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Deconstructor of Fun breaks down successful free-to-play games in search of what makes them fun - or not. All of the contributors to this site are both gamers and game makers.

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Deconstructor of Fun
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Supercell: Still Shipping, Still Learning, Still Compounding
Feb 16

Feb 16 Supercell: Still Shipping, Still Learning, Still Compounding

Michail Katkoff
Leadership

Supercell CEOs annual newsletter is a masterclass of both operations and communications

Pixel Flow: The Publisher's Dream
Feb 13

Feb 13 Pixel Flow: The Publisher's Dream

Aylin Yazıcı

Deep dive of Pixel Flow and it’s success of making $500K+ a day

AI in Game Art: Art Director's Perspective
Feb 9

Feb 9 AI in Game Art: Art Director's Perspective

Michail Katkoff

The evolution of art direction, the integration of AI in creative processes, and the balance between creativity and business acumen

Sort Puzzles: How a New Subgenre is Born
Feb 6

Feb 6 Sort Puzzles: How a New Subgenre is Born

Guest Writer

A deep dive into how Sort Puzzles evolved into a major hybridcasual puzzle subgenre.

State of Mobile 2026: 9 Trends That Matter
Feb 2

Feb 2 State of Mobile 2026: 9 Trends That Matter

Michail Katkoff

We unpack the biggest mobile app trends 2026 and mobile gaming trends 2026.

Building Forever Franchises: 13 Years of Lessons from Zynga's EVP Studios, Yaron Leyvand
Jan 27

Jan 27 Building Forever Franchises: 13 Years of Lessons from Zynga's EVP Studios, Yaron Leyvand

Michail Katkoff

How Zynga built and builds games that never die

The Post-Block Blast Playbook
Jan 20

Jan 20 The Post-Block Blast Playbook

Guest Writer
Deconstructions

How Block Blast scaled with clarity-first and what comes next

8 Reasons Most UA Strategies Fail as they Scale
Jan 12

Jan 12 8 Reasons Most UA Strategies Fail as they Scale

Michail Katkoff
Marketing

Why UA performance often collapses right when it looks like you’ve cracked growth

Hiring as a Competitive Advantage
Jan 5

Jan 5 Hiring as a Competitive Advantage

Michail Katkoff
Founders, Leadership

Great teams aren't hired. They're built, one courageous, uncomfortable decision at a time.

12 Gaming Predictions for 2026
Jan 1

Jan 1 12 Gaming Predictions for 2026

Michail Katkoff
Predictions

Mobile, Console, Steam, China, AI, Sony, Xbox, GTA6... 12 bold and data backed predictions.

Slipknot's Co-Founder: Building Games Like You Build a Band
Dec 22

Dec 22 Slipknot's Co-Founder: Building Games Like You Build a Band

Michail Katkoff
Founders

Why great games (and great bands) are built by people who actually give a sh*t

(VOTING OPEN) Golden TWIG 2025: the Most Honest Awards in the Industry
Dec 19

Dec 19 (VOTING OPEN) Golden TWIG 2025: the Most Honest Awards in the Industry

Michail Katkoff

The Most Honest Awards in Gaming Industry

From Space Ape to Duolingo via Supercell: Simon Hade on Building, Pivoting, and the Price of Being a Founder
Dec 15

Dec 15 From Space Ape to Duolingo via Supercell: Simon Hade on Building, Pivoting, and the Price of Being a Founder

Michail Katkoff
Founders

Simon Hade's journey from co-founding Space Ape through Supercell and eventually into arms of Duolingo is worth hearing.

Hard Truths About Co-Founders, Capital, and Competition
Dec 9

Dec 9 Hard Truths About Co-Founders, Capital, and Competition

Michail Katkoff
Founders

AppCharge went from zero to $500M+ in gaming transactions, but the real story is three years of grinding, failed funding rounds, and two best friends learning to disagree without breaking

I Analyzed Clash Royale’s Marketing. Here’s What I Found.
Dec 5

Dec 5 I Analyzed Clash Royale’s Marketing. Here’s What I Found.

Michail Katkoff
Marketing

So was it all product or was marketing behind the resurrection?‍ ‍

Loyalty Platforms 101: The Complete Guide to Gaming's Fastest-Growing UA Channel
Dec 1

Dec 1 Loyalty Platforms 101: The Complete Guide to Gaming's Fastest-Growing UA Channel

Michail Katkoff
Other

Why are major studios suddenly throwing a third of their media budgets at loyalty platforms? VYBS founder Ido Raz breaks down the channel everyone dismissed as "cheap installs" that's now fueling the industry's fastest growth.

How Three ‘Unfundable’ Engineers Built a $XXXM Company
Nov 24

Nov 24 How Three ‘Unfundable’ Engineers Built a $XXXM Company

Michail Katkoff
Founders

Three backend engineers were told they were unfundable and building in a graveyard market. Ten years later, Heroic Labs is profitable, powers major game studios, and never raised VC money. Here's how they did it.

How to Build an AI-First Culture with 1,300 People. Real Story.
Nov 20

Nov 20 How to Build an AI-First Culture with 1,300 People. Real Story.

Michail Katkoff
Business

Most companies tell employees to "figure out AI" on top of their regular work. AppsFlyer did the opposite. They made AI learning the work itself, and the results reveal why the top-down approach is failing.

The Game Analytics Masterclass
Nov 17

Nov 17 The Game Analytics Masterclass

Michail Katkoff
Data & Analytics

A decade after that first pitch meeting at Rovio, the fully realized vision: how top studios use analytics to reduce decision latency and see truth before competitors even react.

Inside Squad Busters’ $150 Million Experiment
Nov 10

Nov 10 Inside Squad Busters’ $150 Million Experiment

Michail Katkoff
Business

Supercell went all-in on Squad Busters with Hollywood talent, no soft launch, and a $150M budget. It didn't work out. Here's why it still mattered.

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