Deconstructor of Fun

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 startu...

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...

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 R...

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 Pers...

From crying alone in Bangalore to panic attacks at Gamescom, this is a brutally real look at what it actually costs to chase a vision.

Mishka Katkoff (Deconstructor of Fun) and Joseph Kim (Lila Games) reunite for the rawest, most honest founder-to-founder conversation you’ll hear this year. They dive deep into the sacrifices, suffering, and stress of building companies from scratch, away from the LinkedIn highlight reels.

5:00 – Suf...

Upcoming events:

Whiskey Tasting: https://event.appsflyer.com/gamescom2025/AF

Heroic Party:

https://lu.ma/tjkk5r8k

The crew kicks things off by breaking down Roblox’s bold new IP licensing platform—will it unlock the next Pokémon or just spin up another corporate side quest?

Then it’s off to Turkey for a pulse check on one of mobile gaming’s fastest-evolving markets, followed by a surprise breakout story from France that’s punching way...

Game District CEO Saad Hameed joins Michail Katkoff to tell the untold story of Pakistan’s booming gaming industry. From bootstrapped studios to billion-download success, we dive into the rise of Lahore as a serious global player, why Pakistan could be the next Turkey or Vietnam, and what’s holding the ecosystem back from its breakout moment. This is the episode you didn’t know you needed.

Connect with Saad: www.linkedin.com/in/saad...

We kick things off with a no-holds-barred Supercell rant before diving into the hottest industry stories—from Xbox Game Pass profitability to Apple’s latest regulatory headache in the EU. We break down Supercell’s shifting strategy, IPO rumors, and what it all signals for the wider market.

The crew also explores Gen Z’s changing spending habits, mobile monetization trends, and why Merge games might be due for a second wind. Plus: Me...

Mishka Katkoff interviews Seth Sivak as they discuss startup culture, leadership, company values, product market fit, cultural onboarding, adaptive culture, game industry, entrepreneurship, team dynamics, and management.

They discuss the importance of company culture, how it can be shaped and influenced, and the challenges of maintaining a healthy culture as a startup scales.

Seth shares insights on cultural onboarding, the adaptab...

The boys-only episode talks about layoffs sweeping through top Swedish studios before diving into yet another round of Xbox layoffs. In this episode, we also cover Apple’s ongoing cat-and-mouse game with the EU’s DMA rules and unpack the critical difference between private equity and venture capital in gaming. The crew analyzes the early flop of Marvel Mystic Mayhem before talking about how Splitgate 2 is already struggling to just...

In this episode, I sit down with Sophie Vo, studio founder, podcast host, and now the creator of Orin Retreats, to unpack why she walked away from the startup rat race to build something intentionally small, sustainable, and soul-aligned.

We talk about the version of success that nearly broke her, why the VC model fails most founders, and how depth, not scale, became her new metric for impact. If you’ve ever questioned the path you...

We discuss Believer’s potential survivor, the layoffs at Mind’s Eye, and Netflix’s surprising decision to axe key mobile titles. But the real meat is Supercell: what the hell is going on in Helsinki? From performance stagnation to communication silence, we unpack the company’s evolving strategy—or lack thereof.

Also on deck: Riot’s dev woes, Microsoft’s muddled Xbox strategy, and what YouTube’s 20th anniversary tells us about the fu...

From Niantic’s $3.5B sale of Pokémon GO to Scopely, to the rise of SLAP, a fast-paced, IRL multiplayer game that blends social tagging with viral video content Jen Donahoe and Lauren Steidl, CEO and co-founder of Integrated Reality Labs, explore how geogames are evolving from novelty apps into a new genre of play.Why Pokémon GO showed both the power and the limits of GPS gamingThe tech leap making real-world multiplayer actually wo...

We start with a massive Switch 2 record-breaking pre-launch momentum and what it signals for Nintendo’s comeback strategy. Then it’s on to Tencent’s rumored bid for Nexon that could reshape the Korean gaming landscape.

Candy Crush OGs jump back into the game as we unpack the shock closures (RIP Believer), restructures (Warner Bros Games), and slowdowns (Bungie’s Marathon, Build a Rocket Boy). Plus: Mobile Gaming Trends 2025,...

Mishka Katkoff talks with George Ng, co-founder and CTO of GGWP, about the real AI crisis in gaming—and it’s not what you think.From manipulative personalization to privacy nightmares, we unpack how AI is already reshaping development, monetization, and the player experience. George breaks down the tech behind the buzz, the moral minefields, and whether AI will elevate creativity or just flood the market with noise.Topics: • AI as ...

Habby has a new surprise launch that may push the publisher to $1B ARR. Apple somehow does worse than Game Center 2.0, while Xbox delivers a near swan song. Did we mention LARS IS GONE FROM EMBRACER? Eric vows a commitment of swear-free chastity, while Jen and Phil remind him of his true podcast self.03:33 Off the Record in LA05:27 Phil's Singapore Experience07:28 Dune Awakening and Game of Thrones Kings Road09:14 Off the Recor...

Mishka Katkoff sits down with Carla Rylance - external development expert, XDS Advisory Committee Chair, and Head of Business Solutions for XDS Spark - to dive deep into the 2025 XDS Insights Report.

In this episode:
Key trends in external development, co-development, and industry shifts following the pandemic. The growing role of AI in game development: how publishers and service providers are using (or not using) AI. Budget...

The crew dives into a jam-packed week of industry news from Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 launch to Epic’s evolving Store strategy. We unpack the growing importance of social features in games and the buzz around the new D&D project from the Star Wars Jedi director.

Meanwhile, Elden Ring’s Night Reign expansion proves brutally satisfying, while Zynga quietly shuts down the studio behind Torchlight.

We also tackle Activision’s to...