# Episode 762: "Kaneda's Big In Brazil!"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2023-01-25  
**Duration:** 20m 10s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-762-big-77730398

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## Analysis

Kaneda defends against accusations of vote-buying for Twippies awards and discusses Brazil's legitimate pinball market, then pivots to market analysis of Stern's upcoming cornerstone games (Venom, Foo Fighters, Indiana Jones, Jaws), James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition inventory problems, and broader softening in the pinball market. He expresses skepticism about new game pricing and demand while praising location pinball growth.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball's next four cornerstone games are Venom, Foo Fighters, Indiana Jones, and Jaws — _Kaneda stated this as insider information from sources within Stern, presented as a major announcement_
- [HIGH] James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition has weak sales with distributors resorting to trade-in offers and discounting tactics never seen before — _Kaneda observed distributor behavior on Pinside and Facebook, directly witnessed phenomenon_
- [MEDIUM] Indiana Jones will likely be a premium game and designed by John Borg — _Kaneda stated 'I'm hearing' and 'I also think it is going to be a John Borg game' - speculative framing_
- [MEDIUM] Stern can currently produce 600 machines per week at full capacity, moving to larger facility — _Kaneda presented this as hypothetical ('Let's say') to illustrate market saturation point_
- [LOW] James Bond has sold only approximately 200 out of 500 planned units legitimately — _Kaneda stated 'I bet' - explicit speculation presented as estimate_
- [HIGH] Foo Fighters and Venom are B-tier themes priced like A-tier themes — _Kaneda's direct market assessment and opinion based on industry observation_
- [MEDIUM] Raw Thrills is entering the pinball space as a new manufacturer — _Kaneda stated this after correcting earlier speculation about Raw Thrills and Twilight Zone_
- [MEDIUM] Location pinball play is larger than ever and represents better value than home ownership — _Kaneda's observation of market trends and personal perspective_
- [MEDIUM] New in box games are becoming unpopular due to volume and price softening — _Kaneda reading 'the hobby, reading between the lines, reading the forum'_
- [MEDIUM] Justin Roiland's firing will significantly hurt the Rick and Morty brand but not machine value — _Kaneda's analytical opinion on IP reputation impact_

### Notable Quotes

> "If you want to accuse someone of cheating, then you better show the damn proof and you better validate that proof."
> — **Kaneda**, Early in episode
> _Defensive statement responding to Twippies vote-buying accusations; establishes show's tone and Kaneda's demand for evidence_

> "Stern Pinball is a completely different story. Like people would love to get more Metallica's or Stern AC/DC's new in box."
> — **Kaneda**, Mid-episode during cornerstone analysis
> _Highlights Stern's unique market position versus smaller manufacturers like American Pinball and Jersey Jack_

> "I bet they've only legitimately sold 200 out of the 500. I bet these Games are going to sit forever."
> — **Kaneda**, During James Bond discussion
> _Strong market skepticism about flagship game; speculative but reflects perceived distributor inventory crisis_

> "None of you need a new game... To buy a new game, you're going to need to really see something special."
> — **Kaneda**, Market analysis section
> _Reflects broader market sentiment shift away from FOMO toward value and necessity assessment_

> "It's refreshing. It really is refreshing seeing that that game has not sold out. TNA has not sold out. James Bond sales are weak."
> — **Kaneda**, End of episode
> _Indicates market correction and relief that scarcity/FOMO model may be breaking_

> "I think we're going to see a couple lean years in pinball."
> — **Kaneda**, Market outlook section
> _Pessimistic prediction about industry health during economic softening_

> "The whole game is a joke. It's absolutely exposed everything that's wrong with pinball sales in 2022, 2023."
> — **Kaneda**, James Bond section
> _Strong criticism of James Bond as exemplifying industry problems; use of 'joke' indicates low confidence in game's viability_

> "I really do feel great knowing that there's nothing in those cornerstone Games or there's nothing coming out that really makes me have to have it now."
> — **Kaneda**, Market reflection section
> _Personal testimony to market shift away from urgency buying despite being industry insider_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; industry analyst and content creator with 762+ episodes; recently purchased Batman SLE; advocates for objective pinball analysis |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; releasing Venom, Foo Fighters, Indiana Jones, Jaws as cornerstone games; expanding manufacturing capacity; James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition experiencing weak sales |
| We Are Pinball | organization | Kaneda's podcast/content brand; won Twippies Award for Favorite Pinball Podcast for fifth consecutive year; currently at 560 club members on Patreon |
| James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition | game | Stern pinball game priced at $20,000; limited to 500 units; experiencing unprecedented distributor inventory problems; weak sales with only estimated 200 units legitimately sold; receiving code updates (0.84) but criticized for insufficient game depth |
| Venom | game | Upcoming Stern cornerstone game; expected March 2023 release; characterized as B-tier theme priced like A-tier; anticipated to need 2,000-3,000 unit sales to succeed |
| Foo Fighters | game | Upcoming Stern cornerstone game; expected September 2023 release; 90s rock band theme; characterized as B-tier theme; softening demand anticipated |
| Indiana Jones | game | Upcoming Stern cornerstone game; expected early 2024 release; likely premium tier; likely designed by John Borg; based on recent Dial of Destiny film; Kaneda concerned about film quality impact on game longevity |
| Jaws | game | Upcoming Stern cornerstone game; expected summer 2024 release; part of revealed four-game roadmap |
| John Borg | person | Prominent pinball designer; Kaneda predicts will design Indiana Jones; referenced in context of design quality expectations |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Stern pinball game not yet sold out; awaiting official stream; anticipated to boost sales upon stream release; Kaneda advises against early sell-offs at loss |
| Rick and Morty | game | Spooky Pinball game; 750 units made; IP creator Justin Roiland recently fired by Cartoon Network for inappropriate behavior; Kaneda believes brand reputation damaged but machine value stable |
| Justin Roiland | person | Creator of Rick and Morty; fired by Cartoon Network for inappropriate behavior with women; Kaneda discusses brand impact on pinball machine values |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; made Rick and Morty (750 units); referenced in competitive market context |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Smaller competitor to Stern; cannot replenish older titles like Pirates of the Caribbean; constrained portfolio compared to Stern |
| American Pinball | company | Smaller competitor; producing Oktoberfest and Houdini titles; limited appeal compared to available Stern backlog |
| Raw Thrills | company | Arcade/entertainment company entering pinball space; Kaneda initially rumored as making Twilight Zone but corrected this; new player in crowded market |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Upcoming industry event where new games expected to be shown; new unknown pinball company anticipated to debut game; venue for industry announcements |
| Brazil | location | Legitimate pinball market with significant Stern manufacturing and enthusiast following; 4-5% of Twippies votes came from Brazil; Stern has production presence there |
| Twippies Awards | event | Pinball community awards event; We Are Pinball won Favorite Pinball Podcast for fifth consecutive year; accusations of vote manipulation from Brazil disputed by Kaneda |
| Metallica | game | Stern game referenced as strong seller; mentioned in context of games people would like to repurchase new in box; compared favorably to current weak-selling titles |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game; unavailable for new purchase; example of strong demand for older titles that manufacturers won't replenish |
| Elvira's House of Horrors | game | Stern Pinball game; 2023 production planned; remaining backlog item alongside Godzilla |
| Godzilla | game | Stern Pinball game in 2023 production; backlogged title still in manufacturing queue |
| Toy Story | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game currently on line; weak sales; example of game nobody wants compared to demand for classic rereleases |
| The Godfather | game | Upcoming Stern game; referenced as part of distributor inventory management concerns alongside Venom and Scooby-Doo |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Twippies Awards and vote-buying accusations, Stern Pinball cornerstone game roadmap (Venom, Foo Fighters, Indiana Jones, Jaws), James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition market failure and inventory crisis, Pinball market softening and pricing concerns, Distributor inventory management and sales tactics
- **Secondary:** New manufacturers entering pinball space (Raw Thrills, unknown company at Texas Pinball Festival), Location pinball vs home ownership value proposition, Rick and Morty IP reputation damage from Justin Roiland firing

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Kaneda is defensive/angry about Twippies accusations at opening but transitions to skeptical/critical analysis of market, expressing relief about softening but concern about industry health. Pessimistic about near-term market ('couple lean years') but optimistic about location pinball and buyer empowerment. Frustrated with James Bond and newer game pricing but appreciative of community support.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Pinball market entering downturn; Kaneda predicts 'couple lean years'; economic softening combined with reduced FOMO and high inventory levels creating industry headwinds (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's explicit prediction and market analysis; multiple signals of inventory pressure, weak sales, and reduced demand convergence
- **[business_signal]** Stern expanding manufacturing capacity from ~600 machines/week to potentially 1,000 machines/week with move to larger facility; high volume production reducing perceived scarcity (confidence: medium) — Kaneda presented hypothetically but used to illustrate market saturation point; 52,000 units/year potential production undermines FOMO narrative
- **[sentiment_shift]** Relief and positive sentiment about market correction toward lower prices and longer waiting periods; players prefer location play economics over home ownership depreciation (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I feel very liberated'; stated preference for $500 location play over $5,000 home machine depreciation; celebration of games not selling out
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern's portfolio advantages over smaller competitors amplified during downturn; Stern can run backlog of 75+ IPs and replenish demand whereas Jersey Jack, American Pinball, Spooky cannot sustain similar flexibility (confidence: high) — Kaneda emphasized Stern's unique ability to manufacture classic titles; contrasted with Jersey Jack's inability to rerun Pirates of the Caribbean despite demand; American Pinball limited to unpopular titles
- **[design_philosophy]** Indiana Jones game design approach speculative; concern that mixing multiple films (old adventures + new Dial of Destiny) may dilute storyline coherence compared to unified-narrative IPs like James Bond or Star Wars (confidence: medium) — Kaneda expressed concern about multi-film approach creating narrative fragmentation; contrasted with more successful unified storyline games
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival anticipated as major announcement venue with multiple new game reveals and first appearance by new unknown pinball manufacturer (confidence: medium) — Kaneda noted 'buzz' about new games being shown and mysterious new company; Raw Thrills confirmation of participation
- **[market_signal]** James Bond 60th Anniversary Edition experiencing unprecedented distributor inventory crisis with trade-in offers and discounting tactics never before seen; estimated only 200 of 500 units legitimately sold (confidence: high) — Kaneda directly observed distributor ads on Pinside/Facebook; contrasted with historical precedent of strong sales for previous premium games; multiple distributor inventory complaints noted
- **[personnel_signal]** Raw Thrills arcade company entering pinball manufacturing space as new competitor during market softening; unknown new pinball company also entering market (confidence: medium) — Kaneda stated Raw Thrills throwing 'hat into pinball space' and corrected earlier rumor; mentioned 'whole new player coming into space' at Texas Pinball Festival
- **[market_signal]** Market-wide pricing concern emerging; B-tier themes (Foo Fighters, Venom) priced at A-tier levels ($13,000+); buyers increasingly resistant to premium pricing for secondary IP (confidence: high) — Kaneda direct assessment: 'B themes and they're gonna be priced like A themes'; noted softening demand for these titles vs. historical patterns
- **[product_strategy]** Stern's confirmed four cornerstone games roadmap: Venom (March 2023), Foo Fighters (September 2023), Indiana Jones (Early 2024, likely premium tier, likely John Borg design), Jaws (Summer 2024) (confidence: high) — Kaneda presented as insider information from Stern sources; specific release windows and design predictions provided
- **[sentiment_shift]** Community sentiment shifting away from FOMO/new-in-box purchasing toward wait-and-see approach; market correction underway with appreciation for ability to purchase at better prices later (confidence: high) — Kaneda observed this across forums and market behavior; personal testimony about lack of urgency despite being industry insider; Scooby-Doo and James Bond not selling out represents reversal of typical scarcity model
- **[licensing_signal]** Justin Roiland firing from Cartoon Network over inappropriate behavior significantly damaging Rick and Morty IP reputation; expected to hurt brand but not Spooky machine values due to scarcity (confidence: high) — Kaneda analyzed impact as brand reputation damage while maintaining machine value stability due to 750-unit production limitation

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## Transcript

 Well, after being accused of buying votes from Brazil, if we do win the sixth Twippy for favorite pinball podcast, we're going to play this song. Oh, welcome, everybody. to the world's legitimate Twippy Award winning podcast for Favorite Pinball Podcast over the last five years. We're going to talk about the Cornerstone Games at Stern. We're going to talk a little bit about Scooby-Doo. Hopefully we're going to see the code this month. But first, I do want to quickly address this notion that somehow we are cheating to win the Twippy for Favorite Pinball Podcast. And this week, someone put up a post about how it looks suspicious that there are like, I don't know, something like four or five percent of the total Twippy votes came from Brazil. More from Brazil than Australia. More votes from Brazil than the UK. And so I just want to say this. Nobody has ever paid for votes. Nobody has bought any votes. And all of my votes, whether they come from listeners of the show or their wives, every single person who votes for canada's pinball podcast is doing so because they wanted to not because they were paid and i just want to say to my fans in brazil who reached out to me after this accusation and said hey look stern makes pinball machines down here this is a very hot market for pinball there are a lot of people down here who love pinball and follow the forums and follow podcasts they might not be as present as some other personalities or other countries in pinball, but there's a legitimate pinball following in Brazil. And I just want to say, I think it's absolutely ridiculous that some people are trying to undermine that pinball has support in Brazil. And the ultimate thing is this. I think it's ridiculous that people are still trying to undermine this show and my hard work. And it is nothing short of just being a sore Kevin Loza. And I'm going to say this right now, and then I'm not going to say anything about this again. If you want to accuse someone of cheating, then you better show the damn proof and you better validate that proof. And I haven't seen any proof and there is no validation in any of it. And we're going to have a damn good time down in Texas. And we're going to have a lot of fun, win or lose. And I mean this when I say this, if I don't win, I'm not going to cry about it. I'm not going to say, here we go again. Someone bought votes. I will be the first person to stand up and clap for whoever wins in the streaming category or podcast category. I will be the first person to congratulate whoever takes the trophy. In life, there's no room for sore losers and babies. And nobody works harder than me at making pinball podcasts. I have 762 freaking episodes. I think we need to just move on from this narrative that is just making people look absolutely silly. All right, now speaking of silly narratives, did John Youssi this thing now? The new lows that distributors have to sink to to try to get rid of these James Bond 60th anniversary edition games. So here's the deal. This game is on the line now at Stern Pinball. This game is going to be shipping to distros next week or the week after. So Stern Pinball is going to make all 500 of them. Now I'm seeing something I've never seen before. Distributors are actually posting ads on like Pinside and Facebook offering, they're offering to trade this game for your other games. Like basically I'm going to have this game and we will accept trade-ins to get this $20,000 overpriced joke. I've never seen this before. And I've been covering this hobby for seven years. There's never been a Stern LE where distros needed to offer you trade-in opportunities. This is starting to sound like a car, right? Like car dealerships. Trade in your old games and get the new overpriced Keith Elwin 60th anniversary included exclusive, not exclusive topper. The whole game is a joke. It's absolutely exposed everything that's wrong with pinball sales in 2022, 2023. And what's sad about this is distributors have no wiggle room to spin this thing. The other thing we're seeing distributors do, and they won't admit this, they're basically having their customers sell the game for $17.50 to get around Stern's rule that they can't list this game for a certain price. So look, this game is going to come and go like a fart in the wind and I think we're going to see some unboxings, but I think when people unbox it and see how little code there is in this game and how ugly it is in real life, that this thing is just going to be like on to the next We going to start getting excited about Venom and then we going to get excited about Foo Fighters or not excited about Foo Fighters We going to talk about that We going to talk about Indiana Hilton Jones We going to talk about Jaws And then we're going to talk about whether or not we're going to see the Scooby stream. All right, so let's just go over these cornerstone games for Stern Pinball. And I was thinking a lot about this. I just put it up for everybody to see. These are the next four cornerstone games I'm hearing Stern Pinball is going to make. And I think it's Venom, it's going to be Foo Fighters, Indiana Hilton Jones, and Jaws. Now, Indiana Hilton Jones was the big sort of surprise for most people. I think we've been hearing a lot about Venom. The game is done. We've been hearing a lot of rumors about Foo Fighters. We've been hearing a lot of rumors about Jaws. But nobody was talking about Indiana Hilton Jones. So let's start there. Stern is going to make another Indiana Hilton Jones pinball machine. Now look, if you're like me and you're like a child of the 80s and 90s, Indiana Hilton Jones is an incredible IP. Now what I'm hearing is this. I'm hearing that Indiana Hilton Jones might be a kapow game. And that's good news because if it is kapow, they might get more of the movie assets. Now look, my big fear is this, and we've seen this. While Indiana Hilton Jones is a great IP, the last movie was terrible, like terrible. and Harrison Ford didn't get any younger. Now, when you look at this movie, I think it's like the dial of destiny. It looks like they're going to be time traveling to different periods in Indiana's life. So I do think it's going to be a mixture of old man Indiana sort of reminiscing and reliving some of his older adventures. And I think the game is going to try to bring that to life. Now, my concern is this. When you try to make a pinball machine with too many movies involved and the movies are separate from each other, right? It's not a trilogy like Lord of the Rings or the Star Wars movies. Like James Bond is like that. Like you've got six or seven different movies with different villains and different like vehicles and different weapons and different jetpacks. And so when you put it all together, I think sometimes it gets harder to sort of capture the essence of a storyline in the pinball format. So I'm a little bit nervous if this game is based only on the new movie and the movie tanks, what's that going to mean for the pinball machine, right? So we shall see. Like, I'm not sure. Are we going to see the boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark? Are we going to see like the Temple of Doom? Are we going to see some of those things in this game? I probably doubt it. I think it's going to be based more on the new movie, but it still is an incredible IP. So more to come on that. I also think it is going to be a John Borg game. So we shall see. If we look at this year's games, right, and we look at Foo Fighter and Venom as the 2022 titles, I think everyone's doing a little bit of a shoulder shrug on whether or not these are big enough themes to carry this kind of price point. And we're going to see what the market will bear on these titles. But as I was thinking about these four cornerstones, and especially Foo Fighters, where a lot of people are like, well, are they a big enough band to base a pinball machine off of. And I would say this, they do have a fan base. Pinball hasn't really made a band from the 90s. If you think about most pinball, it's like old dad rock or bands from the 80s. So the fact that we're dipping into 90s like rock and roll, I think you're going to find some audience like in people in their 30s and 40s. So I think that will have appeal. And look, all Stern needs to do is keep their line moving. As long as they sell like 2,000 or 3,000 Foo Fighters, I think it will be like a successful run for them. And then they're on to the next. Unlike everybody else, Stern Pinball doesn't need to live or die by each game launch. Like as long as they're making games, the company is making money. And unlike everybody else, they're the only pinball company that has like a portfolio of like 75 IPs that are tremendous IPs. And at any given point, they can just run more of older IP that people want. Nobody else does this. Like you can't go get a Pirates of the Caribbean from Jersey Jack. You can't go get anything right now other than maybe some Guns N' Roses that are left over that nobody wants to spend $11,000 on an LE because you can get it used for $8,000. So there's no Guns N' Roses on the line. And right now there's a game on the line that nobody really wants in Toy Story. And the sad thing is this. If they were to make more Dialed In's, more Wizard of Oz games, more Pirates of the Caribbean games, there's more demand for those three titles new in box than there is for Toy Story. But they won't do it. And then you've got like American Pinball. Nobody wants like more Oktoberfest and Houdini's and that's what they're going to run. Now Stern Pinball is a completely different story. Like people would love to get more Metallica's or ACDC's new in box. Like even though they made a lot of those games new people coming into the hobby they want to unbox a brand new game that they know is great And Stern Pinball doesn even need to do that Like they busy making backlog orders. I mean, they're making Godzilla, they're going to make more Elvira's like the games they're going to make in 2023. Half of them are still going to be back ordered games. And then they're going to throw Venom on the line. And then they're going to throw Foo Fighters. I think we're going to see Venom in March and Foo Fighters sometime in September. And then I think we're going to see Indiana Hilton Jones like early 2024. And I think they're going to bring out Jaws in the summer of 2024. So that's my guess. I'm not 100% sure on the order of all these games, but I definitely think we're going to see Venom next. And look, I think everyone's starting to have a sort of general feeling. And this is just me reading the hobby, reading between the lines, reading the forum. I think a lot of people are starting to feel like new in box is now a not very popular thing to run after. And if you look at new in box prices, I think that's the main reason. And I think with the volume of games, just think about this for a minute. Let's say Stern Pinball in its current factory is making 600 machines a week at full capacity. They're moving to a much larger facility. Let's just say hypothetically, Stern Pinball gets to a point where it can make a thousand games a week. Okay, that's 52,000 games a year. They will be putting into the world 52,000 games. And then you start to realize nothing is really rare. Nothing is that limited. And if you just wait and see, you'll be able to get all of these games at a better price and when the code is finished. You know, I just saw James Bond has a code update to 0.84. I'm not sure what that means. I'm not sure how much is in the game, but I don't think anyone is really celebrating these code updates. I think everyone's kind of waiting until there's like a significant update. I don't know if this is a significant update. I haven't seen anything on the code yet, but it does feel like James Bond has a long way to go before the price can be justified with what's in the game right now. And look, James Bond sales are not great. I feel like I'm getting spammed with more for sale ads by distros than I ever have before. There's a lot of distros with a lot of inventory. And they need to get these games sold before they take on more inventory with Venom. Before they take on more inventory with Scooby-Doo. Before they take on more inventory with Godfather. You know, distros aren't used to this. And as much as some would like us to believe that games are flying off the shelves, we know they're not. Like, you can see the softening in the pinball market. It's good for all of us. I think we're all going to be able to wait and see and get pinball at a much better price over the next few years. And I feel very liberated. I mean, I know I just bought a super expensive Batman SLE, but I really do feel great knowing that there's nothing in those cornerstone games or there's nothing coming out that really makes me have to have it now. Like, I'm happy to wait. I'm happy to wait and see if, like, these games are any good. I'm happy to play them at shows. I'm actually really happy that location pinball is bigger than ever. Like more and more people are starting to realize that playing on location is a lot of fun. You can save yourself a lot of money. I would rather put $500 into Toy Story at Jack Bar than buy one and lose $5,000. You know, I really do think people are going to lose like $5,000 in like a year. Maybe not $5,000, but you're definitely losing $2,000 to $3,000 if you own the machine. So I'd rather just play it on location, have a few whiskeys, play some pinball, have some fun. I mean, that's what pinball was always supposed to be about. You know, just looking at Venom and Foo Fighters, I think the demand for these games is gonna be somewhat softer than usual. Like I don't think either one of those is a AAA game. I think these are sort of B themes and they're gonna be priced like A themes. And, you know, we'll see how that works. I mean, again, the market will ultimately dictate for everybody, you know, whether or not these companies have hit the ceiling and they need to start either lowering the price or lowering the volume of these games to sort of bake some value back into these purchases. All right, so we shall see, but it's going to be fun. It's going to be fun to see people starting to talk about these titles. I'm always happy to deliver these rumors to the world. I probably won't get credit for these rumors in most media places, but you heard it at canadispinballpodcastfirst what Stern's next cornerstone games are. You know, and there's a lot happening. Like there's a lot of buzz that at TPF, there's going to be a lot of new games shown at TPF. There's also like this buzz that, you know, a brand new pinball company we haven't heard of before is going to be at TPF and show us a game. I think it might be the company who maybe is making Twilight Zone or Big Bang Bar I not sure I heard that it not Raw Thrills making Twilight Zone So even though I rumored it might be Raw Thrills I here to tell you on Canada Pinball Podcast I got that wrong Okay I am wrong sometimes but it seems to make sense that it might be Raw Thrills. So we shall see. But I do know this, Raw Thrills is throwing its hat into the pinball space. And then there's a whole new player coming into the space. And then we have all these other pinball companies in the pinball space. It's about to get very crowded during a period in the economy when it's getting very soft. So I don't know what's going to happen. I think we're going to see a couple lean years in pinball. I think a lot of us are going to be tightening our belts and we're going to be closing our wallets and we're going to be enjoying the machines we have. This is always the funniest part. None of you need a new game. I mean, if you're listening to this right now and you're into pinball, you know deep down inside you don't really need a new game. To buy a new game, you're going to need to really see something special. Let's talk about Justin Roland real quick, fired by the Cartoon Network for inappropriate behavior with women, and now he is leaving disgraced. What does this do to the value of Rick and Morty machines? Does it go up in value or down in value? I don't think it's going to have any impact on the value of Rick and Morty machines, but I do think it's really going to significantly hurt the Rick and Morty brand. I mean, people are going to move away from that property knowing that he just got canceled, basically. So if you have a Rick and Morty, it's always going to hold value. There's only 750. It's still one of Spooky Pinball's best machines. It's still a fun Rick and Morty adventure. Even though I don't like the way it shoots, I understand why you have one if you have one. And I do understand how it can be a fun pinball machine in a lineup of games because it is like a brutal game. If you have one, this game is fast and it is brutal. It's not a great machine if you only have one in the house. All right, what else is happening in pinball? So let's just end this show with Scooby-Doo. I'm really looking forward to seeing the stream of this game. I don't understand why anyone would sell their spot now for a loss. I'm seeing just a few people, not a lot of people, just a couple for sale threads where people are losing 500 bucks to get out. My advice is why get out before the stream? I would wait to see the stream. If the stream really impresses people, I think they probably will sell even more of the inventory. The only thing is this. If you order the game now, you're probably going to be waiting a while. But I also think, as I've said before, distros are going to get allotments that they haven't sold yet. And they might sell some of those to new customers. So you're not going to have to wait like a year or 16 months to get your Scooby-Doo if you didn't order like on day one. But it's refreshing. It really is refreshing seeing that that game has not sold out. TNA has not sold out. James Bond sales are weak. Distros can't sell this 60th anniversary game. And even though some of my friends in the UK are, you know, they're saying stuff like, oh, every distro here, you know, is trying to get more. No, they're not. No, they're not. We don't need to make up lies about this James Bond 60th. There's no demand. I bet they've only legitimately sold 200 out of the 500. I bet these games are going to sit forever. Everybody, thank you so much for the support. I woke up this morning and we are now at 560 club members. I really do appreciate the support. We have grown so nicely this month. You know, when the month began, we dipped a little bit below 500. We got to like 498 and I started to get a little bit worried. And here we are. Everyone's back. Everyone's having a good time. And I do mean it when I say it. I want this to be a really fun place for everybody to hang out. No personal attacks. No personal attacks happen on my Facebook page. If other people want to attack me or complain about me, that's their prerogative. You know, as I say, the hate you give lives inside you forever. We've got nothing but love for pinball and nothing but love for all the fans of Canada's pinball podcast. And this show means the world to me. It's such an important creative outlet for me. And if my voice sounds a little hoarse, I'm just really tired. It's hard being a new dad. And even though I'm tired, I love making you weekly pinball content. And if you just signed up for the show, trust me, you're going to get your money's worth. We do this at least two times a week. And we hit what's relevant and what's timely in pinball. And we do it in a way that's not trying to sell you anything. We're just trying to have fun talking about the hobby in an objective way. and that is what I think real pinball love is about. Everybody have a good day. We'll talk to you soon.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 17cca3d4-68c6-4412-8278-840412bd4a78*