# Episode 887: "Stern's MAP Pricing Witch Hunt"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2023-12-11  
**Duration:** 23m 42s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-887-map-94474926

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## Analysis

Kaneda criticizes Stern Pinball's aggressive enforcement of Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) against individual sellers, arguing the practice reveals manufacturer nervousness about true market values amid inventory glut and declining post-COVID demand. He also reviews Spooky Pinball's Texas Chainsaw Massacre gameplay footage positively but worries about theme-specific appeal, and predicts 2024 will bring major price corrections across the industry as consumers resist inflated pricing and manufacturers oversaturate classic IP with endless re-releases.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball goes after individuals trying to sell games $200 below MAP pricing, indicating nervousness about market value transparency — _Kaneda describing a specific incident where Stern allegedly pursued enforcement against a private seller_
- [MEDIUM] Dealers with inventory underwater are forced into cash-under-the-table deals and unboxing tactics to circumvent MAP pricing — _Kaneda describing industry practices driven by restrictive pricing policies_
- [HIGH] Scooby-Doo Collector's Edition machines have depreciated from ~$12,500 MSRP to $7,500 secondary market in one year, representing a $5,000 loss — _Kaneda citing concrete pricing data on a specific recent release_
- [MEDIUM] Elton John (Jersey Jack) sales are performing worse than Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre despite broader cultural appeal — _Kaneda reporting from distributor conversations about relative sales performance_
- [MEDIUM] Jaws 50th Anniversary will be revealed at CES on January 9th — _Kaneda stating 'I'm hearing' without confirming official announcement, speculating about timing_
- [HIGH] Texas Chainsaw Massacre was announced Wednesday, fully revealed Friday, and took orders Friday—gameplay footage followed shortly without apparent pre-production time — _Kaneda describing the public timeline of Spooky's announcement and questioning the accelerated reveal_
- [MEDIUM] Stern approved dealers charging $25,000 for Elvira's House of Horrors 40th Premium, then undercut that with a nicer LE at $13,000 — _Kaneda citing selective enforcement of pricing rules in manufacturer's favor_
- [MEDIUM] Games have become 40% more expensive in recent years without proportional feature increases or value justification — _Kaneda's opinion on pricing trajectory vs. product evolution_

### Notable Quotes

> "They operate like the Mafia. They control the price of their products. Even after you buy it, they control the product."
> — **Kaneda**, early in episode
> _Core critique of Stern's business model and vertical control over pricing_

> "You're telling me Stern goes on a witch hunt and then puts out product that they never should have put out because they want to stop a guy who bought a game who's not even a dealer for less than he paid for it. Doesn't this start to feel like Stern is getting really nervous?"
> — **Kaneda**, early in episode
> _Frames aggressive enforcement as sign of market pressure and desperation_

> "A year after Venom Limited Edition comes out, how much do you think a Venom Limited Edition a year from now will be worth new in box? It will be worth like $8,500 new in box. Everybody knows that."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Illustrates depreciation reality and futility of MAP enforcement_

> "I would love to have this layout on a game like Rick and Morty. I would have loved Scooby-Doo to have shot this well."
> — **Kaneda**, discussing Texas Chainsaw Massacre
> _Compliment of Spooky's layout design but criticism of theme-limited appeal_

> "The only way Stern's model is going to work is if each game is a banger. Because for every soft title, that's going to eat away all the profits from the hit games."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-to-late episode
> _Articulates sustainability problem with forced distributor absorption of weak titles_

> "A leather-faced maniac with a chainsaw is going to beat out a guy that sold almost 400 million albums worldwide. And that's where we're at."
> — **Kaneda**, discussing Elton John vs. Texas Chainsaw Massacre sales
> _Highlights market dysfunction and theme-driven purchasing over universal appeal_

> "Are we all living in some sort of pinball echo chamber? When we complain about prices, we complain about themes, we complain about this and that. I think we all have to admit we're all in a little bit of an echo chamber."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Self-aware meta-commentary on podcast community vs. broader consumer base_

> "The days of like feeling good about buying every single game that comes out, I don't know. Those days are gone for me."
> — **Kaneda**, late episode
> _Personal sentiment shift reflecting broader collector fatigue and skepticism_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary target of criticism for MAP enforcement, pricing strategy, oversupply of IP remakes, and vertical control over dealer/distributor ecosystem |
| Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; industry critic focusing on pricing practices, manufacturer accountability, and consumer rights |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball leadership (CEO implied); referenced as unwilling to be transparent with industry or media |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Released Texas Chainsaw Massacre; praised for gameplay layout quality and shooting mechanics; noted for accelerated announcement-to-orders timeline |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer struggling with Elton John sales performance relative to competitors; questioned on future product viability |
| American Pinball | company | Mentioned as company with weak sales; referenced in context of manufacturers struggling to sell inventory |
| Keith Elwin | person | Designer associated with upcoming Jaws game; referenced as proven hit designer; next title anticipated for January 2024 |
| Texas Chainsaw Massacre | game | Spooky Pinball title; praised for shooting and flow mechanics; criticized for narrow horror theme appeal; 888 units planned |
| Jaws 50th Anniversary | game | Stern Pinball title; rumored to debut at CES January 9th; expected to be high-demand machine; currently positioned in LE/Premium strategy |
| Venom Limited Edition | game | Used as example of inventory glut and MAP pricing enforcement; weak market demand cited; depreciation pattern established |
| Scooby-Doo Collector's Edition | game | Case study in depreciation: from ~$12,500 MSRP to $7,500 secondary market in one year; demonstrates buyer's remorse and value collapse |
| Metallica | game | Referenced as likely candidate for Spike 3/LCD remake; predicted to trigger mass secondary market dumping and oversaturation |
| Elvira's House of Horrors 40th Premium Edition | game | Example of selective MAP enforcement: dealers approved to charge $25k, then Stern released superior LE at $13k, undercutting early buyers |
| Elton John | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; described as struggling sales vs. horror/cartoon themes; broader cultural appeal not translating to pinball demand |
| Looney Tunes | game | Referenced as outperforming Elton John in sales; indicates theme-driven consumer preferences over universal IP appeal |
| Godzilla Limited Edition | game | Example of price manipulation: distros listing at $18-19k; Stern failed to enforce ceiling pricing (only enforced floor pricing) |
| CES | event | Consumer Electronics Show; Jaws 50th rumored to debut/be revealed January 9th |
| Pinside | organization | Online pinball community forum; referenced as hostile to Kaneda's Podcast and as part of broader pinball 'echo chamber' |
| Flippin' Out Awards | event | Awards ceremony; self-cancelled (implied due to community drama); referenced regarding content creator categories dispute |
| Galactic Tank Force | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; mentioned as underperforming in sales; part of pattern of weak JJP game performance |

### Topics

- **Primary:** MAP Pricing Enforcement and Legal/Market Control, Secondary Market Depreciation and Inventory Glut, Stern Pinball Business Model and Market Manipulation, Manufacturer IP Oversaturation and Re-releases
- **Secondary:** Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Spooky) Gameplay and Theme Appeal, Jaws 50th Anniversary Announcement and CES Timing, Jersey Jack Pinball Product Performance and Viability, Pinball Community Echo Chambers and Market Disconnect

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.78) — Kaneda is sharply critical of Stern's business practices, pricing strategy, and market control. While he praises Spooky's Texas Chainsaw Massacre gameplay, his overall tone is frustrated and pessimistic about industry sustainability. He expresses disillusionment with the hobby and predicts market correction. The negative sentiment is directed at manufacturer practices and industry dysfunction, not at the pinball machines themselves (which he acknowledges as well-designed when they are).

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern aggressively enforcing MAP pricing against individual sellers for $200 discrepancies, signaling desperation about market transparency and true pricing discovery (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Stern goes after people selling games for $200 below what they want you to sell... Doesn't this start to feel like Stern is getting really nervous?'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pinball enthusiast community largely operating within fragmented echo chambers (podcast communities, Pinside forums, regional groups); broader casual market insulated from industry pricing/quality debates; drives disconnect between insider and mainstream consumer sentiment (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'the majority of people who buy pinball machines, they're not on Pinside. They're not following Kaneda's Pinball Podcast... that's why they spam Facebook... they're trying to catch some newbie.'
- **[community_signal]** Spooky Pinball Texas Chainsaw Massacre announced Wed, fully revealed Fri, taking orders Fri—accelerated reveal timeline without apparent pre-production gameplay suggests selling on theme alone and capturing revenue before skeptical reviews emerge (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'They announced the game on Wednesday. They revealed the full game on Friday. They took money on Friday... Did anyone else find it a little bit sketchy... couldn't do this in preparation before they started taking orders?'
- **[design_philosophy]** Spooky Pinball Texas Chainsaw Massacre features exceptional shooting mechanics and flow—best Spooky layout to date—but narrow horror theme limits mainstream appeal to dedicated enthusiasts only (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'clearly looks like the best shooting Spooky Pinball game to date... [but] Are there 888 people out there who can put a horror-themed movie into your home?'
- **[event_signal]** Jaws 50th Anniversary (Keith Elwin) expected to debut or be fully revealed at CES January 9th; imminent high-profile release anticipated to drive industry conversation (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I'm hearing it's going to be at CES, which is January 9th... we're two to three weeks away from the next Keith Elwin machine.'
- **[market_signal]** Distributor inventory underwater; forced to absorb weak game titles to gain access to hit titles (e.g., Brian Eddy games to get Jaws); creates unsustainable margin compression (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I'm forced to absorb every Brian Eddy game, even if people don't want it, so I can get to the one hit game a year.'
- **[market_signal]** Scooby-Doo Collector's Edition depreciated from ~$12,500 MSRP to $7,500 secondary market in one year; concrete evidence of inventory oversupply and demand collapse (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Scooby-Doo Collector's Editions are now selling for $7,500. That game a year ago... you're looking at a $5,000 loss on a Scooby-Doo in just a single year.'
- **[market_signal]** Stern selectively enforces MAP: prevents dealers from selling below floor price but ignores ceiling violations (Godzilla listed at $18-19k); reveals market manipulation in manufacturer's favor only (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'they're not allowed to sell below MAP pricing, but they sure as heck are allowed to sell over MAP pricing... distros listing Godzilla Limited Edition for like $18,000, $19,000? Why didn't Stern put a stop to that?'
- **[market_signal]** Pinball games increased 40% in price over past 3 years without proportional feature/value increases; market beginning to reject pricing at $13-15k range (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: '40% more expensive most of these games are than they were just a few years ago... where is the huge jump?'
- **[product_concern]** Jersey Jack Pinball struggling with product-market fit; Elton John (wider cultural appeal) underperforming vs. niche horror theme (Texas Chainsaw) and cartoon theme (Looney Tunes) (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'A leather-faced maniac with a chainsaw is going to beat out a guy that sold almost 400 million albums worldwide. And that's where we're at.'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Collector community sentiment shifting from FOMO-driven accumulation to skepticism and 'wait and see' strategy; buyer fatigue evident (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'The days of like feeling good about buying every single game that comes out... Those days are gone for me.'
- **[business_signal]** Stern planning to release Metallica remake with Spike 3/LCD screen, likely to trigger secondary market flooding as existing owners panic-sell original machines ahead of depreciation (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'if you own a Metallica, get ready. It's coming back with a Spike 3 system with an LCD screen. And then everybody who owns a Metallica, which is like 5,000 people out there, what are you all going to do now? You're all going to want to dump your Metallicas.'

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## Transcript

 It's been one week since you looked at me, cocked your head to the side and said I'm angry. Five days since you laughed at me, you're saying get back together, come back and see me. Oh, say, oh, say, oh, say, oh, say, oh, say, oh, say, oh. Oh, welcome everybody to Canada's Pinball Podcast. Happy Monday. We're gonna talk all about pinball. Is Stern Pinball scared? Going after people selling games for $200 below what they want you to sell a used pro machine for? We're going to talk about that. We got Texas Chainsaw gameplay footage. We're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about where these other pinball machines go now. That Jaws is just around the corner. I'm hearing it's going to be at CES, which is January 9th. It's going to happen. And I just want to say thank you to everybody who's a member of this show. Only if you were on Mars or the Moon last week did you miss another attempt to make everybody that's a member of this show be ashamed for joining Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. And I want to say this. Look, eight pages of people talking about this show, and they wonder why I work in marketing. We've got everybody talking about Kaneda, and the Twippies went and canceled themselves. And speaking of people who follow this show, it's been a while since I gave a shout out to everyone who's raised the roof and raised their membership pledges. So let's do that first on this episode of Canada's Pinball Podcast. I want to give a shout out. I'm going to tell you what these guys are raising it to, man. Andrew G., who raised his to $80.50. I think that's Australian dollars. Josh K., who raised it from $5 to $10. I want to give a shout out to Tony V., who's part of the Omokase Club. Tony raised his from $5 to $30. Herc Bubba raised his from $5 to $10. I want to give a shout out to Darren, who's all the way up to $15. I think that's Canadian dollars, maybe. I want to give a shout out to Gobblehole. I love my fans. Gobblehole, who also edited their membership to $14.50. I think that's Canadian as well. A huge shout out to Eric Pearson, who joined the Omokase Club. He went all the way from $5 to $30. And I want to give a shout out to Fubier, who went from $5 to $10. I love that Pinside is so mad at me and they're like, everyone who subscribes should be ashamed of themselves. And I'm like, are you really saying that Foo Beer should be ashamed that he raised the roof from $5 to $10? Everybody, welcome to Canada's Pinball Podcast. Let's get right to it. So let's talk about what I think is something we already know. We all know the fact that Stern Pinball is terrified. They're terrified that the true market value of the product they make will see the light of day in the world of pinball. You have to understand what Stern does. They operate like the mafia. They control the price of their products. Even after you buy it, they control the product. Think about it. A dealer and a distro. They buy the game from Stern Pinball for a certain amount of money. Let's just use an example. If they buy Venom Limited Edition from Stern Pinball for $10,000, they have to write a check to get one Venom LE. This is before they know if the game is any good. This is before they know if there's even market demand for the game. And so when that dealer or distro buys that game, they don't even own the ability to price that game where they want to price it based on the market demand of the product. And so let's say they buy 10 Venom LEs. That's $100,000 in money. They have handed Stern Pinball and Stern Pinball still has ultimate power over them, over that investment and over that inventory. And so then what happens when Venom LE has no demand because people don't want the game? Stern is telling this distributor, you're not allowed to sell this thing for less money, new in box, than $13,000. I think the map pricing, which is the ultimate lowest they can go on a Venom LE would be something like $12,700, maybe $12,500. I think that might be the cheapest. And that's why we always see some distributors free shipping, ladies and gentlemen, because giving that shipping to you free is what hits the map pricing for those distributors or dealers. Okay, so they can sell you a game and make ostensibly $2,500 on top of what they paid Stern for the machine. But then what happens when you start seeing VenomLEs unboxed selling for $9,000? So instantly, all of those games you own in a box are immediately underwater financially because the secondhand market is indicating that nobody is ever going to buy this game now for $12,500 when they can save themselves almost $3,000 and just buy it on the secondhand market. But Stern will not allow you to sell it below map pricing. What we saw this weekend in this interaction was really eye-opening for a lot of reasons. Probably the biggest reason why is that Stern would even go after a guy that's trying to sell a new in-box Stern Pro for simply $200 less than Stern would like them to sell the game for. So you're telling me Stern Pinball goes on a witch hunt and then puts stuff in writing that they never should have put in writing because they want to stop a guy who bought a game who's not even a dealer for less than he paid for it. Doesn't this start to feel like Stern Pinball is getting really nervous? That they're feeling some pressure? That they would go after a guy for like a issue When Stern Pinball knows they selling us toppers for in which the bomb is probably like 300 bucks on those toppers I think we starting to witness that a lot is happening behind the scenes in the pinball world that has both the manufacturers and the distributors very nervous. We're starting to see inventory pile up. They price these games at a certain point that was reflective of what the demand was during COVID. And now that that demand is no longer what it used to be, the prices have not changed, yet the supply has gone through the roof. So how can this pinball marketplace really survive much longer if you're going to increase supply, increase the price of the product as demand for the product starts to go down? And then we get stuff like this where John Youssi now, right, you normally don't get to look behind the curtain. You don't get to peek behind the curtain because no distributor will ever be honest with us because Stern Pinball and George Gomez will never be honest with us. But now we see what's going on. And what makes this story also very interesting is that none of this would have happened unless a dealer did not get upset by seeing this gentleman trying to sell his game for less than the dealers allowed to sell it for. And the other thing we're starting to see more and more of, have you noticed this, right? There are some distributors out there and dealers out there that make pinball content. And then I think it's ridiculous that for them to sell a game at the market value, and I'm on the side of the distro here, like you made me buy this game and the demand for it is not there. And I can't sell it for a competitive price because you have your map pricing BS. And so then what these people have to do, they have to like unbox it, do a streaming of the game and then sell it as a low play version of the game that's been unboxed. And the moment they unbox it, then they're allowed to sell it for the used market value. But I also want to call out something that's total BS as well, because we've seen distributors, especially during COVID, they're not allowed to sell below map pricing, but they sure as heck are allowed to sell over map pricing. Stern doesn't seem to care about that. Remember when distros were all of a sudden listing Godzilla LEs for like $18,000, $19,000? Why didn't Stern put a stop to that? This is why I don't like Stern's marketing right now. They're absolutely trying to manipulate the markets where it only is in favor of them. It's not in favor of us, the customer. We should be able to buy a used Venom LE in a box for the true market value. This hobby has changed significantly over the years now. It is now going to be more like automotive industry where a used car that's a year old, even if there's no miles on it, it's last year's model and people don't want it. You should be able to get it for a steal from the dealership itself. And why do you think they're called Stern dealers? They are dealerships. They are a dealer that will ship to you a pinball machine. And so a year after Venom LE comes out, How much do you think a Venom LE a year from now will be worth new in box? It will be worth like $8,500 new in box. Everybody knows that. So imagine you're a dealer sitting on a Venom LE. You're never allowed to sell it below map pricing. And so all this does is it creates really shady behavior behind the scenes. Dealers selling these things for cash, just throwing them in the back of pickup trucks. You know, all these people, the good old boys that Canada goes after, the good old deals that are being had by all the different dealers. I've never had that experience. I've never had a dealer say, hey, you can get a thousand off or two thousand off. Just take this game off my hands. But that's what's going on. And that's why I don't like all of this. And that's why I think this hobby is in for a rude awakening. And I think 2024 is going to be a year of price reckoning for all of these companies. Stern's not going to be able to control this for much longer because the games are too expensive now. These distros are spending too much money on these games that aren't moving out the door quick enough. And now we know. Now we know they're nervous. Now we know they're personally going to come after people for $200. Are we just supposed to forget that Stern released Elvira 40th, had people call for price and allowed dealers to charge $25,000 for that game. We're just supposed to forget they did that, that they approved of that business practice. And then they went and screwed over everybody who bought that game by offering a nicer edition of the game for $13,000. We're all supposed to just forget that even happened. You know, and that's why I like Canada's pinball podcast people, you know, when people try to say like, well, Why do people listen to him? Why does he like even have a following? Why do all these people subscribe? Because I don't hear on any other shows anybody raising a stink about these business practices. And you know why? Because they're all feeding up towards these companies. They're all feeding up their content to be in good graces with the business practices of these companies because they want to land the interviews. because they're getting money off on every machine they buy if they say positive things about these companies. But I think it's gone too far. In the end though, I ultimately have empathy for these dealers and distros because as Stern cranks up the supply at these prices and forces all of these distros to absorb every one of their decisions and every one of their games And it all fear Like if we don take these games we not going to get Jaws We're not going to get the Keith Elwin machine. So I've got to absorb every Brian Eddy game, even if people don't want it, so I can get to the one hit game a year. The only way Stern's model is going to work is if each game is a banger. Because for every soft title, that's going to eat away all the profits from the hit games. And you're not going to be able to survive anymore just cranking out endless premiums of Godzilla and Stranger Things and all the old titles. And you know they're going to make more Metallica next. I mean, if you own a Metallica, get ready. It's coming back with a Spike 3 system with an LCD screen. And then everybody who owns a Metallica, which is like 5,000 people out there, what are you all going to do now? You're all going to want to dump your Metallicas and now we're going to have an oversaturation of Metallicas in the pinball world. And I just don't like this practice by Stern because they're just going to oversaturate every single thing that made them special, that made their games collectible, and also just like oversaturate with the same themes over and over and over again. It would be nice if like a theme came out, if it was great, it had a good run, and that's it. Imagine walking by a movie theater and they just keep bringing out movies that were great over and over and over again. Like every summer, we're going to re-release Maverick just because we know people like it. No, it starts to oversaturate your product. It oversaturates your industry, you know, and it telegraphs to your consumer. You can't sleep at night feeling like you have got something special. You bought something in a moment and you get to enjoy it and it's not going to come back around again. Like you can just go to bed at night knowing that your collection is not going to see your Metallica LE get trumped in a couple months because Stern Pinball can't just move forward. They got to go back and get greedy and remake and remake and remake and remake and oversupply the entire industry. All right, well, speaking about not oversupplying the entire industry, let's talk about this spooky pinball, Texas Chainsaw Massacre stream. I just saw it this morning. It was about a half hour video of Bug playing the game. Did anyone else find it a little bit sketchy that all of a sudden we get gameplay footage? Like they announced the game on Wednesday. They revealed the full game on Friday. They took money on Friday for the game and they couldn't do this in preparation the day in which the order banks open. Just a little weird. I just noticed that like really you got approval for this game like in three days or you added enough to make it worth showing in three days. You know I think all these companies are still trying to sell on theme alone and we'll just reveal it. We won't show you gameplay. Let's get as much money through the door based on theme alone. Now after watching about 20 minutes of this stream, I will say this clearly looks like the best shooting spooky game to date. And it just looks like a good shooting pinball machine in general. Like it looks like it has a lot of flow. It looks like a lot of fun to flip. It doesn't look like a brick fest. There's a lot of combos. There's a lot of orbits. There's a lot of upper flipper action. There's a lot of cool stuff happening with the lights and the modes in this game. I like story driven mode based pinball machines. And if you love the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I mean, you have to get this game. I mean, that's what it comes down to. Now, the only thing is this. Are there 888 people out there who can put a horror themed movie into your home? And that's my thing is like this is such an easy pass of a game for people that don't like the theme. This is not a theme that you're going to warm up to. It's not like Rush Music or Iron Maiden music like this is hardcore. Like you need to really be a horror fanatic. This is a very morbid and disturbing film. And I'm a little bit worried that, you know, I would love to have this layout on a game like Rick and Morty. I would have loved Scooby-Doo to have shot this well. See, this is the thing now. Did John Youssi Scooby-Doo collector's editions with a butter cabinet are now selling for $7,500. That game a year ago, if you ordered it like that and you had to pay tax and shipping on that game, you're looking at a $5,000 loss on a Scooby-Doo with butter cabinet in just a single year. I mean, look, I keep saying wait and see, and I wouldn't keep saying it if the data and the numbers weren't in the favor of what I'm saying, because it's true, everybody. You know, I was just talking to a distributor too, and he said to me, That's funny because I just sold three new in box Scooby-Doos last week for MSRP. And it also goes to show you that maybe the majority of people who buy pinball machines, they're not on pin side. They're not following Canada's pinball podcast. The majority of sales just come from random people who buy pinball machines. And that's why these distributors and these dealers, you ever wonder why it feels like they're just spamming us to no end on Facebook? The reason why they're spamming Facebook every single day, it's not because they want to annoy us. It's because they're just trying to catch some newbie who doesn't have any idea what's going on and catch them in some sort of algorithm or some guy who's got some money. Maybe he's a dentist. Maybe he's a lawyer. Maybe he's just, I don't know, some random dude out there who's like, oh, look, honey, a Scooby-Doo pinball machine. Oh, yeah, maybe we just get it with everything, all the options. And he writes a check for 12.5 and he has no idea that on pin side, he could get the same exact game for $7,500. And that's why they spam social media. They're not going after us. It does beg an interesting question. Are we all living in some sort of pinball echo chamber? When we complain about prices we complain about themes we complain about this and that I think we all have to admit we all in a little bit of an echo chamber like this is the canado echo chamber i think this is the most fun echo chamber to be in but it is an echo chamber so is pin side so are the other pinball podcasts and their fan bases everyone's inside their own little room like imagine if this whole industry was like a karaoke bar and everyone's in their room singing their tunes like i sing my tune which is wait and see. In some other room, they're singing buy, buy, buy. In some other room, they're singing let's destroy the twippies and remove the content creator categories. In some other room, Stern Pinball is saying, how dare you try to lower prices or we're going to take away your dealer and distributor badges. I mean, we're all singing different tunes. The only difference is certain people are getting very wealthy in those rooms and other people are making nothing. And I think that's where this hobby is at right now. Ultimately, what we all want is to sing the same tune. And the tune we all want to sing is this game is magical. This game is amazing. I see the value in this game. I can't believe the creativity, the theme integration, the mechanical magic, and the world under glass this machine brings to the world. That's what we all want to sing. You know, we get really divided in pinball when something happens. And I'll tell you what it is. We get really divided when we're not satisfied with the products. Because when the products don't deliver, that's when we focus on the price. When we know these things aren't what we really want and we know the creativity isn't there and then we see this big price tag, that's when we become cranky. That's when we become annoyed and that's when everyone gets defensive and that's when the battles begin. The dealers and the distros, they need to defend these products even if they know they're not good. I've been having dealers tell me Elton John is just dead on arrival. Like nobody's ordering Elton John. More people have ordered Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre than Elton John pinball right now. And that's sad. It really is sad. It's like a Jersey Jack machine that is a more universal theme like Elton John is going to lose out to Bugs Bunny. A leather faced maniac with a chainsaw is going to beat out a guy that sold almost 400 million albums worldwide. And that's where we're at. You know, it's like, what's next for Jersey Jack, what happens now when Elton John sales don't turn on? What happens when Galactic Tank Force sales don't come back to American Pinball? Don't come back. They weren't even there in the first place. So right now we're at a period where I think Jaws is going to crush it. We're going to see it January 9th at CES, which means I think they might reveal it to the world sooner than that, or they might hold back and release it on that Tuesday at CES. But it's close, everybody. It's close. Like we're two to three weeks away from the next Keith Elwin machine. That's exciting. But I don't know about you, but I'm going to spend my holidays spending money on friends and family and experiences. That's the most important thing. The days of like feeling good about buying every single game that comes out. I don't know. Those days are gone for me. Maybe not for you, but our expectations have to be sky high with prices being this high and nothing's exclusive. I mean, I've never seen games lose more money than they have over the last two years. And I don't believe it when distros say sales are great. I don't believe it when these companies say they had to raise prices to this point. I don't believe them. I believe in us and our ability to use our eyes and our common sense. If you're gonna tell me something's 13 grand or 15 grand, then I should look down at that game and it should have a lot more in it than what games just three years ago had in them. Like where is the huge jump? 40% more expensive most of these games are than they were just a few years ago. I'm not making 40% more money. Look, I have to buy a house. So the real estate market can go up 40% and I have no choice. But I do have a choice not to buy a Rolex. not to buy a pinball machine, not to go out and eat fancy dinners I don't need. And I think that's what we're going to see in 2024. More and more people saying, I don't need another one at this price. And if I just wait, I'll be able to get everything for less. I even think now, seeing the market and seeing how Stern is behaving, I even think you're going to be able to get Jaws LE for less than $13,000 like a few months after it's out. It's just the way it is, people. Because again, I just don't think we're going to see like that much difference from an LE to a premium. And with a thousand LEs, there's just so many out there. And, you know, and unless they do something truly that separates the LE, I don't see the point anymore. I really don't. Like they're just not scarce. All right, everybody. Have a great Monday. We will be back with more shows this week. Thank you so much for everyone who raised the roof. And hey, look, if you raise the roof and you raise your donation amount, I will give you a shout out. And if you're part of the Omokase Club, anyone who gives $30 or more, you let me know when you're in New York City and I will take you out for Omokase or if we're in the same city together. How does that sound, everybody? Have a great Monday. We'll be back this week with the world's most hated and loved pinball podcast, Kaneda. All right, Ed, take us away. It'll still be two days till we say we're sorry It'll still be two days till we say we're sorry Which must be the end home of the Ravi

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 17e968de-34dc-4a72-81da-2c2d11182a76*