Deconstructor of Fun

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 Introductions 02:46 Episode Overview and Key Topics 03:32 Celebrity Gaming League and Brand Marketing 04:56 Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle Partnership 05:54 Review Bombing and Gamer Activism 08:00 Gamescom Event Announcements 09:15 Medica and Multi-Arm Bandit Experimentation 13:11 FIFA Online and Free-to-Play Discussion 16:39 Probably Monsters and AAA Development 21:51 Epic vs Google Lawsuit Update 26:55 Atari Acquires Thunderful Group 30:42 Good Job Games Raises $60 Million 31:58 Analyzing Revenue Per Download 32:32 Hypothesis on Grand Games' Rapid Fundraising 34:05 Match Villains' Market Performance 34:28 VC Funding vs. Non-Dilutive Funding 36:36 Investment Trends in Turkey's Gaming Market 37:42 Challenges in Scaling Puzzle Games 41:47 Farlight 84: A Relaunch Story 45:37 Lilith Games' Portfolio Performance 49:33 DC Worlds Collide and the Squad RPG Market 54:02 Roblox's Monetization and Engagement Strategies

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/393d9rum 03:27 The Evolution of Data Analytics in Gaming 11:00 Metica and Its Purpose 15:24 The Growth Loop 24:44 Personalization at Scale: The Future of Gaming 33:21 Practical Applications in Game Development 43:08 Timing and Strategy 44:53 Future Roadmap

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 Banter 02:06 Today's Agenda and Topics Overview 02:50 Nintendo Direct and Market Trends 05:29 Unity's Challenges and UA Discussion 08:22 Gamescom Parties and Community Engagement 09:20 Economic Theories and Gaming Experiments 17:32 Convoy Report and Market Analysis 26:29 Sony's Strategic Moves and IP Partnerships 30:12 Anime's Mainstream Status in America 37:16 Crafton's Acquisition of 11th Hour Games 39:13 Scopely's Portfolio Performance 48:32 EA's Quarterly Earnings and Mobile Strategy 56:23 Sony vs. Tencent: The Horizon Knockoff Controversy 01:03:30 Ruckus Team's New Game: The Holdouts

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/393d9rum Chapters: 02:00 Is UA Dead or Just Evolved? 07:00 The Real Impact of IDFA Deprecation 13:00 Time Spent vs Installs: The New Market Reality 18:00 AppLovin: Apex Predator of Ad Tech 27:00 Attribution Fraud and Click Link Hijacking 34:00 Why AppLovin Keeps Winning 39:00 Can Unity’s Vector Compete? 48:00 Unity’s Strategy, PR Games & Technical Hurdles 57:00 Building a Modern Growth Org 01:06:00 Creative Production as the Last Lever 01:13:00 Fake Ads, Clickbait, and Mad Men 01:19:00 Closing Advice for Growth Teams in 2025

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 Highlights 02:42 Personal Updates 05:33 Remembering the Mario Lopez Candy Crush Show 07:52 Subnautica and Crafton Legal Drama 10:37 App Charge Sponsorship and Insights 14:40 Ubisoft Earnings and Family Drama 22:44 Battlefield 6 Trailer and Expectations 24:57 Call of Duty's Tech Debt and Battlefield's Response 26:24 Battlefield 6 Release Date and Editions Leak 28:31 Challenges and Risks for Battlefield 6 38:03 Supervi's Full Launch and Market Challenges 40:05 Splitgate 2's Struggles and Relaunch 43:09 Wild Gate's Launch and Marketing Issues 46:58 Apple's Emoji-Based Puzzle Game 49:39 Conclusion and Sign-Off