This week on TWIG, the crew covers everything from corn in Minecraft to streak psychology in the New York Times’ latest game, Pips. We kick things off with Gamescom highlights, fresh updates from Ethan and Laura. 

From there, we dig into why streaks are such a powerful mechanic. We also debate Supercell’s unexpected Clash Royale comeback, before wrapping with a look at what Nintendo has in store with the Switch 2.

00:00 Introduction and Opening Banter

03:06 Episode Summary and Upcoming Topics

03:47 Ethan and Laura's Updates

04:33 Minecraft Corn Update

09:16 Lego Digital Play Interview

15:55 Gamescom Highlights

32:19 New York Times' Pips Game

34:08 The Psychology of Streaks in Games

53:36 Supercell's Clash Royale Resurgence

01:00:09 Nintendo Switch 2 and Upcoming Releases

Why is LEGO doubling down on digital? In his first-ever interview as the founding president of LEGO Digital Play, industry veteran Aaron Loeb (Electronic Arts, FoxNext, Kabam) reveals the bold vision behind LEGO’s new company. From “forever games” like Roblox and Minecraft to building trust with kids and families, Aaron breaks down why now is the right time for LEGO to level up in gaming — and how his journey from Broadway to the boardroom shaped the company’s next chapter.

02:00 Meet Aaron Loeb: A Journey Through the Game Industry

03:28 The Birth of Lego Digital Play + Lego's Organizational Structure

08:20 Aaron's Path to Lego Digital Play

15:21 Target Audience: From Kids to Adults

19:30 Long-Term Challenges in the Gaming Industry

27:39 The Future of Digital Play and Innovation

32:55 The Challenge of Building the Right Team

36:00 Assembling a Diverse and Talented Team

38:03 Lego's Unique Onboarding Experience

41:03 The Emotional Connection of the Lego Brand

44:05 The Importance of Trust in Gaming

48:51 Choosing London as the Headquarters

51:11 Balancing Remote and In-Office Work

53:55 Upcoming Industry Conferences and Events

56:43 Reflecting on Past Projects and Lessons Learned

President, LEGO Digital Play - Aaron Loeb https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-loeb-959a08/

Host, Jen Donahoe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe/

We kick things off with “midlife Kress-ises” before diving into the headlines you can’t ignore: Tencent’s latest controversy, AppLovin’s monster quarter, and Blizzard’s leadership shuffle.

From Storm Gate’s rough launch runway to the brutal math of market fit, we unpack why good games still fail. We break down Duolingo’s surprise move into music games, and why Playtika’s doubling down on direct-to-consumer could be the smartest—or riskiest—bet they’ve made yet.

Then it’s guns out for Battlefield’s comeback, a hard look at Moon Active’s new portfolio plays. As always, plenty of spicy takes, questionable analogies, and insights you won’t find anywhere else.

00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions

01:34 Upcoming Game Releases and Industry Updates

02:58 Midlife Kress-is

06:05 Event Announcements + DOF Talent Acquisition

08:19 Data Analysis and Market Trends

09:22 Tencent's Game Controversy

17:16 AppLovin's Impressive Growth

21:12 Blizzard's Leadership Changes

25:19 Storm Gate's Launch Challenges

27:19 Financial Engineering and Tim's Struggles

28:28 Market Fit and Game Quality Issues

33:32 Duolingo's Acquisition of Beat Star

36:50 Playtika's Direct-to-Consumer Strategy

43:20 Battlefield's Comeback and Market Impact

54:58 Moon Active's New Games and Portfolio

Full-time execs are out, and fractional leaders are in? In today’s episode, we break down the growing trend of founders building companies like modular tech stacks, swapping in CMOs, Product leads, and other execs *only* when they’re needed.

But here’s the catch: done right, fractional hires can supercharge growth. Done wrong, they can kill momentum before you even hit scale. I’m joined by executive headhunter Miklos Blasko to unpack when fractional actually works, when it backfires, and the hiring mistakes even experienced founders make.

00:00 The Rise of Fractional Work in Gaming and Apps

04:31 Understanding Fractional Work vs. Freelancing

08:56 The Popularity of Fractional Roles

13:51 Company Perspectives on Fractional Hiring

19:28 Talent Perspectives on Fractional Work

26:22 When Fractional Work Doesn't Work

38:19 Key Considerations for Hiring Fractional Talent

41:41 Wartime Leadership vs. Peacetime Leadership

45:17 Ruthless Execution and Stakeholder Management

47:58 Incentive Structures for Fractional Roles

51:54 Charging Models and Engagement Structures

57:44 Common Mistakes in Fractional Roles

65:51 Advice for Founders and Fractional Executives

This week, the TWIG crew goes full galaxy brain. We kick things off with the real effects of celebrity cringe marketing. Then it’s onto the real news: Probably Monsters' search for $220M ROI, Match Villains' monster raise, Lilith's search for growth, and Roblox's unstoppable growth.

00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions
02:46 Episode Overview and Key Topics
03:32 Celebrity Gaming League and Brand Marketing
04:56 Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle Partnership
05:54 Review Bombing and Gamer Activism
08:00 Gamescom Event Announcements
09:15 Medica and Multi-Arm Bandit Experimentation
13:11 FIFA Online and Free-to-Play Discussion
16:39 Probably Monsters and AAA Development
21:51 Epic vs Google Lawsuit Update
26:55 Atari Acquires Thunderful Group
30:42 Good Job Games Raises $60 Million
31:58 Analyzing Revenue Per Download
32:32 Hypothesis on Grand Games' Rapid Fundraising
34:05 Match Villains' Market Performance
34:28 VC Funding vs. Non-Dilutive Funding
36:36 Investment Trends in Turkey's Gaming Market
37:42 Challenges in Scaling Puzzle Games
41:47 Farlight 84: A Relaunch Story
45:37 Lilith Games' Portfolio Performance
49:33 DC Worlds Collide and the Squad RPG Market
54:02 Roblox's Monetization and Engagement Strategies

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 startup bros. We’re talking about the same crew that built Comify (acquired by King), then DataTiger (acquired by Apple), and now they’re back with a third act: Metica, a machine learning-powered platform tackling LiveOps personalization, blended ROAS optimization, and bid floor automation.

Check out the STATE OF CREATIVES: https://tinyurl.com/393d9rum

03:27 The Evolution of Data Analytics in Gaming

11:00 Metica and Its Purpose

15:24 The Growth Loop

24:44 Personalization at Scale: The Future of Gaming

33:21 Practical Applications in Game Development

43:08 Timing and Strategy

44:53 Future Roadmap

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 scaling the Drive to Survive treatment of One Piece.

00:00 Introduction and Host Banter
02:06 Today's Agenda and Topics Overview
02:50 Nintendo Direct and Market Trends
05:29 Unity's Challenges and UA Discussion
08:22 Gamescom Parties and Community Engagement
09:20 Economic Theories and Gaming Experiments
17:32 Convoy Report and Market Analysis
26:29 Sony's Strategic Moves and IP Partnerships
30:12 Anime's Mainstream Status in America
37:16 Crafton's Acquisition of 11th Hour Games
39:13 Scopely's Portfolio Performance
48:32 EA's Quarterly Earnings and Mobile Strategy
56:23 Sony vs. Tencent: The Horizon Knockoff Controversy
01:03:30 Ruckus Team's New Game: The Holdouts

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 Reality

18:00 AppLovin: Apex Predator of Ad Tech

27:00 Attribution Fraud and Click Link Hijacking

34:00 Why AppLovin Keeps Winning

39:00 Can Unity’s Vector Compete?

48:00 Unity’s Strategy, PR Games & Technical Hurdles

57:00 Building a Modern Growth Org

01:06:00 Creative Production as the Last Lever

01:13:00 Fake Ads, Clickbait, and Mad Men

01:19:00 Closing Advice for Growth Teams in 2025

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 Personal Updates
05:33 Remembering the Mario Lopez Candy Crush Show
07:52 Subnautica and Crafton Legal Drama
10:37 App Charge Sponsorship and Insights
14:40 Ubisoft Earnings and Family Drama
22:44 Battlefield 6 Trailer and Expectations
24:57 Call of Duty's Tech Debt and Battlefield's Response
26:24 Battlefield 6 Release Date and Editions Leak
28:31 Challenges and Risks for Battlefield 6
38:03 Supervi's Full Launch and Market Challenges
40:05 Splitgate 2's Struggles and Relaunch
43:09 Wild Gate's Launch and Marketing Issues
46:58 Apple's Emoji-Based Puzzle Game
49:39 Conclusion and Sign-Off

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 – Suffering vs. Sacrifice: Is Work Just Avoidance?

10:45 – Why Founders Trade Family for Vision

15:30 – Would You Let Your Kids Follow Your Path?

20:00 – Lessons from Building (and Breaking) a Startup

27:30 – The #1 Mistake Founders Make: The Team

31:50 – Fractional Work, Focus, and Saying No

36:30 – Redefining Success Without Losing Yourself

41:00 – What a Billion-Dollar Exit Really Means

47:15 – How We’ll Judge Ourselves on Our Deathbeds

52:00 – Life in Phases: When to Grind, When to Let Go

56:00 – AI, Ambition, and the New Have vs. Have-Nots

1:02:00 – The Hidden Cost: Panic Attacks, Crying, and Total Burnout

1:12:00 – What’s Next for Mishka and Joe