Deconstructor of Fun
596 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 84 ratingsDeconstructor 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
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support
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Episodes
TWIG #87: Activision and Selena Gomez Trademark/IP Claims in Games, Valorant Performance, Amazon of Gaming Companies
June 15, 2020 19:02 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBWelcome to TWIG #87! This week we cover: #1.; Call of Duty Publisher Wins First Amendment Trademark Suit Against Humvee Manufacturer (Gamma Law) #2. Selena Gomez Sues Mobile Game Company for $10M for Stealing Likeness (Gamma Law) #3. This is the PlayStation 5 (The Verge) #4. Valorant is Performing Below Expectations According to Twitch Stats (GameLife) #5. How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies (ggdigest.com) LINKS This week we are joined by guest David Hoppe of Gamma Law: http://...
Data Science in Game Studios | Ft. Tilting Point's Andre Cohen
June 12, 2020 17:55 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBDespite lots of talk about the use of data science in game studios, surprisingly, there's a lot of misunderstandings about how data science is actually used and how best to utilize data scientists. Today we discuss the following with Andre Cohen who is Head of Data Science at our friends over at Tilting Point: #1. What is the role of data science within a games studio? #2. What are the primary applications data science is being used for? #3. What does a data science team look like in ter...
TWIG #86: More Zynga Acquires Peak, Glu Prices Public Offering, and UA Deep-Dive
June 08, 2020 18:14 - 1 hour - 56 MBWelcome to TWIG #86! This week we cover: #1. Why Zynga bought Peak Games #2. Glu Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock #3. Game and UA Teams That Work Together, Grow Together Hosts this Week: Today we are joined by guest host Nebo Radovic from N3twork: Nebo Radovic: @eniac (Twitter) Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 (Twitter, Insta) Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katk...
Ad Creatives Framework: Optimization Deep Dive (Matej Lancaric)
June 06, 2020 07:13 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBJoin us for potentially the MOST IN DEPTH AND TACTICAL discussion on optimizing ad creatives for mobile marketing published ever in the world! Joining us for that discussion is the former Head of UA for Superscale: Matej Lancaric. Matej was with Superscale at the time of the recording, but now independent. Matej talks to us today discussing how to develop a framework for managing Ad Creatives. Creatives have now become the #1 lever to drive profitable ad spend. MATEJ CONTACT: https...
TWIG #84: Zynga acquires Peak and the team cuts through PR nonsense
June 01, 2020 17:44 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MBWelcome to TWIG #84! This week we cover: #1. Twitch gets a new channel for news, exclusives, and more (The Verge) #2. Sony Confirms PS5 Event for June 4 (Gamespot) #3. Mark van Ryswyk On Why The Pandemic Is A Unique Moment To Reach New Consumers (Alist Daily) #4. Interview: Why Scopely and PierPlay spent three years perfecting Scrabble GO (Pocketgamer) Today we are joined by guest host Josh Burns from http://www.digitaldevconnect.com/ Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach u...
UA Coffee Talk: Mobile Marketing Under Crisis!
May 29, 2020 18:39 - 40 minutes - 37.8 MBThe focus of our conversation today will be about how to think about user acquisition during times of crisis or more generally under situations of sudden change. When a change happens e.g., Real money gaming impacting social gaming, recession, a new game mode like Autochess cannibalizes other strategy games or game modes... What do you do? Just wait for data? How can we think about a framework or systematized way of thinking to navigate and optimize UA spend? Find out in our conversations ...
Creative Trends for the Mobile Gaming Industry with Steven Chard, CEO of Luna Labs
May 27, 2020 06:00 - 45 minutes - 34.3 MBCreatives are the talk of 2020, everyone claiming they are the last lever. But, what does that actually mean for a studio today? What do they need to do? What does the future studio look like? How does the UA teamwork with the creative team and the developer team? How can studios maximise the impact of creatives and identify the biggest opportunities? Lots of questions. But luckily, Steven Chard, CEO of Luna Labs is here to answer them. visit: www.lunalabs.uk www.appsflyer.com/customers/...
TWIG #83: Amazon's Attempt at LOL Shooter, Ubisoft Sues Apple/Google over Siege Clone, Future of Game Conferences
May 25, 2020 18:24 - 45 minutes - 42.2 MBWelcome to TWIG #83! This week we cover: #1. Ubisoft Sues Apple and Google Over Mobile Rainbow Six Siege Clone (IGN) #2. Ubisoft announces Ubisoft Forward on July 12 (GamesIndustry.biz) #3. Crucible is Amazon’s attempt at a shooter League of Legends (Polygon) Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 (Twitter, Insta) Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podcast...
Manticore: The Next Big Creator Platform? Founders Frederic Descamps and Jordan Maynard
May 21, 2020 23:36 - 48 minutes - 45.2 MBIn gaming, sandbox creator platforms to become the next ROBLOX have been the talk of investors over the past few years. The latest entry into the space is Manticore with their CORE platform led by ex-Zynga executives Frederic Descamps (CEO) and Jordan Maynard (CCO). How will Manticore's CORE platform compete against ROBLOX? Who are they targeting? How will developers on CORE make money? To get a better understanding of the offering and the big future opportunity they are chasing we spo...
TWIG #82: Supercell vs. AppLovin: Clash of Cultures! Lessons vs. Legacy
May 18, 2020 17:44 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBWelcome to TWIG #82! This week we cover: #1. 10 LEARNINGS FROM 10 YEARS (Supercell Blog) #2. Game of War developer Machine Zone acquired by AppLovin (gamesindustry.biz) #3. Valorant and Twitch build symbiotic relationship of success (Venture Beat) #4. Ubisoft says 11 games sold over 10 million copies each in PS4/Xbox One era (Venture Beat) KEY LINKS: Joe Kim's AppLovin post: I am AppLovin! Behind the company acquiring MZ Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on T...
TWIG #81: Supercell | 10 Years of Excellence
May 13, 2020 18:32 - 57 minutes - 53.3 MBWelcome to TWIG #81! This week we cover: #1. Cloud Gaming: Why It Matters And The Games It Will Create #2. Fortnite’s “Party Royale” mode ditches the guns, asks players to “chill” #3. 10 Years of Excellence - Deconstruction of Supercell #4. Design + Behavioral Economics = Apple Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 (Twitter, Insta) Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff --- Support this podc...
Your Analytics Are Not Even Scratching the Surface
May 10, 2020 16:52 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBWe're joined by Joe Schaeppi who is the CEO of 12trait. 12traits is a different kind of tool to understand your players. It doesn't look that much at what they did. Instead 12traits focuses on understanding the players through deep psychological insights. Why is understanding your players more intimately important? Well, it allows you to create experiences which optimize for healthy long-term engagement that in turn drives the LTV. After all, our players’s best interest is your company's be...
TWIG #80: XBOX Game Pass 10M Subs, Super Evil Announces Catalyst Black, XBOX Series X - Games Could Be Delayed!
May 05, 2020 18:32 - 46 minutes - 43.3 MBWelcome to TWIG #80! This week we cover: #1. Xbox Game Pass now has over 10 million subscribers #2. SuperEvilMegaCorp Announces “Catalyst Black” #3. Xbox Series X still set to launch on schedule, but games could be delayed Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support
Social Casino 2020 | Genre Outlook
April 30, 2020 20:22 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBTwo world class industry experts in mobile social casino talk to us today about the latest overview, updates, trends, and predictions for the market. Our guests today include: Brett Nowak, CEO of market research firm Liquid & Grit (www.liquidandgrit.com). Brett was formerly Lead PM on Zynga Poker at Zynga, and was a Director of Product at Blue Shell Games before starting Liquid & Grit. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-now... Lloyd Melnick has an incredible background in soci...
TWIG #79: Supercell Battle Pass Talk, Three Questions to Level Up Battle Pass, Travis Scott Fortnite, and Epic Gives In to Google!
April 27, 2020 19:39 - 59 minutes - 55 MBWelcome to TWIG #79, apologies we were off last week. This week we cover: #1. Clash of Clans: Bigger, Better Battle Pass #2. Three questions to ask to level up your Battle Pass monetization #3. Travis Scott's Fortnite Event Draws Record Audience #4. Epic gives in to Google and releases Fortnite on the Play Store Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff --- ...
Survive and Thrive: Demiurge Studios and Marvel Puzzle Quest (> $100M Revenue)
April 24, 2020 15:47 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBMarvel Puzzle Quest was first launched back in 2013 and has been going strong for over 6 years now grossing over $100M in life of product revenue. Demiurge has had a bit of a roller coaster history and Al has successfully led the studio through both good and challenging times. Find out more about the story behind it all including the most recent re-acquisition of the studio from SEGA and the future with founder Al Reed! We cover: #1. The history of Demiurge, the origin story and how it al...
TWIG #78: Facebook Takes on Twitch, Valve Success?, PS5 Limited Release, Is Fortnite the next Metaverse?
April 22, 2020 15:48 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MBWelcome to TWIG #78, apologies we were off last week. This week we cover: #1. Valve: More games are finding success on Steam than ever before #2. PS5 has limited release plans in 2020 #3. Silicon Valley is racing to build the next version of the Internet. Fortnite might get there first. #4. Facebook to Introduce an App for Gaming LINKS: Google Play Updated Developer Policy: "Deceptive Behavior" Facebook Updated Terms of Service "Data Use Terms for Advanced Mobile App Measurement" ...
Biggest Lessons from Gaming with Jori Pearsall (ex Scopely, GREE, Google)
April 20, 2020 15:27 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBJori Pearsall now Chief Product Officer at mobile financial access firm Tala has had a stellar career in mobile gaming working at companies like GREE and then most recently leading Product at mobile giant Scopely. What has Jori learned from his time working in mobile games and free to play? What can he apply from our industry to his new industry? Listen to Jori speak on the biggest lessons he's learned and what's next for him in this fantastic discussion as he now transitions to his new i...
After Crisis: Games & Life In a Post COVID-19 World
April 16, 2020 17:33 - 55 minutes - 51.8 MBLots of coronavirus talk these days and especially about current impact to gaming, etc. We wanted to take a slightly different approach to this. Let's talk deeper, let's talk long-term, let's talk about philosophical implications. Today Niklas Herriger and I talk about: #1. Long-term economic impact #2. Dealmaking & psychology in crisis #3. What do you do to adjust to the new reality? #4. The dichotomy (societal and business model) exposed by coronavirus #5. How gaming will ...
Improve Marketability, Save Millions
April 14, 2020 18:26 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBAt its core, improving marketability means the increase of IPM (installs per 1000 impressions), which in turn leads to decreased CPI (cost per install). In lame man terms: the better your ad and your App Store page performs, the cheaper it is to acquire players. But while the formula is straightforward, increase of marketability doesn't necessarily result in positive effects. In fact, incorrect use of the data may very well lead you astray creating a scenario where you're acquiring the wrong ...
Markets #2: Latin America | With Jam City and Lockwood Publishing
April 10, 2020 18:49 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBWhat do you know about the Latin America gaming market? Well find out about the key players, specifics of the market, and how to achieve success in LATAM with guest speakers from Jam City, Jairo Nieto and Alejandro Gonzalez, and with Lockwood Publishing's (Avakin Life) Carlos Estigarribia! Hosts: Joseph Kim @jokim1 Josh Burns Youtube video of the podcast: GameMakers YouTube --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support
Impact of Coronavirus on Mobile with App Annie
April 08, 2020 23:25 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBAppAnnie recently published a report on The Impact of Coronavirus on the Mobile Economy. In this podcast, we speak to AppAnnie's Lexi Sydow and Amir Ghodrati (again!) to go over key takeaways from their report. In particular we cover: #1. Download impact on games and other key verticals #2. Top games, types of games #3. Biggest winners and losers #4. Differences between China and the US Host: Joe Kim: @jokim1 Insta, Twitter Eric Kress: @ekress Twitter And we have special guests: A...
TWIG #77: Riot's Teamfight Tactics Surpasses 4.5M on Mobile, Amazon Enters Gaming, XBOX Series X, The Kick-Ass Founding Team
April 07, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBWelcome to TWIG 77! This week we cover: #1. Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics Surpasses 4.5 Million Downloads on Mobile #2. Amazon Pushes Into Making Video Games, Not Just Streaming Their Play #3. Microsoft: Staggered launch would hurt Xbox Series X #4. The Kick-Ass Founding Team Do you want to come on the podcast with us? Do you have feedback or comments for us? You can reach us on Twitter at: Joseph Kim: @jokim1 Eric Kress: @ekress Adam Telfer: @adamwtelfer Miska Katkoff: @m_katkoff -...
Secrets to ROBLOX's Success! | Matt Curtis VP Developer Relations
April 03, 2020 15:53 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBRoblox has grown like crazy since its launch in 2006. Today 10 Roblox games have been played over 1 billion times and Adopt Me! has surpassed 4 billion plays. Since the launch of the mobile app, Roblox is also regularly a top 10 grossing mobile game as well. Today we cover: The history of Roblox and how it became successful How Roblox monetizes now and in the future What’s coming up for Roblox The Key Secrets to Roblox’s success Join hosts: Joseph Kim, @jokim1 Eric Kress, @ekress Re...
TWIG #76: Epic Games Publishing!, CPI Decline Benefits Mobile Game Companies, and Forte x Blockchain
April 01, 2020 13:00 - 40 minutes - 37.8 MBWelcome to TWIG 76! This week we cover: Epic Games Publishing Announces Partnerships with gen DESIGN, Playdead, and Remedy Entertainment (Epic Games Website) Declining Cost-Per-Install Should Benefit Mobile Game Companies (Stephens Report) Forte recruits 5 more high-end game studios to make blockchain-based games (GamesBeat) Links: Jeff Cohen of Stephens - hit him up to request access to his research report: Jeff Cohen LinkedIn Kristian Segerstrale CEO talking about Rogue Games stoppi...
Managing Marketing Spend Through a Recession (and Depression) with Eric Seufert and Brian Murphy
March 31, 2020 11:12 - 52 minutes - 48.9 MBDon’t be fooled: the mobile app economy will implode just like everything else. Question is, how should games companies operate through the recession or even depression? What should the UA strategies look like for the different types of game portfolios? And what will the market look like when it’s all said and done? I had lots of questions. Kudos to Eric Seufert and Brian Murphy for sharing their views and insights. --- For more informations, please visit: www.mobiledevmemo.com www.app...
Might & Magic Chess Royale | Lead Game Designer Damien Yvray (Ubisoft Paris Mobile)
March 26, 2020 21:51 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBInterview with Damien Yvray, Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft Paris Mobile on Might & Magic Chess Royale! Overview of Ubisoft’s strategy and efforts in mobile Might & Magic Chess Royale: Origin story What is it and how is it different? The current auto chess craze and Ubi's approach at attacking the market You can also watch the video interview here: https://youtu.be/mgCGtiJvWu0 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support
TWIG #75: Supercell's Hay Day Pop, Scopely Raises Another $200M, Tencent $$$
March 24, 2020 05:56 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBWelcome to TWIG 75! This week we cover: Mobile studio Scopely nets $200 million for more acquisitions Sony reveals full PS5 hardware specifications Mobile versions of Call of Duty and PUBG driving game revenue at Tencent Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support
TWIG #74: Coronavirus Impact on Gaming!, China Game Approvals, Exclusives Ending?, and COD Warzone going Nutz!
March 19, 2020 15:13 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBWelcome to TWIG 74! This week we cover: #1. Coronavirus impact on mobile games Even Virtual Goods From China Are Taking a Hit From Coronavirus (Bloomberg) Corona's impact on mobile ad spend (LI Post by Andre Kempe, who runs an app marketing agency) Coronavirus contributes to mobile game downloads climbing 39% (Business of Apps) #2. China approves 27 games including Brawl Stars #3. The exclusive as we know it is ending, and that’s a good thing #4. Call of Duty: Warzone surpasses 6 mil...
Elite Game Developers vs. Deconstructor of Fun
March 17, 2020 06:12 - 1 hour - 65.9 MBIn this episode I'm joined by Joakim Achren, seasoned Finnish games entrepreneur, turned online coach and mentor for aspiring games entrepreneurs and business folks. You can find the content he provides at (www.elitegamedevelopers.com). The content that EGD offers includes: The podcast where Joakim talks to founders, investors and other people who work closely with gaming startups. Here, have a listen. The book.. You can grab the first chapter from here. The blog, check it out here. --...
TWIG #73: Riot's Valorant Monetization, iOS Games in China Require License, and MZ's Crystalborne
March 11, 2020 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBWelcome to TWIG 73! This week we cover: #1. Former Glu CEO Niccolo De Masi is on the prowl for mobile app acquisitions #2. iOS games in China to require a Publishing License - Why now, and what is the impact? #3. How will Valorant’s cosmetics and microtransactions work? #4. MZ's: Crystalborne Game Launch Links for this episode: Tim Sweeney's Tweets supporting NVIDIA's GeForce NOW Super Evil Megacorp's: SHARING OUR REMOTE FIRST PROCESSES, TOOLS AND GUIDELINES FOR FELLOW CORONA-DODGERS...
Stillfront Acquires Storm8 For $300M | Talk with COO Alexis Bonte
March 09, 2020 16:10 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBStillfront Group has been on a tear acquiring a number of marquee game studios. With the acquisition of Storm8, they have now grown their global gaming network to 13 total studios. Even further, the Swedish publicly listed company's stock has almost tripled in the past year. Stillfront acquired Storm8 for $300M on January 21, 2020. Who is Stillfront? What is their overall strategy? What was the mergers & acquisition process like in the Storm8 deal? How did they think through thei...
TWIG #72: Why GDC Canceled, Word! Games, EPIC Calls Out SuperData Fortnite Figures, and Roblox Raises $150M
March 03, 2020 08:25 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBWelcome to TWIG 72! This week we cover: #1. GDC 2020 has been canceled #2. State of Word Games: Rising Revenue, Emerging Markets #3. EPIC Questions SuperData on Fortnite Figures #4. Roblox raises $150M Series G, led by Andreessen Horowitz, now valued at $4B Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/...
TWIG #71: Fortnite Chapter 2, Facebook VTA, Bethesda Pulls Out of GeForce Now, and Call of Duty Battle Royale
February 26, 2020 12:16 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBWelcome to TWIG 71! This week we cover: #1. Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 is live: Everything you need to know #2. What the Facebook View-Through Attribution changes #3. Bethesda follows Activision in pulling games from Nvidia’s GeForce Now #4. Call of Duty to launch free ‘Warzone’ battle royale Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spo...
TWIG #70: Supercell CEO "My Take On 2019", Unity IPO, Tim Sweeney, and Rovio Tumbles
February 20, 2020 16:08 - 1 hour - 58 MBWelcome to TWIG 70! This week we cover: #1. Unity Technologies Targeting 2020 IPO: Sources #2. MY TAKE ON SUPERCELL IN 2019 AS WE ENTER OUR SECOND DECADE #3. Tim Sweeney at DICE #4. Rovio profits tumble as Hatch continues draining resources Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff LINKS: IronSource Developer Day at GDC 2020 Making hit new games: The concept big studios are miss...
3 HUGE Changes Coming to Unity | Implications for PMs and Execs
February 17, 2020 16:13 - 19 minutes - 18.4 MBThe #1 mobile game development platform is getting a huge upgrade. Find out about the 3 HUGE changes that Unity will be introducing that are all potential game changers. In particular, we cover: #1. The DOTS Architecture #2. Scriptable Rendering Pipeline #3. Multiplayer Netcode What are the key implications all mobile PMs and executives need to know? Will these changes enable Unity to finally take share from Unreal in the console space? What is the impact to performance? What el...
Roblox Approach to Kids Safety with Laura Higgens Head of Digital Civility
February 14, 2020 14:30 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBHow should video games and video game developers address kids safety? Today we speak to Laura Higgens the Head of Digital Civility at Roblox to discuss how Roblox deals with kids safety. In particular, we will focus on issues such as: #1. Current legal environment and requirements for game makers? #2. Policies for kids safety - what are options or alternatives? #3. How to weigh corporate and monetary objectives with user privacy and safety concerns? To see the video version of t...
Markets #1: Japan | With Dr. Serkan Toto
February 13, 2020 14:30 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBWelcome to our new mobile gaming markets series. In this series, we will talk to experts about different countries and geographies in the world. We will get an overview of the specific market - Japan in this case - and key games, publishers, and platforms for the market. Further we'll talk about the specifics of each market and what it takes to be successful. Hosts: Joseph Kim, @jokim1 (Insta, Twitter) Josh Burns, Founder @DigitalDevConnect Guest: Dr. Serkan Toto, @serkantoto (Twitte...
TWIG 69: Elodie Games Raises $5M, Microsoft Delusional on Cloud, Call of Duty Players Spend More After Season Pass and Loot Boxes Removed
February 10, 2020 10:07 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBWelcome to TWIG 69! This week we cover: #1. Elodie Games raises $5 million for crossplay co-op games #2. Phil Spencer: "We see Amazon and Google as the main competitors" #3. Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser leaving the company #4. Ubisoft’s Uplay revenue is up 73% compared to last year #5. Call of Duty Players Spend More In-Game After Season Pass and Loot Boxes Removed Hit us up on Twitter or Insta with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @...
TWIG 68: Bytedance Takes on Tencent, Nintendo Mobile Hit $1B, EA $1B on MTX, Garena Acquires Dauntless, Ubi Acquires Kolibri
February 06, 2020 07:04 - 1 hour - 60 MBWelcome to TWIG 68! We've got the full crew today coming at you with a bunch of exciting news. Specifically: #1. ByteDance Takes Aim at Tencent's Core Gaming Business #2. Sensor Tower: Nintendo mobile games have earned $1 billion #3. Sea’s Garena acquires Dauntless game maker Phoenix Labs #4. EA Made Almost $1 Billion From Microtransactions Last Quarter #5. Ubisoft Acquires Mobile Game Studio Kolibri Games Also, you should definitely check out the interview we did with Kolibri's CEO D...
State of Mobile 2020 with AppAnnie - Mobile Gaming Health, Trends, and Top Games from 2019
January 29, 2020 07:49 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBAppAnnie released their State of Mobile 2020 Report. In this podcast, we speak to AppAnnie to go over key takeaways from the report especially for mobile game developers. In particular: #1. High level overview of the main health of the mobile economy and or the mobile gaming sector #2. Key trends related to usage and monetization of mobile games and geo/country #3. A look at some of the top games from 2019 Host: Joe Kim: @jokim1 Insta, Twitter And we have special guests: Amir Ghod...
TWIG 67: M&A Mania! FoxNext, Storm8, and Funcom Oh My!!!
January 27, 2020 16:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBWelcome to TWIG 67 everybody! Well the FoxNext transaction finally completed. As we've speculated on quite a bit with lots of different names and scenarios well we found out what finally happened in the end. In addition, the very interesting Stillfront Group acquired Storm8. And of course Funcom. Catch up on our thoughts and analysis on the latest M&A news from this past week now! This week we cover: #1. Scopely to Acquire FoxNext Games from The Walt Disney Company #2. Stillfront Group ...
UA Coffee Talk: All About LTV
January 23, 2020 19:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBThe focus of our conversation today is All About LTV. Actually, when people talk about LTV they really mean pLTV (predictive Life Time Value). And increasingly pROAS (predictive Return on Ad Spend) especially for the self attributing networks like Facebook and Google. Why is pLTV (and pROAS) so important to mobile marketers and product people? How is it estimated? How does this tie to optimizing advertising campaigns? Find out in our conversations with our usual hosts: Joe Kim: @...
TWIG 66: Game Over for GameStop, Might & Magic Chess Royale, Epic Games Store Disappointment and a Ton of Updates
January 20, 2020 16:10 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MBWelcome to TWIG 66! This week we cover: #1. GameStop’s woes deepen as revenues crash #2. Might & Magic: Chess Royale is an auto battle royale from Ubisoft #3. Epic Games Store tops $680 million in player spending Plus a lot of game updates including Team Fight Tactics, Escape from Tarkov Twitch Stats, and more! Hit us up on Twitter with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff --- Support this podcast: https://podca...
TWIG 65: The Steam Shit Sandwich, Miniclip Acquires Ilyon, XBOX Series X No Exclusives, and New Playstation Exec!
January 13, 2020 15:00 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBWelcome to TWIG 65! This week we cov er: #1. Tencent-owned Miniclip purchases Ilyon Games for $100 million #2. Xbox won't kick off the Series X generation with next-gen exclusives #3. A former Microsoft exec is PlayStation's new head of global business operations All About Steam: “Steam’s Shit Sandwich” #4A: Major slowdown of new releases on Steam last year #4B: Simplified Chinese is now the dominant language among Steam users #4C: Netease takes aim at Tencent with Fever Game store l...
TWIG 64: New Switch, Vince Zampella Leads EA DICE LA, Google Buys Typhoon Studio for Stadia, and Top Soft Launch Games!
January 08, 2020 19:33 - 50 minutes - 46 MBHappy New Year and Welcome to TWIG 64! This week we cover: #1. Report: New Switch model launching in 2020 #2. Respawn's Vince Zampella to lead EA DICE's LA studio #3. Google buys triple-A game dev Typhoon Studio to beef up Stadia #4. 49 top games in soft launch: From Marvel Super War and Disney Sorcerer’s Arena to Minecraft Earth and Tetris Royale Hit us up on Twitter with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You can reach us at: @jokim1 @ekress @adamwtelfer @m_katkoff Farm...
2019 Year in Review: The Biggest Games, Winners, Losers, and Trends!
December 31, 2019 15:39 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBWelcome to TWIG #63 everybody. This episode wraps Season 4 and is the last podcast episode for us for the year. Happy New Years and looking forward to 2020! This week we cover: #1. What was the biggest game of the year? By revenue? By downloads? #2. What was the best game of 2019 (your personal preference)? #3. Who was the biggest winner/gained the most in 2019? #4. Who lost the most 2019 (Studio or Publisher)? #5. Most Impactful News/Trend of 2019 Hit us up on Twitter with any feed...
TWIG #63: 2019 Year in Review - The Biggest Games, Winners, Losers, and Trends!
December 31, 2019 15:39 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBWelcome to TWIG #63 everybody. This episode wraps Season 4 and is the last podcast episode for us for the year. Happy New Years and looking forward to 2020! This week we cover: #1. What was the biggest game of the year? By revenue? By downloads? #2. What was the best game of 2019 (your personal preference)? #3. Who was the biggest winner/gained the most in 2019? #4. Who lost the most 2019 (Studio or Publisher)? #5. Most Impactful News/Trend of 2019 Hit us up on Twitter with any feed...
TWIG #62: Kongregate's Acquisition Strategy, Roblox's Biggest Games of All Time, and Riot's New Publishing Label
December 23, 2019 19:51 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBWelcome to TWIG #62 everybody. This week we get a bit of a battle between Eric and Miska over Zynga growth prospects so stay tuned for that! This week we cover: #1. Kongregate acquires browser and mobile 2D battle royale Surviv.io #2. Roblox’s 10 biggest games of all time — each with more than a billion plays #3. Riot Games Creates New Publishing Label #4. N3twork Acquires “Funko Pop Blitz” from NBCU’s ashes Hit us up on Twitter with any feedback or suggestions for news to cover. You ...
UAC #1: Ad Creatives Optimization | User Acquisition Coffee Talk
December 19, 2019 23:53 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBWelcome to the first episode of UA (user acquisition) coffee talk. This is a new series, recorded initially for the GameMakers YouTube channel where I (Joe Kim) sit down with a couple of industry experts from UA and talk about specific UA topics and issues. In this podcast, I'm joined by two of the mobile industry's most well known experts in mobile growth: Nebo Radovic from N3twork and Jon Lau from Draft Kings. Both of these guys have been doing UA and mobile marketing in leadership roles ...