Deconstructor of Fun

During the past couple of years the market has been crazy about merge games. And it's easy to understand why. The core mechanic is simple and engaging leading to high rates of engagement. Merge games are also very simple to soft launch as it takes about 8 weeks to get one of these games into the hands of players. The low entry barrier is also the reason for the market getting flooded by merge games that have not been able to scale. My guest today is Antti Hattara, CEO of Starberry Games. As many start-ups, also his made a merge game. But what sets Starberry apart from competition is their vast experience in launching and scaling casual games. Now year post launch, Starberry’s Merge Mayor is finally scaling up breaking revenue and download records every week. In this episode we discuss how to scale up a merge game. Because you all know that making one is not the real challenge. Sponsors: Facebook Gaming ironSource Appsflyer Beamable Get in Touch: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff

Topics covered: Deep games for the masses FIFA 22 is bringing back 'preview packs,' but regular loot boxes are staying too NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs raises another $250 million Links: The We Works book to read "We Works the Cult of We" Send us Questions and Feedback  Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter  Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert Image: Dapper Labs

The court has ruled that Apple must allow iOS apps to offer payment options besides the ones subject to App Store's 30% fees. Essentially, these payment methods link outside of the core app experience. We explore the best ways for game studios, large and small, to capitalize on this massive change.  Guests: Chris Hewish Eric Seufert Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff

Topics covered: Can Supercell Boost Beatstar Into a Major Hit Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple The App Store is the Games Store. Apple should recognize this. Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert Image: Apple

1047 Games is the developer of Splitgate, a portal-like shooter in beta that has amassed 13 million installs. And now this fully remote team of 40 up-and-coming developers has been laced up with hundred million Dollars to take grow their first game into a household name. In this episode we discuss how they achieved their amazing launch numbers after the first beta felt somewhat flat. We'll also chat how the company got started and how are they going to deploy their massive war chest to surpass the expectations set by the prominent investors. Links: 1047 Games careers Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff

Topics covered: 1) What’s really going on in the market at the moment? 2) Creative testing in iOS 14 3) How to produce creatives 4) Trends in creatives 5) Snap and TikTok Links: Miri Growth Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff

Headlines: Supercell's Everdale: a Genre Definer or a Pretty-Looking Social Appointment System? Nifty Games adds $38M to its coffers for sports Clash mobile games Axie Infinity’s $1.2 Billion Annualized Revenue Overtakes Candy Crush’s 2020 Total Revenue Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert Image: Supercell

The sudden rise of the weight companies put on cross-promotion is of course due to the IDFA deprecation that has to some extent further accelerated consolidation in the industry. As large publishers grow larger and operate across all the key gaming genres they are looking for tools to increase the life-time values of their large and diverse player base. Paytika is one of the main consolidators in the industry. They have in many ways been on the forefront of effective cross promotion growing games across multiple genres and audiences. In this episode I'm joined by Playtika's Media Department Lead, Yuval Yosefi, who explains how to set up and operate cross promotion strategy.  Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Host: Mishka Katkoff

Headlines: Apple will let developers accept payment outside App Store, in major concession amid antitrust pressure — The Washington Post  Facebook Undercounted SKAdNetwork Conversions For iPhone 12 Users Since February Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

A great Art Director will make your game stand out. They will build a strong art team and inspire both the developers and the executives with their creative vision. A perfect art director is just as a important as your technical director - and one could argue that sometimes Art Director should be the first hire on the team. In this podcast we discuss: Who's an AD? When to hire an AD? What kind of an AD will fit your game project Common pitfalls of an AD Guests: Kshiraj Telang, AD at Moonactive Jack Gilson, AD at Scopely Host: Mishka Katkoff Links: Send us Questions and Feedback Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group