Media
ALL PODCASTS, ARTICLES AND MORE.
Work Harder Is Not a Strategy
The trap isn’t speed, it’s misalignment. Here’s why motion without strategy kills velocity.
The Founder’s Dilemma: Equity vs. User Acquisition Financing
UA financing is one of gaming’s most powerful yet misunderstood growth levers. Here’s when it works, when it doesn’t, and why it might be the cheapest capital you’ll ever raise.
Leaving the Cradle: Trading Nordic Comfort for Mediterranean Chaos
Mishka Katkoff and Phil Black are leaving the Nordic cradle for the sunlit chaos of Greece and Cyprus. Here’s why two game consultants traded comfort for motion, and what they’re taking with them.
Features Worth Stea… Borrowing: Lessons from Duolingo, Tinder, DraftKings, Crypto.com & BeReal
What makes you come back to an app every single day? Obviously, it’s not just streaks. Explore how top consumer apps are borrowing from the game design playbook to turn downloads into daily rituals.
5 Real Cases Where Better Data Questions Drove Game Growth
From economy pitfalls to pricing strategy, here are 5 real-world cases showing how asking the right data questions can drive retention, revenue, and growth in games.
Fractional Work: A Midlife Crisis or a Career Hack or the Only Way to Stay Sane?
Why more leaders are going fractional: the ups, downs, and career truths of taking high-impact roles without going full-time.
HABBY’s Hybridcasual Empire: The Template That Built a Powerhouse
HABBY has done what most mobile publishers only dream of: created a repeatable, monetizable model in a genre many dismissed as a fleeting trend.
How to Make Celebrity Endorsements Actually Work for Your Game
Not all celebrity ads are created equal. Let’s dive into the data behind gaming’s biggest celebrity collaborations — from Gordon Ramsay to MrBeast — and see what makes some soar while others stumble.
What Happened to Coin Master After Monopoly Go! and What Happens Next
The brief history of coin looters and how to execute flawlessly when entering saturated markets
The Truth About Startup Life Nobody Tells You with Joseph Kim
A brutally honest look at what startup life really costs, and why chasing success without purpose leaves founders burned out, broken, or both.
The Rise of Pakistan’s Game Development Scene
Pakistan’s game development scene is growing from the ground up. Young devs are learning fast, failing fast, and building without a safety net.
Fair Weather Founders, Dead Equity, and the Cliff that Saves
Founder breakups are more common than you think, and dead equity can quietly kill your startup. The 2-year cliff can be a company saver. We break it down why it works with real founder stories.
The Startup That Wasn’t Meant to Scale: A Conversation with Sophie Vo
An honest conversation with Sophie Vo on walking away from the startup grind to build something radically different. She shares why true success is not about scale but about alignment, real impact, and building a business that actually feels like freedom.
Where Do Geogames Go After Niantic’s $3.5B Exit
If the last era of geogaming was defined by novelty, of catching Pokémon in your backyard and turning your evening walk into an XP grind, the next one will be defined by its depth.
What AI Is Really Doing to Games and the Game Industry
Right now, we’re forcing AI into development without thinking long and hard about the implications. From ethical blind spots to broken career ladders, the future of game development might not be faster, just riskier.
Outsourcing Is Dead. Long Live Co-Development
Game studios are scaling smarter in 2025—co-development isn’t a backup plan anymore, it’s the new blueprint for building at scale.
Mobile Gaming in 2025: 10 Trends That Matter
The hits are older. The players are smarter. And success is quieter. Mobile gaming’s mid-year status check is here—and it might not look like what you expected.
How Voodoo Builds Hits: Four Product Lessons from a 2000-Prototypes-a-Year Machine
How does Voodoo turn rapid-fire prototypes into chart-topping hits? Discover their 4 game-changing product lessons for building scalable, lasting games.
The Hard Truth About the Finnish Game Industry
Why did Finland’s once world-leading game industry lose momentum? Michail Katkoff explores the broader decline across the Finnish ecosystem—from overreliance on studio culture and Supercell mimicry to missed market shifts, studio closures, and waning investor confidence.
What I Took from Games to Build Better Consumer Apps
A breakdown of five game-design “superpowers” that product leaders can bring into consumer apps—from progression systems to re-engagement loops and monetization models.