Deconstructor of Fun

Sun, sea and a whole lot of paperwork.One year ago, Phil swapped the cold for Cyprus and Mishka made the move to Athens. In this episode they trade stories on surviving southern European bureaucracy, why Limassol gets called the Puerto Rico of Europe, how the taxes really stack up against Finland, and the slow work of building a social life from scratch. If you’ve ever thought about moving your life and business abroad, this one’s for you.CHAPTERS:0:00 A year since the move2:46 Limassol is the "Puerto Rico of Europe"6:03 Moving to Athens11:54 Bureaucracy "boss fights"15:37 The game industry in Cyprus17:58 Working with Russian and Belarussian companies24:19 Cyprus non-dom visa and taxes26:50 Greek taxation and Finland's tax rules30:30 Why entrepreneurs struggle in Finland34:34 Belonging and national identity41:21 Greece vs Finland52:25 Making friends as an expat58:55 Should you move? Closing thoughts and raising international kids1:06:54 Wrap-up

Every studio says it wants a franchise. Luis de la Camara, who has led marketing on Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Sonic, says most can’t define one. His test is simple: an IP only becomes a franchise once it has carried more than one product, and no IP will ever fix a bad game.He walks through Rovio’s CPI tests. Putting Angry Birds art on a new prototype brought CPI down, and redesigning the game to feel like real Angry Birds brought it down further. He also explains how Sonic pulled in curious fans who installed, tried the game and left, which sank day-1 retention. Plus why meeting player expectations matters more than having mascots, why Playrix has an IP even if its team doesn’t think so, how ad creative can stretch a brand without damaging it, and whether a $20M studio should spend on brand or on margins.CHAPTERS:00:00 What Franchise Means01:11 Core Franchise Assets02:25 How Far IP Can Stretch04:03 IP Versus Franchise Line06:39 Characters Lore Transmedia08:32 Overrated Versus Underrated11:51 Transmedia Flywheel Reality16:42 IP Impact On UA19:43 Brand Versus UA Tension26:37 Setting Brand Pillars27:28 Nike Identity Lessons28:09 Brand Pillars Sandbox29:42 Franchise Decay And Product32:39 UA Overinvestment Trap33:34 CTV Attribution Mess36:53 Incrementality Reality Checks37:50 Paid Search Brand Defense46:28 Kill Fast With Data48:23 Valuing Franchise In M&A51:53 Advice For $20M Studios54:17 Define Pillars And Wrap

Half of Roblox’s 2025 revenue came from steal games, and the platform can’t seem to quit them.This week we debate whether steal mechanics are a passing trend or the real engine behind Roblox’s growth, ahead of an earnings call that will likely reward the algorithm rollback. Tim Sweeney says AI will bring a golden age of gaming, while Steam data shows AI-disclosed releases tripling and players pushing back with their wallets. We compare PocketGamer.biz’s top mobile makers against Sensor Tower revenue, break down Modern Warfare 4’s design bets and launch numbers, and unpack a chaotic week at Xbox: a rumored private equity bid, 60,000 voluntary exit offers, a failed Netflix deal and a COO who lasted three months. We close on Rockstar turning Miami into Vice City three weeks before GTA VI.Topics Covered:• Steal games drove half of Roblox’s 2025 revenue.• Roblox earnings could rebound after the algorithm rollback.• Tim Sweeney bets Epic’s future on AI.• AI-disclosed Steam releases jumped from 10% to 34%.• Disclosure labels are hurting sales on Steam.• PocketGamer.biz and Sensor Tower disagree on mobile’s top 10.• Turkey and China dominate the mobile charts.• Modern Warfare 4 wins back sentiment but may miss the numbers.• Apex attachments and the gunnery advisor reshape progression.• Private equity eyes a $100B+ Xbox buyout.• Microsoft offers exit packages to 60,000 employees.• Netflix walks away from a $500M Xbox IP deal.• Helen Chiang leaves Xbox three months after becoming COO.• Rockstar reskins Miami as Vice City.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and lineup00:32 What we are covering today02:12 What everyone is playing05:12 WoW Forever debate06:46 Discord interview takeaways10:15 Roblox revenue chart debate19:17 Tim Sweeney on AI future23:51 Steam AI disclosures data34:35 Mobile Top Maker Debate36:41 Pocket Gamer vs Sensor Tower39:34 Modern Warfare 4 Breakdown56:35 Xbox Rumors and Restructuring01:03:28 Netflix Deal and IP Value01:05:08 GTA VI Miami Marketing Blitz01:07:26 Wrap Up and Sign Off

Discord spent years saying it would never run ads. Now it sits on 90 million daily users who mostly play games with friends, and Chief Business Officer Jules Shumaker, who previously built ad businesses at EA, Zynga and Unity, is turning that audience into a growth channel for game makers.She walks through why players linked through the Social SDK retain 31% better by D28, why Nitro subscribers opt into ads more than non-payers, and how Discord brings lapsed players back for under $2 each. Plus the social commerce launch where 41% of Marvel Rivals purchases were gifts, the push into mobile, and the self-serve ad manager coming next.Chapters:00:00 - Meet Jules Shumaker00:45 - From EA and Zynga to Discord09:00 - What Discord offers game developers13:20 - Social SDK and the retention lift17:15 - Bringing the social layer to mobile20:30 - How Discord started doing ads26:30 - Social commerce and gifting31:00 - Winning back lapsed players39:50 - Video Quest and self-serve ads43:10 - Building a Discord growth strategy

Is Steal an Egg the real engine behind Roblox’s revenue?This week the crew argues over a Konvoy piece saying Roblox should go private. With the stock well off its highs, $6B in cash and a long-term HD strategy that Wall Street keeps punishing, is a buyout the only way out of the brainrot cycle? We also look at the AI-driven surge of first-time creators on Roblox, Arc Raiders’ new big-update content model, the Liquid Swords shutdown and which genres GTA VI is about to hit hardest.Topics Covered:• Takeaways from our interview with Riot’s CFO• Why Riot’s China revenue mostly benefits Tencent• GDC moves to four days and adds dealmaking space• Gen Alpha plays to be seen, not to disappear• Creator activations and the UA content they feed• 20% of top mobile spenders are looking for their next game• Roblox leads PC and console playtime• Should Roblox go private?• Steal an Egg and revenue concentration on Roblox• AI tools bring a 10x jump in first-time Roblox creators• What Liquid Swords’ closure teaches indie AAA founders• Arc Raiders’ content update and Steam free weekend• GTA VI’s launch threatens shooters, sports and racing gamesCHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro01:21 Banned Topics and AI Jokes01:53 Riot CFO Interview Takeaways02:50 Riot China Revenue Reality10:07 Sponsor Shoutouts Sensor Tower14:14 Roundtable Recap Gen Alpha20:32 Whales as Free Agents Stat23:42 Roblox29:30 Replace Dave Or Go Private31:03 AAA Pivot And Moral Debate34:37 Algorithm And Revenue Concentration37:49 AI Flood Of New Roblox Games44:01 Indie AAA Studio Collapse50:04 Arc Raiders57:35 GTA Launch Shockwave01:02:38 EA Bioware Closure