Deconstructor of Fun

Headlines: WoW Disappointment, Plus Twitch, Start Mass Exodus Into Final Fantasy XIV Google expands ad targeting in mobile games amid pandemic gaming boom NoPixel and Grand Theft Auto V 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

Launching a mid-core game with high production values, competitive gameplay and strong multiplayer core requires a long and thorough soft launch.  I'm joined by Volkan Ediz, Chief Revenue Officer at Super Evil Megacorp, as we discuss how they've approached soft launch for their latest title Catalyst Black. What countries and platforms they chose, what has been their marketing budget, how do they improve marketability, what metrics they are looking at and how have the privacy changes affected the soft launch.  

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: Drake Star Partners: Game deals surpassed $60B in the first half of 2021 Supercell's secret for growing Brawl Stars to a $1 billion success Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed will be a live service game Links: Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

According to the book No Rules Rules, Netflix's culture is ruthless - both in terms of execution and in the way they treat their employees. In this episode, Sophie Vo, Joakim Achren, and Yours Truly discuss the merits and the challenges of the Netflix culture in a games company setting. We also talk about the pitfalls many companies face as they attempt to introduce pieces of the Netflix culture into their vastly different organizations. Links: Deconstructor of Fun Newsletter Deconstructor of Fun Slack Group Elite Game Developers Rise and Play

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1 Duolingo filed to go public #2 Self-publishing is key to attracting VC money for mobile gaming studios #3 EA continues to spend big on mobile games with $1.4 billion Playdemic acquisition LINKS: TWIG Newsletter Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

Arnd Benninghoff (EVP, Modern Times Group) and Shaun Rutland (CEO, Hutch) join the podcast to discuss MTG's corporate strategy. MTG is one of the top consolidators in the industry having acquired companies like Hutch, Inno Games, and ESL. MTG refers to their consolidation activities as   "family building". Their growth strategy is founded around acquiring resilient game studios that have operated over years through the turmoil of the market. The acquired companies are usually mid to small size and without exception profitable. MTG doesn't offer any central resources - unlike Zynga, AppLovin, or Playtika. And the corporation wants founders to continue to not only head their companies but to also help to "grow the family".

Welcome everybody to This Week In Games! News for today: #1 E3 Review #2 Disney's resurgence into video games is only just beginning LINKS: TWIG Newsletter Slack Group Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

This episode discusses idle games from all angles. Together with Rimmy Spanjer, who is the Managing Director of Games at Hyper Hippo, we cover concept validation, the development process, best monetization practices, and live services strategies in idle games. We also discuss why you should or shouldn't make an idle game and predict the future of the genre.

Welcome to This Week in Games!  We discuss NFTs in games with Ethan Levy, who also talks about his recent Deconstructor of Fun article - How Netflix could become the 'Netflix of Gaming'. LINKS: Level Up 2021 Hosts: Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Eric Seufert

In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Pruett, Director of Publishing at Oculus. We discuss the latest VR hardware and the overall adaptation rate of the platform. The Oculus ecosystem and the type of content that has reached financial success on it. As well as the future of virtual and augmented reality.