Mobile gaming is a tough business, but Voodoo has been able to evolve with the times. After years of pioneering hypercasual, the company has more recently set its sights on making casual mobile games with deeper metas and monetization tactics. This pivot sparked major changes across the organization, but it’s already led to major hits – the largest of which is Mob Control, which surpassed the $200M revenue barrier and is still climbing. In order to learn the full story of Mob Control, host Aaron...
Jul 09, 2024•52 min
Casual word games is a tough, tough category to compete in on mobile. Not only is it a very crowded red ocean, but casual games are notoriously hard to monetize effectively through IAPs, making user acquisition even more difficult than it already is in the post-IDFA world. That said, Funcraft is making it work in their favor, building a thriving, growing business with an expanding portfolio of games and with the ability to spend profitably, at scale, on user acquisition. With a small team of exp...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Between Apple’s policy changes and growing government regulations, privacy concerns have sparked a significant shift in AdTech strategies. This episode investigates the potential for privacy-focused ads, exploring how companies are adapting to new regulations while still striving for effective targeting. Host Devin Becker is joined by Geeshan Willink , CEO of Nefta , to dig into the complexities of maintaining anonymity and its implications for the gaming industry. Geeshan shares insights on Nef...
Jul 02, 2024•47 min
Chess is a business that has, without a doubt, been supercharged by linear media and has been booming since COVID-19. As one of the most tactically complex games ever designed, Chess has over 700 years of retention and history. But what is it like to build a chess empire? Chess.com , purchased by Erik Allebest and his co-founder for $55K in 2005, has built a web and mobile platform with over 170M raw accounts, 50M monthly active users, and 5-7M daily active users. Join our host, Alexandra Takei ...
Jun 29, 2024•56 min
Major toy companies like Spin Master, Mattel, and Hasbro have all been expanding their influence beyond traditional toys for many years. Spin Master, in particualr, is known for launching popular entertainment properties like PAW Patrol and Bakugan, which have seamlessly transitioned into digital formats in the form of TV series, movies, and video games. Spin Master has also been unafraid to acquire properties when it sees a strategic opportunity, such as its 2016 acquisition of Toca Boca, the c...
Jun 25, 2024•44 min
China is the second largest video game market in the world, and even though its industry has faced domestic challenges, China’s global impact on gaming continues to rise. However, if you’re an outsider, figuring out what’s happening in China can sometimes be opaque. That’s why host Aaron Bush is joined today by Josh Ye , a long-time reporter for all things gaming and tech in China. We dig into how China’s gaming market became massive over the past couple decades and how its current ecosystem com...
Jun 21, 2024•53 min
Apex Legends is known for having one of the most “boring” game launches in history in the best of ways. Jokingly called Uptime Legends, Apex pursued a multi-tiered cloud infrastructure that helped EA deliver one of the smoothest PvP launches in history. Sid Dhulipalla , CEO and Co-Founder of Hathora , and Steven Hartland , VP of Engineering at Rocket Science , join our host, Alex Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , to discuss the role of cloud and server orchestration in the distribution of moder...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min
As the world of gaming matures, the influence of content creators is increasingly important. In this episode, host Devin Becker sits down with Justin Sacks , CEO of Nexus , and Bryan Herren , Director of Partnerships for offbrand , to dive into the pivotal role of content creators in shaping the gaming ecosystem. The conversation kicks off with an exploration of the origins and current endeavors of Nexus and offbrand. As the discussion unfolds, Justin and Bryan illuminate the transformative powe...
Jun 11, 2024•56 min
Modding has long been a force of innovation and creativity in the games industry, but the emergence of cross-platform, premium mods is set to take modding to another level. Thanks to platforms like Overwolf’s CurseForge, studios and publishers can now enable all sorts of creators — even other professional studios — to build on top of their games and get rewarded for doing so. This new technical and economic unlock is poised to take UGC gaming to even higher heights and is a compelling growth opp...
Jun 07, 2024•58 min
The New York Times is one of the world’s most recognized newspapers and has been in circulation since 1851. With 10 million subscribers, the Times has a huge audience and an even larger cultural impact. But the Gray Lady isn’t content to just rest on her laurels and focus on news - other verticals in which the Times operates are product reviews (The Wirecutter), sports (through their 2022 acquisition of The Athletic), cooking, and, of course, games. In addition to their home-grown casual titles,...
Jun 04, 2024•47 min
Quality assurance is one of the most crucial aspects of game development to ensure the game functions as intended and to provide a positive player experience. Around $300M in funding has been directed towards AI “efficiency tools for creators” and Christoffer Holmgard , Founder of Modl.AI , and Nathan Martz , Founder of Agentic , are pushing the frontier of how AI can enhance and streamline QA processes. From “players as a service” to functional load testing, your host Alexandra Takei , Director...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Yuga Labs, the heavyweight behind some of the biggest Web3 IP, including Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Meebits, made its first foray into games just over a year ago with its toilet-themed infinite runner, Dookey Dash. Now Yuga is here with a sequel called Dookey Dash: Unclogged, and there are a lot of innovations from the original - the most important of which are that it is not token-gated, and it is mobile. The game was developed in partnership with one of the earliest Web3 game studi...
May 28, 2024•57 min
Krafton is one of the world’s premier video game publishers. After experiencing the explosive success of PUBG in the late 2010s, Krafton rebranded in 2018, went public in 2021, and has since been working to not just extend the PUBG brand to new games, platforms, and regions but also kickstart new IPs with innovative playstyles and partner with emerging developers around the world. To dig into the details, host Aaron Bush is joined by Maria Park , who currently serves as Head of Corporate Develop...
May 24, 2024•56 min
Roblox is approaching 350M monthly active users. It’s a platform that generated $3.3B in bookings last year and paid $740M to its developers and creators. The low barriers to entry for developers and immediate access to an audience of 350M players has made it an appealing proposition for indie developers. According to Roblox’s most recent estimate, however, there are over 5M developers on Roblox, which makes it incredibly competitive and difficult to stand out. Furthermore, the nuanced player ex...
May 22, 2024•56 min
In an era of games where the financing sources are slim and marketing and community can make or break your game launch, your host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , welcomes Tim Morten and Cara LaForge , CEO and Director of Business Operations respectively at Frost Giant Studios , to discuss their experiences in running a widely successful crowd financing campaign on Kickstarter ($2.4M, 2280% over target, with >$28K backers for an average wallet size of $85) and a crowd equity campa...
May 17, 2024•57 min
Guild of Guardians is Immutable’s second major game after Gods Unchained, and is one of the most anticipated web3 games of 2024 - Immutable has called it their new “flagship game” and has been preparing for a global May 15th launch. After starting out as a real-time RPG, the game pivoted to a more casual auto-battler 15 months ago, driven by Gods Unchained and formerly Magic the Gathering: Arena Design Director Chris Clay. Guild of Guardians is one of the first games on Immutable’s new ZK-EVM bl...
May 14, 2024•54 min
In the dynamic landscape of gaming, the fusion of cutting-edge financial technology and innovative incentives is shaping a new era of player acquisition and engagement. Host Devin Becker leads an insightful discussion with Ben Cousens , Chief Strategy Officer of ZBD , and Paul West , Founder of Fumb Games , on the transformative power of Bitcoin rewards in gaming. Delving into Fumb's utilization of ZBD technology, they both unveil how this synergy propels gaming retention and LTV through example...
May 07, 2024•49 min
A new era of game developer has arrived to shake up narrative game making. In this episode, host Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , welcomes Emily Pitcher , founder of Sondering , and Karla Reyes , founder of Anima Interactive , two Forbes 30 under 30 game developers focused on narrative innovation and socially conscious storytelling. The discussion delves into the evolution of narrative in games, innovative storytelling mechanics, the importance of representation, and finally, the lim...
May 03, 2024•1 hr
Nyan Heroes is a team-based hero shooter featuring small cats piloting giant mechs. The studio was founded in Singapore in 2021 and is staffed by industry veterans from hit franchises like Marvel’s Avengers, Destiny, and Halo. Combining web3 and web2 elements, the game aspires to competitive gameplay and has already secured partnerships with top names in the esports space. The game also has garnered impressive reviews and early stats. Nyan Heroes is a top 5 most wishlisted game on the Epic Games...
Apr 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min
What does it take to stand out and succeed as a games industry entrepreneur these days? And how should smart venture capitalists best identify and work with these best founders? To help answer these questions, host Aaron Bush is joined by David Kaye , serial entrepreneur and general partner of F4 Fund . We discuss why David believes 99% of games studios aren’t fit for venture capital and what makes that top 1% so special. We also cover how early-stage teams, especially in a post-cheap money era,...
Apr 26, 2024•57 min
Epic Games paid $320 million to over 25,000 creators in the last 12 months and during that time saw UGC content capture a whopping 35% of total Fortnite engagement. That means there are over 1 million players engaging in UGC content on Fortnite during peak hours. With other top franchises like GTA and The Sims currently working to build out their own UGC platforms in time for planned launches in the next couple years, it’s the perfect time to look back at how and why the biggest video game franc...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min
TikTok is undeniably changing the game for game developers and creating a new marketing and distribution playbook across mobile, console, and PC. In this discussion, Alexandra Takei , Director at Ruckus Games , speaks with Assaf Sagy , Head of Global Gaming at TikTok, and Rema Vasan , Head of Global Gaming Marketing at TikTok, about the impact TikTok has on consumer behavior. We discuss why TikTok has set up a vertically integrated business focusing solely on gaming, and our discussion covers th...
Apr 19, 2024•59 min
In the ever-evolving world of gaming, understanding and managing player interactions through technology is becoming increasingly critical. Host Devin Becker sits down with Solomon-Ruiz Lichter , Senior Director of Global Gaming at CleverTap , to delve into segmenting players, crafting personalized offers, and fostering a more engaging gaming environment. We explore the importance of live ops in maintaining a dynamic relationship with players and discuss the future of this practice, emphasizing t...
Apr 16, 2024•35 min
There’s no shortage of conversation around how new technologies are changing the way games are made, but that technological change doesn’t end there. New platforms are also contending for player attention, and where and how games are distributed is all destined to evolve, likely in bigger ways than most people think. We all know about Roblox and UEFN, but what about Discord, ChatGPT, and whatever new AI-focused consumer platforms may emerge? Could other large social and messaging platforms make ...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Guild of Guardians, Immutable’s second major game after Gods Unchained, is one of the most anticipated web3 games of 2024. The game recently pivoted from a real-time RPG to an auto-battler, and is set for a May 15th global release. Guild of Guardians is one of the first games on Immutable’s new ZK-EVM blockchain, which Naavik covered in the January 24, 2024 episode of the podcast with Immutable founder, Robbie Ferguson. In the second half of the episode your host, Niko Vuori, and Naavik’s own we...
Apr 02, 2024•57 min
In this week's Roundtable, the squad takes a deep dive into the unique atmosphere of this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC), marked by a spirit of camaraderie and innovation amidst widespread industry layoffs. We then pivot to discuss the monumental acquisition of data.ai by Sensor Tower, setting the stage for what could become the definitive source of mobile app data. The conversation heats up as we explore Epic Games' showcase of Unreal Engine, UEFN, and the bombshell announcement of a m...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Finding success on Roblox can be very challenging. There are over 20 million experiences created every year, and the play patterns are quite different from their more traditional mobile and console counterparts. That’s why UGC games analyst, David Taylor , sat down with Xiang Shen , the CTO of Century Games, a top 20 mobile publisher and the creators for the recent breakout hit Whiteout Survival, which drew in $500 million in in-app purchases over the past year according to recent estimates. Wha...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 4 min
After the meteoric rise - and equally meteoric fall - of Axie Infinity, the term “Play-to-Earn” lost much of its cachet, and web3 developers avoided the term throughout the 2022-23 crypto winter. Adjacent concepts such as “Play-and-Earn” or “Play-to-Own” proliferated instead while developers and investors largely ignored the genre, and P2E was effectively declared dead. But not all developers felt this way. Through the crypto winter, Pixels.xyz continued to believe in their thesis, that if done ...
Mar 19, 2024•59 min
In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the exciting news of a greenlit sequel to the Super Mario Brothers movie, with production once again helmed by Illumination. We speculate on the potential for spinoffs and the broader implications for video game adaptations. The conversation then shifts to Microsoft's landmark recognition of Activision Blizzard's 600-person union, which focuses on quality assurance employees, sparking a debate on whether this will pave the way for more unions acros...
Mar 15, 2024•47 min
RallyHere builds on the back of years of experience in Live Service, before the term was even coined, as Hi-Rez Studios under the leadership of CEO Stewart Chisam . RallyHere bottles this expertise into a toolset that can provide a huge edge for teams that want to leverage the power of live services in games. Hi-Rez Studios is behind many popular and long running live service games like Smite, Paladins, Tribes: Ascend, Rogue Company, Realm Royale. Not only is the expertise of Hi-Rez baked in, bu...
Mar 13, 2024•59 min
