# Episode 717: "New Pin Week Is THE BEST!!!!"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2022-09-11  
**Duration:** 18m 21s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-717-new-71828986

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## Analysis

Kaneda expresses extreme enthusiasm for the upcoming James Bond pinball reveal by Stern Pinball, scheduled for Tuesday at the UK IAAPA show. He speculates extensively on game features, pricing, editions, and marketing strategy, predicting four versions including a special 60th-anniversary exclusive. He announces an exclusive Limited Edition raffle for Kaneda's Pinball Podcast Club members, with the seventh name drawn winning the right to purchase at MSRP.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Steve Ritchie originally designed James Bond but George Gomez threw that design out and built the game from scratch — _Kaneda says 'George is building this game from the ground up. There is nothing that Steve Ritchie touched that's going to make its way into this game' after claiming Gomez 'ejected his [Ritchie's] butt all the way to Jersey Jack Pinball.'_
- [MEDIUM] James Bond will feature content from four Sean Connery-era movies — _Kaneda states: 'I hear there's four movies that are based from the Sean Connery era'_
- [MEDIUM] Stern will produce four versions of James Bond including a special mystery 60th-anniversary edition — _Kaneda: 'I also am going to die on this Kevin Hill, Bill Brandes. I think they're making four versions of this game' and mentions George Gomez designed 'the three cornerstone versions' plus 'a special mystery game' for the 60th anniversary_
- [MEDIUM] Joe Kamikow is involved in the James Bond project — _Kaneda: 'If you think that Joe Kamikow is not involved with this project, you must be crazy. Of course he's involved with this project.'_
- [LOW] The special 60th-anniversary James Bond edition will have a different gameplay experience, not just cosmetic changes — _Kaneda: 'I'm hearing it's a different gameplay experience' regarding the mystery edition_
- [LOW] Stern Pinball will release James Bond information to US distributors at 4-5 a.m. on Tuesday before the 10 a.m. UK show — _Kaneda: 'That might just be a rumor. So I think we might see a lot of information leak very, very early Tuesday'_
- [LOW] James Bond Limited Edition pricing will increase by at most $500 over previous Stern models — _Kaneda: 'I think if we see a price increase, I think at most it's going to be $500 over the previous models'_
- [LOW] Rumors in the UK indicate James Bond pricing at 14,000 pounds — _Kaneda: 'There are rumors in the UK. People are saying that this game is going to cost 14,000 pounds for a James Bond'_
- [LOW] Gary Stern prevented Christopher Franchi from working on James Bond due to prior issues — _Kaneda speculates: 'Gary Stern felt burned when Christopher Franchi was selling The Beatles artwork' and therefore won't let Franchi work on major releases_

### Notable Quotes

> "This is the greatest time to be a fan of pinball. New Pinball Week is more fun than anything else in the pinball world, right?"
> — **Kaneda**, Opening segment
> _Sets the tone for intense FOMO and community excitement around new game reveals_

> "I think George Gomez put Steve Ritchie in the passenger seat of a DB5 Aston Martin and ejected his butt all the way to Jersey Jack Pinball pinball months ago."
> — **Kaneda**, Mid-episode
> _Colorful speculation about Ritchie's removal from the James Bond project and design overhaul_

> "George said specifically that he designed the three cornerstone versions of the game. And then there's a special mystery game. And that is going to be the high end."
> — **Kaneda**, Mid-episode
> _Key claim about the four-edition structure based on Gomez's statement_

> "I think it's going to be a day one sellout. I think it's going to be really hard for people to get Limited Editions if this game is packed with toys."
> — **Kaneda**, Mid-episode
> _Market prediction about LE scarcity and demand driven by theme/features_

> "I think we need more pinball machines that are campy, that do make you laugh. And I think that's what pinball should be."
> — **Kaneda**, Late episode
> _Expresses philosophy about game design priorities and what separates successful from mediocre releases_

> "How can you not be excited? How is this game not going to sell out? Take all of our money now, Stern Pinball. You earned it."
> — **Kaneda**, Closing
> _Demonstrates peak enthusiasm and confidence in both game quality and commercial success_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| James Bond | game | Stern Pinball's upcoming licensed pinball machine based on James Bond franchise, scheduled for reveal Tuesday at UK IAAPA show; expected to have four editions including special 60th-anniversary version |
| George Gomez | person | Designer of James Bond pinball; Kaneda claims he designed game from scratch after rejecting Steve Ritchie's original design; CCO at Stern Pinball |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Originally worked on James Bond design at Stern but was replaced by Gomez; Kaneda speculates Ritchie was 'ejected' to Jersey Jack Pinball months ago |
| Joe Kamikow | person | Reportedly involved with James Bond project per Kaneda's speculation; described as having creative oversight on major Stern releases |
| Gary Stern | person | CEO of Stern Pinball; Kaneda speculates he prevented Christopher Franchi from working on James Bond due to prior 'Beatles artwork' incident |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Artist who reportedly claimed not to be working on James Bond; Kaneda speculates he may be trolling and actually involved; previously had business relationship with Stern that ended |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host and content creator; extremely enthusiastic about James Bond reveal; running exclusive LE raffle for club members; known for speculation and hype-building commentary |
| Neil McRae | person | Referenced humorously by Kaneda as a wealthy potential buyer willing to drive across Atlantic for exclusive James Bond SLE |
| Stern Pinball | company | Largest pinball manufacturer; revealing James Bond at UK IAAPA on Tuesday; manufactures three 'cornerstone' versions plus special edition; positioned as having 'all the momentum' in industry |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Referenced as company that allegedly received Steve Ritchie; Kaneda claims JJP 'dropped the ball' on Toy Story in 2022 |
| IAAPA | event | UK show where Stern Pinball reveals James Bond on Tuesday at 10 a.m.; major industry event |
| Kaneda's Pinball Podcast Club | organization | Membership organization; exclusive raffle for Limited Edition James Bond ticket where seventh name drawn wins right to purchase at MSRP |
| Automate It | company | Distributor; Mike (owner/contact) coordinating LE raffle logistics with Kaneda |
| Toy Story | game | Jersey Jack Pinball release in 2022 that Kaneda says underwhelmed community and created cabin fever anticipation for new releases |
| Rush | game | Stern Pinball machine by John Borg; Kaneda argues it was good for Rush fans but lacked broader appeal compared to James Bond |
| Godzilla | game | Referenced by Kaneda as example of campy, humorous pinball machine with personality |
| Batman 66 | game | Referenced as example of campy, humorous pinball machine that made players laugh |
| Rick and Morty | game | Referenced as example of campy, humorous pinball machine that made players laugh |
| Elvira's House of Horrors | game | Referenced as precedent for special anniversary edition structure being applied to James Bond (60th-anniversary special version) |

### Topics

- **Primary:** James Bond reveal hype and speculation, Game edition structure (Pro/Premium/LE/special 60th-anniversary), Pricing predictions and UK pricing rumors, Designer assignments and Steve Ritchie's removal from project
- **Secondary:** FOMO, market scarcity, and Limited Edition demand, Game design philosophy: campy humor vs accessibility, Christopher Franchi artwork and Stern relationship
- **Mentioned:** Jersey Jack Pinball's 2022 stumble with Toy Story

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Extremely enthusiastic and optimistic about James Bond reveal; celebrates Stern Pinball's quality and George Gomez's design capability; minimal criticism beyond standard Pinside behavior prediction; only tempered by acknowledgment of past disappointments with other releases

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball positioned as having 'all the momentum' with competitors having 'fumbled the ball'; described as 'the only one who knows how to do it right' (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Now Stern Pinball has all the momentum. They really do. Everyone else has fumbled the ball this year' and 'You're the only one who knows how to do it right'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Extreme FOMO and anticipation for James Bond; community exhausted from 2022 disappointments (Toy Story); high fever pitch heading into reveal (confidence: high) — Kaneda opens with song about New Pinball Week FOMO; states 'the fever pitch is out of this world' due to long wait since Rush; notes community 'underwhelmed in 2022'
- **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda emphasizes James Bond should feature campy humor and mechanical toys (Deadpool comparison); calls for more humorous pinball machines generally (confidence: medium) — Extended discussion of humor in successful games (Godzilla, Batman 66, Rick and Morty) vs games lacking humor; argues James Bond will be 'fun, campy pinball machine'
- **[event_signal]** James Bond pinball officially revealed Tuesday at UK IAAPA show; information expected to leak early to US distributors before 10 a.m. UK time (confidence: high) — Kaneda confirms official reveal scheduled for 'Tuesday' at IAAPA in UK; speculates distributor calls at 4-5 a.m. Eastern
- **[market_signal]** Limited Edition expected to sell out on day one due to anticipated toys/features and high theme demand (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I think it's going to be a day one sellout. I think it's going to be really hard for people to get Limited Editions if this game is packed with toys'
- **[personnel_signal]** Steve Ritchie allegedly removed from James Bond project with George Gomez designing game from scratch; no Ritchie elements remaining (confidence: medium) — Kaneda claims 'There is nothing that Steve Ritchie touched that's going to make its way into this game' and describes Gomez building 'from the ground up'
- **[market_signal]** UK rumors suggest 14,000 pounds pricing; US pricing expected to increase by $500 maximum over previous Stern models (confidence: low) — Kaneda cites 'rumors in the UK' for 14,000 pounds and predicts 'at most $500' increase in US pricing
- **[product_strategy]** Special 60th-anniversary James Bond edition rumored to include different gameplay experience beyond cosmetic changes (confidence: low) — Kaneda: 'I'm hearing it's a different gameplay experience' regarding mystery edition; compares to Elvira's House of Horrors precedent
- **[product_strategy]** James Bond planned in four editions: three 'cornerstone' versions (Pro/Premium/LE) plus special 60th-anniversary exclusive variant (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'George said specifically that he designed the three cornerstone versions of the game. And then there's a special mystery game'

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## Transcript

 If there's one song that captures New Pinball Week FOMO and the hype we are all feeling right now for James Bond, it's this song. I get no doubt, but I get up again, cause I have a body beat me down. I get no doubt, but I get up again, cause I have a body beat me down. Sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up. Ah, can you feel it everybody? It's in the air. This is the greatest time to be a fan of pinball. New Pinball Week is more fun than anything else in the pinball world, right? Do you feel the excitement? Do you feel the anticipation? Our imaginations are running wild. How many versions of James Bond are there going to be? Is Kaneda going to be right? Is there going to be a special fourth edition of James Bond? How much is the game going to cost? Is this game going to be packed with toys? How many James Bond movies are going to be in the pinball experience? What will the art be like? What will the armor be like? What will the back class be like? What will this damn pinball be like? Will it live up to our expectations? Will Neil McRae go crazy and drive his car across the Atlantic and drive right into Stern Pinball's factory and say, Give me it, Gary. Give me the most expensive SLE you've ever made because I have more money than Kaneda. People, I love this week. And we're going to talk all about James Bond on this episode. And I have some good news for you out there. I'm going to save it for the end of the show. But if you're a Kaneda Club member, don't ever say I'm not doing nice stuff for you. And speaking of that, let's welcome our new Kaneda Club members. Ryan, Paul, David, Jeff, Steven, Jeremy, Jay. What took you guys so long? Welcome to the Kaneda Club. Everybody, this is it. We are going to find out real soon what George Gomez James Bond is all about. I think this game is going to be great. I really do. I think George Gomez put Steve Ritchie in the passenger seat of a DB5 Aston Martin and ejected his butt all the way to Jersey Jack pinball months ago. And this was originally going to be a Steve Ritchie design. I mean, did you hear George Gomez talk about how, like, well, Steve was working on something, but we just threw the whole thing in the toilet. I mean, George is building this game from the ground up. There is nothing that Steve Ritchie touched that's going to make its way into this game. And I'm excited about this. And I think everybody is because George Gomez is a really great designer. George Gomez is capable of putting a lot into a pinball machine. Now, look, you could look at Deadpool and say, well, Chris, there's not many toys in Deadpool. And there also is like a Deadpool with a head on a spring. So I hope we see real mechanical engineering in this game. I think we are. I think we're going to see some really fun toys in James Bond. I mean, think about the theme, everybody. It's a movie about a secret agent who uses a bunch of gadgets to take down evil villain henchmen. This is going to be such a fun, campy pinball machine. I can see it already because when you watch the movies, these movies have so much personality. They have so much humor and they have so much campiness that's going to be perfect for pinball. And the questions of how many assets will they get with this game? Are we going to see clips from the movies? Are we going to see Sean Connery talking? Who's doing the call-outs? Are we going to have a sound-alike actor do the call-outs? All of this will be answered for us this Tuesday when Stern reveals the game. Now, here's another thing that I don't know if you know this. Stern is revealing this game in the UK on Tuesday at the IAAPA or pinball show over there in Robert Englunds. You know, God bless the Queen. You know, they're doing it over there in Robert Englunds because that is where James Bond is from, right? Ian Fleming's novel. He was a British author. And so it makes total sense to release James Bond to the world in the UK. But here's the thing. That show starts, I think, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. So I am hearing Stern is actually going to let the distros in the U.S. know like four or five in the morning what's going on with this game. That might just be a rumor. So I think we might see a lot of information leak very, very early Tuesday. And once Stern does that distro call, you're going to have people like taking pictures with their cell phone you're gonna have people sharing it and it's exciting I mean as much as we always complain about cell phone footage we're gonna get full HD images of the game me and we're gonna see a new game from Stern pinball on this is really exciting it's been a very long time since turn has released a new game and I would argue that when rush came out like it was a good game for rush fans John Borg did a great job making a game that has made every single Rush fan happy It also a good shooting pinball machine that makes people who are not Rush fans happy But let's be honest with ourselves. It wasn't a pin that blew everybody away. It wasn't a band that makes most people excited. It's just Rush, you know? It's like, how many of you out there are like, oh, Rush, I can't wait to get Rush. It was a really good pin for a certain audience, but I think a lot more people are excited about James Bond. I think a lot of people are super excited that it's George Gomez. And I think because we've had to wait so long for a new Stern machine, the fever pitch is out of this world, especially because Jersey Jack dropped the ball on Toy Story. A lot of you and I mean, every one of you who's into pinball has been underwhelmed in 2022. and you've all been feeling the cabin fever, the post-COVID world we live in, in which everyone wants to throw money at every single toy that's available. And so here you go. You're gonna get your chance on Tuesday to pull the trigger on Stern's James Bond. I have not seen the pin. I have absolutely no idea what's in it, but here's what we do know about James Bond. It is gonna have multiple movies. I hear there's four movies that are based from the Sean Connery era. We know that. I also am going to die on this hill, Bill Brandes. I think they're making four versions of this game. If you think that Joe Kamikow is not involved with this project, you must be crazy. Of course he's involved with this project. And then it gets really interesting because George said specifically that he designed the three cornerstone versions of the game. And then there's a special mystery game. And that is going to be the high end. It is going to be the 60th anniversary James Bond game, much like Elvira. Now, the real question becomes, what is going to be in it? Is it going to just be like artwork and armor that's different? I'm hearing it's a different gameplay experience. No, it is not going to be a home edition of this game. Pinside speculators are so weird. Why would they make a cheap home version of this game? I expect this to be a super, super expensive, super, super exclusive sort of Joe Kamikau special. And then it gets really interesting because Joe Kamikau works with Christopher Franchi. Now, Franchi said he's not working on Stern's James Bond, but is he just trolling us? Is this going to be like Kapow's special version of the game in which they commissioned Stern to just manufacture it? Are they going to spin it like that? Has Franchi been working on this the whole time? I don't know. We'll see. On Tuesday, we shall see. I don't think so. Here's why I don't think that's going to be the case. I wish it was the case, but I still think that Gary is not going to let Franchi sit on top of a major release like this for Stern Pinball. It's all Gary. George would love Franchi's artwork to be on his games and on Stern Games, but it's Gary. Gary felt burned when Franchi was selling the Beatles artwork. All right, so here's the thing. On Tuesday, what do I think will happen? There are going to be 1,000 LEs. I think if they were smart, they would make 999. And here's why. Because then you can label them 001, 002, 007. It makes more sense. If they have four digits, I don't think it makes as much sense because then you'd be like 0007, which doesn't make sense. So will Stern make 999 LEs so that there is a 007 in the mix? I also said this on my Facebook page. I think Stern should auction off for charity game number 007. It makes total sense. It would be really fun to do it as a charity event, see how high the price could go, do something special with that machine. And then also for the buyer, it's a tax write-off. I mean, this is what happens when you take like the first Corvette off the line to Barrett Jackson and it sells for $4 million. I mean, it's also a tax write-off. So will they do that? Probably not. Everyone gets mad at Kaneda because I keep saying the prices are going to go up and up and up on this game. Now, that's a big question mark. How much is this game going to cost? I think that is probably next to the excitement about what's going to be in the game. I think the cost of this machine is really going to be the biggest conversation driver come this week. There are rumors in the UK. People are saying that this game is going to cost 14,000 pounds for an LE. 14,000 pounds and the conversion ratio for the US dollar to the pound or the euro now is horrible for the Europeans they going to be spending more money than they normally used to have to spend on these pinball machines Look, I don't think Stern's going to raise the price of this game by thousands of dollars. I think if we see a price increase, I think at most it's going to be $500 over the previous models. I think they're going to chalk that up to COVID, supply chain, and just the cost of materials has increased over the last few years. Now, I also think it's going to be a day one sellout. I think it's going to be really hard for people to get LDS if this game is packed with toys. I do. I think we've been waiting for a game like this that's going to have a lot of assets, that's going to have toys, that's going to be campy, that's going to be fun, that's going to make you laugh. I think that's the most important thing, right? When was the last time you played a pinball machine that had a lot of humor in it? I would argue Godzilla has a lot of humor in it. I don't get any humor. I don't laugh when I play Toy Story. But Godzilla is a campy game that made you laugh. I also think Batman 66 did. I think Rick and Morty did. And I think we need more pinball machines that are campy, that do make you laugh. And I think that's what pinball should be. It should be really enjoyable. You know, Rush is a music pin. It's not supposed to make you laugh. Music pins are not really designed to do that. So I think James Bond and 1960s James Bond is going to translate perfectly into pinball. And I do hope Stern leaves in some of the stuff that would be deemed inappropriate today. Because if you watch these James Bond movies and the way he treats the women and how he always gets the girl, multiple girls, and within like 30 seconds of meeting a new woman, he's probably kissing her. And this was so of the times. But I really hope they don't dial out all of that from James Bond because that's part of the whole James Bond character. It's also part of the Sean Connery error James Bond. Now, look, I bet Stern does go totally woke. They're going to go totally woke on us and remove all of that stuff and we're not going to see it. But I hope they keep some of that humor in the game. I was watching the movie and I was like, wow, like they could never make this movie today when I was watching Thunderball. But I'm like, some of it you could keep in, some of it you could put into a pinball machine, but some of it might be too inappropriate. Like, for example, there might be a beautiful woman in a bathtub and she says to James Bond, can you give me something to put on any hands or a pair of flip flops? And that's it. No clothing. And I'm like, will that fly today? You know, will some of the female pinheads complain about this? I don't know. In today's modern world, everyone gets offended by everything. And I think we're entering into a little bit of a post woke world in which if you want to make money, give people what they want. If you want to build woke content, you're going to go broke. But we only have a few days left before we're going to see it. This is so exciting. I don't know about you, but it's always hard to sleep, you know, like 36 hours, 48 hours before a new pinball machine comes out. I felt this giddy before Toy Story, and then I was like, oh, man, that's Toy Story. But this is it. Like, this is it. I think Stern's going to deliver. I think George Gomez is going to deliver. Are we going to bitch about this game? Absolutely. Like, Pinside is going to love and hate this game at the exact same moment. And here's what's going to happen. It's going to be an instant sellout of the LEs. Instantly, they're gone. You know, and then we're going to get the typical conversation around pricing as people start to flip their LEs for a profit. It's going to happen day one. People are going to try to flip their spots. It's going to be a mad scramble to get an LE. Now, here's the good news for Canada Club members. And I'm going to do this for the first time exclusively for a member of the Canada Club. If you are looking to get a James Bond LE, I am going to do a raffle in which one of you will win the right to buy a James Bond LE at MSRP. Okay, this is how we're going to do it because Mike over at Automated said, Chris, this is what we're going to do. We're always going to do an LE raffle and give someone the chance to win one and pay sticker price for the game. Now, previously, I just opened it up to everybody and you could email me and I would pull names out of a hat. I'm going to do it differently this time because I really want to say thank you to you club members. The only people eligible to win this game have to be Canada Club members. And I'm going to keep it exclusive to this group. Now, that being said, if you would like to enter for a chance to win that, you have to email me at canadapinball at gmail.com and tell me what a big James Bond fan you are. Because I really want this pin to go to someone who's a James Bond fanatic. I don want this to go to a scalper I don want it to go to a flipper I want this to go to a genuine fan So if you not one please step aside and let a real fan of this property be in on this offer And here's how I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it fun. You know me, I'm Kaneda. I will draw the name on my Saturday morning spectacular, most likely next Saturday. Okay. And here's how I'm going to do it. The seventh name I draw out of the hat will win the game, okay? 007 will get this James Bond. So you don't want to be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. You want to be the seventh name I pull out of the hat. I think it'll be really fun and we'll do it live on Facebook so there's no controversy. There's no bribing Kaneda. It simply will happen on air. Now here's the other part too. And remember this, when you email me to be a part of this, please provide your phone number because here's how I'm going to do it. When I pick out 007's name, we are going to call you live on my Facebook Saturday Morning Spectacular. If you do not pick up when that phone rings, Mr. Bond, the game goes to the next name I pull. That's how we're going to do it. So make sure you include your phone number and your name and the drawing will take place. I'll tell you right now, we're going to do this at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time next Saturday. OK, so thank you, Mike at Automated. And thank you guys for being a member of the Canada Club. I am so excited. I hope you can hear it in my voice. I think this game is going to be a home run. I think it's going to be a statement game from George Gomez. I think he's going to show Steve Ritchie where it's at. And I think this is the game that's going to put everything in perspective. It is going to show us that Stern Pinball understands that the prices are high. I think the games are going to look beautiful. And I think Joe Kamikow had his hand on all of these games. I do. Joe Kamikow is not going to let one of his dream properties come out and be mediocre. I think there was so much passion that went into this project. And I can't wait to Tuesday till we all get to see it. And I can't wait to talk about this all week long on Canada's Pinball Podcast, on Facebook Live, with all of you. I know you're all excited. What a great weekend into the week. Football is starting up again today. We get a new pinball machine. We're remembering 9-11. And for everybody out there in the armed services or knows people in the armed services, thank you so much for your service. I don't want to go too much into it, but living in New York City, you know, 9-11 was such a personal thing for everybody, but especially for those of us who were here when it happened. But it's going to be a great week. It is going to be a great week for pinball. It is going to be a great week for pinball fans, the community. It's just weird. Now Stern Pinball has all the momentum. They really do. Everyone else has fumbled the ball this year. And Stern Pinball, the giant, the biggest pinball company in the world, with the most resources, the best licenses, the best coders, the best artists, the best everything, they are coming back with a game that they are super passionate about. How can you not be excited? How is this game not going to sell out? Take all of our money now, Stern. You earned it. You're the only one who knows how to do it right. Everybody try to sleep over the next couple days because James Bond is coming. Kaneda out. Outro Music

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 045e1c0f-7b79-4e8c-98f7-ed7137e4fe4f*