

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 @mkatkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress @ekress
www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Laura Taranto @laurataranto www.linkedin.com/in/laurataranto/
Phillip Black @econosopher www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe @Jen_Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe
Hosts:
Michail Katkoff @mkatkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress @ekress
www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Laura Taranto @laurataranto www.linkedin.com/in/laurataranto/
Phillip Black @econosopher www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe @Jen_Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 29, 2021 • 58min
Scaling So Far with Savage Game Studios
CEO & Co-Founder of Savage Game Studios, Michail Katkoff, joins Matthew Ellis for a chat in the latest episode of Scaling So Far 🎙
Having led and built teams at the like of Supercell, Rovio & Zynga in the past, Michail shares advice on hiring awesome studio talent, the impact of having leaders who listen, & keeping your culture alive & evolving 👾
... oh & he answers the question on everyone's lips - what being a "Savage" means to them 🤔
Listen in & follow Deconstructor of Fun for more #freetoplay insights from Michail 👌
Scaling So Far podcast: 🎧 https://lnkd.in/dYZsyXq 🎧

Mar 24, 2021 • 1h 7min
TWIG #125: Mr. Beast VC Fund, IronSource SPAC, 2K Tiger Woods, Discord $10B+, NYT Games Biz ft. Dean Takahashi from GamesBeat
Welcome to TWIG #125!
Today we cover:
#1. MrBeast’s management company, Night Media, has a new venture fund that’s backed by creators
#2 2k Sports Acqures HB Studios, signs PGA Tour 2k deal with Tiger Woods
#3. Thoma Bravo SPAC Agrees to Take IronSource Public
#4. Facing Post-Trump Slowdown, New York Times Eyes $100 Billion Games Market
#5. Discord exploring sale that could be worth more than $10 billion
LINKS:
#1. AdTech + Game Studios | The big DANGER from Applovin and Zynga
#2. Consumer Insights In Gaming
Guest:
- Dean Takahashi, Lead Writer VentureBeat & GamesBeat
Hosts:
- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)
- Joe Kim (@jokim1)
- Eric Kress (@ekress)
- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)
As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!
Check out TWIG on the GameMakers YouTube Channel!

Mar 22, 2021 • 1h 17min
Danger of Integrated Studios + Ad Networks: Applovin and Zynga
Recently Applovin a major ad network and games studio - announced the acquisition of Adjust which is a company known as an MMP or mobile measurement partner.
Zynga recently announced its intentions of acquiring an ad network including supply and demand side tech, mediation, and an MMP
We discuss the potential implications of these kinds of vertically integrated acquisitions with a games studio business pose a number of conflicts and dangers to potential customers of the ad networks.
Speakers:
Josh Chandley - COO of WildCard Games and current customer of AL
Josh Burns - Founder of DigitalDevConnect, A games industry veteran and neutral party
Filippo De Rose - Head of Growth at Trap Light, also previously at Pixelberry and a former customer of AL
Aviad Dadon - Chief Strategy Officer at Bidshake
Moderator:
Joe Kim - CEO LILA Games

Mar 18, 2021 • 45min
Growth Triggers #7 China's Tech Giants' Attempt to Circumvent IDFA, Our take on AppLovin's S1, Is Clubhouse a Fad?
Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth. In this episode, we discuss AppLovin's S1, the future of Clubhouse, and how China's tech giants are exploring ways to skirt Apple's privacy changes.
Your hosts:
Michail Katkoff (twitter) and Eric Seufert (twitter)

Mar 16, 2021 • 57min
TWIG #124: Star Wars to Marvel -> Licensed IP, Applovin S1, Roblox: Dawn of the Metaverse
Welcome to TWIG #124!
Today we cover:
#1. From Star Wars to Marvel, licensed video games are becoming more ambitious. Here’s why.
#2. AppLovin S1 (our take on the MTM take)
#3. Roblox: Dawn of the Metaverse
LINKS:
AdTech + Game Studios: The BIG Danger
Creators at Work Podcast (Liquid & Grit)
Hosts:
- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)
- Joe Kim (@jokim1)
- Eric Kress (@ekress)
- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)
As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!
Check out TWIG on the GameMakers YouTube Channel!

Mar 12, 2021 • 38min
Building Games For A Female Audience | Ft. Renata Caldani, Joana Marques, and Maryna Iaremenko
How do you design mobile games for a female audience? In this talk, we cover genres, motivations, mechanics, and much more!
Speakers:
Maryna Iaremenko, Lead Game Designer, GameHouse
Joana Marques, Sr. Product Manager
Renata Caldani, Brand Manager, Square Enix Montreal
Moderator:
Joseph Kim, CEO LILA Games
SPONSOR:
This podcast is sponsored by Square Enix Montreal.
Check out a ton of open listings right: *** HERE ***
Also, check out some of the open positions below:
Senior VFX Artist
Game Designer
Lead Game Designer
UA Marketing Artist
Data Analyst
Executive Producer
Development Director
Bi Developer
Software Development Manager
Release Management Supervisor
User Researcher

Mar 10, 2021 • 54min
Game Biz #1: Future of Game Industry M&A Ft. Chris Petrovic, Eric Kress, J Kim
Game Biz is a new segment discussing big game industry trends, strategy, and public company movements.
Catch us on Clubhouse this Friday for an after discussion on this topic:
Clubhouse Friday 3/12/21 at 12PM PST
Your hosts:
Joseph Kim
Eric Kress
Chris Petrovic

Mar 10, 2021 • 1h 2min
TWIG 123: Fortnite Acquires Fall Guys Dev Mediatonic, Ubisoft NFT Game, and Dream Games Secures $50M
Welcome to TWIG #123!
Today we cover:
#1. Fortnite developer Epic buys Fall Guys studio Mediatonic
#2. Gaming Giant Ubisoft Partners With Ethereum-based NFT Platform Sorare
#3. Dream Games secures $50m Series A round
LINKS:
Join us on Clubhouse this Friday 3/12/2021 at 12PM PST to discuss the Future of Games Industry M&A
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/MRQ1Z7pE
Hosts:
- Miska Katkoff (@m_katkoff)
- Joe Kim (@jokim1)
- Eric Kress (@ekress)
- Adam Telfer (@adamwtelfer)
As always, pls feel free to send us feedback!
Check out TWIG on the GameMakers YouTube Channel!

Mar 8, 2021 • 49min
How to Turnaround a Company with Offer Yehudai, President of Fyber
Let's be honest, leading a winning team is easy. Success breeds success and you're rolling from one victory to another with the momentum growing day-by-day.
What is hard is taking over a team that is failing and turning it around. What is even harder is turning around a declining public company, whose numbers are scrutinized every single quarter by shareholders and analysts.
I'm joined by Offer Yehudai, President of Fyber, who shares his experience in spearheading Fyber's 3-year turnaround.

Mar 4, 2021 • 53min
Growth Triggers #6 The Right Way to Build Your Game Marketing Team
Growth Triggers is a segment focusing on all matters of growth. In this episode, we discuss:
Whether to embed UA staff or not?
Who do you count in a UA team
What are the vital UA functions for a game team?
Who/what do you need for the best chances of success in SL?
Your hosts
Michail Katkoff and Eric Seufert