{"podcast":{"title":"Deconstructor of Fun","slug":"deconstructor-of-fun-223878","podcast_index_feed_id":223878,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/500026c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.deconstructoroffun.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/738867/738867-1707997600386-9686d82cf1bc9.jpg","author":"Deconstructor of Fun","episode_count":823,"summary":"Deconstructor of Fun podcast is created by games professionals for games professionals. We explore the business side of the games industry with the goal of bringing listeners content that is relevant, insightful, and entertaining on a weekly basis. Hosts: Michail Katkoff www.linkedin.com/in/michailkatkoff/ Eric Kress www.linkedin.com/in/erickress/ Phillip Black www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-black-economist/ Jen Donahoe www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdonahoe","last_synced_at":"2026-09-14T22:20:05.879573+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructor-of-fun-223878"},"episode":{"title":"TWIG #388: Xbox's Spinout Plan, Metacore's Mass Layoffs and Netflix's FIFA Flop","slug":"twig-388-xbox-s-spinout-plan-metacore-s-mass-layoffs-and-netflix-s-fifa-flop","published_at":"2026-06-18T17:12:16+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructor-of-fun-223878/twig-388-xbox-s-spinout-plan-metacore-s-mass-layoffs-and-netflix-s-fifa-flop","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructor-of-fun-223878","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deconstructoroffun/episodes/TWIG-388-Xboxs-Spinout-Plan--Metacores-Mass-Layoffs-and-Netflixs-FIFA-Flop-e3kvk5f","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/500026c/podcast/play/121671279/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-18%2F426400893-44100-2-ede174394b7d2.mp3","summary":"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 data CHAPTERS: 00:42 Topics Preview 02:04 Shills and Events 03:01 Roblox Safety Podcast 04:08 Puzzle Monthly Updates 06:05 Conference Island Recap 08:48 Xbox News Rundown 11:49 Kress on Xbox Spinout 20:07 Sharma 100 Days Analysis 25:32 Believer AI Plugin 29:40 Metacore Acquisition Fallout 33:38 EA Advertising Debate 35:02 Ads In Sports Games 36:34 Why In Game Ads Failed 38:08 Roblox Brand Detour 40:37 Micro Drama Boom 41:45 Retention And Monetization 44:18 Merge Drama And Subscriptions 47:57 Konami Strategy And Collabs 51:03 FIFA Netflix Game Rant 54:38 Consumer Apps Threat Myth 58:59 Attention CPI And Webshops 01:02:19 IDFA Rumor And Farewell","meta_description":"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…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3861,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/deconstructor-of-fun-223878/episodes/twig-388-xbox-s-spinout-plan-metacore-s-mass-layoffs-and-netflix-s-fifa-flop/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/deconstructor-of-fun-223878/twig-388-xbox-s-spinout-plan-metacore-s-mass-layoffs-and-netflix-s-fifa-flop.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}