# I played 2 new unreleased games

**Source:** Don's Pinball Podcast (patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-12-11  
**Duration:** 20m 14s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/i-played-2-new-117727430

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## Analysis

Don reports on playing two unreleased American Pinball games at their facility, expressing that their new title represents a significant quality improvement over Galactic Tank Force and Legends of Valhalla. He discusses American Pinball's distributor agreements, supply chain planning, and notes that Evil Dead's release has triggered secondary market activity in competing games like Scooby-Doo.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] American Pinball's new unreleased game is their best game to date compared to Galactic Tank Force and Legends of Valhalla — _Don speaking from firsthand playtest experience at American Pinball facility_
- [HIGH] American Pinball has distributor agreements already in place for their new release — _Don reported by American Pinball staff (Ron, sales manager) during facility visit_
- [HIGH] Evil Dead's release triggered a spike in Scooby-Doo pinball sales (approximately 40 units in one week at The Last Arcade) — _Reported by venue staff at The Last Arcade after Evil Dead launch_
- [MEDIUM] The same secondary market effect occurred when Rick and Morty pinball was released, with Alice Cooper games selling out — _Anecdotal report from industry observers Don spoke with_
- [HIGH] American Pinball is planning significant effort and marketing behind their new game launch — _Don directly informed by American Pinball during facility visit_
- [MEDIUM] The new American Pinball game will debut in Christian Marche (location/venue) — _Don's statement during podcast; context unclear but appears to be planned venue premiere_
- [HIGH] Don would not go a year without playing the new American Pinball game, contrasting with Galactic Tank Force — _Don's personal assessment based on limited playtests (under a dozen plays)_

### Notable Quotes

> "This is a completely different trajectory from Galactic Tank Force to where it was just heading into all of this."
> — **Don**, mid-episode
> _Highlights American Pinball's perceived improvement in game design quality between titles_

> "I'm very proud of these guys for what they've made compared to what they've made before."
> — **Don**, mid-episode
> _Endorsement of American Pinball's direction under new leadership_

> "Try to keep this under your hats because this is kind of squarely aimed right at you guys."
> — **Don**, early-mid episode
> _Don explicitly requesting confidentiality from audience regarding unreleased game details, suggesting FOMO and disclosure sensitivity_

> "If I went a year without playing Galactic Tank Force I would be fine with it. This is a game I would not go a year without playing at least once or twice."
> — **Don**, mid-episode
> _Direct comparative assessment of gameplay depth and replayability between American Pinball's recent titles_

> "The game is just exceeded all expectations for sure."
> — **Don**, late-episode
> _Assessment of Evil Dead's quality and market reception_

> "They just go and they then finally pick up the other one."
> — **Don**, late-episode
> _Observing how new releases trigger secondary market purchases in adjacent IP themes_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pinball | company | Chicago-area pinball manufacturer; Don visited facility and played two unreleased games; has new leadership and distributor agreements |
| Don | person | Host of Don's Pinball Podcast; playtest reporter; attended American Pinball facility; experienced vehicle lockout during trip |
| John Papaduke Jr. | person | Associated with American Pinball in content context; pinball designer/industry figure |
| Ron | person | Sales manager at American Pinball; discussed distributor agreements and supply chain with Don |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Evil Dead; referenced for contrast with Austin Powers' corporate structure |
| Evil Dead | game | Spooky Pinball title; recently released; triggered secondary market activity in competitor games |
| Galactic Tank Force | game | American Pinball game; used as baseline for comparison with new unreleased American Pinball title; Don finds it less engaging |
| Legends of Valhalla | game | American Pinball game; referenced as part of trajectory comparison with new unreleased title |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Pinball game; saw 40-unit sales spike at The Last Arcade following Evil Dead release |
| Rick and Morty | game | Pinball game; referenced as precedent for secondary market effect when released |
| Alice Cooper | game | Pinball game; sold out when Rick and Morty was released |
| The Last Arcade | venue | Arcade/venue location; venue manager and Don visited; tracked Scooby-Doo sales spike |
| Metallica | game | Premium Edition pinball machine; Don picked up unboxed copy and was restoring it |
| Austin Powers | game | Pinball game; Don spent time with at venue; mentioned as having different corporate structure than Spooky |
| Rob Burke | person | Guinness World Record holder for owning 1,000 pinball machines; operator of Pastimes Arcade in Girard, Ohio; ran into Don at venue |
| David Slaymaker | person | Assisted Don at roadside rest stop; brought energy drink; mentioned as helping during vehicle lockout incident |
| Knapp Arcade | media | Pinball news outlet; Don explicitly asked audience not to share unreleased game details with them |
| This Week in Pinball | media | Pinball industry media; referenced multiple times in transcript; appears to be network for Don's podcast |
| Jon Hey | person | Associated with pinball news/media; mentioned in context of distributor notification issues about game production |
| Bugs | person | Content creator doing live stream Thursday; upcoming Evil Dead showcase mentioned |
| Christian Marche | venue | Planned premiere location for new American Pinball game |
| Pastimes Arcade | venue | Arcade in Girard, Ohio; owned/operated by Rob Burke |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Unreleased American Pinball game (quality and design philosophy), American Pinball's production and distribution strategy, Secondary market effects from new game releases (Scooby-Doo, Alice Cooper sales)
- **Secondary:** Evil Dead reception and market impact, American Pinball trajectory improvement from Galactic Tank Force era, Distributor relationships and supply chain transparency
- **Mentioned:** Pinball news coverage and industry information flow, Playtest experiences and game evaluation methodology

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Don expresses strong approval of American Pinball's new game and their direction; proud of the manufacturing team; enthusiastic about Evil Dead; frustrated personal anecdotes about lockout don't diminish overall positive industry sentiment.

### Signals

- **[machine_intel]** Don played two new unreleased American Pinball games at company facility; describes first as significant quality improvement over Galactic Tank Force and Legends of Valhalla (confidence: high) — Direct playtest report: 'This is a completely different trajectory from Galactic Tank Force...I'm very proud of these guys for what they've made compared to what they've made before.'
- **[product_launch]** American Pinball planning significant marketing and launch effort for new game; distributor agreements already in place; debut planned for Christian Marche venue (confidence: high) — Ron (sales manager) informed Don: 'They are planning on putting a lot of effort behind the launch of this game. So it's not just going to dribble out of a factory'
- **[market_signal]** New game releases trigger secondary market sales in thematically adjacent IP games; Evil Dead release caused ~40 Scooby-Doo sales spike at The Last Arcade; same pattern observed with Rick and Morty causing Alice Cooper sellout (confidence: high) — Don reporting venue data: 'They sold like 40 Scoobies in The Last Arcade week...just after Evil Dead's launch' and 'They just immediately sold out of all the Alice Coopers that were left' after Rick and Morty
- **[leak_detection]** American Pinball concerned about unreleased game details circulating to distributors through unofficial channels; distributor notification issues regarding production status (confidence: high) — Don: 'They really want to try to straighten things out because they have agreements with distributors...when they see things out there...They're looking at their distributors who are looking back at them saying why weren't we notified'
- **[community_signal]** Don explicitly requests audience confidentiality regarding unreleased game details; expresses concern about Knapp Arcade acquiring information; indicates tension between media outlets and manufacturer disclosure (confidence: high) — Don: 'Try to keep this under your hats because this is kind of squarely aimed right at you guys. I hope this doesn't end up on Knapp Arcade'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Don perceives significant improvement in American Pinball's game design quality and company direction under new leadership; contrasts favorably with Galactic Tank Force era (confidence: high) — Don: 'This is a completely different trajectory...I'm very proud of these guys for what they've made compared to what they've made before'
- **[product_concern]** Don expresses low replay engagement with Galactic Tank Force; would not commit to playing it regularly, contrasting with enthusiasm for new American Pinball title (confidence: high) — Don: 'If I went a year without playing Galactic Tank Force I would be fine with it. This is a game I would not go a year without playing at least once or twice'
- **[event_signal]** Bugs scheduled to do live stream Thursday; Evil Dead game sales expected to begin moving after stream event (confidence: medium) — Don: 'Bugs doing his live stream here in a couple of days on Thursday and subsequent to that it sounds like The Games will start moving'
- **[personnel_signal]** American Pinball has new/recent sales leadership; Ron in role as sales manager; appears to be part of management attempting to improve distributor relationships and communication (confidence: medium) — Don meeting with 'Ron their sales manager' who discussed distributor agreements and launch strategy
- **[operational_signal]** American Pinball planning measured production rollout; not expecting 100 games in immediate inventory; planning to manage inventory and distribution carefully (confidence: medium) — Don: 'That being said, there's not going to be 100 games in boxes right now waiting to go'
- **[competitive_signal]** Horror-themed games (Evil Dead) appear to drive crossover purchasing in adjacent horror IP (Scooby-Doo); suggests genre-based collector behavior patterns (confidence: medium) — Venue staff explanation: 'people are kind of on the fence on buying the game and they want to wait and see what the new game is. And then as soon as it comes out, if it's a horror...they then finally pick up the other one'
- **[design_philosophy]** Don evaluates new American Pinball game based on long-term replay value and engagement; limited playtest count (under 12) but strong impressions of gameplay quality (confidence: high) — Don: 'I feel like I need a full impression on what this game is like having only played it under a dozen times...For me this is a game I do want to go back and play'

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## Transcript

This week in Pinball Podcast, Don's Pinball Podcast is an uncensored and unfiltered look into the seedy underbelly of the pinball industry. Viewer discretion is advised. Oh, what's up, Patreon fam? I can't believe I'm back in front of a microphone. It seems like the world has been conspiring against me to keep me from talking to everybody. Just in the last, oh god, it's only been like 72 hours. I've locked myself out of my car. I've spent three hours at a roadside rest stop just killing time. I went and picked up a Metallica Premium unboxed it, started making it over, ran back into Chicago, stopped by my good friends at American Pinball, and I got to play something brand new. I can give a perspective, right? And, you know, I'll just put this out there. I hope this doesn't end up on Knapp Arcade. Try to keep this under your hats because this is kind of squarely aimed right at you guys. Impressions are that game is for sure, for sure their best game. And in that respect, it's phenomenal when when look through the lens of GTF, barbecue, Valhalla, Oktoberfest and such. For me this is a game I do want to go back and play. I stop and play BBQ when I see it on location. Occasionally I play GTF but if I went a year without playing Galactic Tank Force I would be fine with it. This is a game I would not walk by without playing at least once or twice. And if I think about his game and the aspects of it. And I feel like I got a full impression on what this game is like having only played it under a dozen times. So there we go. Other people have played it and they mentioned that they played it. The monthly Pinball News Podcast Episode with Martin and the other funny Dutch guy. They did say that they played it but they can't comment on exactly what it is. I won't comment on if the rumors are true or not. You're going to see that. But rumors exist for a reason. What I will say is that I'm very proud of these guys for what they've made compared to what they've made before. This is a completely different trajectory from GTF to BBQ where it was just heading into. All of this happens on Pinball Checkpoint 2022. This week's game is the first time the game will be available in March. This should mean that the games will be ready to go. They are planning on putting a lot of effort behind the launch of this game. So it's not just going to dribble out of a factory and not be available forever. So I'm happy. I'm happy with the direction that they're going. That being said, there's not 100 games in boxes right now waiting to go. I was at the rest stop thank god shout out to David Slaymaker who came by and rescued me with a Rock Star energy drink. Other than that I couldn't even walk to Target. I was just stuck there it was just terrible. I just felt like the stupidest person on earth. So I was able to contact the warehouse manager, he was able to swing by, open the warehouse and give me Metallica that night. Thank the Lord, you know, because I was already all the way into Chicago and then this happens, you know, and so I would have to go home and come all the way back again. God, it's been terrible. I ended up doing that though because I could not get back to American Pinball because it was late at night. So I went down yesterday. I got to hang out with AP, talk to them for quite a bit, ran into Rob Burke, who's the Guinness record holder of a thousand pinball machines and has a Space Time Arcade in Girard, Ohio. Pastimes Arcade, I think it's called. The game is just exceeded all expectations for sure. I've even I've gone and seen the first Evil Dead movie. I want to watch the second one. But it's still not a theme like that. I hold near and dear but like the game is still. The game is a super fun and I'm getting into it now. And so I'm just happy for the guys that their game looks like it's going to be just amazing and I'm sure it'll sell out. So Bugs is doing his live stream here in a couple of days on Thursday and subsequent to that it sounds like games will start moving. Funny thing, apparently there's been a big uptick in Scooby-Doo sales as well since Evil Dead's release and what the guys say typically happens is people are kind of on the fence on buying the game and they want to wait and see what the new game is. And then as soon as it comes out, if it's a horror theme they just go and they then finally pick up the other one. So they sold like 40 Scoobies in the last week or something just after Evil Dead's launch and reveal and everything. They said the same thing happened when Rick and Morty came out. They just immediately sold out of all the Alice Coopers that were left. So it's kind of funny how the market works like that. But yeah, radically different companies going from AP to Spooky Pinball. AP has their fingers in a lot of stuff. They have a corporate master. So yeah, check it out more as I hear it. But yeah, homies. Thank you once again for joining me for Don's Pinball Podcast. Patreon edition behind the scenes here in my jeans. Alright, later.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 091aacce-875c-47a7-b272-60eea08062c7*