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 www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Phillip Black www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe
Hosts:
Michail Katkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Phillip Black www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 2, 2026 • 51min
Meta Is Back in the Game. Here's What That Actually Means.
Guy Meiboom, Meta’s US/EMEA Gaming Director who rebuilt Meta’s gaming org after ATT. He explains why Meta had to restructure, how creative velocity and algorithmic reach now drive UA, and why geo lift and incrementality testing matter. Practical talk on funding UA, avoiding attribution traps, and the behavioral shifts studios must make to scale.
10 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 1h 20min
TWiG #372: Death at an Xbox Funeral & Balling Out Ball’s State of Gaming
Adam, a product-focused return contributor known for industry strategy and AI tooling, joins to dissect Xbox’s leadership shakeup and what it signals for Microsoft. They spar over PlayStation closing Bluepoint, Tencent and Nexon moves, and whether live service and monetization are breaking studios. Conversation hits Matthew Ball’s State of Gaming, Overwatch Rush concerns, and a surprising self-care wrap-up.
Feb 23, 2026 • 1h 12min
400,000 Wishlists in a Month: Dead as Disco's Steam(ing) Playbook
Adam Gershowitz, COO of Brain Jar Games and former Overwatch production lead, talks rapid demo scaling and community-driven growth. Eden Chen, founder of Pragma and FirstLook, explains playtesting, player segmentation, and sentiment tools. They cover viral TikTok traction, referral-driven community growth, Discord bots, in-game surveys, and creator tooling that powered massive wishlist and demo spikes.
Feb 20, 2026 • 50min
UA Monthly #1: Meta’s New Playbook, Reddit Ads, & the State of UA
Josh Chandley, CEO of Wildcard Games and ad-monetization strategist, and Jihan Oklap, UA consultant and creator of Scaling.Games, discuss Meta’s recent ad playbook and whether its gains are sustainable. They debate in-app ad formats, rising creative volume and AI’s role, Reddit’s Max campaigns, shifting CPMs and payback windows, and how UA economics are reshaping hyper-casual and hybrid strategies.
Feb 19, 2026 • 1h 5min
TWIG #371: Clash Royale's Death Spiral, Blizzard's Comeback, and Why AI Hype is Killing Games
They dissect the Clash Royale controversy, apology and what’s broken in its design. They debate whether streamers can actually revive a mobile game. A major Moonton acquisition rumor and Blizzard’s multi-franchise reset get unpacked. The panel confronts AI hype in games and why it may not cut costs or solve platform attention problems.
Feb 16, 2026 • 47min
322. Female-First as a Moat: Dorian's Business of Fandom UGC with founder Julia Palatovska
Julia Palatovska, founder of Dorian and builder of a creator-first UGC platform for romance and interactive fiction aimed at women and Gen Z. She discusses why UGC fits romantic sims, surprising creator dynamics like art-driven discovery, strategies to seed and scale creator communities, moderation and safety, and how curation and AI will shape the future of creator-led games.
13 snips
Feb 12, 2026 • 1h 5min
TWiG #370: Supercell’s Annual Letter, Reading Between the KPIs
They unpack Supercell’s CEO letter and whether PR spin masks product realities. They dissect Clash Royale’s Lil Wayne halftime stunt and when brand blurs into product-led fandom. They analyze Roblox’s slowing growth, age and monetization limits. They cover Budge’s acquisition, PE dynamics, Unity’s struggles, and wider market consolidation.
Feb 9, 2026 • 1h 2min
321. Art Directing in the AI Era with SciPlay's Peter Franco
Peter Franco, Senior Art Director who modernizes top-grossing social casino titles and leads art teams, talks about art direction in the AI era. He covers how AI fits into art pipelines, keeping stylistic consistency, balancing creative vision with business KPIs, and the evolving skills art directors need. Short, practical takes on UX polish, player behavior, and using IPs in social casino design.
16 snips
Feb 5, 2026 • 1h 5min
TWiG #369: Genie 3 Explodes, Game Stores Die, & High Guard Stumbles
They unpack the shockwaves from Google DeepMind’s Genie 3 and how world models could reshape game creation. They dig into Aries Interactive’s big funding round and what it means for studio growth. The conversation covers the decline of physical game stores and a detailed look at Arknights Enfield’s launch performance and 3D RPG prospects. They also trace High Guard’s marketing missteps and the fallout from its rollout.
Feb 4, 2026 • 1h 2min
Shooter Monthly #4: The World's Biggest Shooter May Surprise & The Thing Highguard Needs to Learn
Feras Musmar, product director and former DICE/Gameloft dev; Chris Sides, industry consultant and ex-Bungie/EA designer; and Christopher Anjos, product strategist with EA/Activision/Tencent experience. They dissect High Guard’s MOBA-raid shooter blend, shadow-drop vs tech-test pitfalls, the risks of 3v3 formats, and why the shooter market has narrowed to battle royale and tactical styles.
