Deconstructor of Fun

Xbox is cutting niche studios and signing a niche Kojima project in the same month. We try to make it make sense.Sony pulled funding on Physint after budget concerns, and Xbox picked it up as a franchise with film and TV rights attached. Meanwhile Microsoft keeps restructuring into clean verticals, with Halo moving under Activision and Obsidian joining Bethesda, which has us asking whether Xbox is getting organized to sell. We also look at Build A Rocket Boy closing after roughly $250M raised and one troubled launch, Apple's new ATT prompt in Europe, and why AppLovin's CEO is suddenly on every stage talking about a $50B mobile ad market.Topics Covered:• Apple rewrites the ATT prompt in five EU countries.• Sony ends Physint funding and Xbox picks it up.• The transmedia bet behind Xbox's Kojima deal.• Halo moves to Activision in the latest Xbox cuts.• Is Microsoft packaging Xbox to spin off or sell?• Build A Rocket Boy closes after MindsEye.• What big gaming losses do to investor sentiment.• AppLovin's buyback, Axon and the fingerprinting debate.• Why AppLovin's CEO is on a speaking tour.CHAPTERS:01:35 DICE Athens Hometown Events03:07 LA Games Conference Plug04:36 Roundtables and Global Meetups05:41 Newsletter and Founder Story Tease10:08 Apple ATT Prompt Changes EU13:30 Kojima27:41 Microsoft Restructure and Halo Shift30:06 CoD Studios Under Pressure33:45 Can Xbox Be Sold Off36:10 Halo Moved to Activision46:34 Build A Rocket Boy Collapse51:05 AppLovin Stock and Axon53:58 Fingerprinting Cheating Debate58:01 Why the CEO Is Touring01:02:25 Wrap Up and Sign Off

Disney Solitaire is one of the biggest launches of the year, and it might be too successful for its own parent company.This episode breaks down how SuperPlay turned a solitaire game into a Disney-powered hit, why Playtika's debt and earn-out deal could push it to sell, and how Disney Solitaire stacks up against Tiki Solitaire, Grand Harvest and Candy Crush Solitaire. We also look at the full solitaire market, the live ops gap between Disney and everyone else, and whether solitaire can ever rival puzzle.Topics Covered:• Why games that scale in tier two and three markets struggle in tier one• Playtika's debt, the SuperPlay earn-out and a possible sale• Revenue dropping slower than downloads as a health signal• How big the solitaire market actually is• MobilityWare and the ad-only solitaire model• Disney Solitaire as a reskin of Domino Dreams• Why the second game in an IP is half the size of the first• The social casino pay-to-play economy in Tiki Solitaire• Candy Crush Solitaire's hold slot and card design choices• How Disney Solitaire handles its IP and meta• Near wins and a puzzle-style level funnel• Disney's 25 to 30 live events per week versus competitors• Why IP owners may not be the best builders of their own games• Is solitaire coming for puzzle?CHAPTERS: 0:00:00   Introduction & Tier 1 Market Performance0:03:12   Why Playtika May Have to Sell Disney Solitaire0:09:31   The History & Size of the Solitaire Market0:10:58   Why Solitaire Has Struggled to Monetize0:16:20   Disney Solitaire vs. Domino Dreams0:21:12   How Solitaire Games Monetize: The Casino Mechanic0:24:51   Tiki, Grand Harvest & Candy Crush Solitaire0:28:23   What Disney Solitaire Does Differently0:33:41   Live Ops, Streaks & the Disney Advantage0:36:51   Why IP Owners Struggle to Extend Their Games0:38:02   Is Solitaire Coming for Puzzle?0:40:00   Final Thoughts & Outro

Michael Martinez, co-founder and CEO of FunCraft, tried to sell his mobile game studio in 2025. Trusted people said "don't do it yet". He chose otherwise. A nanker pitched the company to 40 buyers. Zero offers. Then the company doubled to a $50M run rate with just 15 people.Rejection like that either breaks a founder or forces a better business. For FunCraft, it did the second.In this episode, Michael breaks down what went wrong in the M&A process, what a failed sale really costs, and how a 15-person team shifted its focus from valuation to profit.Essential viewing for founders thinking about selling, buyers looking at lean and profitable studios, and anyone in mobile gaming, UA, or ad monetization.00:00 — Funcraft’s failed sale attempt06:27 — Why Michael wanted to sell13:37 — Building a successful business first18:16 — Launching games in just six weeks23:20 — Platform and user acquisition risks29:14 — Balancing growth and profitability 34:45 — Building a high-trust remote culture 43:12 — Rebuilding the game engine with AI 46:18 — Staying focused while scaling

Gaming is back, and this week had a lot to talk about.BlizzCon delivered the biggest slate of announcements Blizzard has had in years, but the timelines and team sizes raise real questions about what Microsoft pressure is doing to the studio. Roblox used RDC to push standalone apps, browser play and a developer wallet, and we debate whether any of it actually improves discoverability. Plus Kojima's Physint moves from PlayStation to Xbox, a heated ad revenue argument over hybrid casual, a surprise 2 million sales hit from Wardogs, and first impressions of FunPlus's Aniimo as it passes 125K CCU on Steam.Topics Covered:• Roblox unveils standalone apps and browser play at RDC• Why Roblox standalone apps may struggle with UA• BlizzCon brings Diablo V, a StarCraft shooter and three WoW SKUs• Microsoft pressure behind Blizzard's bold timelines• Kojima's Physint jumps from PlayStation to Xbox• Savvy Games Group to oversee EA and PIF assets• The ad revenue debate around hybrid casual• WoW Forever and Blizzard's subscription strategy• Wardogs hits 2 million sales• Aniimo passes 125K CCU on Steam launch dayCHAPTERS:01:42 Industry Layoffs Talk02:59 Mishka Podcast Spotlight06:12 Roblox Standalone Apps Debate13:12 Blizcon15:17 Microsoft Pressure Concerns20:03 WoW Monetization Debate21:50 Kojima Physint Switch26:27 EA Merger39:47 Warcraft Forever43:44 War Dogs Surprise Hit47:11 Aniimo Launch51:31 Monetization and Wrap Up

Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13 million copies in ten days, then Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Store. CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michal Nowakowski was the one taking the calls.He walks through what actually broke, why the investors weren't the reason, and how the studio went from a Polish box distributor to owning The Witcher outright. Plus the transmedia strategy, the move to Unreal Engine 5, and why Poland built the strongest gaming ecosystem in Europe.Chapters 00:00 From Polish distributor to a global studio 04:43 Buying The Witcher rights 08:15 Why owning the IP was non-negotiable 14:12 Poland's coding culture and the talent pipeline 18:54 Scaling to 350 developers on The Witcher 3 26:16 The Cyberpunk 2077 launch and the hardest week 34:03 The decision to fix the game instead of cutting losses 39:14 Unreal Engine 5 and rebuilding production 43:51 Transmedia, Netflix, and keeping games at the center 49:49 What makes the Polish gaming ecosystem work