

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

May 26, 2022 • 1h 9min
TWIG #184 Why EA is not for sale / TikTok’s push into gaming / Snap’s lower guidance
Eric Kress dismantles the rumors of EA being for sale. Eric Seufert analyzes Snap's multiple lowered guidances. Laura Taranto looks into TikTok's push into gaming. Team also discusses recent two big mobile launches: APEX Legends from EA and Dislyte from Lilith. And what would be a TWIG episode without hearing the latest of Kress' son's basketball life...
Links:
Questions and Feedback
Sponsors:
Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, Xsolla, Recur

May 25, 2022 • 55min
Tokenomics #9 Understanding the WAX blockchain with gaming veteran Michael Rubinelli
Before he joined L1 solution WAX as their Chief Gaming Officer, Michael Rubinelli had a long and accomplished career in gaming. Spanning companies including EA, THQ, Midway, Take Two, Disney, and Kixeye, Michael’s career has taken him across many gaming platforms and business model transitions. In this interview, we talk about how WAX is the L1 solution purpose-built for gaming, the challenges of transitioning to blockchain gaming, the success WAX Studios has seen with Blockchain Brawlers as well as its role in game development and publishing.
This interview is hosted by Ethan Levy, who currently serves as Executive Producer of Legendary: Heroes Unchained at N3TWORK.

May 22, 2022 • 58min
Deep Dive into A16Z's GAMES FUND ONE
The $600M GAMES FUND ONE, a16z’s inaugural fund dedicated to building the future of the games industry. A16Z has been investing in games for over a decade being the investor of the likes of Zynga and Oculus.
We're joined by Jonathan Lai, General Partner at A16Z to discuss what makes GAMES FUND ONE stand out from the rest of the gaming and interactive media funds.
Jonathan also breaks down what verticals the new fund is going after and how the fund evaluates founders. We also discuss the effect of the bear market on the games industry and the future of blockchain games.
links:
Jon Lai (@Tocelot)
Deconstructor of Fun (email)

May 20, 2022 • 59min
TWIG #183 Ubisoft's bet on mobile / AppLovin's masterful earnings report / the problem with braintrusts
We discuss why Ubisoft shifts attention to mobile amidst declining sales. Kress provides a breakdown of the AppLovin quarterly review, where the company put on a show of the ages and got rewarded with a 35% growth in their stock price. We talk about Bethesda's delayed games and the implication of this. Adam breaks down why brain trust, which sounds so amazing on paper, rarely if ever works in real life.
Links:
Questions and Feedback
Sponsors:
Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, Xsolla, Recur

May 18, 2022 • 52min
Tokenomics #9 The Collapse of the Terra Ecosystem Explained
If you’ve been following crypto news over the past few weeks, you’ve undoubtedly seen plenty about the dramatic collapse of the Terra ecosystem against the backdrop of the onset of crypto winter. 30 days ago, $LUNA was at $81.45 and is now under $0.0002. $UST was at $1.00. and is now $0.09. Today we are joined by special guest Kenrick Drijkoningen, General Partner at Play Ventures and an early investor in Terra to explain the collapse of Terra, and how this collapse should influence the choice of chain for your web3 game project.
Kenrick is joined in conversation by your regular hosts Ethan and Anton.

May 17, 2022 • 1h 12min
How to Get Bang for Your Buck with Influencers featuring Chief Pat
Patrick Carney (aka. Chief Pat) is the founder and CEO of Tribe Gaming, an esports and influencer company for mobile games with over 100M monthly views on YouTube.
Together with Pat, we talk about how to be successful with influencer marketing on YouTube. We discuss finding the right influencer for your game and how to get these influencers to talk about your game in an authentic way. Pat also analyzes the impact of IDFA on the demand for influencer marketing.
Tribe Gaming works with the likes of Activision, Tencent, and Supercell. This episode is guaranteed to be full of tangible insights for publishers and developers of all sizes.
ps: check out the Tribe Mobile (https://imgur.com/a/DDrKjT2)

May 12, 2022 • 1h 4min
TWIG #182 Crypto crash and blockchain gaming / Explaining FIFA's breakup with EA
We discuss the crash of crypto and how it affects blockchain gaming. Dive deep into Space Ape's development process and compare it to the one Wooga used to unsuccessfully follow before the Playtika acquisition. Kress explains why FIFA is the one to lose out after the breakup with EA.
Links:
Questions and Feedback
The Slack Group
Hosts:
Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Ethan Levy, Eric Seufert
Sponsors:
Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, Xsolla

May 11, 2022 • 1h 6min
Tokenomics #8 Premium Utility NFTs and How to Build a Tokenized Community
The recent launch of Moonbirds is shaping up to be the best NFT drop of 2022 yielding up to $280M. In this episode, we dive into why it worked so well, as well as the lessons learned and actionable takeaways for gaming.
The premium of Utility NFTs is growing rapidly, and we’re witnessing the growth in real-time with innovative projects like Moonbirds that build upon previous successful projects. Aligning communities, creators, tokens, and value is how you onboard people to crypto and build tokenized communities.
Hosts:
N3TWORK Executive Producer Ethan Levy -
Play Ventures Principal Anton Backman -
Savage Games Studios CEO Michail Katkoff

6 snips
May 5, 2022 • 1h 5min
TWIG #181 Embracers shopping spree continues / Blizzard launches Warcraft Clash
We discuss the mixed reviews of APEX Mobile. Congratulate Bernard Kim on his latest baller move. Doom Warcraft mobile. In this episode Kress also ponders why NewZoo keeps triggering him. Seufert updates us on the latest anti-trust charges Apple is facing.
Links:
Questions and Feedback
The Slack Group
Hosts:
Mishka Katkoff, Eric Kress, Adam Telfer and Ethan Levy, Eric Seufert
Sponsors:
Google, ironSource, Appsflyer, Xsolla

5 snips
May 1, 2022 • 1h 17min
Blockchain Gaming with the Web3 Pioneer, Shahaf Bar Geffen
Shahaf started a company called ominously Web3 back in 2006. Since then he has been at the forefront of the adaptation of blockchain technology first within finance and now within games as the President of UnCaged Studios.
In this episode, we discuss the reasons why blockchain and crypto broke into the mainstream last year. Why do investors remain bullish about blockchain gaming despite massive security hacks and lack of audience growth? As well as what is the most important part when assessing and predicting the success of a blockchain games company.


