Deconstructor of Fun

What if your company stopped chasing quarterly goals and spent an entire month training every employee on AI? That's exactly what AppsFlyer did, and it completely transformed how they approach innovation. In this episode, AppsFlyer down with Barak Witkovsky, Chief Product Officer of AppsFlyer, to discuss one of the boldest AI transformation experiments I've ever heard of. For four weeks, they paused regular business objectives and put all 1,300 employees through an AI builder course. Not on top of their work. AS their work. What We Cover: 1. Why AppsFlyer stopped chasing OKRs to invest in AI education across the entire company 2. How AppsFlyer's CEO and CPO learn about AI from their own employees (including marketers who know more than developers at other companies) 3. How AppsFlyer evolved from a measurement platform into a modern marketing cloud with autonomous AI agents 4. How do you get marketers to trust AI when they're deploying tens of millions in ad spend? 5. Why AppsFlyer is betting on an open AI ecosystem with MCP and Agent Hub 6. Are marketers becoming obsolete or are they about to become "bosses of agents"? 7. Why executives are bullish on AI while directors and managers feel anxious (and what to do about it) Timestamps: 00:00 AI Integration at AppsFlyer 04:15 The ROI of AI Investments 05:14 Evolution to a Modern Marketing Cloud 16:30 Challenges of Omnichannel Measurement 22:26 AI Agents in Marketing 27:01 Becoming an AI-First Company 31:29 The Role of AppsFlyer in the AI Ecosystem 44:38 The Ultimate Growth Machine Vision 47:18 Final Thoughts

This episode breaks down the real foundation of successful game development: clean data, aligned teams, and fast decision loops. Learn why most studios collect too much data, how to build a shared truth, and how AI changes the analyst’s role. Perfect for teams that want clarity, not more dashboards.

CPI is only one signal. In this episode, we show how top studios test appeal in prototypes, validate value in soft launch, and scale with confidence. A fast, practical guide to reading market signals at every stage of development.

Most retention problems come from mismatched expectations, not flawed features. This episode teaches how to align creatives with gameplay, diagnose early vs. late churn, and use personalization to keep players engaged. Short, sharp retention truths every team should hear.

Monetization isn’t a layer, it’s the outcome of understanding player motivation. This episode covers segmentation, pricing, LTV curves, and early warning signs of monetization failure. A concise breakdown of how sustainable revenue systems are built.

Epic vs Google stays stuck in limbo as the judge rejects the settlement, Duolingo’s stock finally breaks its streak, and Square Enix joins the wave of Eastern publishers restructuring their way into a new identity. Royal Match’s reported $200M ad spend shows just how hard you have to swing to own casual in 2025, while Chinese publishers quietly (and efficiently) conquer the entire merge genre with speed and scale Western studios can’t match. Meanwhile, Arc Raiders is heating up—and so is the controversy around its AI-generated voice work. Welcome to the modern games industry: court battles, collapsing multiples, mega-spend user acquisition, genre takeovers, and existential AI debates, all happening at once. Buckle up. 00:43 Epic vs Google Case Discussion 13:50 Duolingo's Struggles and Gamification 20:49 Square Enix Restructuring and Industry Trends 30:43 Analyzing Sensor Tower's Report on Digital Ad Spend 32:01 Royal Kingdom vs. Royal Match: A Deep Dive 34:37 The Innovator's Dilemma in Mobile Gaming 35:26 The Rise of New Puzzle Sub-Genres 39:05 The Cost of Marketing Campaigns 49:58 Arc Raiders: A New Success Story 57:04 AI in Gaming: Controversies and Opinions 01:01:09 Conclusion

Welcome to the debut episode of Shooter Monthly, the podcast that’s never out of projectiles. Host Phillip Black (DICE) is joined by shooter Avengers, Christopher Anjos (EA, Timi, ATVI), Chris Sides (Bungie, Capital Games), and Feras Musmar (DICE, TTK Games) for a wide-ranging discussion on the current shooter landscape.We talk:Arena Breakout: Infinite’s Surprising Launch – Tarkov-style hit from China that’s quietly carving out a Western following. The crew debates whether free-to-play extraction shooters are the new normal or just a niche.Arc Raiders – Embark’s long-awaited extraction-adventure hybrid surges past 100K concurrent players. Can a PvE-leaning world and “welcoming danger” finally broaden the genre’s audience?Battlefield 6’s comeback – Record launch numbers, smoother tech, and a revived franchise, yet old wounds around XP pacing, reward structures, and live-service execution remain.The premium vs. free-to-play fault line dividing East and West, why extraction shooter is a terrible genre name, and whether holding back “Season 1" content at launch is smart or cynical.The crew asks the big question: Can Battlefield finally dethrone Call of Duty - or is this just another flash of Swedish steel before the next reset?

Epic takes another swing at Google and wins, Unity cozies up with Epic in a surprising move, and Roblox continues to puzzle investors after a tough earnings call. We also dive into Arcadia Gaming Partners’ growing influence, and why Supercell pulled the plug on Squad Busters. 0:00 Welcome 01:26 Updates, Announcements, and Shills 07:06 Epic and Google Settlement Details 18:11 Unity and Epic Collaboration 22:22 Roblox Earnings and Market Performance 27:01 Roblox's Recent Performance and Employee Shakeups 31:41 Monetization Challenges and Regional Differences 33:26 Future Prospects and Advertising Potential 37:58 Arcadia Gaming Partners' Investments 42:17 Supercell's Squad Busters Cancellation

Alex Siamantas of Holyday Studios reflected on eleven years of building a profitable idle-RPG studio as one of the island’s few Greek founders

Julia Lebedeva of WN Media Group spoke about launching the first Women in Games Cyprus event

Alexey Morozov of Horns Up Games shifted the tone completely. His project, Lord of Metal, is a festival-management sim built with the Swedish band Sabaton, combining the logistics of live events with the chaos of rock culture. It’s equal parts management game and love letter to heavy music.

GDCy founders Tim Fadeev and Andrey Ivashentsev shared the story of how a single pub meetup evolved into the region’s largest developer festival. They credit the island’s mix of sunlight, low taxes, and openness to business. Cyprus, they say, isn’t just a haven for founders - it’s starting to feel like Europe’s next creative cluster.

Leonid Zhuravskyi, CEO of MysteryTag, said he’s found Cyprus to have a rare sense of openness - competitors who still share notes over coffee or wine.

Andrey Feinberg (Kuznetsov), an independent advisor who’s seen the investment side of the story. Despite tougher global conditions, he says Cyprus remains busy, with founders rebuilding after relocation and finding stability in a global business that rarely offers it.

Aleksandr Bogdanov, CEO of Studio 42, spoke about Cyprus as a new mixing pot, with veterans from Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia now calling Limassol home. He believes the island could rival Istanbul as the next tech powerhouse.

Scaling hybridcasual games is like solving a puzzle with moving pieces: CPI, retention, and platform dynamics constantly shift. Samantha Benjamin explains why profit-sharing doesn’t guarantee profit, how the spray-and-pray era is over, and why scaling is now a perpetual process of adjustment and reinvestment.👉 Understand what it takes to grow efficiently when downloads plateau.

Monetization in hybridcasual is a balancing act: ads for early players, IAP for the committed ones. Maayan Eshkol dives into player segmentation, the real role of a game economist, and why monetization has to be part of the design loop from day one.👉 Learn how to integrate ads and IAP without sacrificing retention.

Pim De Witte, founder of General Intuition and Medal.tv, turned down a deal reportedly worth $500 million from OpenAI, and instead raised $134 million to build an AI lab rooted in games, not words.In this conversation, Michail Katkoff (Deconstructor of Fun) dives deep into:1) How world models could replace game engines2) Why games are the best simulation layer for developing intelligence3) What “AI-native” really means for future studios4) And the paradox of ther AI bubble 00:00The Decision to Walk Away from OpenAI 02:24Building for the Games Industry 05:24The Future of Game Development and AI 08:06 Understanding World Models and Their Impact 10:38 Talent Acquisition in AI and Gaming 13:17 Strategic Risks of AI Integration 16:11 The Role of AI in Game Design 18:52 Navigating the Future of Game Engines 26:31 The Future of Game Distribution and Economics 30:06 Generative Systems in Game Design 36:29 The Role of Game Designers in AI 40:18 AI Integration in Game Studios 52:02 AI's Impact on the Economy and Employment

We unpack Apple’s $2B legal battle, Halo’s surprise move to PlayStation, and EA’s latest earnings reality check, alongside Amazon Game Studios’ restructuring, AI’s growing impact on gaming investments, and a one-year look back at Pokémon TCG Pocket. From corporate chaos to console crossovers, it’s a packed week of insights, strategy, and sharp takes on the business of games.00:00 Welcome 03:09 Family Updates and Personal Stories04:22 Deconstructor of Fun Roundtable Events08:16 Apple's $2 Billion Legal Trouble12:03 EA's Earnings Report and Industry Insights14:17 Halo's PlayStation Debut and Console Wars34:24 Amazon Game Studios Restructuring37:41 Challenges and Missteps in Game Selection41:53 AI and the Future of Gaming Investments49:16 Battlefield 6: Competing with Call of Duty01:01:58 Pokemon TCG Pocket: A Year in Review

Great creatives don’t guarantee great traffic. Karen Levy unpacks how to scale UA with structured testing, controlled volume, and ruthless iteration. We explore the rise of AI-driven pipelines, why UGC-style ads dominate TikTok and Reels, and why authenticity outperforms glossy fakes. 👉 https://supersonic.com/