Over 500m Tik Tok users watch gaming content every month, according to Jen's recent trips on the conference circuit, and this audience is one that the crew things you should be building your game thesis around from day one! Detective Ethan is on the case making wild conjecture on who may have been the counter-party that suddenly pulled out of Embracer's $2b deal last week. Laura unpacks Voodoo's latest strategic shift from hypercasual to hybridcasual. Is there more to this rebranding than wordplay? Phil uses the recent announcement of Bungie's Marathon extraction shooter to explain his oft cited Game Thesis framework. The full crew dissects Flood Rush and Squad Busters, the two latest Supercell soft launch games aiming for that $1b+ a year brass ring. And Kress goes deep on Sony's Playstation Showcase event that featured Marathon, Spiderman 2, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear, Alan Wake, Final Fantasy, the non-Vita Project Q handheld streaming device and of course, some VR games. This week was filled to the brim with news and, as ever, your loyal TWiG crew is here to digest it for you. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support

First, join us all in welcoming Jen Donahoe as the new, full time member of the TWiG crew! This week, Kress talks about the Embracer implosion, Phil falls for Fall Guys' new creator mode, Jen explains PUBGs reenlistment in India, Ethan unpacks the critical production blunder that was the root cause behind Overwatch 2's PvE cancellation, and Laura takes the MC microphone for a drive. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support

This week the tables are turned as Ethan is the one being interviewed by Savage Games Studio GM and friend of the pod Sophie Vo. Ethan appeared on Sophie's conscious leadership podcast - Rise and Play - to talk about how your life has to be bigger than just your career. After 20 years of hard work, dedication and sacrifices Ethan reflects on his many regrets, the importance of living a balanced life, setting boundaries between your work and your personal life, modeling these values and behaviors for your employees and more. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out Rise and Play where Sophie has a wealth of podcasts and educational material to improve your skills as a conscious leader in the games industry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support

New week, new guest host. This week, Director of Product Tiffany Keller gets behind the mic to talk about Omega Striker's cross-platform strategy. Laura talks about the "games for good" trend and if it can help Peridot or Longleaf Valley stand out from the pack. Kress explains why Superman is a terrible IP for gaming, and is bewildered by EA Mobile's seeming lack of support for their big Lord of the Rings launch. Despite the revelation that he is, in fact, a good 'ol Carolina boy, Phil loves talking about Eurovision for some reason. Ethan explains what superheroes he most wants to use to punch countless baddies in open world AAA games. And, we eventually get around to talking about Diablo IV's inevitable sales dominance and live ops plans. Also, we almost make it a week without talking about Microsoft Cloud Gaming, but Ethan just can't let it lay. Until next week, Twiggies! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support

With their mysterious, high drama, high production value advertisements featuring soap opera worthy twists and turns, Metacore's creative game for Merge Mansion has always been top notch. But last March, the chart topping merge game made waves when it released a series of live action advertisements staring The Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal. How did Metacore land one of Hollywood's hottest stars at the absolute peek of his fame? How have these ads performed? And just what is Granny Ursula hiding in that mansion? To answer these burning questions, Tapio Tuomola and Mika Tammenkoski join Ethan in conversation to reveal everything. Everything, that is, except for Granny Ursula's master plan. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support