Deconstructor of Fun

The evolution of art direction, the integration of AI in creative processes, and the balance between creativity and business acumen. That's on the menu as SciPlay's Sr. Art Director, Peter Franco, joins Michail Katkoff on the podcast.
Read more about Peter's work on modernizing a top-grossing game: https://tinyurl.com/mn2bdweb

Timestamps:
2:12 - Peter's journey into Social Casino
4:42 - Evolution of art direction roles
7:13 - Balancing creativity and business
9:23 - User feedback in design
12:07 - Importance of seamless UX
15:44 - Player behavior insights
20:28 - Benefits of using IPs
25:16 - AI in art pipelines
30:18 - Future skills for art directors
35:33 - Maintaining stylistic consistency
40:49 - Future of art direction
45:07 - Personal influences and career advice
53:25 - Advice for aspiring art directors
59:25 - AI and creativity

Mobile publishing isn’t dead, it’s mutating!
In this TWIG episode, we break down how Ares Interactive is trying to resurrect Glu with a $70M Series A and what that says about the current “publisher vs. studio” power balance.
We also tackle Google’s new immersive world model, Genie 3, and the industry’s first defensive reflex: how do you keep the genie in the bottle when the bottle is an API?
Phil drags us into Highguard Marketing, making us unpack the pitch, the incentives, and why “pseudo-defending” it still feels like a red flag.
Finally, we hit Arknights: Endfield launching off the back of a reported 35M pre-registrations, and what that number does (and doesn’t) predict once the game meets CPI, retention, and live ops gravity.

The question nobody in the West wants to answer honestly: the biggest shooters in the world are not the ones you argue about on Twitter.This episode rips into Highguard’s shadow drop, the “beta that isn’t labeled beta” problem, and the stubborn reality that the shooter market has converged into two and only two genres: Battle Royale and tactical.We talk Highguard and Spectre Divide as case studies for why “ex-Apex devs” is marketing copy, not a strategy, and why in 2026 a shooter doesn’t get a long runway to “fix it live.”Guest: Christopher Anjos, with Chris Sides and Feras Musmar.We discuss:- High Guard as a MOBA-raid shooter hybrid and why its best moments arrive only after five minutes of downtime.- Defense phase, resource phase, then the game finally becomes itself: mounts, CTF energy, base raiding.- Shadow drops vs. tech tests: why the Apex Legends playbook doesn’t port cleanly into 2026.- “Early access” is just launch, and Steam labels don’t save you from retention.- The 3v3 trap: high risk formats where one leaver or one death warps the whole match.- Why 3-person squads feel like a couple plus a third wheel, and when 3v3v3 or 5v5 might actually work.- The “two genres” thesis: Battle Royale and tactical shooters as the market’s default equilibrium.- The creator-credit illusion: “ex-Red Dead lead designer” as a brand signal that often means nothing.- Players want auteur vibes; production reality is thousands of hands and fuzzy accountability.https://graygoatgaming.com/

Sensor Tower Report 2026 breakdown with Jonathan Briskman. We unpack the biggest mobile app trends 2026 and mobile gaming trends 2026.
We discuss monetization shifts (IAP vs ads), market localization strategies that actually move the needle, and the rise of AI-powered apps changing consumer behavior and competition.
State of Mobile 2026: https://bit.ly/4bvjI2b
Chapters:
02:13 - Downloads plateau, in-app purchase revenue up
07:15 - Apps overtaking traditional gaming in revenue growth
12:05 - US market trends: AI, short drama, social media
15:14 - The rise of generative AI platforms
16:03 - In-app revenue growth comparison: apps vs. games
20:09 - Non-game monetization lessons from successful apps
26:49 - Top performers in downloads and IAP
32:50 - The attention economy
46:05 - The explosion of generative AI content in social media
60:13 - Trends in hybrid casual, hyper-casual, and ad spend efficiency
65:18 - Market barriers and the advantage of existing data for new entrants
73:35 - Investment opportunities
82:29 - Future outlook: differentiation through tailored, niche AI solutions

Ubisoft layoffs point to deeper problems in AAA, a16z fund performance shows VC money tightening up, and TikTok’s future as a growth channel for games looks far less certain — from ownership issues to slowing ads and algorithm risk. We talk about what this means for user acquisition, why AI video apps are starting to matter, concerns around GDC attendance and safety, The New York Times stepping into mobile games, and why monetizing word games remains so hard. We also cover the launch of High Guard and wrap up with what to watch next as the industry enters its next reset.
00:00 Welcome01:49 Meeting Mihir Va from EA05:50 PGC Recap and Rumors17:23 Ubisoft Layoffs and Critique21:28 A16Z Fund Performance Analysis30:44 TikTok's New American Entity31:18 TikTok's Impact on the Gaming Industry31:51 Ownership and Future of TikTok in the US33:37 Concerns Over Content Moderation and Algorithm34:36 TikTok's Stagnation and Advertising Decline35:36 Emerging Threats: AI Video Apps38:31 GDC Attendance and Safety Concerns43:46 New York Times Enters the Mobile Gaming Market49:36 Challenges in Monetizing Word Games52:13 Launch and Reception of High Guard57:33 Conclusion and Upcoming Topics