Deconstructor of Fun

Steam PC flops, Xbox layoffs return, Sony’s handheld dominates, investors flee games for apps, Roblox sees a $100M exit, China beats Turkey, PC indie rises, mobile teams pivot to apps.

01:01 Tribute to Vince Zampella
08:03 Biggest Game of the Year Predictions
08:09 GTA 6 and Its Impact
11:42 Other Major Game Predictions
14:13 Industry Macro Trends
18:50 VC Investments and Gaming
26:11 FIFA and Netflix Collaboration
32:51 China's Dominance in Mobile Gaming
38:52 Epic Games and the Future of Gaming
43:08 Predictions for the Gaming Industry
53:25 The AI Bubble and Its Implications
56:50 Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

In this Deep Dive, Jen drops into the pit with Sean “Clown” Crahan — co-founder of Slipknot, lifelong gamer, and unapologetic creative chaos agent.

We go from masks to Minecraft, breaking down the origin story of VERNEARTH, why creator-led studios are having their moment, and how the things metal has always understood, culture, empathy, friction, and community, are now becoming core pillars of modern game development.

This isn’t a celebrity side quest.

It’s a conversation about world-building, trust, and why great games (and great bands) are built by people who actually give a sh*t.

Headphones on. Controllers ready. 

00:40 Meet Sean Clown Rahan: From Music to Game Development

01:24 The Origin of VERNEARTH0

7:22 Sean's Journey in Gaming and Modding

16:54 Collaborations and Creative Challenges

25:16 Empathy and Respect in Digital Spaces

33:05 The Future of Creator-Led Studios

39:17 Failures and Collaborations in the Gaming Industry

42:55 The Inspiration Behind VERNEARTH

49:11 The Role of Culture in Gaming and Music

01:00:32 The Intersection of Metal and Gaming Cultures

Brace yourself. Golden TWIG voting is open!

https://forms.gle/b4HFZkaeczN41BsBA

This isn’t a participation-trophy awards show. Nor some thinly veiled promotion of paid sponsors. Golden TWIG is the industry mirror we all pretend not to look into.

Vote now and help us separate the gold from the garbage.

00:00 Welcome 00:24 Golden Twig Award Nominations00:58 Mishka of Arabia02:43 Upcoming Events and Shills03:48 Podcast Highlights and Industry Insights20:31 Correction of the Year24:53 Most Damage Received31:06 Most Disappointing Game of 202533:07 Disappointing Game Releases34:41 Split Gate 2: A Major Letdown36:21 Underrated Games of the Year39:46 Ubisoft's Surprising Hits44:10 Skeptical Moves in the Gaming Industry49:29 Brilliant Moves in Gaming01:01:04 Limping Donkeys: Gaming's Biggest Failures01:06:01 Golden Twig Nominations Wrap-Up

What actually happens after the hit games, the acquisitions, and the “success”?

In this episode, Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games, walks through the uncomfortable middle of game company building: from Playfish → Space Ape → Supercell → NextBeat → Duolingo.

This isn’t a victory lap. It’s a post-mortem on genre mastery vs. exploration, lean LiveOps, why copying the Supercell playbook breaks most studios, and why Simon ultimately left games to help build Duolingo’s music and learning products.

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene

00:43 The Birth of Space Ape

03:26 Fundraising Challenges and Successes

07:48 Innovations and Strategic Moves

13:27 Lean LiveOps Philosophy

16:51 Supercell Acquisition and Cultural Shifts

18:50 Reflections and Lessons Learned

38:59 Spinning Outta Supercell

40:26 Exploring Duolingo Partnership

44:37 Relentless Optimization at Duolingo

49:13 Transitioning to Duolingo

55:42 The Price of Being a Founder

01:03:05 Reflections on Success and Future

FNaF 2 crushes box office expectations, proving (again) that game IP owns Hollywood. We break down Matthew Ball’s take on the EA/PIF deal, why 93% ownership signals a sports-media empire play, not an LBO, and why the press got the story wrong.

Then: the Nex Playground, a $200 kids’ console that quietly outsold PS5 in November. Is this the next underserved frontier in family gaming?

We also tear into UA financing schemes masquerading as “cohort funding.” Spoiler: the effective interest rates rhyme with credit-card debt, and studios have died using them.

Call of Duty launches an apology tour for Black Ops 7 and vows to stop annualized crunch. We assess the odds.

And we close with AppLovin beating Google on Android e-commerce ads, inside Google’s own OS. A massive signal for the future of UA as e-comm competition starts eating the gaming pie.

The dynamics of co-founder relationships, featuring Appcharge co-founders Roei Barassi and Maor Sason. They share insights on building a robust team, the significance of mentorship, and the importance of celebrating success. Learn about the challenges and strategies of scaling a company, raising capital, and maintaining a strong culture across global offices. Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is packed with invaluable lessons on leadership, teamwork, and innovation.00:00 The Importance of Co-Founder Relationships02:56 Handling Conflicts with Respect09:39 Balancing Personal Life and Startup Demands24:40 Raising Funds and Building Momentum31:57 Navigating Early Rejections and Negotiations32:28 Turning Nos into Yeses33:25 The Importance of Positive Mindset34:52 Hidden Risks of Too Much Capital35:44 What Founders Should Avoid Between Rounds38:52 The Evolution of Web Stores41:56 App Charge's Unique Value Proposition51:32 Building a Global Team53:40 Scaling and Maintaining Company Culture57:45 Leadership Challenges in Rapid Growth01:01:58 Final Advice for Founders01:05:15 Conclusion and Farewell

This week in games, the money moves got messy: Dream Games recalibrates everyone's ambitions while the Saudi shopping spree continues. We take a look at Where Winds Meet and what it really says about China’s next wave of global ambitions, and ask the uncomfortable question: how are indie studios actually surviving right now? Finally, we zoom out to the battlefield of 4X strategy, the genre’s current health, the growing wave of female players, and whether a fresh face like Tile Survive can rewrite the rules.

00:00 Welcome

00:22 Introduction and Shills

04:26 Dream Games Budget Correction

14:06 Bite Dance's Mobile Investments

19:22 Arc Games Independence

20:52 Where Winds Meet: A New Chinese Game

29:17 The South Korea Deal and Blizzard's Business Model

31:21 Success and Challenges of Indie Game Studios

33:38 VC Investments in Gaming: A Tough Landscape

36:12 PlayerUnknown Productions and Their New Game

47:37 The State of 4X Strategy Games

51:24 The Rise of Female Gamers in 4X Strategy

55:48 Tile Survive: A New Contender in 4X Strategy

59:56 Conclusion and Future Topics

Loyalty platforms have evolved from sideline UA channels to commanding 25-50% of major studios' media budgets. In this deep dive, VYBS founder Ido Raz breaks down everything game developers need to know about loyalty apps—from the basics to advanced strategies for maximizing player quality and LTV.

We cover the biggest misconceptions about incentivized traffic, why casual games benefit the most, and how to avoid the common mistakes that kill campaigns. Plus, Ido shares the single most overlooked KPI that changes how you evaluate traffic quality.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

02:39 How Loyalty Apps Differ from Offerwalls

03:33 Business Model: From CPI to ROAS Optimization

05:28 Can Loyalty Be a Primary UA Channel?

11:25 Best Genres for Loyalty Platforms

12:29 The Magic Myth: Why Loyalty Requires Specialization

13:45 Are Loyalty Users Different from Traditional Players

17:20 When Should Studios Start Using Loyalty Apps?

18:54 The Cash Flow Advantage: 4 Months vs 2 Years

21:00 Timeline to Success: 1 Week to 7 Weeks

22:35 Patience vs Pressure: Learning Cycles

26:30 Using Loyalty to Amplify Live Events

27:53 Common Mistakes Studios Make

29:52 The Unrealistic KPI Problem

34:58 Loyalty vs App Store Competition

36:07 AI's Impact on Loyalty Platforms

40:36 Best Way to Spot Low-Quality Users

44:46 What's Next for VYBS?

Call of Duty’s worst launch in a decade collides with the rise of extraction shooters, and the balance of power inside the genre shifts. We dig into why Black Ops 7 cratered, how Battlefield 6 stole the spotlight, and why Arc Raiders is suddenly the most important new IP in shooters. Chris Sides and Feras return to map the fault lines, spar over SPMM, and weigh whether Tarkov’s disastrous Steam debut marks the ceiling for the genre’s original heavyweight.

We discuss:

• Black Ops 7’s collapse and why marketing, futurism, and CPI pressure all converged

• Battlefield 6’s surge, the RedSec flop, and why innovation is still missing in BR design

• The extraction boom: Arc Raiders as the “PUBG moment” and its long-term retention risks

  • PvE as the emerging driver of mainstream extraction demand

• Skill-based matchmaking as an economic problem, not a matchmaking one

• Tarkov’s failed 1.0 launch and what its country-mix reveals about stagnant reach

• Whether Embark should kill The Finals and move every resource into Arc Raiders

The DoF crew break down everything: from Ubisoft’s endless identity crisis to Unity and Epic’s unexpected “Make the Metaverse Great Again” alliance.We get into Roblox CEO David Baszucki’s tense appearance on Hard Fork, the baffling randomness of The Game Awards nominations, Saudi Arabia’s PIF liquidity challenges, and why Turkey’s red-hot gaming scene may finally be overheating.

Plus: a disagreement for Nordic tax schemes and a dispatch from Helsinki’s Slush Conference, home of the world’s most optimistic founders in a country with no economic growth.

00:00 Welcome

01:52 Slush Conference Insights

05:06 Tax Benefits for Expats in Europe

08:29 Shills

09:24 Ubisoft and Tencent Deal

12:28 Epic Games and Unity Partnership

18:30 Roblox CEO's Podcast Appearance

30:11 Game Awards Nominationss

32:19 Most Anticipated Games Discussion

34:23 Controversial Mobile Game Nominations

39:22 Saudi Arabia's Gaming Investments

47:12 Turkey's Booming Gaming Ecosystem

54:43 Steam Machines and Market Challenges

01:01:51 Concluding Thoughts and Thanksgiving Wishes