
Michael Martinez, co-founder and CEO of FunCraft, tried to sell his mobile game studio in 2025. Trusted people said "don't do it yet". He chose otherwise. A nanker pitched the company to 40 buyers. Zero offers. Then the company doubled to a $50M run rate with just 15 people.Rejection like that either breaks a founder or forces a better business. For FunCraft, it did the second.In this episode, Michael breaks down what went wrong in the M&A process, what a failed sale really costs, and how a 15-person team shifted its focus from valuation to profit.Essential viewing for founders thinking about selling, buyers looking at lean and profitable studios, and anyone in mobile gaming, UA, or ad monetization.00:00 — Funcraft’s failed sale attempt06:27 — Why Michael wanted to sell13:37 — Building a successful business first18:16 — Launching games in just six weeks23:20 — Platform and user acquisition risks29:14 — Balancing growth and profitability 34:45 — Building a high-trust remote culture 43:12 — Rebuilding the game engine with AI 46:18 — Staying focused while scaling
Podzilla Summary coming soon
Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

TWIG #401: Blizzard Goes All In, Roblox Breaks Out of Its Own App and Aniimo Nails Launch Day

348. Why None of Us Saw Cyberpunk Coming Apart I Michal Nowakowski. joint CEO, CD PROJEKT RED

TWIG #400: Is the Game Industry Actually Crashing, OpenAI's Astra and 8 Years of Hot Takes

347. Questions Istanbul Founders Stopped Asking I Akin Babayigit, Arcadia Gaming Partners
Free AI-powered recaps of Deconstructor of Fun and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.