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Gamecraft: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mitch Lasky / Blake Robbins
Gamecraft is a limited series about the modern history of the video game business. Beginning in the early 1990's, the video game business began a radical transformation from a console and PC packaged goods business into the highly complex, online, multi-platform business it is today. Game industry legend Mitch Lasky and game investor Blake Robbins go on a thematic tour of the last 30 years of gaming, exploring the origins of free-to-play, platform-based publishing, casual & mobile gaming, forever games, user-generated content, consoles, virtual reality, and in-game economies across the eight episodes of Season 1. In Season 2, Mitch and Blake are back with a new series analyzing the state of the video game business in 2024. They start with a macro view of the current business, before looking at some hot topics in gaming: the rise of powerful independent game studios, emerging markets for games around the world, how innovations in artificial intelligence will change game creation, and th
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- 3 weeks agoconversational1h 33m5-min read
QF Update: World Cup Consumer Guide (Ep. 36)
This episode of GameCraft covers the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup, highlighting the tournament's thrilling football, controversial refereeing decisions, and standout performances. Despite controversies—especially FIFA's reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red card—the hosts agree the football has been among the most entertaining in World Cup history, with underdogs like Cabo Verde and Egypt delivering emotional moments and stars like Messi, Haaland, and Bellingham shining on the global stage.
- Jun 28, 2026roundtable1h 22m7-min read
R32 Update: World Cup Consumer Guide
The 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States has been a resounding success, marked by record attendance, high-scoring matches, strong U.S. team performance, and excellent officiating. The expanded 48-team format has delivered excitement, particularly from African teams, while the knockout stage sets up compelling matchups with the U.S. in a favorable bracket.
- Jun 12, 2026conversational1h 24m6-min read
World Cup Consumer Guide (Ep. 34)
This special FIFA World Cup Consumer Guide episode, hosted by Blake and featuring football-obsessed venture capitalist Mitch, offers a nerdy, humorous, and deeply informed preview of the 2026 tournament hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Mitch curates the must-watch matches from the expanded 48-team group stage, blending stats, narratives, and hot takes to guide casual fans through the chaos.
- May 27, 2026conversational51 min5-min read
Holy Grail, or Poison Chalice? (Ep. 33)
In the final episode of their season, Mitch Lasky and Blake Robbins examine a new wave of AI-enabled, user-generated content (UGC) gaming platforms like Astrocade, Sakai, and Spawn, questioning whether they represent a transformative opportunity or a speculative bubble. They analyze the historical context of casual game portals, the challenges of monetization and curation, and the competitive dynamics posed by incumbents like Roblox and UEFN.
- May 20, 2026conversational55 min5-min read
Funding & Founding (Ep. 32)
The current funding environment for video game startups is the most challenging in modern history, driven by industry consolidation, poor returns from venture investments in pure content studios, and uncertainty introduced by AI. Despite this, opportunities exist through lean, AI-native studios, alternative funding models, and new value creation via IP and behavioral data.
- May 13, 2026conversational1h 5m6-min read
A Theory of Fun
Mitch Lasky and Blake Robbins, hosts of the GameCraft podcast, argue that the video game industry’s overreliance on progression-based mechanics—such as battle passes, live ops, and long-term retention systems—has come at the expense of moment-to-moment fun. They suggest a cultural and market shift is underway, with indie and premium games emphasizing core gameplay mechanics and emotional engagement now gaining traction over bloated live-service titles that fail to deliver intrinsic pleasure.
- May 6, 2026conversational1h 18m6-min read
Navigating the AI Future (Ep. 30)
AI represents a paradigm shift in software and game development, not just a tool but a transformative force that will reshape workflows, costs, and value creation. The episode argues that while AI will dramatically lower prototyping and development costs, it will amplify existing power structures and make trust, context, distribution, curated taste, and liability the most valuable layers in the future of games.
- Apr 29, 2026conversational1h 6m5-min read
How Istanbul Won the Mobile Puzzle Wars (Ep. 29)
Istanbul has emerged as a global powerhouse in the mobile puzzle game industry, driven by operational excellence, government incentives, and a tightly knit ecosystem of talent and founders. Companies like Peak Games and Dream Games have achieved billion-dollar valuations not through radical content innovation, but through superior execution, monetization, and user acquisition strategies—leveraging currency arbitrage, state-backed UA subsidies, and deep genre expertise.
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About Gamecraft
Gamecraft is a limited series about the modern history of the video game business. Beginning in the early 1990's, the video game business began a radical transformation from a console and PC packaged goods business into the highly complex, online, multi-platform business it is today. Game industry legend Mitch Lasky and game investor Blake Robbins go on a thematic tour of the last 30 years of gaming, exploring the origins of free-to-play, platform-based publishing, casual & mobile gaming, forever games, user-generated content, consoles, virtual reality, and in-game economies across the eight episodes of Season 1. In Season 2, Mitch and Blake are back with a new series analyzing the state of the video game business in 2024. They start with a macro view of the current business, before looking at some hot topics in gaming: the rise of powerful independent game studios, emerging markets for games around the world, how innovations in artificial intelligence will change game creation, and th
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Gamecraft covers topics including Leisure, Business, Investing, Games, Video Games. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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