talk about how Pixel Flow scaled so quickly, why its core design works for monetization, and how games like Hexa Sort and Magic Sort helped push the sort puzzle genre forward.The discussion also covers UA, the wave of Pixel Flow-style clones appearing in the market, and whether hybrid-casual puzzle design is starting to influence traditional puzzle studios. We also touch on what kinds of mechanics might lead to the next big puzzle hit.

en

01:04:55

TWiG #373: Turkey Funds Game Dev, WB Games...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/05

We discuss Turkey’s new government subsidies for game developers and why the country may become one of the most attractive places to build a studio, the uncertain future of WB Games following major media consolidation, and Discord delaying its global age-verification rollout after backlash and regulatory pressure. We also discuss the Misfits seed round from an ex-Supercell/King team, a correction around Tilting Point’s recent deal, Playtika surpassing $1B in direct-to-consumer revenue, and Ubisoft

en

00:51:00

Meta Is Back in the Game. Here's What That Actually...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/03/02

Guy Meiboom, Meta’s US EMEA Gaming Director, breaks down what actually happened to gaming performance after ATT and why Meta had to rebuild its gaming org from the ground up. From creative velocity and algorithmic reach to geo lift testing and UA funding, this episode focuses on execution. Not theory. Not slides. The uncomfortable middle between marketing, product, and capital allocation.If you’re scaling a mobile game in 2026, this conversation is about the mechanics that matter and the habits you

en

01:19:32

TWiG #372: Death at an Xbox Funeral & Balling Out...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/27

Xbox is at a strategic inflection point. The question now is why, how, and what comes next. We break down the massive Xbox leadership shakeup, what it reveals about Microsoft’s real strategy, sharp critiques of the new CEO, and exactly what the brand must do to survive. Fresh off a hockey loss and curling cheating allegations, Adam returns to the podcast with a lot to answer for.We unpack PlayStation’s shutdown of Bluepoint Games and the broader consequences of its live service overreach. Sweden is

en

01:12:07

400,000 Wishlists in a Month: Dead as Disco's...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/23

Dead as Disco went from 50,000 Steam wishlists to over 400,000 in less than a month, with over a million unique demo players and a 98% Overwhelmingly Positive rating. They are currently at 750k+ Wishlists today. Host Jen Donahoe sits down with Eden Chen, founder of Pragma and the FirstLook player relationship platform, and Adam Gershowitz, COO of Brain Jar Games, to break down exactly how they did it.Adam walks through Brain Jar's journey from a 300-person closed playtest to pulling the NDA and

en

00:49:45

UA Monthly #1: Meta’s New Playbook, Reddit Ads, & the...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/20

Meta’s apparent comeback runs headfirst into shifting UA economics, rising creative costs, and new pressure from platforms like Reddit, forcing marketers to rethink what “working” actually means. We unpack whether Meta is truly back or just delivering short-term dopamine, why in-app ads could reshape ad-monetized LTV, and how CPMs, payback windows, and creative volume are redefining the hyper-casual and hybrid playbooks. Cihan and Josh join to break down the latest Appsflyer data, Reddit’s Max

en

01:05:11

TWiG #371: Clash Royale Chaos, Blizzard’s Big Reset,...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/19

We recap the Clash Royale creator controversy and CEO apology, dig into what’s broken with evolutions, heroes, and pay-to-win, and debate whether streamers can actually drive a comeback. We also cover Savvy’s rumored MoonTon deal, Blizzard’s updates across Overwatch, Diablo, and WoW, the slowdown in mobile games, the frozen state of M&A, and a reality check on AI in games - from hype to hard limits.00:25 Welcome & Episode Lineup (No More Car Talk)01:52 Rumor Mill + Why We’re Skipping Matthew

en

00:47:19

322. Female-First as a Moat: Dorian's Business of...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/16

User-generated content (UGC) isn’t “make anything.” It’s “make something that someone cares about.” In this Deconstructor of Fun conversation, Julia Polatovska, founder of Dorian, a creator platform for mostly women + Gen Z, goes past the pitch and into the operator questions. Who creates, who wins, what monetizes, and what breaks at scale when you're building a UGC platform.Connect with Julia: www.linkedin.com/in/palatovska/

en

01:04:48

TWiG #370: Supercell’s Annual Letter, Reading Between...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/12

Supercell’s annual CEO blog post reads equal parts culture memo and a recruiting pitch. We break down what is behind the PR spin before zooming into Clash Royale’s Lil Wayne halftime show as a case study in where “brand” ends and product-led fandom begins.From there, we triangulate the broader market: Newzoo’s year-end PC/console recap as a reminder that attention is consolidating, not expanding; Roblox’s growth story as it starts acknowledging gravity; and an update on Budge and PE as capital keeps

en

01:02:12

321. Art Directing in the AI Era with SciPlay's Peter...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/09

The evolution of art direction, the integration of AI in creative processes, and the balance between creativity and business acumen. That's on the menu as SciPlay's Sr. Art Director, Peter Franco, joins Michail Katkoff on the podcast.Read more about Peter's work on modernizing a top-grossing game: https://tinyurl.com/mn2bdwebTimestamps:2:12 - Peter's journey into Social Casino4:42 - Evolution of art direction roles7:13 - Balancing creativity and business9:23 - User feedback in design12:07 -

en

01:04:40

TWiG #369: Genie 3 Explodes, Game Stores Die, & High...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/05

Mobile publishing isn’t dead, it’s mutating! In this TWIG episode, we break down how Ares Interactive is trying to resurrect Glu with a $70M Series A and what that says about the current “publisher vs. studio” power balance. We also tackle Google’s new immersive world model, Genie 3, and the industry’s first defensive reflex: how do you keep the genie in the bottle when the bottle is an API? Phil drags us into Highguard Marketing, making us unpack the pitch, the incentives, and why

en

01:01:58

Shooter Monthly #4: The World's Biggest Shooter May...

Deconstructor of Fun ·

2026/02/04

The question nobody in the West wants to answer honestly: the biggest shooters in the world are not the ones you argue about on Twitter.This episode rips into Highguard’s shadow drop, the “beta that isn’t labeled beta” problem, and the stubborn reality that the shooter market has converged into two and only two genres: Battle Royale and tactical.We talk Highguard and Spectre Divide as case studies for why “ex-Apex devs” is marketing copy, not a strategy, and why in 2026 a shooter doesn’t get a long

en

252 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

詭哭郎嚎

郎祖筠 & FMTaiwan製作團隊

Ron en Erik Podcast

Ron en Erik

Poor Man"s Pinball Podcast

Poor Men Ian and Drew

WeAreChange on Odysee

WeAreChange