Podcasts about Supercell

One year into Clash of Clans Ranked Mode, is the ladder working? Shock and Clash Ninja join Rick to discuss the gap between casual progression and competitive play, the problems players face promoting through lower Legends, and what Legends 1 gets right. We talk about where the system falls short, what could change, and answer listener questions about balance and the state of the game.Support our guests with creator codes "unc" for Shock and "ninja" for Clash Ninja.Links:Shock's YouTube ChannelClash Ninja — Guides and Upgrade TrackerYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any Supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: discord.gg/clashofclans. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes.As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. Find more information here.#supercreator

This week we're talking about whether Clash of Clans' A/B testing of progression is actually fair, what Supercell may be trying to learn from different upgrade times, and whether anyone is meaningfully advantaged by it. We also look at when CWL promotion rates might return to normal, whether Champs should eventually support 30v30, possible CWL modifier changes, and the return of the WWE collaboration.We also get into event ticket RNG, whether the WWE event still feels fresh, and the question of whether some of the WWE skins cross the line into pay-to-win.Giveaway Entry Link - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4vbQGw80CiOf2zX03tNpG5xCwvd7kdYsrbz2_8715k8XDHg/viewform?usp=publish-editor Timestamps:(00:00) Intro and Giveaway Info(00:45) Is A/B Testing Progression Fair?(14:05) When Will CWL Promotion Rates Revert?(16:45) Should Champs Open for 30v30?(22:57) CWL Modifier Changes(28:06) Locking an Event Ticket Behind RNG(33:18) Is WWE's Return Fresh or Stale?(38:55) Are WWE Skins P2W?(43:53) Listener Questions and ShoutoutsYou can support us by using creator codes coolrick and spencer for your in-game purchases in any Supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: discord.gg/clashofclans. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes.As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. Find more information here:https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner#supercreator

A job-search app shipped a Flappy Bird playable that ends with "there's a relevant job for you." Two years ago that would have made zero sense. This month it's the trend: non-gaming apps are flooding the playable space, most of them vibe-coded with AI in an afternoon.Matej Lančarič and Ondrej Mosberger are joined again by Robin Kuyer (Unity PlayWorks) for the "everyone brings playables" format — with the bold creative twist of reversing the order. https://lancaric.substack.com/p/h1-2026-brutally-honest-ua-report?r=7qqafMatej's Brutally Honest UA report puts playables at 40-60% of creative spend, up from 30-40% a year ago, as AppLovin, Mintegral, and the SDK networks keep growing. Robin brings the "Frankenstein" playable (Wool Crush: arrows + yarn mechanics + save-the-cat, every popular concept stacked into one ad — plus his spreadsheet method for engineering ideas from what's trending), the non-gaming wave Ondrej closes with a Fumb Games playable vibe-coded in Playable Maker (30 iterations and the next version does it in three) and a clean memory-game hidden-object playable that respects the player's intelligence.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Playables are 40-60% of creative spend — the Brutally Honest data06:25 Wool Crush — the Frankenstein playable and the spreadsheet method11:20 Non-gaming apps take over — Indeed's Flappy Bird, finance, cleaners19:40 Hero Wars — the open-roam level playable and how to iterate it25:05 Supercell's playable — lost seven times, should a playable let you lose?29:40 Sunday City — GTA timing, Grove Street, and the double-hook debate38:30 Cozy Florist's AI merge & the cats-with-guns wildcard44:50 Vibe-coded in Playable Maker + the memory-game playable that trusts youThis episode is brought to you by Kinoa — the AI operating system for mobile game operations: flows, live segments, in-app messages, push notifications, and A/B testing in one place, run by the operators who own the numbers. Carry1st saw +43% ARPDAU; PlayStudios saw +31% revenue on Tetris Block Party. Learn more at Kinoa.http://www.kinoa.ai?utm_source=MatejPodcast&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Matej+Podcast&utm_id=100PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investorsFor an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SAMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Let cook and chat!I'm part of Supercell's Creators Program; find more information here.⭐️ Use code: Trample⭐️ Podcast: Inside Clash with Trample Damage https://open.spotify.com/show/03ygTOPBuwrXVRoJjNVu3f?si=1e7d1ae3102e4b57⭐️ Check out Trample Damage on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@trampledamage⭐️ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@trampledamage?_t=8Y6ZsPAREx0&_r=1 ⭐️ Instagram - https://instagram.com/trample_damage?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=⭐️ Join the Trample Damage Discord server: https://discord.gg/HsysRPfY4Ahttps://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=SupportCreator&id=tramplehttps://store.supercell.com/?boost=trample

Part 2 of the Strategic Rushing special with CallMeTee. We look back on 15 months of rushing, what value it actually provided, transitioning out of a rush, and how to best progress through the Town Halls efficiently to max faster in Clash of Clans.Links:⁠The Strategic Rushing Guide⁠⁠Pineapples and Thorns Podcast⁠⁠Clash Files Family Discord Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:43) 448 Days of Progress(24:51) The Transition to Unrushing(31:42) The Guiding Principle of Rushing(36:49) How Could Future Updates Affect Rushing?(40:21) Who Should Rush?(53:09) Is Rushing Fun and Would I Do It Again?(1:01:45) Listener Questions(1:24:23) Final ThoughtsYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here - https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner ⁠#supercreator

Rick begins a new, Strategically Rushed, Clash of Clans account under the guidance of CallMeTee, author of the famous Rush Bible. This is part 1 of 2 podcast episodes, recorded over a year ago at the start of the rush. Part 2 will follow next week and discuss the completion stages of the rush and more.Links:The Strategic Rushing GuidePineapples and Thorns PodcastClash Files Family Discord You can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here - https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Scotty827 is back and hanging with NeonXombie! We talk about his fast climb from TH15 to TH18, finding the podcast, House of EL, the Clash Files crew, and balancing Clash  and real life! Then we get into Super Yetis and our attempts at strategy, and the Ranked roller coaster—or the ride on the subway! Plus, the Smitty Viewer Drive, SoundClash Podcast Museum, and all the tiny changes that make us wonder what Supercell is doing while we sleep. All that, and everything Clashy! Song inspired by this episode: The NeonXombie Show — created by Scotty827 with Suno. Contact Scotty: Website Email Join the OG Podcast Global Chat

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on two entries from the casual space by PopCap. We discuss Peggle before turning to takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: All mainline levels (B), about half (T) Issues covered: crossing over from casual to hardcore, awards contention, describing Peggle and pachinko, the Peggle masters, talking about removal games and Match-3, how someone engages with one of these games typically, a bunch of animals, the manipulation and the presentation, accentuating moments and playing with physics, shorter vs longer games, PopCap in other games, refining and polishing a genre, removing the biomechanical hurdle, tone and identity for design, accentuating moments especially with audio, trailblazing, don't overthink it, really exploring the space, taking out the real Slim Shady. Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Bejeweled, Alchemy, Zuma, Arkanoid, BioShock, Portal, Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy, God of War II, Mass Effect, Metroid Prime III, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, CoD4: Modern Warfare, Crysis, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, The Witcher, Rock Band, Buddy, Candy Crush, Ridiculous Fishing, Vlambeer, Zach Gage, Spelltower, Spider, Randy Smith, World of Warcraft, Gears of War, Drop 7, Blizzard, Breakout, Atari 2600, Into the Breach, Advance Wars, Psychonauts, Double Fine, Pixar, Supercell, Hitman, Hakan Almer, Martin Ansdal, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia. Next time: ?? Twitch: timlongojr and twinsunscorp YouTube Discord DevGameClub@gmail.com 

Smitty shows Rick the latest Thrower & Revenge Deck attack taking Clash of Clans by storm in a special video episode of the Reddit Talks Clash Podcast. You can find SmittyPlaysClash on:⁠YouTube⁠ - @SmittyPlaysClash⁠TikTok⁠ - https://www.tiktok.com/@smittyplaysclash ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ - https://x.com/smittyplayclash You can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform. About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Title: Decoding the Atmosphere: A Deep Dive into Weather ForecastingTime Stamp Breakdown:00:00 - Introduction: The Atmosphere as a Violent Fluid Dynamics Battlefield 01:06 - Unpacking the Forecast Header: Global Routing Codes and Zulu Time02:08 - The Threat Matrix: Alerts and Warnings Across Regions03:11 - Synoptic Overview: Macro-scale Atmospheric Patterns 04:12 - Aloft Dynamics: Cutoff Lows and Upper Ridges 05:16 - Surface Conditions and Frontal Boundaries 06:18 - Regional Breakdown: Alberta and Northern Saskatchewan Storm Development07:21 - The Thermodynamics of Storms: MLCape and EBWD08:25 - The "Mess" of Rain Loading vs. Organized Storms09:29 - The Paradox of Decreased Fuel, Increased Threat10:32 - Trough Consolidation and Wind Gusts 11:37 - Manitoba and Southern Saskatchewan: Heat Waves and Colliding Systems12:43 - Morning Convection and Cold Pools13:44 - The Physics of Diffluence: Atmospheric Vacuum Cleaners14:45 - Advection vs. Convection: Fueling Thunderstorms 15:45 - Transition to Mesoscale Convective System: Wind and Hail Threat16:55 - Overnight Thunderstorms and Sustained Threats 18:00 - PM2.5 and Wildfire Smoke Transport18:37 - Northern Territories: Different Atmospheric Rules19:04 - Cold Core Systems and Stratiform Rain19:33 - Smoke Distribution in the North19:53 - Nunavut: High Latitude Meteorology and Advection Fog21:12 - The Philosophy of Forecasting: Chaos Theory and Unpredictability22:17 - The Unwinnable War Against Atmospheric Entropy 20 Hashtags: #WeatherForecasting #Meteorology #AtmosphericScience #FluidDynamics #ChaosTheory #ZuluTime #SynopticWeather #Thunderstorms #Supercell #MLCape #EBWD #Diffluence #Advection #Convection #ColdPools #MCS #PM2_5 #WildfireSmoke #ArcticWeather #ClimateScienceBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha

Affan Butt has advised on 110+ gaming M&A deals worth $40 billion. He breaks down how game studios actually get sold, what acquirers pay for, and why earnouts wreck founders. We go through a studio acquisition from the founder's side of the table. How M&A processes really start, what due diligence looks like, why inbound corp dev interest is not validation, how bidding wars backfire, and the way earnout structures quietly turn against the people who signed them.0:00 Loom Games sale to Scopely3:21 What creates FOMO in a deal10:58 Investment banker in gaming 21:14 Supercell story 26:26 Peak Games story 39:03 Private equity in gaming 42:12 Deal timelines48:21 Due diligence53:54 When to say no to a sale 68:10 Why deals fail74:20 Earnouts and incentives86:28 The changing exit landscape94:35 Where the gaming cycle is now

Weather With Enthusiasm — NWS Deep Dive: Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Lakewood, Jerusalem, Synoptic Setup & Zmanim — August 17, 20261. Intro and US Synoptic Setup2. Bermuda High and Tropics3. Chicago Forecast Discussion4. St. Louis Forecast Discussion5. Baltimore Forecast Discussion6. Lakewood, New Jersey Area Forecast Discussion7. Jerusalem Weather8. Zmanim9. Closing Synthesis#WeatherWithEnthusiasm #NWS #HeatDome #BermudaHigh #ChicagoWeather #StLouisWeather #BaltimoreWeather #Lakewood #JerusalemWeather #Zmanim #SevereWeather #Supercell #Synoptic #WeatherPodcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha

The 14th Anniversary of Clash of Clans is here! This podcast covers the trading card collecting event, Chief's Chronicles, Elephant Rider event troop and as always - listener questions. Links:Rudra's Thank You NoteTimestamps:(00:00) Intro and Card Collecting(09:41) Chief's Chronicles(15:19) Statue Collector Woes(22:54) Earning the Royal Enchantress Skin from Store(30:43) Elephant Rider Troop and Behind the Scenes(38:24) Listener Questions & Shout OutsYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=coolrick https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=spencerAbout the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Scotty827 is back with CoolRick from Reddit Talks Clash as Clash celebrates its 14th anniversary! We give our first impressions of the new crafted defenses, debate which upgrades deserve those early resources, and find out why Scotty may need to reconsider some advice he has already handed out. Then we dig into Ranked play, whether Legends should return to a daily format, and why defense finally matters again. We also tackle the bigger question hanging over farming and regular wars: when perfect results become routine, where did all the stakes go? Plus, we compare CWL roster systems, modifiers, player rotations, and friendly-war preparation; revisit CoolRick's recent solo episode; and celebrate the Clash creators keeping the game fun. All that, and everything Clashy! As Mentioned on the Pod Leyho on TikTok: @lehyos Olympus Gaming on TikTok: @olympus_gaming_coc Find CoolRick and Reddit Talks Clash Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash Reddit: u/CongressmanCoolRick X: @CoolRickReddit Support CoolRick in any Supercell game or the Supercell Store with creator code coolrick: Activate creator code Contact Scotty Website: clashofclanspodcast.com Email: clashofclanspodcast@gmail.com Join the OG Podcast Global Chat: COC Podcast Global Chat

Rick gets a tad nostalgic, a tad melodramatic, and a little hopeful about the state of war in Clash of Clans. This episode discusses the rate of draws, balance, and potential tiebreaker options in this first crack at a solo episode. Timestamps:(00:00) Comp Wars and My First Livestream Hit(04:43) The 103 Win War Streak(09:45) The Good Guys and Our Current War Log(12:40) Draws, Draws, & More Draws(14:46) Pros and Cons: Tiebreaker Options (24:46) ConclusionsYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform. About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Spencer, Rick, and other mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

More frequent balance changes, more things to do in game, a new Town Hall every year... are we just pushing boulders up a hill? You can find all Trample's Content ⁠through this link⁠, and you can support him in game with code "trample" for all Supercell game purchases. Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:09) Balance Changes(21:18) The Titan League / Legends 2 Modifier Experience(32:22) The Clash Cycle, Does Sisyphus Want More?(44:50) Listener Questions(1:01:22) Shout Outs and GoodbyeYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

“A place that doesn't have great philosophers will not have great technologists either.” — Mehran Gul on Europe's inexplicable underperformance The digital revolution, we were promised, would mean the end of geography. From Beijing to Birmingham to Berlin to Barcelona, anyone could invent anything anywhere, and so the geography of innovation would no longer matter. But that's not the way it has worked out. At least according to the Geneva-based innovation geographer Mehran Gul. Gul's acclaimed The New Geography of Innovation is a travelogue of innovation. But what he finds on his journey around the world in search of innovation is the end of the end of geography. Yes, Gul reports, there's innovation in Beijing and in Birmingham (USA) — but not in Birmingham (England), Berlin or Barcelona. All the important invention is in China and the US. There simply isn't much radical stuff going on anywhere else. Gul began his journey expecting to find ten or twelve countries able to innovate competitively with the United States and China. But what he discovered is either niche players or, in the case of South Korea, Israel, and India, just an extension of the US-centric system. Europe — as renters rather than owners of American technology — comes off worst. When PayPal went public, it minted 160 millionaires who went on to help build SpaceX, Tesla, LinkedIn and Palantir; when Skype exited at about the same value, it minted 11. And if you put London aside, the rest of the UK is now poorer per capita than Mississippi. And the AI boom has only compounded all this, with half of last year's key research papers coming from China, 40% from America, and just 4% from Europe. So really the new geography of innovation is the old geography. Only with China replacing Europe as the only serious competitor to American innovation. Oh lord, oh lord. As a Mississippi bluesman might summarize Europe's predicament. Five Takeaways •       Golden Shares: The Two Systems Are Converging. OpenAI offering Washington a 5% stake, the US government owning Intel — these are Chinese moves, and Gul argues the two models are becoming more alike than either admits. But he pushes back on the lazy version of the China story: its tech sector rose despite the state, not because of it. Jack Ma exiled to Japan, Didi hit with a billion in fines, entire sectors decapitated overnight in 2021 under the banner of common prosperity. In a country with no independent media and no opposition parties, the only rival to centralized power is the tech sector — and the party knows it. •       Two Countries — and Everyone Else. Gul started writing expecting to find ten or twelve countries punching at America's level; the honest answer turned out to be two. Only China has broad-based competence across technologies and a genuinely competitive relationship with the US. The middle powers — South Korea, Israel, India — are extensions of the American system, not rivals to it. That finding surprised the author as much as anyone: it's not the book he set out to write. •       Europe: Renters, Not Owners. After the Fable 5 and Mythos bans, Europe woke up to being a renter of American technology — foundation models, NVIDIA GPUs, all of it. Its best companies keep leaving: DeepMind to Google, Arm to a New York listing, Hugging Face from Paris to Manhattan — while Volvo, Supercell, and KUKA sold to China. Gul's diagnosis is institutional, not cultural: European employees own half as much of their startups as American ones, so there is no European PayPal mafia. His fixes: a European Nasdaq to replace 41 competing capital markets, and pension funds unleashed into venture capital. •       The Question Nobody Is Asking. Since 1990, America's share of global GDP has held at 25% while China's multiplied tenfold — the loser is Europe. The top ten American tech companies are worth $27 trillion, more than the GDP of every country on earth except America itself. Tech is not one industry among many; it is the foundation of all of them — the new cars came from Tesla, not GM. Gul's message to the skeptical Spaniard enjoying long lunches: the last sixty years of American platform dominance skewed power across the Atlantic, and the next sixty will add China to the bill. •       The Rest of the Map: Anti Case Studies. Japan tops the freedom indexes, has the technical schools, and still never escaped the keiretsu — disproving Matt Ridley's claim that innovation is simply the child of freedom. Taiwan's relevance comes down to one company and Morris Chang's missed promotion at Texas Instruments. Singapore is an inspiration, not a model — a one-party city-state that invoices NVIDIA's chips and banks ASEAN's venture capital. India underperforms while Indians excel — 56 notable American foundation models last year, 35 Chinese, barely one Indian. And Switzerland reminds us innovation isn't only venture-backed: a train network running on renewables since the 1960s. About the Guest Mehran Gul writes about technology and business. He is the winner of the Financial Times/McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize, from which The New Geography of Innovation grew. He attended Yale as a Fulbright Scholar, Fox International Fellow, and Teaching Fellow, has been a Lead for the Digital Transformation of Industries at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, and served as an expert on entrepreneurship and industrial policy at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna. Born in Pakistan, he lives in Switzerland. The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster), a Financial Times Book of the Year, is his first book, out in paperback this month in the US and UK. References: •       The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies by Mehran Gul (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster). The Wall Street Journal: “An ambitious tour of technological innovation.” •       Sebastian Mallaby — author of The Power Law, which argues China's tech rise owes more to American-style risk capital arriving in Shanghai and Shenzhen than to the state; recently on the show discussing his biography of Demis Hassabis. •       Kai-Fu Lee — author of AI Superpowers, cited by Gul as the classic account of tech written through a Chinese lens. •       Matt Ridley — author of How Innovation Works, whose thesis that innovation is “the child of freedom and the parent of prosperity” Gul tests against the anti case study of Japan. •       Andrew Keen — author of How t...

Destiny is dead, Xbox is about to make the largest layoff in gaming history, and Google Play just completely changed how it charges developers.In this episode, we break down:• Why Sony's $3.6B Bungie acquisition was doomed from the start• What Destiny's gradual player decline actually looked like on the data• Where hundreds of laid-off Bungie developers go from here• Which five Xbox studios are being closed or sold• Why Xbox raising the Series X to $750 might be the final nail in the coffin• The unionization debate: is now the worst time to organize?• Google Play's new fee structure explained • Why Kress thinks Apple and Google wasted 20 years of developer goodwill• How a 2-person team sold 10 million copies of Mecha Chameleon in 16 days with zero marketing spend• Why the Adidas x Brawl Stars collab may have just hurt Supercell's brand• Ubisoft's surprising new hire from Amazon GamesCHAPTERS:00:00 Mobile Giants Rant00:16 Show Intro and Agenda02:39 Soccer Sidetrack04:03 Quick Shills and Corrections07:04 Sony Cuts Bungie13:15 Destiny Trends and Mobile15:37 Where Talent Goes Next17:25 Xbox Layoffs Rumors19:51 Strategy Behind Closures26:03 Unionization Debate29:51 Xbox Price Hike Fallout33:21 Console Pricing Speculation34:24 Switch Sales And Price Hikes36:09 Google Play Changes Breakdown38:53 New Vs Existing Install Fees40:33 Web Billing And Rankings41:18 Why So Complicated44:08 Level Up Program Requirements45:26 Sidekick Overlay And Data46:24 Rollout Dates And Reactions49:20 Stores Value And 30 Percent53:22 Steam Viral Hit Mecha Chameleon55:49 VC Project Financing Debate58:50 Ubisoft Hires Amazon Games GM01:00:18 Adidas Brawl Stars Marketing Lesson01:03:30 Wrap Up And Next Topics

Back in the saddle…again…I'm part of Supercell's Creators Program; find more information here.⭐️ Use code: Trample⭐️ Podcast: Inside Clash with Trample Damage https://open.spotify.com/show/03ygTOPBuwrXVRoJjNVu3f?si=1e7d1ae3102e4b57⭐️ Check out Trample Damage on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@trampledamage⭐️ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@trampledamage?_t=8Y6ZsPAREx0&_r=1 ⭐️ Instagram - https://instagram.com/trample_damage?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=⭐️ Join the Trample Damage Discord server: https://discord.gg/HsysRPfY4Ahttps://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=SupportCreator&id=tramplehttps://store.supercell.com/?boost=trample

In this special episode of the Naavik Gaming Podcast, recorded live from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, host Kalie Moore sits down with fellow Cannes Lions Gaming Jury member Cheryl Platz, author of The Game Development Strategy Guide, and former UX leader at Riot Games, Scopely, Microsoft, and Amazon. Together, they pull back the curtain on what it was actually like judging one of the world's most prestigious creative awards programs, from the multi-stage evaluation process to the debates that shaped the final winners. They discuss the challenges of evaluating gaming campaigns across vastly different audiences, genres, and markets, and share lessons for brands, agencies, and developers looking to create work that genuinely resonates with players.The conversation explores some of the most memorable campaigns from this year's competition, including a deep dive into Supercell's big year. Kalie and Cheryl unpack why Copycat's Welcome earned the coveted Grand Prix, how Pocket-Sized Halftime Show won Gold and dominated the conversation across all entertainment conversations, and what these campaigns reveal about creativity, player insight, and measurable impact. They also discuss Skittles' viral gaming flute, Silent Clean's horror game for a century-old cleaning brand, and campaigns that used gaming to tackle organ donation, wildfire prevention, and medical education. The episode offers a rare inside look at how creative excellence is judged at the highest level and what the future of brand integration in games might look like.We'd also like to thank Dive for making this episode possible! With its fully managed analytics and LiveOps platform built for game studios, 95% of their clients grow revenue in one year. All of that without having to hire an in-house data team. Learn more here: dive.games/scale..If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.Who's On:Guest - Cheryl Platz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylplatz/Host - Kalie Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliemoore/ Watch the episode: YouTube ChannelFor more episodes and details: Podcast WebsiteFree newsletter: Naavik DigestFollow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | WebsiteSound design by Gavin Mc CabeLinks mentioned:https://www.cherylplatz.com/https://www.gamedevelopmentstrategyguide.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enduring-play-a-game-development-podcast/id1826460395?l=es-MXhttps://www.lovethework.com/en/awards/winners-shortlists/cannes-lions/entertainment-lions-for-gaming?tag=publication+dates%40%40year%40%402026

Discussing the Pros and Cons of Global Chat and Hero Journey, reddit's reaction to each, and introducing a new mod. Links:r/ClashofClans Global ChatRadio Clash Global ChatClan Chat CM Interview (when published)Timestamps:(00:00) Intros and Lost Episode(02:03) Global Chat, Recruiting, and Adoption Rates(17:04) What the Hero Journey Is, and Isn't(27:03) Reddit has been Clowns, and How We Drove Away the CMs(35:13) Capital Farm Bot Problems(40:27) Listener Questions(51:32) Goodbye Sam & ShoutoutsYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Send us a Message!Welcome back to another episode of Clash Royale Radio! This episode I talk about what's been going on with my life and why I haven't been uploading very often. Hope you enjoy!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Minireed_DylanSend a Voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/crradio Discord: https://discord.gg/BmuR6zw3fW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MinireedDonate: https://paypal.me/clashroyaleradio Patroen: http://patreon.com/user?u=86614718Support the show

Microsoft is laying the groundwork to spin Xbox off, Supercell just cut 70% of Metacore's staff after burning through $180M. Meanwhile, EA just launched a real ad platform for sports games.In this episode, we break down:● Why Xbox keeps losing its top studio leadership● Whether Microsoft is actually preparing to spin off Xbox● What Sharma's first 100 days reveal about her real strategy● Why Believer raised $55M to ship an AI plugin instead of a game● How Supercell's Metacore acquisition turned into a 70% staff cut● Why EA's new in-game ad platform might actually make sense, for once● Why microdrama apps are growing fast but can't fix their retention● Why Konami's eFootball is quietly beating FC Mobile in revenue● Why Netflix's FIFA World Cup game became an instant disaster● Why the consumer apps "threat" to gaming doesn't hold up under the dataCHAPTERS:00:42 Topics Preview02:04 Shills and Events03:01 Roblox Safety Podcast04:08 Puzzle Monthly Updates06:05 Conference Island Recap08:48 Xbox News Rundown11:49 Kress on Xbox Spinout20:07 Sharma 100 Days Analysis25:32 Believer AI Plugin29:40 Metacore Acquisition Fallout33:38 EA Advertising Debate35:02 Ads In Sports Games36:34 Why In Game Ads Failed38:08 Roblox Brand Detour40:37 Micro Drama Boom41:45 Retention And Monetization44:18 Merge Drama And Subscriptions47:57 Konami Strategy And Collabs51:03 FIFA Netflix Game Rant54:38 Consumer Apps Threat Myth58:59 Attention CPI And Webshops01:02:19 IDFA Rumor And Farewell

Supercell rebooted MoCo, their monster-hunting RPG, with a big relaunch update - new weapons, new abilities, redesigned portals, daily jobs. The hype cycle lit up. And after playing it, the verdict is brutal: it's still dead on arrival.Matej Lančarič, Jakub Remiar, and Felix Braberg dig into the MoCo relaunch and why it doesn't fix the game's core problem. MoCo launched in March 2025 with a download spike, hit a hard shark fin, and the relaunch pumped it back up to roughly 230K DAU — but only around $14K/day in revenue and ~$5M lifetime (about one peak day of Brawl Stars). Jakub's diagnosis as a hardcore RPG player: the game has no depth, no chase items, no endgame, just farming stat-cores and a cosmetics shop. The relaunch added "depth-ish" — a little bit of depth sprinkled into the depth — but lightweight RPGs don't exist, and Supercell's broad-and-accessible business model is fundamentally incompatible with what makes RPGs work.The conclusion the hosts land on is uncomfortable: in its current state, MoCo is essentially unsalvageable as an RPG. Either pivot it into a MOBA, or kill it and go back to strategy games — the thing Supercell is genuinely great at.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — what does this mean for Supercell?02:19 The relaunch and the search for one positive sign03:30 The numbers — shark fin, 230K DAU, $14K/day07:40 The core problem — no depth, no chase items12:50 "Gen Z slop": why the RPG genre rejects this16:00 The endgame problem — stat-cores and cosmetics26:00 MoCo vs Diablo Immortal vs Path of Exile30:45 The verdict — kill it or pivot to MOBA--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Gossip Harbor is beating Candy Crush, Merge Mansion is going to Supercell, and the Merge genre is at an inflection point.In this episode of Puzzle Monthly, we break down the real state of Merge games in 2026, from the history of the genre to why Gossip Harbor succeeded where others failed, and what the next Merge hit might look like.Topics Covered:● The history of Merge — from Tripletown to Merge Dragons to Merge 2● Merge 2 vs Merge 3: how the economies actually differ● Why Gossip Harbor surpassed Candy Crush while Merge Mansion collapsed● The no-fail-state problem and how live ops try to solve it● Board clutter, storage frustration, and persistent board design● Sensor Tower data: Travel Town vs Gossip Harbor vs Merge Mansion● Hard order labeling and whether Match 3 lessons apply to Merge● What the next Merge game should look likeCHAPTERS:01:07 Merge Takes Center Stage02:07 Origins of Merge Games02:38 Merge Two vs Three03:48 Core Loop Explained06:03 Merge Mansion vs Gossip Harbor07:54 Live Ops Without Fail States09:40 Why Merge Feels Boring11:51 Progress and Board Order15:45 Dog Quest and Board Clutter17:45 Persistent Boards and Storage19:24 Monetization Paradox20:11 What's Next for Merge21:28 Soap Opera and Generator Ideas22:12 Persistence Makes UX Hard22:48 Persistent Boards Shift23:32 Making Merge Feel Dynamic24:28 Separate Boards Live Ops25:06 Lucky Catch Event Design26:02 Battle Pass Segmentation26:38 Why Gossip Harbor Won28:17 Merge Engine Under Hood36:24 Next Genre Innovations39:00 Cannibalization By Sequels40:53 Hard Labeling For Orders43:13 Generator Overcharge Ideas44:04 Future Focus Areas44:48 Wrap Up And Farewell

It's day two of the World Cup, and the biggest download winner isn't any of the football games anyone predicted — it's a Coca-Cola-sponsored sticker-album app. That's just one of three stories this week that matter for mobile.Felix Braberg flies solo for the Friday news segment. The FIFA Panini Collection is pulling roughly half a million downloads a day across Brazil, Mexico, and the US — 12.2 million downloads in 30 days and ~$1.5M revenue — built around Panini's physical collectible-card heritage and Coca-Cola bottle QR codes. Felix also crunched the numbers on Block Blast's 24-hour Google Play takedown (rumored IP infringement) and found it cost the game roughly $120K/day in lost ad revenue, with a 17% daily-active-user drop and a 14-month download low. And Supercell's US game development is winding down — one project killed, another in limbo after staff departures — feeding the bigger question of when (or whether) Supercell lands its next hit.Three stories, one theme: distribution is fragile, and even the biggest names are exposed.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — Block Blast's lost daily active users00:40 FIFA Panini wins the World Cup download race03:00 The Coca-Cola + Panini sticker-album playbook04:30 Block Blast's 24-hour outage — the real cost06:30 The $120K/day loss and the Turkey/Indonesia drop08:00 Supercell kills a US game, another in limbo━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Liftoff finally went public this week — at a valuation that tells you exactly what the public market thinks mobile ad networks are worth. That's just one of four stories this week that genuinely matter if you run UA.Matej Lančarič flies solo for the breaking news segment, ranked from biggest to most practical. Liftoff listed on Nasdaq as LFT after a second attempt, raising $437M at a $3.83B valuation — a 25% haircut from the $5B it wanted in January, and below the private valuation General Atlantic paid in 2025. A Niko Partners report buried a number most Western publishers still aren't modeling: minigames are now almost 20% of mobile game spending in China. Akin launched AMF Capital with Makers Fund, opening with a $28M UA financing facility for Birhack. And the throughline of the week — mobile has officially shifted from core-first to event-first, with Monopoly Go's Simpsons crossover, Rovio's own admission, and Supercell's MoCo reboot all pointing the same direction.The bar keeps moving up. The industry is consolidating around scale, capital, and live-ops.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Supercell reboots MoCo's live-ops00:30 Liftoff goes public at $3.83B — the IPO breakdown03:00 China minigames are now 20% of mobile spend05:30 AMF Capital launches with a $28M UA financing deal07:00 Mobile shifts from core-first to event-first09:00 What event-first actually means for your UA

Lots of Duke's flying around out there…I'm part of Supercell's Creators Program; find more information here.⭐️ Use code: Trample⭐️ Podcast: Inside Clash with Trample Damage https://open.spotify.com/show/03ygTOPBuwrXVRoJjNVu3f?si=1e7d1ae3102e4b57⭐️ Check out Trample Damage on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@trampledamage⭐️ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@trampledamage?_t=8Y6ZsPAREx0&_r=1 ⭐️ Instagram - https://instagram.com/trample_damage?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=⭐️ Join the Trample Damage Discord server: https://discord.gg/HsysRPfY4Ahttps://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=SupportCreator&id=tramplehttps://store.supercell.com/?boost=trample

Global Chat return has been teased. Players are feeling like lab rats in May's A/B Tests, and more. Links:Giveaway for Steampunk Battle Machine Skin (Just comment to enter) #SupercellPartnerInside the Builder Hut 4 Timestamps:(00:00) Intro and Global Chat Returns(10:37) Improving Ranked Mode(19:24) Clash Vs. Skeletons Event(25:33) Builder Base Bonanza(31:03) One Time Only Skins?(35:14) A/B Testing - Reddit Responds as Reddit does...(40:18) Listener Questions & Shoutout LadyhawkeYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=coolrick https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=spencerAbout the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Supercell enters the toy business, Playtika fully embraces casual games, and Turkey's puzzle game machine keeps printing hits and billion-dollar studios.In this episode of TWIG, Jen is joined by Adam, Phill, and LT to break down the biggest stories in mobile games, from Grand Games' massive $70M raise to the deeper economics behind hybrid casual, DTC monetization, and why puzzle games are evolving beyond traditional match-3 design.Topics Covered:● Grand Games raises $70M, and why Turkey has become the world's most concentrated puzzle game ecosystem● How government subsidies, repeat founders, and UA rebates are fueling Turkey's gaming flywheel● Why hybrid casual puzzle games are breaking classic casual game design rules and still winning● Playtika shifts away from social casino and doubles down on casual hits like Disney Solitaire● Royal Kingdom's aggressive celebrity UA campaign and whether it actually moved the needle● Royal Match quietly launches web shop payments and new event monetization systems● Why DTC revenue is becoming critical for casual mobile games● The “worldification” of live service games after Genshin Impact and whether open worlds are sustainable● Sega and Rovio are restructuring after disappointing mobile performance and failed synergy bets● Supercell partners with Spin Master for Clash and Brawl Stars toys● Angry Birds teams up with Subway Surfers in a new crossover event● Wordle gets a TV show because apparently everything becomes IP nowCHAPTERS: 00:13 Welcome and Episode Lineup02:08 Health Updates and Travel Plans03:03 Adam Check-In and AI RAG Tool05:25 DOF Roundtables Announcement08:55 Gran Games Funding Breakdown09:49 Turkey Puzzle Flywheel12:04 Hybrid Casual Design Debate23:47 Emotional States in Puzzle Play26:30 Playtika Shifts to Casual28:30 Playtika pivots casual29:55 D2C Mix hits 40%30:47 Royal Kingdom check-in32:44 Cannibalization and UA blitz35:11 Match 3 needs weird38:01 Royal Match goes web shop42:54 Worldification debate49:41 AI and open worlds50:50 Quick hits Wordle and toys54:18 Rovio Sega restructure59:40 Wrap-up and goodbye

Supercell absorbs Merge Mansion, Xbox fires its veterans and hires from Instacart, and the math behind gaming's VC collapse finally gets laid out in full.In this episode of TWIG, Mishka is joined by Josh Chandley, John Wright, and Ethan Levy to break down the biggest moves in games this week, from Finland's most beloved merge studio quietly running out of road to why gaming VC funding has dropped 95% since 2021.Topics Covered:● Supercell acquires Metacore and why a profitable $30M a month game still couldn't survive● What the 70% layoffs tell us about liveops competition and the limits of celebrity UA campaigns● Xbox replaces 24-year veterans with Instacart execs, and whether growth engineering can fix a content problem● GameStop bids for eBay with no synergy pitch and why the meme stock era never really ended● Roblox voluntarily takes a billion dollar hit on bookings and why it might be the smartest long-term bet in the room● The math that broke gaming VC funding, from $12.5B in 2021 to $627M in H1 2025 and what founders should do insteadCHAPTERS:00:00 Cold Open Jail Joke00:11 Meet the Hosts01:47 Episode Headlines02:21 Theme Park Mario Talk03:13 Line Monetization Schemes04:40 Istanbul Events Plug05:37 Consulting Shoutout07:03 Supercell Buys Metacore08:38 Metacore Rise and Stumble10:51 UA Cuts and Layoffs20:00 Strategic Investor Dynamics23:14 Xbox Leadership Shakeup24:42 Game Pass and Content Gap26:48 Microsoft IP Live Service Vision28:59 Xbox IPs Need Long Runs29:55 GameStop Buys eBay Meme32:22 Roblox Safety Overhaul Fallout35:32 Age Verification Debate37:02 Roblox Monetization and 18 Plus43:03 Ustwo Cuts Costs Reality45:16 Freelancers Bands Model47:25 Premium Math Doesn't Work51:19 VC Funding Math Broke59:06 Is This the New Normal01:01:56 Wrap Up and Thanks

Mississippi was hit hard last night by supercell thunderstorms. Tornadoes destroyed homes. Please keep these areas and the state of Mississippi in your prayers. 

Tonight on the Carolina Weather Group, we are tracking active storms across the Carolinas while facing a persistent and extreme drought.⚡ SHOCKING LIGHTNING FOOTAGEStorm chaser Dan Whitaker joins the panel to share incredible 4K slow-motion video of a lightning bolt striking the pavement just feet in front of his vehicle during a recent chase in Oklahoma. Dan describes the physical impact of the strike, including flying debris and "lightning beads," and explains how the intense flash affected his vision for hours.

Every new mobile game is now a copy of a copy. And that's not a complaint — it's the strategy.We dig through the soft launch charts to surface 15+ new games released in the last three months. Voodoo's Block Pals (which is literally just Block Jam 3D again). Moon Active's two new merge games are chasing Gossip Harbor. Spike's Hexa Out, Quick Send, and Solitaire Sort. Grand Games hiding its new Aerogem on the Zimbabwe App Store to dodge takedowns. SuperSend's template-driven creative-first approach with FROZIA and Daily Farm Harvest Empire. Plus the bigger structural question: is Overwatch Rush actually going to make it?The pattern is clear - 80% works, 20% iteration. Every serious studio is following the same playbook. The question is who executes it best.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — merge is the new match-304:04 Field Day by Bitod — ex-Supercell startup goes GTA06:15 Overwatch Rush — Blizzard's mobile play (high CPI face)09:53 Moon Active's merge wave — Reality Bay + Family Bay12:43 Voodoo's Block Pals + Century's DakiMage Color Puzzle15:35 Turkish section — Rolik, Spike, Grand Games dominance25:16 Aerogem hidden on the Zimbabwe App Store27:00 Arrows hits 6.5M DAU — the new template everyone copies28:38 SuperSend's creative-first templates: FROZIA, Daily Farm— "80% works, 20% iteration" is now the default soft launch strategy. Every game in this episode is an iteration on a proven winner — Block Jam, Gossip Harbor, Pixel Flow, Lesmore's Arrows, Township, Last War Creative.— Merge is officially being treated as the new match-3. Moon Active alone has two new merge games in soft launch. Caveat: merge is much harder to balance and live-ops than match-3, so most of these will fail.— Grand Games is hiding its new game Aerogem on the Zimbabwe App Store specifically because legal teams from incumbents (likely MiniClip / Lesmore) don't operate there. This is apparently a real soft launch tactic now.— Spike has abandoned its main App Store account and is publishing everything from a new "testing" account, releasing Hexa Out, Quick Send, and Solitaire Sort in rapid succession with the same template strategy.--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Welcome to Review Radar #11 — the "broken dreams and hopes" edition. We revisit every game they reviewed between September and December last year to see which ones survived, which ones got killed, and which ones genuinely broke through.The verdict is brutal. AceCraft dropped from 800K downloads a day to 4K. Galaxy Defense never scaled. The Squad Busters of the world joined Supercell's graveyard. But there were real winners: The Tower, Level Devil, Sunday City (the "Casino GTA"), and Heads Down all proved that smart design beats hype every time.If you want to understand what actually predicts mobile game survival, this is the episode.#mobilegaming #gamedesign #useracquisition #liveops #f2pGet our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠ Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Cold open — "broken dreams" radar incoming01:51 AceCraft, Galaxy Defense and the September graveyard07:54 The Tower — one of the best games we've reviewed12:01 Sudoku Master and the puzzle category check-in20:11 The Supercell post-2018 graveyard + MoCo's slow death28:38 Sunday City — the "Casino GTA" winning at $100K/day34:00 Final verdict — who survived and who didn't---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

Match-3 is harder than ever to win, clones are getting taken down, and Royal Kingdom is scaling toward the top of the puzzle market.In this episode of Puzzle Monthly, we break down the real state of puzzle games in 2026, from Turkish startup funding to Supercell's latest attempt, Pixel Flow clone drama, and whether Royal Kingdom can actually challenge Candy Crush.Topics Covered:● Turkish puzzle startups raise fresh funding and why the ecosystem keeps producing hits● Supercell tries puzzle again with Hay Day Match, and why timing might be wrong● Is Match-3 innovation dead? The debate on risk vs scale in today's market● Pixel Flow clone gets taken down. Are copycats finally under pressure?● The real monetization strategy: UA costs, clones, and ad funnels explained● Royal Kingdom's explosive growth and whether it can ever reach Candy Crush level● Why most new puzzle games fail, and what it actually takes to win todayCHAPTERS: 01:35 Turkish Seed Funding Wave02:13 Cheer Games and Hexa Sort Playbook05:23 Supercell Tries Heyday Match09:45 Why Match Three Is Stuck10:47 Innovation vs Scale Debate12:52 King Sequels and Meta Lessons15:56 Farm Heroes Saga Hits $2B21:08 Pixel Flow Clone Takedown23:27 Trade Dress And Platform Rules24:57 Why Copycats Make Money26:54 Clone Ads As Strategy29:52 Royal Kingdom Relaunch Story31:39 Growth Charts And Celebrity UA33:13 Can It Beat Candy Crush33:30 Paid Installs Profitability Math35:00 Organic Fame And Payback Window37:08 Cannibalization Versus Incremental38:42 Live Ops Similarities And PVE43:14 Wrap Up And Next Episode

Clash Bashing and Corrupt join us as we get ready for the roll out of the new Guardian - The Logger. We tell you whether or not to book the Sky Wagon done, and what troops are a priority as the new modifier leagues for Ranked and CWL get added in this Update. Links:Clash Bashing YouTubeCorrupt YouTubeTimestamps:(00:00) Intro and Biggest Impacts of this Update(03:50) Sky Wagon Siege Machine(08:55) The Logger Guardian(18:06) New Troop Levels(21:40) New Spell Levels(24:39) New Army Camp Level(31:17) New Defense Levels(33:31) Legends Leagues, New Modifiers, Game Balance(44:16) Listener Questions(55:55) A Final Discourse on Feet(11:11:38) Intro Outtake (We don't really hate Liam)You can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.  About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

00:00  - The Looming Threat: Monday's Severe Weather Outlook for St. Louis01:02  - Atmospheric Reset: The Build-Up to Monday's Storms02:05 - Morning Signals: Elevated Storms and Pre-Frontal Dynamics03:06 - Supercell Potential: Hail, Tornadoes, and Damaging Winds04:08  - Regional Picture: SPC Outlook & Strong Tornado Potential05:15 - Discrete Storms vs. Lines: Impact on Tornado & Wind Risk05:35 - The Triple Point: Chaser Focus and Track Uncertainty07:18 - Key Questions: Unveiling Monday's Storm Scenario07:55  - Public Safety: Preparedness Actions for St. Louis Residents09:24  - Chaser Discipline: Navigating a High-Stakes Environment10:25  - Post-Storm Outlook: Cooler, Drier Air Arrives11:34 - Final Call: Monday Afternoon and Evening Critical#Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.This episode includes AI-generated content.

This episode of "Weather With Enthusiasm" explores how meteorologists, especially caring and personable ones, can significantly alleviate climate change distress. It delves into the profound impact of severe weather events like tornadoes, showcasing how individuals find comfort and even spiritual awakening through expert guidance and a sense of community. The episode highlights the often underestimated, life-saving work of meteorologists and their unique ability to connect with people on a universal level. It features clips from movies, anecdotes, and observations on the unexpected "domes" of protection in highly-prayed-for areas, emphasizing the power of faith and the evolving expertise in weather forecasting.Chapter Breakdown:00:00 - 00:36: Introduction: The Meteorologist's Unique Role in Distress Relief00:37 - 01:51: Witnessing Distress and the Therapeutic Meteorologist  Describes the "Weather with Bob Clubs" chat room and the observed distress during severe weather.   Highlights the therapeutic role of a "caring meteorologist."    Includes a movie clip from "Supercell" to illustrate the impact of tornadoes.01:52 - 03:58: The "Dome" of Prayer and Spiritual Discovery   Discusses how people pay for calming posts and the observed "dome" effect where prayer seems to protect areas from tornado damage.  Explores the hypothesis that a tornado experience can lead to spiritual awakening.     03:59 - 06:09: The Underestimated Impact of Meteorologists  Emphasizes the massive, often unnoticed, life-saving work of meteorologists.    Argues that meteorologists save more lives than almost any other profession.  Features a clip from meteorologist Tom Skilling on how weather connects everyone universally.06:10 - 08:15: Meteorologists: Personal Connection and Evolving Expertise    08:16 - 09:17: The Divine in Forecasting and Preparedness 09:18 - 10:32: The Meteorologist's Prayer and Conclusion   10:33 - End: Weather Trailer    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.

Rick and Sam talk about April CWL, the astonishingly high and new record hitrates and what caused them, and how to move forward once modfiers are introduced to Clan War Leagues. Also covered - The Dragon Duke and Rocket Backpack epic equipment, ranked changes, recruiting woes, and as always listener questions submitted live on Discord. Links:Duke Glitch - https://www.reddit.com/r/ClashOfClans/s/vKpUoXe3ioTimestamps:(00:00) Why Did the Hit Rates Spike? - New Crafted Defenses(09:05) Rocket Backpack and other Duke Strategies(19:26) Event and Event Pass Fatigue(32:07) Preparing for Modifier CWLs(37:41) Listener Questions(1:01:06) Shoutouts and Other Clash PodcastsYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Clash Ninja joins RTC for an in-depth discussion over the State of Gameplay and What's Ahead Blog Post as well as a look at the end of Crafting Season 2. Links:Clash.Ninja Upgrade Tracker and GuidesClash.Ninja DiscordClash.Ninja on XSupport the man by using code "Ninja"Timestamps:(00:00) Intro and overall reactions(02:11) How the balance changes affected the TH18 Meta(09:46) Were we wrong about the Duke being OP?(11:34) New troop levels and meta diversity(18:12) Ranked improvements(22:04) Heroes and Pets up in friendly challenges and wars(29:59) Legends rework coming?(33:51) New CWL leagues with modifiers(40:55) To say nothing of Ore(49:39) Crafting season 2 stats(57:16) Listener Questions(1:02:24) Shoutouts and GoodbyeYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Episode Summary: While the team is away at GDC in San Francisco, we're bringing you a deep-dive encore of one of our most provocative conversations. Greg and Colan sit down to dissect the mounting pressure from the U.S. government on Tencent to divest its massive stakes in Riot Games, Supercell, and Epic Games. We explore the reality of data privacy in the modern age, the "cultural war" of gaming IP, and whether the West is prepared to compete with the sheer output of Chinese development.In This Episode, We Discuss:The CFIUS Investigation: Why the U.S. government is increasingly wary of Tencent's influence over American gamer data.The "Privacy Myth": Colan breaks down the sobering reality of how our data is already bought, sold, and modeled in the ad-tech ecosystem.The Rise of Chinese IP: How games like Genshin Impact and Marvel Rivals are shifting the balance of global gaming power.Bungie's Marathon: Our initial impressions of the "grimy" extraction shooter and why Bungie is pivoting away from its "simplified" gameplay roots.Sony vs. Steam: Analyzing Sony's recent decision to slow down PC releases and the long-term threat of the Steam Deck and SteamOS.The Lego Takeover: A lighter look at the massive world of Lego-gaming crossovers and why your favorite IPs are being "blocked".Featured Links:Join the conversation on our Discord: playerdriven.ioFollow Colan's Newsletter: Patch Notes on Substack

Is the Duke too OP, is the Gold Pass too nerfed? Is reddit too complainy? Links:GeoGuessr Collaboration GameTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:02) Is the Dragon Duke Too OP?(12:23) New Gold Pass Woes(28:36) "Official?" Leaks(34:28) Is reddit Insufferable?(38:05) Stealth Change to Esports Mode(41:56) Listener Questions(57:49)Shoutouts and GoodbyeYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=coolrick https://store.supercell.com/en?boost=spencerAbout the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Trample once again joins us to go over what little we can about the new hero coming to Clash of Clans - The Dragon Duke. We also cove priority upgrades for the new troops, defenses, pet (Greedy Raven) as well as the updated Gold Pass and Prospector. Use Code "trample" to support our guest. Giveaway Form HERE - #SupercellPartnerLinks:Trample Damage YouTubeTrample Damage TikTokTrample Damage DiscordTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:11) Dragon Duke(13:23) Greedy Raven Pet(17:22) Earthquake Spell Tower(23:43) New Troop Levels and Priority(34:35) Revive and Earthquake Offensive Spell Change(38:42) Balance Changes and Quality of Life(47:54) Defense Levels and Priority(50:31) Totem Spell Nerf(52:39) Poison on the Guardians(57:46) War QoL Changes(1:04:56) Ore Exploit Fix(1:06:44) Gold Pass Changes(1:16:01) Listener Questions(1:25:45) Giveaway info and GoodbyeYou can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Scotty827 is back in the studio (finally!) and catching up with Tylar! There's been a lot happening and we finally get to sit down and discuss it all!  Of course, we're in the shadow of the balance update and we give our experience so far after it's had a chance to play out!  Scotty's got new rules for Supercell, we discuss tips for switching up bases without the cool down, the state of cycled defenses, and first take not the Stick Pony. Plus our wishes for this year's Legends League!  All that and everything Clashy!   Find Scotty and the podcast at: Clashofclanspodcast.com Contact the Show:  clashofclanspodcast@gmail.com or find us in House of EL!

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 Topics00:58 Market News: Roblox Earnings and More02:14 AI and Gaming Industry Insights03:25 Unity's Financial Struggles04:43 Community Engagement and Volunteering20:44 Game Industry Updates: Budge Studios Acquisition24:23 Roblox Q4 Earnings Analysis32:19 The Challenge of Monetizing Young Audiences32:33 Roblox's Strategy to Age Up33:02 Advertising Challenges for Under-18 Demographics33:26 Negative Margin Users on Roblox35:19 Upcoming Episode Teaser: Roblox's Algorithm Changes38:23 Supercell CEO's Annual Blog Post39:05 Clash Royale's Rebound and Marketing Strategies44:14 Squad Busters: A Postmortem44:54 Supercell's Future and Industry Insights49:01 The Role of PR in CEO Letters52:18 Supercell's Innovation vs. LiveOps Debate01:02:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Brians Questions: How do I take my woodworking skills to the next level, short of attending an expensive workshop? Up to this point most of what I've learned has been from either your podcast or YouTube videos (special thanks to Guy for all of his router table videos.) I have quite a few small projects under my belt, such as cutting boards, boxes, and a face frame cabinet. I'd like to move on to building small furniture pieces, but I don't feel that I have the skills to figure out how to design or build something of that scale without some sort of tutorial.  I'm sure there are tons of videos on YouTube showing how to build coffee tables and the like, but I don't want to just copy and replicate someone else's design. Most of the videos I've come across have also been using pocket holes and big box store lumber, which isn't really the direction I want to go. What I want to learn are the skills and techniques that go into building furniture so that I can put my own spin on them. If I tried to build a coffee table right now I'm sure it would just be a flat panel with square straight legs.  Thank you in advance for whatever suggestions and insights you are able to offer me. I appreciate all the time and effort you guys put into this show. I hope your projects are going well, and I hope that you're doing even better.. Zach Owens Throughout your time woodworking, have you ever hit a point where you lost your motivation for woodworking? If so, how did you reignite your passion and get back into it? Zach Owens Guys Questions: I appreciate the podcast and look forward to new episodes, keep up the great work.  Here is the background:  I have attached a picture of the front of my workshop. I have the Tablesaw/planer and jointer in a square with a poweratic 1 3/4 hp single stage dust collector with "turbo cone" separator:)  servicing all three using a 10 foot flexible hose with magnetic couplers on the flexible hose and at individual machine ports. This makes aligning dust collection very quick. I am very satisfied with performance at planer and jointer. I still wear an apron and safety glasses when using the tablesaw because of the dust coming off the top of the blade. I have sealed the cabinet of the saw as much as possible. I have used an over blade collector by shark guard which captures most if not all of this dust, however, I remove this most of the time because it interferes with so many operations.  Here is the question: Do you belive there would be a noticable improvement in dust collection,at the tablesaw in particular, by upgrading the dust collector to a product like an Oneida Dust Gorilla or Supercell?  I would still like to use the flexible hoses vs. hard piping to support being able to reconfigure the shop in future.  Every piece of equipment is readily movable.  Thanks, keep up the great podcast.  Dave@ Xcuse4tools Custom Woodwork  I'm a hobbyist furniture maker working in a home shop. I have several kiln-dried ash boards that have visible insect tracks and wormholes — no active infestation, just the character left behind. I'm building a benchtop seat from this material and I want to lean into that look instead of hiding it. What finishing approach would you recommend to best highlight and preserve the insect damage — things like filling the voids, stabilizing the soft areas, and choosing a topcoat — so it looks intentional and high-end rather than defective? Thank you again for the content. Catching up on old shows though I cannot locate the older shows on Spotify! Have a great week. Greg Wolf's Den Homestead  Huys Questions: Hi guys, My house came with a work bench when I bought it. It's nice and sturdy but the Masonite top had seen better days so I'm replacing it with a piece of 3/4" plywood. I just took the top off, and realized that the structure underneath the top isn't totally flat, up to about a 1/8 inch dip in some places. (picture below for reference -- it's about this uneven for the full length). I have a couple of questions: 1) How flat does this need to be? Will the plywood on top make these gaps irrelevant? I understand that a very flat top is important for assembly purposes, although I didn't really notice a problem with the old top. 2) How would you go about flattening this? I have taken down a couple of high spots with my #4 bench plane, but doing the whole table would be quite an undertaking. 3) My plan is to nail the new top on, router the edges flush, and add a coat or two of Danish oil since I have a jug of that lying around. But I'm curious if any of you would do differently. Do any of you use benches with replaceable tops? Thanks! Max My question is this.  I own a high end furniture and cabinet shop and to provide quality I prefer to build my drawer boxes from solid wood (not the bottoms those are plywood). I box joint the corner joints,  but my question is on wood expansion. 1st - when milling the sides to 5/8 thickness I sometimes end up with a 5" wide board. Usually this would cause cupping but it seems like the corner joints locks everything in place.  Would you build with wider boards or cut it into say 2-3" strips and glue back together before milling? 2nd - a lot of drawers now a days can easily be 8-9" deep and up to 14" deep for some of the largest drawers I build. With this width the expansion and contraction of the drawer box concerns me,  especially once you fix the drawer fronts. I mount drawer fronts with the standard 4 screws in each corner and haven't had issues but I'm curious your thoughts.  The drawers are finished with a few coats of water based conversion varnish.  Thanks! Jared

Shock Games joins Reddit Talks Clash to talk about the balance (or lack thereof) in the game after the latest tweaks, and where we hope the game goes from here.You can find Shock's great content on his YouTube Channel @shock__games or chat with him in his Discord Server.Until Shock gets a code of his own, you can support us by using creator codes "coolrick" and "spencer" for your in-game purchases in any supercell game or platform.About the Podcast: Reddit Talks Clash is a Clash of Clans podcast hosted by Liam, Sam, Spencer, and Rick: four mods of r/ClashOfClans. We cover Clash of Clans updates, balance changes, community news, esports, and more. Join us live for recordings on the Official Clash of Clans Discord: ⁠www.discord.gg/clashofclans⁠. Select “Podcasts” as an interest when joining, or ask a mod how to get notifications for live episodes. As part of Supercell's Creator Program, we bring you official Clash of Clans news, event breakdowns, and community discussions every week. ⁠⁠Find more information here. (https://creators.supercell.com/en/supercell-partner)  ⁠⁠ #supercreator

Surprise update and some new modifiers!I'm part of Supercell's Creators Program; find more information here.⭐️ Use code: Trample⭐️ Podcast: Inside Clash with Trample Damage https://open.spotify.com/show/03ygTOPBuwrXVRoJjNVu3f?si=1e7d1ae3102e4b57⭐️ Check out Trample Damage on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@trampledamage⭐️ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@trampledamage?_t=8Y6ZsPAREx0&_r=1 ⭐️ Instagram - https://instagram.com/trample_damage?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=⭐️ Join the Trample Damage Discord server: https://discord.gg/HsysRPfY4Ahttps://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=SupportCreator&id=tramplehttps://store.supercell.com/?boost=trample

The crew discusses their off-air relationships, personal reflections, and New Year's resolutions. 00:00 New Year's Resolutions and Sarcasm00:27 Introduction and Episode Overview00:49 Listener Questions and Emotional Moments01:46 Promoting CREs and Gen Alpha Insights02:33 Supercell and Industry Dynamics05:01 Predictions and Industry Trends13:14 Off-Air Relationships and Dynamics21:41 Running Bits and Personal Promises26:50 Dream Interviews and Burning Questions28:53 Showcasing Virtual Economics29:34 Will Wright and the AI Founders30:17 Super Executives and Industry Leaders33:55 Personal Reflections and Challenges43:24 Biggest Wins of the Year48:41 Impactful Moments and Lessons Learned58:52 Hopes and Dreams for the Future