Deconstructor of Fun

Meta’s apparent comeback runs headfirst into shifting UA economics, rising creative costs, and new pressure from platforms like Reddit, forcing marketers to rethink what “working” actually means. We unpack whether Meta is truly back or just delivering short-term dopamine, why in-app ads could reshape ad-monetized LTV, and how CPMs, payback windows, and creative volume are redefining the hyper-casual and hybrid playbooks. Cihan and Josh join to break down the latest Appsflyer data, Reddit’s Max campaigns, China’s UA surge, and Liftoff’s IPO and to debate whether AI is leveling the field or quietly squeezing the middle out of mobile marketing.Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Deconstructor of Funds + UA Monthly kickoff00:17 Meet the guests: Jihan (Scaling.Games) & Josh (Wildcard Games)01:06 Today’s agenda: Meta’s return, Appsflyer report, Reddit AI ads, Liftoff IPO01:29 Is “Meta back” real? The 2.5 Gamers breakdown & the dopamine-hit spike02:52 What Meta’s actually doing: rollout strategy, templates, and market impact06:05 In-app ads explained: why Meta buying inventory could boost ad-monetized LTV07:48 Ad quality debate: intrusive formats, churn-per-impression, and broken incentives12:58 Can hyper-casual come back? CPMs, payback windows, and hybrid monetization18:38 State of Game Marketing report: shrinking US spend, growth in Turkey/India20:16 The creative arms race: AI variations, the ‘middle class’ squeeze, and rising noise23:25 AI Shrinks the Creative Gap: Small Teams Catch Up, Mid-Tier Stalls24:41 China’s UA Surge + iOS Outspending Android: Where the Scale Is Coming From25:38 30 Creatives a Day: The New ‘Tax’ of Competing in Mobile UA26:07 Ripoffs, Ethics, and Beating the Filters: The Dark Side of Creative Volume28:00 Hero Creatives Aren’t Dead—But Copy Speed Forces Smarter Variations30:16 Copying vs. Trends: When ‘Stealing’ Is Real (and When It’s Just the Market)31:40 Is the Market Really an Iceberg? US Spend Down, Web Shops, and the ‘Hidden’ Picture34:27 Reddit ‘Max’ Campaigns: Advantage+ for Reddit with a Promise of Transparency37:19 Top Audience Personas: Useful Insight or Just a Fancy Dashboard?39:34 How to Test Reddit Max: Onboarding Friction, Learning Periods, and Scalability Unknowns40:58 Liftoff Files to Go Public: Valuation, Margins, Debt, and the AI Black-Box Race45:44 What’s Liftoff’s Moat? Engine vs. Fuel, Data Advantages, and the AppLovin Comparison48:35 Wrap-Up: UA Monthly Feedback, What to Cover Next

We recap the Clash Royale creator controversy and CEO apology, dig into what’s broken with evolutions, heroes, and pay-to-win, and debate whether streamers can actually drive a comeback. We also cover Savvy’s rumored MoonTon deal, Blizzard’s updates across Overwatch, Diablo, and WoW, the slowdown in mobile games, the frozen state of M&A, and a reality check on AI in games - from hype to hard limits.

00:25 Welcome & Episode Lineup (No More Car Talk)
01:52 Rumor Mill + Why We’re Skipping Matthew Ball (For Now)
03:10 GDC Plans, Events, and Content Plug Roundup
06:00 Ad Break: Sensor Tower Pitch
06:20 Clash Royale Creator Controversy Recap + CEO Apology
09:44 What’s Actually Broken in Clash Royale: Evolutions, Heroes & Pay-to-Win
11:45 Do Streamers Drive the Revival? Twitch Data, Correlation vs Causation
13:02 PR Playbook Debate: Groveling vs Proactive Creator Celebration
21:53 Savvy’s Buying Spree: $6–7B MoonTon Rumor (Mobile Legends)
27:15 Overwatch Drops the “2”: DAU Surge, Live Ops, and Monetization Revamp
32:43 Blizzard’s comeback tour: Diablo drops, WoW housing & Overwatch’s 10-year arc
35:49 Mobile check-in: Habi’s 2026 slump and the post-Survivor.io reality
38:16 The real engine behind Habi: Gorilla Games and the “publisher outgrown” problem
40:36 M&A hypotheticals: Scopely, Savvy, and why deals feel frozen right now
42:36 AI in games debate: calling out the hype and what actually changes the medium
44:50 Why AI won’t make games cheaper: IP moats, attention scarcity, and AI-native platforms
49:17 East vs West AI reality check: layoffs, pipeline bottlenecks, and player backlash risk
57:03 Embark as an AI efficiency poster child? The smoke, mirrors, and AAA cost skepticism
01:01:43 Closing thoughts: mobile growth is over, share-of-time wars, and next week’s plug

User-generated content (UGC) isn’t “make anything.” It’s “make something that someone cares about.” In this Deconstructor of Fun conversation, Julia Polatovska, founder of Dorian, a creator platform for mostly women + Gen Z, goes past the pitch and into the operator questions. Who creates, who wins, what monetizes, and what breaks at scale when you're building a UGC platform.
Connect with Julia: www.linkedin.com/in/palatovska/

Supercell’s annual CEO blog post reads equal parts culture memo and a recruiting pitch. We break down what is behind the PR spin before zooming into Clash Royale’s Lil Wayne halftime show as a case study in where “brand” ends and product-led fandom begins.

From there, we triangulate the broader market: Newzoo’s year-end PC/console recap as a reminder that attention is consolidating, not expanding; Roblox’s growth story as it starts acknowledging gravity; and an update on Budge and PE as capital keeps rewriting the rules of what “good” looks like. We close by wishing the best to the team impacted by Riot’s 2XKO layoffs.

00:31 Podcast Overview and Today's Topics
00:58 Market News: Roblox Earnings and More
02:14 AI and Gaming Industry Insights
03:25 Unity's Financial Struggles
04:43 Community Engagement and Volunteering
20:44 Game Industry Updates: Budge Studios Acquisition
24:23 Roblox Q4 Earnings Analysis32:19 The Challenge of Monetizing Young Audiences
32:33 Roblox's Strategy to Age Up
33:02 Advertising Challenges for Under-18 Demographics
33:26 Negative Margin Users on Roblox
35:19 Upcoming Episode Teaser: Roblox's Algorithm Changes
38:23 Supercell CEO's Annual Blog Post
39:05 Clash Royale's Rebound and Marketing Strategies
44:14 Squad Busters: A Postmortem
44:54 Supercell's Future and Industry Insights
49:01 The Role of PR in CEO Letters
52:18 Supercell's Innovation vs. LiveOps Debate
01:02:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The evolution of art direction, the integration of AI in creative processes, and the balance between creativity and business acumen. That's on the menu as SciPlay's Sr. Art Director, Peter Franco, joins Michail Katkoff on the podcast.
Read more about Peter's work on modernizing a top-grossing game: https://tinyurl.com/mn2bdweb

Timestamps:
2:12 - Peter's journey into Social Casino
4:42 - Evolution of art direction roles
7:13 - Balancing creativity and business
9:23 - User feedback in design
12:07 - Importance of seamless UX
15:44 - Player behavior insights
20:28 - Benefits of using IPs
25:16 - AI in art pipelines
30:18 - Future skills for art directors
35:33 - Maintaining stylistic consistency
40:49 - Future of art direction
45:07 - Personal influences and career advice
53:25 - Advice for aspiring art directors
59:25 - AI and creativity