The crew is back from Istanbul and what an event! Eric and Laura give Ethan and Phil major fomo about all the amazing people and sessions they missed at the gaming event of the year! We preview all the amazing Deconstructor of Fun content coming next week to GDC then get into the news. We talk about the further democratization of the Epic Games Store, Redemption Games' spin out of AppLovin', the total meltdown of Silicon Valley Bank and its effects on the gaming startup ecosystem, and the monster $55 million raise for the newly minted Believer Games.
Remember, if you see a member of the DoF family at GDC, make sure to say Mice Nuts 

TWiG #224 - Istanbul Recap / Silicon Valley Banking Meltdown / Do You Believe In Believer

Deconstructor of Fun podcast is created by games professionals for games professionals. We explore the business side of the games industry with the goal of bringing listeners content that is relevant, insightful, and entertaining on a weekly basis.

Hosts:
Michail Katkoff @mkatkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/
Eric Kress @ekress 
www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/
Laura Taranto @laurataranto www.linkedin.com/in/laurataranto/
Phillip Black @econosopher www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/
Jen Donahoe @Jen_Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe

 Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/support

Video Games

Games & Hobbies

Leisure

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Klang Games out of Berlin has raised 77M over 6 funding rounds from reputable investors like Supercell, LVP, North Zone, and Makers Fund. 
The company was established in 2013, 11 years ago. They haven’t shipped the game they have been raising against. So they can’t have any scalable objective data to show they are heading in the right direction. 
And despite all of this, they are somehow able to raise consecutive rounds of tens of millions. Year after year! 
In this episode, we got Klang co-founders talking about their journey thus far and me trying to figure out how in the hell they are able to get funded for their never-ending story. 
Huge thanks to co-founders Mundi Vondi and Odder Magnusson for coming on the podcast. I wish their game, when or if it eventually comes out, much success. 
Trigger warning: if you’re a founder struggling to raise funding despite doing every little thing that VCs requested and showing promising early KPIs, this podcast may enrage you.

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FOMO Capital: Klang Games & The Power of Storytelling in Fundraising

In this week's show, the crew dives into Voodoo's acquisition of BeReal and the Sandbox's 20M convertible note. With all the events taking place the crew discusses Xbox Showcase, Ubisoft Forward, and the Summer Game Fest. 
With Phil out and Miska in Spain, this is the first Nordic-free episode in a year.
hosts: Jennifer Donahoe, Laura Taranto, Erick Kress, and Mishka Katkoff
sponsors: Xsolla, Heroic Labs, AppsFlyer and Sensor Tower

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TWIG #286 Voodoo splurges $500M, Summer Game Fest goes adapocalypse

Gerard Miles (www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-miles) is a veteran executive headhunter, who shares his extensive 15-year journey with a special focus on the gaming industry over the past decade. 
We explore Gerard’s founding of Mission One (www.missionone.io), a company dedicated to sourcing top-tier executives globally, and delve into the significance of executive search in a rapidly expanding industry. 
Gain valuable insights into the complexities of hiring gaming executives, cultural integration, and the exclusive value of knowing both the industry and its people. 
Discover the challenges of headhunting for key roles, the importance of leadership, communication, and strategic understanding, and how to build long-term relationships in this high-stakes world. 
We also tackle diversity, cultural fit, and common hiring pitfalls, offering practical advice for professionals aiming to navigate executive careers in the dynamic gaming sector.


00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview
02:31 Gerard's Journey into Gaming Recruitment
06:16 Executive Search Process
13:52 Challenges in Attracting Top Talent
29:50 Qualities of Exceptional Executives
45:31 Understanding Client Culture
46:39 Soft Signals in Candidate Assessment
51:13 The Importance of Diversity in Hiring
58:16 Common Mistakes Executives Make
01:02:07 Community Questions: Industry Insights
01:07:17 How to Get Noticed by Headhunters
01:10:07 Red Flags in Executive Hires
01:13:24 Big vs. Small Companies: Executive Hiring

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Mastering Executive Headhunting with Gerard Miles, co-CEO of Mission One

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With Mishka gobbling birthday whey cakes, the crew looks at Squad Busters’ week 1 returns, and it’s not pretty. The specter of Boom Beach is starting to cast its shadow.

Meanwhile, Phil talks about Destiny 2 stumbling in its last hoorah, while Laura talks about Stumble Guys standing straight. Jen gives the 411 on new EU app stores, and Eric thinks Star Wars Hunters breaks the MOBA curse. Or not.

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TWIG #285 Squad Busters Busted? Destiny 2, Too?

Join us for an insider tour of Voodoo’s HQ and uncover the journey to hybrid casual success with Voodoo’s Gabriel Rivaud, VP of Gaming.


Gabriel Rivaud:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-rivaud-21210744/

Michail Katkoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/

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TWiG #224 - Istanbul Recap / Silicon Valley Banking Meltdown / Do You Believe In Believer

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