Deconstructor of Fun

TWIG #343: Match Villains' Monster Raise, the Sydney Sweeny Effect, and the Lost A of AAA

This week, the TWIG crew goes full galaxy brain. We kick things off with the real effects of celebrity cringe marketing. Then it’s onto the real news: Probably Monsters' search for $220M ROI, Match Villains' monster raise, Lilith's search for growth, and Roblox's unstoppable growth. 00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions02:46 Episode Overview and Key Topics03:32 Celebrity Gaming League and Brand Marketing04:56 Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle Partnership05:54 Review Bombing and Gamer Activism08:00 Gamescom Event Announcements09:15 Medica and Multi-Arm Bandit Experimentation13:11 FIFA Online and Free-to-Play Discussion16:39 Probably Monsters and AAA Development21:51 Epic vs Google Lawsuit Update26:55 Atari Acquires Thunderful Group30:42 Good Job Games Raises $60 Million31:58 Analyzing Revenue Per Download32:32 Hypothesis on Grand Games' Rapid Fundraising34:05 Match Villains' Market Performance34:28 VC Funding vs. Non-Dilutive Funding36:36 Investment Trends in Turkey's Gaming Market37:42 Challenges in Scaling Puzzle Games41:47 Farlight 84: A Relaunch Story45:37 Lilith Games' Portfolio Performance49:33 DC Worlds Collide and the Squad RPG Market54:02 Roblox's Monetization and Engagement Strategies

298. Segmentation Is Dead. Long Live Personalization!

In this episode, we unpack how today’s biggest mobile publishers are ditching segmentation in favor of experimentation at scale, what Apple’s privacy-first approach means to running LTV-focused live ops, and why personalization is no longer a “nice to have” but a competitive weapon.Who better to answer the questions than the founding team of Metica, Phil Mohr, Puli Liyanagama, and Justin Stolzenberg?These aren’t your average startup bros. We’re talking about the same crew that built Comify (acquired by King), then DataTiger (acquired by Apple), and now they’re back with a third act: Metica, a machine learning-powered platform tackling LiveOps personalization, blended ROAS optimization, and bid floor automation.Check out the STATE OF CREATIVES: https://tinyurl.com/393d9rum03:27 The Evolution of Data Analytics in Gaming 11:00 Metica and Its Purpose15:24 The Growth Loop24:44 Personalization at Scale: The Future of Gaming 33:21 Practical Applications in Game Development 43:08 Timing and Strategy 44:53 Future Roadmap

TWIG #342 Scopely Meltdown, Crazy Anime Story and One SHOCKING Game Recipe

Hola! Greetings from Spain. Mishka here, tanned, confused by dinner hours, and tragically absent from today’s pod. But fear not, Eric questions the rise of private equity in games and reports back from an anime convention while giving Andrew Wilson a new mobile crown. Phil wants a recount on a couple of Scopley acquisitions, while Jen channels Kate Hudson into top-of-funnel awareness. Gundam demands attention while the crew debates scaling the Drive to Survive treatment of One Piece.00:00 Introduction and Host Banter02:06 Today's Agenda and Topics Overview02:50 Nintendo Direct and Market Trends05:29 Unity's Challenges and UA Discussion08:22 Gamescom Parties and Community Engagement09:20 Economic Theories and Gaming Experiments17:32 Convoy Report and Market Analysis26:29 Sony's Strategic Moves and IP Partnerships30:12 Anime's Mainstream Status in America37:16 Crafton's Acquisition of 11th Hour Games39:13 Scopely's Portfolio Performance48:32 EA's Quarterly Earnings and Mobile Strategy56:23 Sony vs. Tencent: The Horizon Knockoff Controversy01:03:30 Ruckus Team's New Game: The Holdouts

297. Mobile Marketing in 2025: What Still Works (and What’s Dead)

In this Deconstructor of Fun podcast, Mishka Katkoff sits down with three of the sharpest minds in growth: Josh Chandley (Wildcard Games), Warren Woodward (Uptick), and Paul Bowen (StreamElements) to dissect the state of user acquisition in 2025.STATE OF CREATIVES Report: https://tinyurl.com/393d9rumChapters: 02:00 Is UA Dead or Just Evolved?07:00 The Real Impact of IDFA Deprecation13:00 Time Spent vs Installs: The New Market Reality18:00 AppLovin: Apex Predator of Ad Tech27:00 Attribution Fraud and Click Link Hijacking34:00 Why AppLovin Keeps Winning39:00 Can Unity’s Vector Compete?48:00 Unity’s Strategy, PR Games & Technical Hurdles57:00 Building a Modern Growth Org01:06:00 Creative Production as the Last Lever01:13:00 Fake Ads, Clickbait, and Mad Men01:19:00 Closing Advice for Growth Teams in 2025

TWIG #341 Ubisoft Tries “Succession” while Battlefield Attempts a Comeback

Miska’s usual jetset life hits a snag when he misses Kress’ Subnotica correction. Adam calls in from his cottage to lay down the law on Merge history, while Phil gushes over $500m in capital deployment. Eric details Ubisoft’s reality TV show attempt at Succession, and Jen delivers the 411 on Apple’s hypercasual attempt. The group pours one out for a very special Candy Crush anniversary.01:58 Gaming News Highlights02:42 Personal Updates05:33 Remembering the Mario Lopez Candy Crush Show07:52 Subnautica and Crafton Legal Drama10:37 App Charge Sponsorship and Insights14:40 Ubisoft Earnings and Family Drama22:44 Battlefield 6 Trailer and Expectations24:57 Call of Duty's Tech Debt and Battlefield's Response26:24 Battlefield 6 Release Date and Editions Leak28:31 Challenges and Risks for Battlefield 638:03 Supervi's Full Launch and Market Challenges40:05 Splitgate 2's Struggles and Relaunch43:09 Wild Gate's Launch and Marketing Issues46:58 Apple's Emoji-Based Puzzle Game49:39 Conclusion and Sign-Off