Deconstructor of Fun
- Episódios
- 843
- Publicação
- várias vezes por semana
- Último episódio
- 13 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
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
Episódios 843
TWIG #409: AppLovin Prints Money, GTA VI Pre-Orders Explode and the EU Comes for Mobile
AppLovin now has better margins than Hermès and Ferrari.This week we break down AppLovin’s record quarter and Unity’s first profit since its IPO, and look at why a debt-funded Unity buyout could stall Vector …
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AppLovin now has better margins than Hermès and Ferrari.This week we break down AppLovin’s record quarter and Unity’s first profit since its IPO, and look at why a debt-funded Unity buyout could stall Vector. We get into Take-Two holding its forecast as GTA VI pre-orders run far ahead of plan, and what the Ocarina of Time remake and WoW Forever say about nostalgia. Then we deconstruct Forge Master, Lessmore’s first IAP-driven game, before ending on the GDC report and the EU’s Digital Fairness Act proposal, which puts loot boxes, streaks and pay-to-progress at risk. Topics Covered:• Fortis shuts down and 440 people lose their jobs• AppLovin posts an 84% EBITDA margin• Unity’s Vector delivers its first profitable quarter• Silver Lake and PIF reportedly in talks to buy Unity• GTA VI pre-orders run far above Take-Two’s plan• Ocarina of Time remake sells 5.2 million in four days• WoW Forever claims the biggest launch in WoW history• Lessmore goes all in on IAP with Forge Master• Why idle RPGs struggle with endgame• GDC report shows AI use and AI backlash both rising• The EU’s Digital Fairness Act and what’s at stake for mobileCHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome and Cast00:31 Episode Agenda Rundown01:55 Phil Engagement and Banter08:58 Studio Closure Fortiss10:52 AppLovin and Unity Earnings16:04 Unity Buyout Rumors19:50 Take Two Earnings Report28:26 Zelda Remake Breaks Records29:57 Switch 2 Sales Context31:18 WoW Forever Launch Stats34:18 Will WoW Sustain35:14 WoW Money And Mods39:14 Nostalgia And Segments42:20 Forge Master Breakout43:45 IAP Shift And UA47:32 Endgame Retention Problems55:26 GDC Report Key Findings01:00:48 EU Monetization CrackdownPuzzle Monthly #7: Sort Keeps Winning, Arrows Needs a Hero and Smash Takes Aim at Angry Birds
Some puzzle subgenres keep producing hits. Others give us one winner and then disappear.Ahmetcan, Tom Storr and David Nelson look at three subgenres that showed up recently: Sort, Arrows and Smash. Ahmetcan …
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Some puzzle subgenres keep producing hits. Others give us one winner and then disappear.Ahmetcan, Tom Storr and David Nelson look at three subgenres that showed up recently: Sort, Arrows and Smash. Ahmetcan explains why Rotatelab bet on Sort for Cube Land, and how they took This Is Blast into 3D using what Pixel Flow showed about dynamism. The panel then looks at why Arrows is still waiting for a game that can make in-app purchases work, and whether Smash has enough puzzle depth to last.Topics Covered:• Why Sort became the third largest puzzle subgenre• How Cube Land 3D-ified This Is Blast• Why every level needs a story• Long levels and late fail points in Sort games• Why Arrows struggles to scale in the US• Cube Away and Maze Out as possible Arrows pioneers• Why Color Block Jam is harder to copy than Pixel Flow• Smash games going after Angry BirdsCHAPTERS: 00:03:00: Puzzle Subgenres Overvire00:04:00: Ayran and Cereal00:07:00: Market shift: how AI and fast-follow competitors change the puzzle business00:08:00: Sort subgenre data: top revenue charts, Pixel Flow, and Cube Land00:10:00: AC on Cube Land’s origins00:13:00: Making This Is Blast 3D,00:19:00: Puzzle structure, edge cases, and monetization00:24:00: Effects, multitasking, and why Sort suits casual play00:28:00: Arrows data: Color Escape, Cube Away, and ad-driven revenue00:31:00: Ad-driven download economics, US performance, and Maze Out00:35:00: Why some subgenres (Color Block Jam, Blockout) struggle to produce followers00:37:00: Level-design effort and the “puzzliness” argument (Color Block Jam vs. Blockout)00:39:00: Smash: the fast lifecycle, Smash Fest, and Royal Smash00:41:00: Smash compared with Angry Birds, and whether it’s puzzling enough00:42:00: Verdict on Smash’s long-term prospects00:43:00: Wrap-up and sign-offTWIG #408: Roblox Drops 18%, Block Blast’s Ad Logic Exposed and Claude Won’t Clone Games
Roblox beat its own guidance, and the stock still dropped 18%.This week we dig into Roblox’s Q3, where bookings came in above a number that had already been cut, DAUs fell 9% and AI spend keeps climbing with no …
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Roblox beat its own guidance, and the stock still dropped 18%.This week we dig into Roblox’s Q3, where bookings came in above a number that had already been cut, DAUs fell 9% and AI spend keeps climbing with no revenue to show for it yet. Then we break down the viral TikTok series that decompiles admon games, including the Block Blast logic that deals players an unwinnable hand when a high-value rewarded ad is ready. We also cover Anthropic steering Claude Code away from recreating existing games, what that means for fast followers, and why it may not change much. We finish with more Xbox departures, the Elder Scrolls VI name reveal and Ubisoft’s interest in Arkane Lyon.Topics Covered:• Roblox Q3 earnings and the Grow a Garden comp problem• DAUs and hours down while AI costs go up• Block Blast decompiled and its “lethal hand” logic• Why difficulty management and rewarded ads are tied together• Anthropic blocks Claude Code from recreating existing games• Fast following keeps getting cheaper• Forza co-creator Dan Greenawalt leaves Microsoft• A former Xbox exec responds to rumors about her exit• Elder Scrolls VI gets a name• Ubisoft reportedly bidding for Arkane LyonCHAPTERS: 00:00 Opening09:42 Roblox Revenue20:17 Admon Decompiling31:44 Anthropic AI Coding39:23 Xbox46:17 Elder Scrolls VI356. One Year Later. Our Life and Business in South of Europe.
Sun, sea and a whole lot of paperwork.One year ago, Phil swapped the cold for Cyprus and Mishka made the move to Athens. In this episode they trade stories on surviving southern European bureaucracy, why …
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Sun, sea and a whole lot of paperwork.One year ago, Phil swapped the cold for Cyprus and Mishka made the move to Athens. In this episode they trade stories on surviving southern European bureaucracy, why Limassol gets called the Puerto Rico of Europe, how the taxes really stack up against Finland, and the slow work of building a social life from scratch. If you’ve ever thought about moving your life and business abroad, this one’s for you.CHAPTERS:0:00 A year since the move2:46 Limassol is the "Puerto Rico of Europe"6:03 Moving to Athens11:54 Bureaucracy "boss fights"15:37 The game industry in Cyprus17:58 Working with Russian and Belarussian companies24:19 Cyprus non-dom visa and taxes26:50 Greek taxation and Finland's tax rules30:30 Why entrepreneurs struggle in Finland34:34 Belonging and national identity41:21 Greece vs Finland52:25 Making friends as an expat58:55 Should you move? Closing thoughts and raising international kids1:06:54 Wrap-up355. IP Won't Fix a Bad Game | Luis de la Camara, ex-Rovio, King & Sonic
Every studio says it wants a franchise. Luis de la Camara, who has led marketing on Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Sonic, says most can’t define one. His test is simple: an IP only becomes a franchise once it has …
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Every studio says it wants a franchise. Luis de la Camara, who has led marketing on Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Sonic, says most can’t define one. His test is simple: an IP only becomes a franchise once it has carried more than one product, and no IP will ever fix a bad game.He walks through Rovio’s CPI tests. Putting Angry Birds art on a new prototype brought CPI down, and redesigning the game to feel like real Angry Birds brought it down further. He also explains how Sonic pulled in curious fans who installed, tried the game and left, which sank day-1 retention. Plus why meeting player expectations matters more than having mascots, why Playrix has an IP even if its team doesn’t think so, how ad creative can stretch a brand without damaging it, and whether a $20M studio should spend on brand or on margins.CHAPTERS:00:00 What Franchise Means01:11 Core Franchise Assets02:25 How Far IP Can Stretch04:03 IP Versus Franchise Line06:39 Characters Lore Transmedia08:32 Overrated Versus Underrated11:51 Transmedia Flywheel Reality16:42 IP Impact On UA19:43 Brand Versus UA Tension26:37 Setting Brand Pillars27:28 Nike Identity Lessons28:09 Brand Pillars Sandbox29:42 Franchise Decay And Product32:39 UA Overinvestment Trap33:34 CTV Attribution Mess36:53 Incrementality Reality Checks37:50 Paid Search Brand Defense46:28 Kill Fast With Data48:23 Valuing Franchise In M&A51:53 Advice For $20M Studios54:17 Define Pillars And WrapTWIG #407: Roblox’s Steal Economy, Tim Sweeney Goes All In on AI and Xbox Loses Its COO
Half of Roblox’s 2025 revenue came from steal games, and the platform can’t seem to quit them.This week we debate whether steal mechanics are a passing trend or the real engine behind Roblox’s growth, ahead of …
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Half of Roblox’s 2025 revenue came from steal games, and the platform can’t seem to quit them.This week we debate whether steal mechanics are a passing trend or the real engine behind Roblox’s growth, ahead of an earnings call that will likely reward the algorithm rollback. Tim Sweeney says AI will bring a golden age of gaming, while Steam data shows AI-disclosed releases tripling and players pushing back with their wallets. We compare PocketGamer.biz’s top mobile makers against Sensor Tower revenue, break down Modern Warfare 4’s design bets and launch numbers, and unpack a chaotic week at Xbox: a rumored private equity bid, 60,000 voluntary exit offers, a failed Netflix deal and a COO who lasted three months. We close on Rockstar turning Miami into Vice City three weeks before GTA VI.Topics Covered:• Steal games drove half of Roblox’s 2025 revenue.• Roblox earnings could rebound after the algorithm rollback.• Tim Sweeney bets Epic’s future on AI.• AI-disclosed Steam releases jumped from 10% to 34%.• Disclosure labels are hurting sales on Steam.• PocketGamer.biz and Sensor Tower disagree on mobile’s top 10.• Turkey and China dominate the mobile charts.• Modern Warfare 4 wins back sentiment but may miss the numbers.• Apex attachments and the gunnery advisor reshape progression.• Private equity eyes a $100B+ Xbox buyout.• Microsoft offers exit packages to 60,000 employees.• Netflix walks away from a $500M Xbox IP deal.• Helen Chiang leaves Xbox three months after becoming COO.• Rockstar reskins Miami as Vice City.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and lineup00:32 What we are covering today02:12 What everyone is playing05:12 WoW Forever debate06:46 Discord interview takeaways10:15 Roblox revenue chart debate19:17 Tim Sweeney on AI future23:51 Steam AI disclosures data34:35 Mobile Top Maker Debate36:41 Pocket Gamer vs Sensor Tower39:34 Modern Warfare 4 Breakdown56:35 Xbox Rumors and Restructuring01:03:28 Netflix Deal and IP Value01:05:08 GTA VI Miami Marketing Blitz01:07:26 Wrap Up and Sign Off354. Why Friends Keep Players Longer Than Features Do
Discord spent years saying it would never run ads. Now it sits on 90 million daily users who mostly play games with friends, and Chief Business Officer Jules Shumaker, who previously built ad businesses at EA …
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Discord spent years saying it would never run ads. Now it sits on 90 million daily users who mostly play games with friends, and Chief Business Officer Jules Shumaker, who previously built ad businesses at EA, Zynga and Unity, is turning that audience into a growth channel for game makers.She walks through why players linked through the Social SDK retain 31% better by D28, why Nitro subscribers opt into ads more than non-payers, and how Discord brings lapsed players back for under $2 each. Plus the social commerce launch where 41% of Marvel Rivals purchases were gifts, the push into mobile, and the self-serve ad manager coming next.Chapters:00:00 - Meet Jules Shumaker00:45 - From EA and Zynga to Discord09:00 - What Discord offers game developers13:20 - Social SDK and the retention lift17:15 - Bringing the social layer to mobile20:30 - How Discord started doing ads26:30 - Social commerce and gifting31:00 - Winning back lapsed players39:50 - Video Quest and self-serve ads43:10 - Building a Discord growth strategyTWIG #406: Roblox Goes Private, AI Floods the Platform and GTA VI Comes for Shooters
Is Steal an Egg the real engine behind Roblox’s revenue?This week the crew argues over a Konvoy piece saying Roblox should go private. With the stock well off its highs, $6B in cash and a long-term HD strategy …
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Is Steal an Egg the real engine behind Roblox’s revenue?This week the crew argues over a Konvoy piece saying Roblox should go private. With the stock well off its highs, $6B in cash and a long-term HD strategy that Wall Street keeps punishing, is a buyout the only way out of the brainrot cycle? We also look at the AI-driven surge of first-time creators on Roblox, Arc Raiders’ new big-update content model, the Liquid Swords shutdown and which genres GTA VI is about to hit hardest.Topics Covered:• Takeaways from our interview with Riot’s CFO• Why Riot’s China revenue mostly benefits Tencent• GDC moves to four days and adds dealmaking space• Gen Alpha plays to be seen, not to disappear• Creator activations and the UA content they feed• 20% of top mobile spenders are looking for their next game• Roblox leads PC and console playtime• Should Roblox go private?• Steal an Egg and revenue concentration on Roblox• AI tools bring a 10x jump in first-time Roblox creators• What Liquid Swords’ closure teaches indie AAA founders• Arc Raiders’ content update and Steam free weekend• GTA VI’s launch threatens shooters, sports and racing gamesCHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro01:21 Banned Topics and AI Jokes01:53 Riot CFO Interview Takeaways02:50 Riot China Revenue Reality10:07 Sponsor Shoutouts Sensor Tower14:14 Roundtable Recap Gen Alpha20:32 Whales as Free Agents Stat23:42 Roblox29:30 Replace Dave Or Go Private31:03 AAA Pivot And Moral Debate34:37 Algorithm And Revenue Concentration37:49 AI Flood Of New Roblox Games44:01 Indie AAA Studio Collapse50:04 Arc Raiders57:35 GTA Launch Shockwave01:02:38 EA Bioware Closure353. How Riot Went From One Game to Five Hits | Mark Sottosanti, Riot Games
Riot shipped one game in ten years, then four in the next two. Mark Sottosanti, CFO of Riot Games, was there for all of it. He joined in 2012 as head of monetization after running a hedge fund, and has been at …
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Riot shipped one game in ten years, then four in the next two. Mark Sottosanti, CFO of Riot Games, was there for all of it. He joined in 2012 as head of monetization after running a hedge fund, and has been at Riot ever since.We start with how Riot went from League of Legends to a multi-game publisher. That covers the 10th anniversary reveal, why five of its seven launches worked, and what Legends of Runeterra and 2XKO taught the team. Then we get into the business side, discussing regional strategy, Korea’s PC cafes, mobile and China, Valorant on console, and why Valorant still has no loot boxes.Mark also explains the real math behind Arcane and how Season 2 broke even, how Riot uses AI today, where he sees the industry heading, and why Riot has never bought revenue.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:09 Why Riot Now02:07 Mark Joins Riot04:01 From One Game to Many08:55 Greenlighting and Results13:54 Global Offices Strategy17:54 Mobile Shift and China22:55 Wild Rift and Console25:24 Monetization Philosophy26:39 Arcane and Transmedia ROI34:54 Industry Outlook and Hiring37:18 Hybrid Work and CFO Advice39:36 Wrap Up and Whats NextTWIG #405: Gears of War E-Day Flops, EU Comes for Virtual Currency and Turkey Wins the Puzzle Race
Xbox has a franchise problem, and Gears of War E-Day just made it obvious.This week we look back on Mobidictum in Istanbul and argue about why Turkey became the puzzle capital while Sweden didn’t. Then we pull …
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Xbox has a franchise problem, and Gears of War E-Day just made it obvious.This week we look back on Mobidictum in Istanbul and argue about why Turkey became the puzzle capital while Sweden didn’t. Then we pull apart Aream’s Q3 report: the M&A number is inflated by the EA deal, the IPO window stays shut, and seed funding is at a five-year low. We also cover the EU’s new action against ten game companies over virtual currency and dark patterns, the panic over US console sales, and Xbox’s new XP division. We finish with the Aniimo launch and why FunPlus held back on monetization.Topics Covered:• Mobidictum takeaways and the Sweden vs Turkey debate• US console sales hit record lows ahead of GTA VI• EU targets ten companies over virtual currency bundles• Aream Q3 report and the real M&A numbers• No IPO market for gaming• AI infrastructure money counted as gaming VC• Steam growth and new IP winning on PC• Mobile installs down and the frozen top charts• Turkey stands out in IAP growth and early stage deals• Gears of War E-Day and the cost of losing the console war• Xbox launches XP for film, TV and products• Aniimo launch numbers and its core loop• Why Aniimo skipped direct creature gachaCHAPTERS:01:58 Istanbul Takeaways04:18 Sweden vs Turkey Debate08:02 Cyprus Event Plug13:47 EU Targets Virtual Currency19:00 Areem Q3 Report34:59 Gears E-Day Franchise Autopsy41:31 Xbox XP48:21 Aniimo Launch and Core Loop52:38 Aniimo Monetization and Costs352. AI Made Every Team Faster. Then It Got Messy.
Retrofitting AI into a 1,300-person company and building one around it from day one are different problems. Mishka Katkoff sits down with Liaz Kamper, AI Experience Architect at AppsFlyer, and Maor Cohen, CTO …
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Retrofitting AI into a 1,300-person company and building one around it from day one are different problems. Mishka Katkoff sits down with Liaz Kamper, AI Experience Architect at AppsFlyer, and Maor Cohen, CTO of Vibes, to compare the two.00:00 — AI-first vs. AI-native companies06:19 — Transforming an established company with AI16:22 — Building an AI-native organization20:40 — Coordination and shared context26:12 — Building the company’s “AI brain”32:27 — Earning customer trust in an AI-powered world37:40 — Success in AI-native teams45:03 — AI as a tool, not the goal51:48 — Token costs58:56 — How AI is changing jobs66:02 — Closing thoughts on the two paths to AI transformationTWIG #404: AI Game Mashups Go Viral, Google Launches Playground and Mobile Studios Are Cheap Again
AI-made mashups of games like Skate 3 and Modern Warfare II took over social media, and publishers responded with takedowns. Google launched Playground, joining Roblox and Meta in the race to build …
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AI-made mashups of games like Skate 3 and Modern Warfare II took over social media, and publishers responded with takedowns. Google launched Playground, joining Roblox and Meta in the race to build prompt-to-game platforms. New InvestGame data shows 2026 already has more deals than any year since 2022, but buyers are paying less for each dollar of revenue, and the market has reopened on their terms. We also look at whether the Resident Evil movie actually sold games, and where Xbox is headed after its latest “we’re not selling” statement.Topics Covered:• AI mashup mods go viral and publishers issue takedowns.• Jagex pulls a RuneScape trailer after players spot generative AI.• Google launches Playground, with Unity Spark coming soon.• Roblox Build, Meta Horizon Create and the race for AI UGC platforms.• Gaming M&A picks up, but it’s a buyer’s market.• Circle Games raises a $25M Series A led by Tencent.• Resident Evil engagement jumps 50% after the movie, but the back catalog gets the lift.• The GTA VI cloud streaming deal and Xbox’s “we’re not selling” statement.• SNL’s GTA vs Zelda sketch and Mike Tomlin’s Minecraft city.• Aion 2 is eating someone’s life.CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome and lineup02:30 Gaming hits pop culture11:10 Xbox sale talk and hardware woes14:36 AI Mods & Mashups23:14 Google Playground prompt games33:08 Marketing Versus Product Reality40:04 Investments54:07 Resident Evil Engagement58:01 Aion 2 MMO Recommendation59:18 Wrap Up And Next Week351. Why Great Hires Fail at Startups | Garry Hill, Makers Fund
Most startup hiring mistakes come down to two things: hiring too fast and hiring too narrow. Garry Hill, head of talent at Makers Fund, sees both across a portfolio of 130+ companies. Before Makers Fund, he …
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Most startup hiring mistakes come down to two things: hiring too fast and hiring too narrow. Garry Hill, head of talent at Makers Fund, sees both across a portfolio of 130+ companies. Before Makers Fund, he recruited at SpaceX, Amazon, Blizzard, PlayStation and Reddit.
We start with the hires who looked perfect on paper and still failed, from pedigreed engineers who burned out at Blizzard to SpaceX's weekend interviews, and how those company cultures really compared. Then we get practical about hiring for game studios and startups discussing referral, interview processes, culture, and how to tell what a big-tech candidate is a fit or not for a startup.
Garry also explains why senior talent should consider fractional roles, how talent needs change from seed to Series A to Series C, what good onboarding looks like, and the "truth serum" question he uses when interviewing co-founders.
A vital listen to anyone hiring or getting hired in startups-
chapters:
00:00 Blizzard, SpaceX, Amazon: the hires who looked great and failed
12:05 What a head of talent does at Makers Fund
14:59 Too fast, too narrow: common founder hiring mistakes
19:56 Culture add, not culture fit
24:53 Vetting big-tech hires: what did you actually do?
31:09 Startup life and going fractional
35:03 Seed, Series A, Series C: how talent needs change
44:36 Testing co-founders and the truth serum question
52:26 Gaming founders vs. tech founders
1:00:18 The tell that a co-founder will actually buildTWIG #403: The Market Only Grew 2%, Friendslop Hits the PC Charts and China Drafts Off GTA VI
Strip out inflation and the games market has barely grown in a decade.This week we dig into Newzoo's latest numbers and what they say about where growth comes from: mature Western markets, existing players and …
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Strip out inflation and the games market has barely grown in a decade.
This week we dig into Newzoo's latest numbers and what they say about where growth comes from: mature Western markets, existing players and five giant companies taking almost all of it. Then we look at how cheap social games like Big Walk and How to Fish cracked the top 10 PC revenue chart, what Naughty Dog's new Last of Us tease means, and why Chinese developers are rushing GTA-style mobile games out ahead of GTA VI.
Topics Covered:
- Mark Pincus and the $400M Supercell deal that almost happened
- Why 2021 is the wrong benchmark for the market
- Real growth after inflation is closer to 2% a year
- Growth comes from mature markets and existing players
- China's advantage at home and abroad
- CPIs keep climbing while mobile installs fall
- Five companies drove almost all of 2025's growth
- Big publishers retreat to their core franchises
- Friendslop games break into the PC top 10
- Naughty Dog confirms more Last of Us
- Chinese GTA-style games launch ahead of GTA VI
- Why nobody can compete with GTA head on
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:01 Ethan Returns Industry Layoffs
01:34 Upcoming Events and Newsletter
03:15 Mark Pincus Interview Scoop
09:45 Newzoo Outlook Beyond COVID
11:37 Growth From Mature Markets
15:58 Inflation and Real Growth Math
23:28 Mobile Revenue vs Installs CPI Surge
27:03 Growth Concentrated in Five Giants
29:49 Publishers Retreat to Core Franchises
31:04 PC Market Reality Check
32:53 Friend Slop Breakouts
47:43 Last of Us Future Talk
01:00:54 Why GTA Has No RivalsShooter Monthly #10: War Dogs Sells 2.2M, Cash Economy Breakdown and the 1v1v1 Debate
War Dogs sold 2.2 million copies in four days and nobody saw it coming.This episode we break down Bulkhead's early access hit. A hardcore milsim with three teams, no matchmaking and a $40 price tag beat …
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War Dogs sold 2.2 million copies in four days and nobody saw it coming.
This episode we break down Bulkhead's early access hit. A hardcore milsim with three teams, no matchmaking and a $40 price tag beat Helldivers 2's launch curve on Steam, and its peak concurrents grew every day of launch week. We get into the persistent cash economy that might be the teamwork fix Battlefield never found, why the 1v1v1 format splits the panel, and whether a sub-100 person studio can pull off a live service with extraction and PvE modes on the way.
Topics Covered:
- War Dogs launch numbers and who is playing
- The persistent cash economy and how it kills gear fear
- How cash rewards fix Battlefield's teamwork problem
- The 1v1v1 format debate
- Metal Gear Solid V and the lineage of in-round economies
- The risks of a cross-mode economy with extraction
- Marketplaces and gambling mechanics in shooters
- Bulkhead's go-to-market and the 5,000 player promise
- Where War Dogs ranks on Steam a year from now
CHAPTERS:
00:00 War Dogs Shock Success
01:42 Sales Metrics Breakdown
08:03 Persistent Cash Economy
16:19 Milsim Critiques and Vision
33:46 Economy Lineage Discussion
34:38 Progression Beyond Cosmetics
35:25 CEO Vision And New Modes
36:45 Cross Mode Economy Risks
39:03 Stakes Gambling And Chaos
40:36 Marketplaces In Shooters
45:15 Launch Strategy And Trust
51:20 Marketing Constraints And Nostalgia
52:23 One Year Predictions Debate
01:01:05 Wrap Up And Next Episode350. Zynga Founder Mark Pincus: Why Your Favourite Ideas Are Almost Always Wrong
Mark Pincus founded Zynga that was later acquired of $12.7B by TakeTwo and still thinks he misplayed the hand. On this episode he unpacks the playbook behind Life at the Speed of Play: why all new fails, how to …
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Mark Pincus founded Zynga that was later acquired of $12.7B by TakeTwo and still thinks he misplayed the hand. On this episode he unpacks the playbook behind Life at the Speed of Play: why all new fails, how to run a company as a democratic dictatorship why anyone lecturing you about culture has a team rolling their eyes behind them.
Life at the Speed of Play: https://www.lifeatthespeedofplay.com/
Key timestamps:
00:00 — Intro
1:30 — Why Mark wrote Life at the Speed of Play
8:49 — How to test instincts: proven, better, new
15:45 — “Know your goal or suffer death by a thousand compromises”
20:36 — The “democratic dictatorship” approach to leadership
26:59 — Getting people to do the right things when you’re not in the room
29:34 — Getting teams to take bold risks and innovate
36:14 — Why CEOs should spend time on product
39:15 — What Pincus would do differently at Zynga
44:04 — Reflecting on the games industry and missed opportunities
50:40 — ADHD as a feature for product makers, anchored by a singular vision
52:14 — Why most MVPs don’t succeedTWIG #402: Xbox Bets on Kojima, Halo Gets Handed to CoD and AppLovin Hits the Road
Xbox is cutting niche studios and signing a niche Kojima project in the same month. We try to make it make sense.Sony pulled funding on Physint after budget concerns, and Xbox picked it up as a franchise with …
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Xbox is cutting niche studios and signing a niche Kojima project in the same month. We try to make it make sense.
Sony pulled funding on Physint after budget concerns, and Xbox picked it up as a franchise with film and TV rights attached. Meanwhile Microsoft keeps restructuring into clean verticals, with Halo moving under Activision and Obsidian joining Bethesda, which has us asking whether Xbox is getting organized to sell. We also look at Build A Rocket Boy closing after roughly $250M raised and one troubled launch, Apple's new ATT prompt in Europe, and why AppLovin's CEO is suddenly on every stage talking about a $50B mobile ad market.
Topics Covered:
- Apple rewrites the ATT prompt in five EU countries.
- Sony ends Physint funding and Xbox picks it up.
- The transmedia bet behind Xbox's Kojima deal.
- Halo moves to Activision in the latest Xbox cuts.
- Is Microsoft packaging Xbox to spin off or sell?
- Build A Rocket Boy closes after MindsEye.
- What big gaming losses do to investor sentiment.
- AppLovin's buyback, Axon and the fingerprinting debate.
- Why AppLovin's CEO is on a speaking tour.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:35 DICE Athens Hometown Events
03:07 LA Games Conference Plug
04:36 Roundtables and Global Meetups
05:41 Newsletter and Founder Story Tease
10:08 Apple ATT Prompt Changes EU
13:30 Kojima
27:41 Microsoft Restructure and Halo Shift
30:06 CoD Studios Under Pressure
33:45 Can Xbox Be Sold Off
36:10 Halo Moved to Activision
46:34 Build A Rocket Boy Collapse
51:05 AppLovin Stock and Axon
53:58 Fingerprinting Cheating Debate
58:01 Why the CEO Is Touring
01:02:25 Wrap Up and Sign OffPuzzle Monthly #6: Disney Solitaire's Big Win, Playtika's Earn-Out Trap and Solitaire vs Puzzle
Disney Solitaire is one of the biggest launches of the year, and it might be too successful for its own parent company.This episode breaks down how SuperPlay turned a solitaire game into a Disney-powered hit …
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Disney Solitaire is one of the biggest launches of the year, and it might be too successful for its own parent company.
This episode breaks down how SuperPlay turned a solitaire game into a Disney-powered hit, why Playtika's debt and earn-out deal could push it to sell, and how Disney Solitaire stacks up against Tiki Solitaire, Grand Harvest and Candy Crush Solitaire. We also look at the full solitaire market, the live ops gap between Disney and everyone else, and whether solitaire can ever rival puzzle.
Topics Covered:
- Why games that scale in tier two and three markets struggle in tier one
- Playtika's debt, the SuperPlay earn-out and a possible sale
- Revenue dropping slower than downloads as a health signal
- How big the solitaire market actually is
- MobilityWare and the ad-only solitaire model
- Disney Solitaire as a reskin of Domino Dreams
- Why the second game in an IP is half the size of the first
- The social casino pay-to-play economy in Tiki Solitaire
- Candy Crush Solitaire's hold slot and card design choices
- How Disney Solitaire handles its IP and meta
- Near wins and a puzzle-style level funnel
- Disney's 25 to 30 live events per week versus competitors
- Why IP owners may not be the best builders of their own games
- Is solitaire coming for puzzle?
CHAPTERS:
0:00:00 Introduction & Tier 1 Market Performance
0:03:12 Why Playtika May Have to Sell Disney Solitaire
0:09:31 The History & Size of the Solitaire Market
0:10:58 Why Solitaire Has Struggled to Monetize
0:16:20 Disney Solitaire vs. Domino Dreams
0:21:12 How Solitaire Games Monetize: The Casino Mechanic
0:24:51 Tiki, Grand Harvest & Candy Crush Solitaire
0:28:23 What Disney Solitaire Does Differently
0:33:41 Live Ops, Streaks & the Disney Advantage
0:36:51 Why IP Owners Struggle to Extend Their Games
0:38:02 Is Solitaire Coming for Puzzle?
0:40:00 Final Thoughts & Outro349. From Zero Offers To Record Revenue I Michael Martinez, CEO of FunCraft
Michael Martinez, co-founder and CEO of FunCraft, tried to sell his mobile game studio in 2025. Trusted people said "don't do it yet". He chose otherwise. A banker pitched the company to 40 buyers. Zero offers …
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Michael Martinez, co-founder and CEO of FunCraft, tried to sell his mobile game studio in 2025. Trusted people said "don't do it yet". He chose otherwise. A banker pitched the company to 40 buyers. Zero offers. Then the company doubled to a $50M run rate with just 15 people.
Rejection like that either breaks a founder or forces a better business. For FunCraft, it did the second.
In this episode, Michael breaks down what went wrong in the M&A process, what a failed sale really costs, and how a 15-person team shifted its focus from valuation to profit.
Essential viewing for founders thinking about selling, buyers looking at lean and profitable studios, and anyone in mobile gaming, UA, or ad monetization.
00:00 — Funcraft’s failed sale attempt
06:27 — Why Michael wanted to sell
13:37 — Building a successful business first
18:16 — Launching games in just six weeks
23:20 — Platform and user acquisition risks
29:14 — Balancing growth and profitability
34:45 — Building a high-trust remote culture
43:12 — Rebuilding the game engine with AI
46:18 — Staying focused while scalingTWIG #401: Blizzard Goes All In, Roblox Breaks Out of Its Own App and Aniimo Nails Launch Day
Gaming is back, and this week had a lot to talk about.BlizzCon delivered the biggest slate of announcements Blizzard has had in years, but the timelines and team sizes raise real questions about what Microsoft …
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Gaming is back, and this week had a lot to talk about.
BlizzCon delivered the biggest slate of announcements Blizzard has had in years, but the timelines and team sizes raise real questions about what Microsoft pressure is doing to the studio. Roblox used RDC to push standalone apps, browser play and a developer wallet, and we debate whether any of it actually improves discoverability. Plus Kojima's Physint moves from PlayStation to Xbox, a heated ad revenue argument over hybrid casual, a surprise 2 million sales hit from Wardogs, and first impressions of FunPlus's Aniimo as it passes 125K CCU on Steam.
Topics Covered:
- Roblox unveils standalone apps and browser play at RDC
- Why Roblox standalone apps may struggle with UA
- BlizzCon brings Diablo V, a StarCraft shooter and three WoW SKUs
- Microsoft pressure behind Blizzard's bold timelines
- Kojima's Physint jumps from PlayStation to Xbox
- Savvy Games Group to oversee EA and PIF assets
- The ad revenue debate around hybrid casual
- WoW Forever and Blizzard's subscription strategy
- Wardogs hits 2 million sales
- Aniimo passes 125K CCU on Steam launch day
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:42 Industry Layoffs Talk
02:59 Mishka Podcast Spotlight
06:12 Roblox Standalone Apps Debate
13:12 Blizcon
15:17 Microsoft Pressure Concerns
20:03 WoW Monetization Debate
21:50 Kojima Physint Switch
26:27 EA Merger
39:47 Warcraft Forever
43:44 War Dogs Surprise Hit
47:11 Aniimo Launch
51:31 Monetization and Wrap Up348. Why None of Us Saw Cyberpunk Coming Apart I Michal Nowakowski. joint CEO, CD PROJEKT RED
Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13 million copies in ten days, then Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Store. CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michal Nowakowski was the one taking the calls.He walks through what actually broke …
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Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13 million copies in ten days, then Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Store. CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michal Nowakowski was the one taking the calls.
He walks through what actually broke, why the investors weren't the reason, and how the studio went from a Polish box distributor to owning The Witcher outright. Plus the transmedia strategy, the move to Unreal Engine 5, and why Poland built the strongest gaming ecosystem in Europe.
Chapters
00:00 From Polish distributor to a global studio
04:43 Buying The Witcher rights
08:15 Why owning the IP was non-negotiable
14:12 Poland's coding culture and the talent pipeline
18:54 Scaling to 350 developers on The Witcher 3
26:16 The Cyberpunk 2077 launch and the hardest week
34:03 The decision to fix the game instead of cutting losses
39:14 Unreal Engine 5 and rebuilding production
43:51 Transmedia, Netflix, and keeping games at the center
49:49 What makes the Polish gaming ecosystem workTWIG #400: Is the Game Industry Actually Crashing, OpenAI's Astra and 8 Years of Hot Takes
400 episodes in, and yes, we swear more than anyone will admit.This is the big one. Before the retrospective, we tear apart the latest "video game industry is crashing" clickbait using actual employment data …
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400 episodes in, and yes, we swear more than anyone will admit.This is the big one. Before the retrospective, we tear apart the latest "video game industry is crashing" clickbait using actual employment data, then get into what OpenAI's new Astra model means for teams already shipping with AI. Then we open the vault: eight years of TWIG, the origin stories nobody remembers the same way twice, and the predictions that aged well or badly.Topics Covered:• Why the "worst crash since the 1980s" headline doesn't hold up• AAA budgets ballooning past 400 million and the indie boom it's fueling• OpenAI's Astra model and how mobile teams are actually using it• How TWIG started and how the cast came together over 8 years• The calls the hosts got right, from Ubisoft to Roblox• The calls they got embarrassingly wrong, from Call of Duty Mobile to Blizzard leadership• Who swears the most and who never does• Eight years of TWIG's biggest arguments and running jokesCHAPTERS: 02:33 Shills04:14 Industry Doom & Gloom Clickbait10:04 Consolidation Not Doom20:45 400th Retrospective Setup22:39 Origin Stories29:35 How The Pod Evolved31:32 Memorable Moments37:33 Owning Bad Takes39:11 League Revenue Debate40:19 Things We Nailed43:02 Product Calls And Patterns45:35 Monopoly Go Inside Scoop47:01 Streaming And Xbox Caps48:19 Biggest Misses Confession56:14 Blizzard Leadership Reversal01:04:47 Who Argues The Most?01:08:17 Kress: The Cussing GOAT01:09:24 Mice Nuts & Other TWIG Mainstays
347. Questions Istanbul Founders Stopped Asking I Akin Babayigit, Arcadia Gaming Partners
McKinsey, the United Nations, Skype, Rocket Internet, Facebook, King. Then Akin Babayigit co-founded Tripledot, spun out Luna Labs, and now runs Arcadia Gaming Partners, a $100M fund he deploys alone.He left …
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McKinsey, the United Nations, Skype, Rocket Internet, Facebook, King. Then Akin Babayigit co-founded Tripledot, spun out Luna Labs, and now runs Arcadia Gaming Partners, a $100M fund he deploys alone.He left Türkiye at sixteen and never moved back, which makes him one of the few people who can talk about Istanbul as both an insider and an outsider. We get into how the ecosystem was built, why Sidar Şahin still shapes it years after disappearing, why payback windows are the wrong lens, and what he told a room of Turkish founders that they did not want to hear.Chapters 02:42 Leaving Türkiye 06:23 Building Tripledot 08:51 The Sidar myth 18:21 One trick? 20:47 First mover advantage 23:25 Payback versus IRR 28:32 What AI changes 31:43 The AppLovin dependency 40:07 fal and Layer 42:22 What Türkiye lacks 49:28 The unsexy work 54:24 After gaming 1:05:20 Türkiye and Israel
TWIG #399: GTA VI Breaks Netflix, EU Targets Roblox and Zero Company's Studio Implodes
GTA VI just proved it can break Netflix, the EU just put Roblox under its strictest rulebook, and one of the best reviewed games of the year is already falling apart behind the scenes.The crew breaks down the …
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GTA VI just proved it can break Netflix, the EU just put Roblox under its strictest rulebook, and one of the best reviewed games of the year is already falling apart behind the scenes.The crew breaks down the numbers behind GTA VI's Netflix trailer drop and what it means for pre-orders, why PlayStation is quietly winning the entire hype cycle, and how rising RAM prices could delay the PS6. They also cover Gamescom's attendance numbers and the shift toward Eastern exhibitors, the EU's new Roblox designation, Star Wars Zero Company's strong launch undone by a founder lawsuit, Brian Ward's exit from Savvy Games Group, Tencent's new AI tool portfolio and NCSoft's $300 million mobile studio buying spree.Topics Covered:• GTA VI's Netflix trailer drop and the pre-order numbers behind it• Why PlayStation is quietly winning the GTA VI hype cycle• Rising RAM prices and what they mean for the PS6• Gamescom 2026 attendance and the shift toward Eastern exhibitors• The EU designates Roblox a very large online platform• Star Wars Zero Company's strong launch and Metacritic scores• The founder lawsuit quietly sinking developer Bit Reactor• Brian Ward steps down as Savvy Games Group CEO• Tencent's new AI tool portfolio for game development• NCSoft's $300 million mobile studio buying spreeCHAPTERS:01:24 Episode 400 Teaser02:08 Shills and New Content03:59 Gamescom Stats Recap07:03 Mishka Gamescom Takeaways09:28 Cologne Logistics and Hotels11:20 GTA VI x Netflix Drop17:14 PlayStation Wins the Cycle21:28 EU Targets Roblox24:56 EU Market Fragmentation28:38 Star Wars Zero Company Launch32:16 Studio Furloughs Lawsuit36:46 Savvy CEO Steps Down49:18 China AI Platform Bets54:36 NCSoft Strategy Skepticism56:10 Episode 400 Tease Wrap
Shooter Monthly #9: Battlefield's Hot Streak, Gears Goes Helldiving, and the Battle Pass Plateau
Shooters are having one of their best summers in years, and every major franchise still can't agree on what to do about it.The crew runs through the battle pass shakeup hitting Call of Duty, Battlefield and …
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Shooters are having one of their best summers in years, and every major franchise still can't agree on what to do about it.The crew runs through the battle pass shakeup hitting Call of Duty, Battlefield and Overwatch, breaks down why Battlefield is quietly beating Call of Duty on Steam, and picks apart Apex Legends' run as the most consistent live service in the genre. They also dig into Gears of War: E-Day's beta results against Helldivers 2, unpack why War Bonds aren't actually battle passes, and argue about why Western studios keep playing it safe while Eastern developers experiment their way to the top.Topics Covered:• The battle pass shakeup across Call of Duty, Battlefield and Overwatch• Why Battlefield is outperforming Call of Duty on PC despite the franchise's rocky years• Ranked play, Battlefield Labs and the Elite Top 250 leaderboard• What's next for Battlefield now a new mainline entry isn't landing next year• Call of Duty's tech unification and the tradeoffs it created down the line• Apex Legends' revenue consistency, live ops machine and collab strategy• Apex's growth potential in China and Japan, and the case for reviving Apex Legends Mobile• Why battle royale modes outperform arena shooters on retention• Gears of War: E-Day's beta numbers and the inevitable Helldivers 2 comparisons• The PvP versus PvE tradeoffs facing E-Day's live service• War Bonds versus battle passes and how Helldivers 2 redefined seasons• Why Arc Raiders can't copy the Helldivers playbook• The West's monetization risk aversion versus the East's willingness to experiment
CHAPTERS:
01:13 Battle Pass Shakeups
02:33 Battlefield Engagement Surge
04:13 MAU Charts Breakdown
05:28 Why Battlefield Retains
06:47 Ranked Mode Returns
08:44 Battlefield Next Moves
11:04 COD Tech Unification Lessons
14:19 Extraction Mode Debate
15:35 Apex Revenue and Consistency
17:00 Apex Live Ops Machine
29:18 BR Movement Thesis
30:20 Why Arenas Feel Worse
31:17 Social Sandbox vs Zero Sum
33:15 TDM Translation Problem
34:06 Gears E-Day Catch Up
34:54 Market Size and Modes
37:07 Helldivers Comparison Debate
40:51 Live Service Monetization Risks
44:40 Battle Pass Changes Roundup
47:51 War Bonds vs Battle Passes
52:58 Arc Raiders and Extraction Limits
54:33 Western Monetization Fear
59:13 Next Episode Tease346. Why Mattel Wants Studios to Pitch the Uncomfortable
Mattel owns Barbie, Hot Wheels, UNO, Masters of the Universe and Street Sharks. Marcus Liassides runs its digital business, which now Roblox, Fortnite, and a licensing program that puts Mattel IP in creators' …
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Mattel owns Barbie, Hot Wheels, UNO, Masters of the Universe and Street Sharks. Marcus Liassides runs its digital business, which now Roblox, Fortnite, and a licensing program that puts Mattel IP in creators' hands without approving what they build with it. This episode is about how a studio actually gets an IP deal with Mattel, and what you get beyond the logo.00:00 - Why Mattel is at a games summit01:13 - The Roblox bet04:18 - Why studios stay skeptical06:22 - AI and why IP matters more10:46 - What Mattel actually wants pitched13:57 - Where pitches go wrong17:40 - Beyond the license19:15 - MGs, rev share and dev funding23:57 - The approvals question26:44 - Barbie's UA guardrails29:29 - Exclusivity
TWIG #398: Gaming's 2026 Reality Check, The GTA 6 Leak Nightmare and Why Jobs Are Still Vanishing
Rockstar is fighting a leak it cannot plug, and the leaker has turned the whole thing into a token economy.Episode 398 covers a week where the data says growth and the job market says something else. Newzoo …
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Rockstar is fighting a leak it cannot plug, and the leaker has turned the whole thing into a token economy.Episode 398 covers a week where the data says growth and the job market says something else. Newzoo puts 2026 at 214 billion, Makers Fund closes another 250 million that looks nothing like venture capital, Google Play turns RAM into a store requirement, and Gamescom hands us Nodusfall, Palworld on mobile via Garena, and one more round of the HD on mobile argument that never ends.Topics Covered:• CyberLeek posts 16 GTA 6 clips and runs crypto-paid polls on what leaks next• Take-Two subpoenas Microsoft, Discord and Google to unmask whoever is behind it• Newzoo's 2026 forecast hits 214 billion with North America growing slowest• Why layoffs keep coming in a market still growing 6 percent• Makers Fund raises 250 million and shifts into project and UA financing• Google Play makes memory optimization a store requirement in February 2027• Opening Night Live and the endless pile of tactics spin-offs• HoYoverse reveals Nodusfall while its mobile portfolio drops 24 percent• Garena picks up Palworld for mobile and Roco Kingdom goes global• Localization and UI as the real barrier for Eastern games in the West• The HD on mobile fight nobody at the table is winningCHAPTERS:01:12 Today’s Topics Rundown02:19 Gamescom Pics and Shoutouts03:01 Sponsor Updates05:57 GTA6 Leeks16:11 Layoffs and Market Maturity20:10 Makers Fund Raises $250M28:18 Google Play RAM PSA29:29 Gamescom Opening Night Live36:16 Western Appeal Debate37:04 Roco Kingdom Goes Global37:47 Palworld Mobile Licensing38:52 Cozy Combat Audience Shift41:35 Portfolio Decline And Cannibalization51:33 Localization And UI Barriers01:01:18 Wrapping Up And Next Week
345. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of UA Financing
Everyone's telling you cohort financing is free money to scale. It's not, and the contract fine print is where that story falls apart.Josh Chandley (President & COO, Wildcard Games) sits down with Phil Mohr …
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Everyone's telling you cohort financing is free money to scale. It's not, and the contract fine print is where that story falls apart.Josh Chandley (President & COO, Wildcard Games) sits down with Phil Mohr (CEO & Co-founder, Metica) and Martin Macmillan (Founder, Pollen Capital) to break down what cohort financing actually costs, who really takes the risk, and how founders keep getting burned by deals they don't fully understand. Martin lent almost $1B through Pollen VC with zero credit defaults over a decade. Phil looked at 40-50 games before Metica stopped writing new cohort deals altogether. Between them, they unpack the math the sales guys don't want you to run.Topics Covered:• UA financing vs cohort financing• Why receivables lending scaled down• The 80/20 mechanics of a cohort deal• Who actually takes the risk on a cohort• Cross-collateralization and disguised liens• What makes a good candidate for financing• Breakeven windows and LTV curve shape• The real annualized cost of cohort financing• How financing cost raises your effective CPI• Why finance and UA teams don't align• Getting free debt from your ad networks• Red flags in cohort financing contracts• What happens when a cohort underperforms• Debt plus equity hybrid dealsCHAPTERS: 00:00 Cohort Financing Hype00:36 Meet the Experts02:20 UA Financing Explained03:45 Receivables vs Cohorts05:20 How Cohort Deals Work09:04 Hidden Risks and Recourse11:06 Contract Traps to Watch15:39 Who Qualifies for Funding17:49 Payback Windows Sweet Spot18:54 LTV Curve and Game Types22:45 True Cost and IRR Math29:19 Financing Cost in UA Bids32:15 Data Truth and Real-Time Stops36:09 Cohort Risk And Timing37:01 Free Credit From Ad Networks38:40 Why Credit Lines Aren’t Enough43:42 VC Versus Lender Mindset47:05 Questions For Cohort Lenders53:10 Bad Terms And Red Flags56:40 Evolving Financing Stack59:25 Exit Clauses And Flexibility01:02:42 Modeling Downside Scenarios01:07:54 Debt Plus Equity Strategy01:10:18 Final Advice And Wrap Up
344. The Truth About Taking Over A Company
In March 2025, Jon Bellamy became CEO of Jagex and Alexis Bonte became CEO of Stillfront. Both inherited companies with legacy, scale, and a long list of things that needed to go. This episode is about what …
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In March 2025, Jon Bellamy became CEO of Jagex and Alexis Bonte became CEO of Stillfront. Both inherited companies with legacy, scale, and a long list of things that needed to go. This episode is about what actually happens in a games industry CEO's first 100 days.Timestamps00:00 - The first 100 days05:24 - Knowing the company09:15 - Cultural shift15:16 - Choosing focus19:33 - Public versus private24:52 - Board communication30:44 - Evaluating leaders36:15 - Head coach mode39:17 - Three success markers
TWIG #397: Roblox Under Fire, Apple’s EU App Store Shake-Up and Netflix Games’ Studio Retreat
Crew breaks down another packed week in games. Roblox faces mounting pressure over child safety as Congress launches an investigation, Apple rewrites its EU App Store economics while Germany forces changes to …
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Crew breaks down another packed week in games. Roblox faces mounting pressure over child safety as Congress launches an investigation, Apple rewrites its EU App Store economics while Germany forces changes to ATT, and Netflix Games keeps shrinking with two more studio closures. Meanwhile, Webtoon makes a $100 million bet on gaming, Devolver Digital heads for the exits after a brutal public-market run, and Mishka goes deep on Voodoo’s latest hybrid-casual hit. Topics Covered:• Roblox’s congressional investigation and growing child-safety pressure• Roblox’s Discord problem • What higher opt-in rates could mean for Meta and mobile UA • Apple’s new EU App Store fee structure• Webtoon buying up to 60% of RI Games Holdings • Netflix Games closing Night School Studio and Moonlit • Devolver Digital delisting after its stock fell roughly 97% • Castle Crushers, Voodoo’s hybrid-casual formula and its path toward a $100M run rate • What Voodoo’s evolution says about the French hyper-casual ecosystem• Kingdom Hearts’ new animated series and Kingdom Hearts IV targeting late 2027
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome and Hosts
01:02 Episode Agenda Preview
02:37 Jury Duty and Snake Heroics
04:03 Seattle SLICE Conference Plug
04:48 Mishka Updates and Events
06:24 Corrections on Turkey Funding
09:21 Roblox Under Investigation
14:03 Roblox Safety Measures Debate
21:13 ATT Changes in Germany
27:18 EU App Store Fee Overhaul
36:56 Markets and Monetization
37:29 Webtoon Buys Game Studio
40:07 Funding and UA Reality
43:35 Mid Market Myth Busting
46:44 Transmedia LTV Strategy
49:36 Netflix Games Retrenchment
54:01 Devolver Delisting Lessons
56:32 Castle Crushers Deep Dive
01:01:11 Voodoo and France Squeeze
01:06:14 Wrap and Next Week
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