# FREE SHOW: EPISODE 1140:  "Kaneda's 4am Takedown of Stern Pinball That Everyone at Stern Needs to Hear!"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-09-24  
**Duration:** 24m 17s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-show-1140-139619607

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## Analysis

Kaneda delivers a scathing 4am critique of Stern Pinball's strategy, marketing, and recent releases, arguing the company has lost its way and alienated core collectors. He criticizes the Star Wars promotional material, questions internal decision-making that favors distributors over consumers, and warns that talented designers like Jack Danger and Keith Elwin may leave. Kaneda calls for a strategic reset focused on winning back home buyers rather than chasing growth metrics.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is a mediocre game compared to Lord of the Rings (2004) despite 21 years of knowledge and resources — _Direct comparison of two games separated by 21 years; framed as rhetorical argument about company trajectory_
- [MEDIUM] Stern's new CMO (Mark) has not publicly introduced himself to the community since hiring in March — _Kaneda states 'In March, they hired a new CMO. Has he even said hi to you?' and later names him as Mark; treated as fact requiring community visibility_
- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball has made no strategic moves in the past year to win back core home collectors despite Kaneda's direct pitch to leadership — _Kaneda claims to have pitched George Gomez, Gary Stern, and Seth Stein a year ago on collector-focused strategy; asserts no moves have followed_
- [MEDIUM] Stern has approximately 90 non-manufacturing employees in office/cubicle roles — _Kaneda states 'I heard something like Stern has 90 employees that are not on the line' as hearsay ('I heard')_
- [MEDIUM] Recent Stern LEs (Godzilla, James Bond, Venom, D&D, King Kong, John Wick) depreciate to ~$8,000 shortly after release from $13,000+ retail — _Kaneda states 'Almost all of those LEs are going to be worth $8,000 in just a short amount of time. $5,000 losses per game' as industry observation_
- [MEDIUM] Jack Danger was assigned an underperforming coder team on X-Men, forcing early release and negatively impacting his well-being — _Kaneda recounts X-Men situation from visit a year prior: 'They forced it out early. They gave him the worst coder at Stern'_
- [HIGH] Stern prioritizes distributor relationships over direct consumer relationships in all major brand decisions — _Kaneda argues distributors are treated as primary customers, citing re-runs of Elvira LE, Jurassic Park LE, James Bond toppers as examples_
- [HIGH] Pedretti Gaming is remaking Big Bang Bar with input/prototypes from a prior development effort; Melvin Williams is not involved — _Kaneda states directly: 'This game is one of the prototypes that was made and handed off to Pedretti Gaming' and 'Melvin Williams is not involved in the remake'_

### Notable Quotes

> "21 years later, all of their knowledge, everything they have, all the resources, all the money, all the facilities, all the talent. 21 years later, they make this crappy Star Wars."
> — **Kaneda**, ~14min
> _Core argument comparing Stern's output quality decline over two decades despite resource growth_

> "They don't look at any of us like the customer. To them, the person who spent a quarter million dollars or more are the distributors."
> — **Kaneda**, ~32min
> _Identifies perceived structural misalignment in Stern's business model prioritization_

> "If Keith Elwin walked out of Stern tomorrow, it would literally be over."
> — **Kaneda**, ~47min
> _Asserts symbolic/practical importance of one designer to Stern's viability_

> "The only way Stern is going to get better is if we talk like this. The only way you're ever going to grow pinball is you're going to treat the people that actually care better."
> — **Kaneda**, ~38min
> _States core philosophy that transparency and community focus precede product quality_

> "Jack Danger could make a much better game than this. And Jack Danger should be with his other arm that is working. He should be hitting send on his resume going over to Jersey Jack Pinball."
> — **Kaneda**, ~8min
> _Direct talent poaching suggestion; implies Jack Danger should leave Stern for JJP_

> "The last Stern LE that was really a wow was Ghostbusters. I mean, it was freaking Ghostbusters. Godzilla LE wasn't a wow. James Bond wasn't a wow. Venom wasn't a wow. D&D wasn't a wow. King Kong wasn't a wow. Star Wars is not a wow."
> — **Kaneda**, ~26min
> _Systematic dismissal of Stern's high-price-point releases as failing to generate consumer excitement_

> "This company needs a hard reset. I shouldn't have to tell them this at five in the morning. You guys need a hard reset."
> — **Kaneda**, ~45min
> _Explicit call for strategic overhaul; repeated refrain of episode_

> "When I speak to Christopher Franchi, it's the complete opposite. He's loving life. He loves where he's at. He can't wait for us to see his next game. I don't hear anybody from Stern saying that."
> — **Kaneda**, ~50min
> _Contrasts designer morale at Spooky vs. Stern; uses Franchi as positive example of brand/culture fit_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary subject of critique; major pinball manufacturer accused of strategic misalignment, poor marketing, distributor favoritism, and declining game quality |
| Jack Danger | person | Stern pinball designer and media personality; featured in Star Wars promotional material in sling; criticized for poor marketing messaging; flagged as potential departure risk |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary Stern designer; identified as most valuable asset to Stern; departure would symbolize company failure; not assigned Star Wars (given to John Borg instead) |
| John Borg | person | Designer of Star Wars: Fall of the Empire; Kaneda criticizes game quality as beneath his capability and Stern's resources |
| George Gomez | person | Stern leadership; recipient of Kaneda's strategic pitch one year prior; designer of Lord of the Rings (used as benchmark) |
| Gary Stern | person | Stern Pinball ownership; recipient of Kaneda's strategic critique; accused of manufacturing-first mindset |
| Seth Stein | person | Stern leadership recipient of Kaneda's strategic pitch regarding collector focus |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host and industry critic; 12-year pinball coverage veteran; self-described 4am clarity speaker; releasing this episode free for Stern employee distribution |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Artist/designer now at Spooky Pinball; contrasted positively with Stern designers re: morale and brand enthusiasm |
| Zombie Yeti | person | Stern art department head; described as stressed, trying to move 'big ship,' frustrated with current products and art direction |
| Mark (CMO) | person | Stern's new Chief Marketing Officer hired in March; criticized for lack of community introduction/visibility |
| Zach Sharp | person | Stern marketing figure; characterized as focused on tournament/league players rather than home collectors |
| Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | game | Recent Stern release being globally launched at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown; primary subject of quality critique; criticized for mediocre mechanical design and poor marketing |
| Lord of the Rings | game | 2004 Stern game designed by George Gomez; used as benchmark of Stern's peak design capability 21 years prior |
| X-Men | game | Jack Danger-designed game; forced early release with weak coding; characterized as breaking Jack Danger's morale |
| Big Bang Bar | game | Classic game being remade by Pedretti Gaming; Kaneda released prototype photos; Melvin Williams not involved in remake |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Remaking Big Bang Bar with prototypes from prior development; Kaneda asserts they rejected positive changes designed by prior team |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Positioned as alternative employer for Stern talent (Jack Danger, Keith Elwin); implied as emotionally better-connected to community |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Smaller competitor outproducing Stern despite fewer non-manufacturing staff; Christopher Franchi positioned as example of better designer morale |
| Neil McRae | person | Multi-millionaire collector; 'missing in action' after Star Wars marketing involvement; characterized as more known than Stern's new CMO |
| Bill Brandis | person | Identified as major collector (~$250k+ spend); never received special treatment from Stern despite patronage |
| Ed Robertson | person | Only identified collector to receive special Stern treatment (Supreme Machine); possibly not engaged in typical community buying patterns |
| Melvin Williams | person | Associated with Big Bang Bar; not involved in Pedretti Gaming remake; Kaneda advocates for his involvement |
| Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown | event | Venue for Star Wars global launch and Jack Danger promotional material collection |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Stern Pinball strategic misalignment and business model, Quality decline in recent Stern game releases, Distributor vs. consumer prioritization in Stern's strategy, Marketing and brand communication failures at Stern, Designer morale and talent retention at Stern
- **Secondary:** LE pricing and secondary market depreciation, Big Bang Bar remake and Pedretti Gaming involvement, Community growth strategy and collector vs. casual player dynamics

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.82) — Kaneda is highly critical of Stern's strategy, game quality, leadership vision, and marketing; expresses emotional concern ('makes me sad'); delivers sharp criticism of specific decisions and personnel. However, maintains constructive framing ('I love you guys') and positions critique as investment in company improvement rather than dismissal. Overall tone is frustrated exasperation mixed with urgent advocacy for change.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball structurally prioritizes distributor relationships over direct consumer relationships, causing alienation of core home buyers who generate long-term revenue (confidence: high) — Kaneda directly pitches George/Gary/Seth on collector focus; cites distributor-favoring moves (Elvira LE reruns, Jurassic Park LE reruns, James Bond pricing); argues this is foundational business model problem
- **[competitive_signal]** Spooky Pinball outperforms Stern in production output and designer satisfaction despite smaller staff footprint (confidence: medium) — Kaneda notes Spooky doesn't have 90 non-manufacturing employees yet 'look what they're cranking out'; contrasts Franchi morale at Spooky vs. Stern
- **[design_philosophy]** Star Wars: Fall of the Empire criticized as mediocre gameplay/mechanical design with poor marketing execution (Jack Danger in sling as primary spokesperson) (confidence: high) — Opening critique of Jack Danger soundbite ('kind of like the Death Star shot'); comparison to Lord of the Rings quality gap; assertion John Borg design is below capability
- **[business_signal]** Stern making siloed internal political decisions (e.g., assigning Keith Elwin to King Kong instead of Star Wars) that don't optimize for customer value (confidence: medium) — Kaneda criticizes: 'How are we going to give Keith Elwin King Kong and not Star Wars? What are we doing?'
- **[market_signal]** Big Bang Bar remake being handled by Pedretti Gaming with prototypes from prior development; original designer Melvin Williams not involved (confidence: high) — Kaneda clarifies: 'This game is one of the prototypes that was made and handed off to Pedretti Gaming'; states Williams not involved and should be
- **[market_signal]** Stern's new CMO (Mark, hired March) has not publicly introduced himself or engaged directly with community, breaking industry norms for transparency (confidence: medium) — Kaneda questions: 'Has he even said hi to you?'; contrasts with Neil McRae's visibility; calls for video/livestream introduction
- **[personnel_signal]** Jack Danger designer morale was visibly broken during X-Men production due to poor code team assignment and forced early release (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's observation from factory visit: 'physically looked like a couple of years had been taken off his life'; warns of departure risk
- **[personnel_signal]** Christopher Franchi has transitioned from Stern to Spooky Pinball and reports higher morale/enthusiasm in new role (confidence: high) — Kaneda contrasts Franchi's positive attitude at Spooky with Stern designers' lack of enthusiasm; 'He's loving life. He loves where he's at.'
- **[personnel_signal]** Zombie Yeti (Stern art department head) is experiencing stress and frustration trying to move large organizational ship; not same creative person as before (confidence: medium) — Kaneda reports recent conversation: 'I can tell it's not the same Zombie Yeti. He's stressed out. He's trying to change things. He's not free.'
- **[product_strategy]** The Walking Dead Remastered is anticipated but unlikely to justify premium pricing relative to original game (confidence: medium) — Kaneda states: 'They know what the Walking Dead Remastered looks like. They know it's not going to be worth twice the amount of money that the original Walking Dead was'
- **[product_concern]** Recent Stern LE releases (post-Ghostbusters) consistently fail to generate consumer excitement or FOMO despite $13,000+ pricing (confidence: high) — Systematic listing of non-wow LEs: Godzilla, James Bond, Venom, D&D, King Kong, John Wick, Star Wars; secondary market depreciation to ~$8,000
- **[technology_signal]** Spike 3 platform upgrade will likely trigger Stern price increase in period of weak market demand (confidence: medium) — Kaneda warns: 'they know that Spike 3, when they turn it all on, is going to come with a price increase' during demand decline

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## Transcript

 Hey there pinball fans, Jack Danger here from Stern Pinball. We are at the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown for the global release of Star Wars Fall of the Empire. Let's go check this game out. Are there any standouts on this game that you think are doing it for you? I kinda like the Death Star shot. It's tight. It's kinda hard to hit. I kinda like the Death Star shot. It's tight. It's kinda hard to hit. 100 stars to the world It's a take out So sweet, so easy on the eyes But hideous on the inside Sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up Welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast The only pinball podcaster whose heart is bigger than a wide body It is 4.40 in the morning and you know how Kaneda does it When I don't sleep, I wake up with clarity I wake up and I see this pinball world exactly the way it is and I wake up I go on Facebook and I see this piece of content by Stern Pinball trying to sell me on the new Star Wars game and I decide to watch it and there you have it people you've got Jack Danger in a sling walking up to a guy to give the first ever testimonial of the first ever gameplay of the first ever reveal of the global biggest IP in the history of Stern Pinball, and the guy can only utter, I kind of like the Death Star shot. It's tight. It's kind of hard to hit. How is that? How is that the first Stern Pinball marketing material hitting us in the world to help sell this game? And I know it's just a little soundbite, but it's more than that. It's so much more than that. There is a bigger context happening here. And for me, I take some of this a little bit personally. First and foremost, pinball is probably the most famous sport in the entire world. Well, I don't know about that, but it's one of the most famous games in which everybody understands how to play it. You need both hands on the flipper buttons to keep the ball alive. And you're going to send our friend Jack Danger with one arm in a sling who can't play to be the sort of ambassador to sell this game. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. John Borg, you made this game. Jack Danger didn't make this game. John Borg, you made this game. This game is not great. Jack Danger could make a much better game than this. And Jack Danger should be with his other arm that is working. He should be hitting send on his resume going over to Jersey Jack Pinball. I'm going to say this right now, and this is like, this is coming from the heart, and this is just a truth bomb. There is going to be a small window by which some of these people over at Stern Pinball should be looking for their next gig. And I don't mean because they're going to get fired. I don't mean because Stern is going to end anytime soon. I don't mean it. I just mean that some of these talented people, their talents might be best utilized somewhere else. But I think what's going to happen is this. I think a lot of them, and I mean this, Jack Danger, Keith Elwin will always have a home. It's like wherever Keith wants to go, he could land. But I just, you know, I just feel like these guys, you know, they love pinball so much and they got absorbed by the biggest pinball company in the world that for the longest time was making the best pinball in the world. And they were. And nobody would deny that. I've been covering this hobby for 12 years. When I got into this hobby, the games before my sort of like introduction to pinball were like the best games were Stern Pinball Games. My first game was a Lord of the Rings designed by George Gomez. That is still one of the greatest theme integrated pins of all time. It's still one of the greatest stern pinball machines of all time. The game came out, I want to say, in 2004. That was 21 years ago. This company was capable of making Lord of the Rings. And this is the thing, everybody. 21 years later, 21 years later, all of their knowledge, everything they have, all the resources, all the money, all the facilities, all the talent. 21 years later, they make this crappy Star Wars. Does Porsche put out a car 21 years later that is slower, that doesn't lap Nürburgring faster, that doesn't have enhancements? This is the problem. This is the problem. When you talk about fall of the empire and you talk about a company that's lost its way, this is how it ends up. It's like they just can't even hide it anymore. They can't even hide it anymore. And it really pains me because, you know, this company, when I went over there a year ago and I met with Seth and I met with George and I met with Gary and my speech to them was very from the heart. It was very passionate and I treated them as if I would treat any of my clients that run billion dollar businesses. And I said to them, job number one of your company, job number one is to win back the people you are losing, to win back the core pinball buyer, not the tournament player, not the league night player that your marketing guy, Zach Sharp is focused on because that's who he cares about. No, your job is to win back the people that have kept this company afloat for the last like 15 years and it's the collector. It the dude that wants to put the pinball machine in his home And you made moves recently that have shown those people you don care You done a lot of silly boneheaded moves And so now starting today let win those people back And let's make that the number one strategy of this company. How do we do that? Both with the games we make, but more so with the moves we make as a brand. That was a year ago. A year ago. In March, they hired a new CMO. Has he even said hi to you? Just think about that. Has he even said hi? I'm new here. I'm the chief marketing officer at Stern. You don't get the hide. This is too small of a hobby. And it's not hard to reach the people. More people know who Neil McRae is than the new Stern CMO. That's a problem. By the way, where is Neil? He's missing in action after he was Win Schilling Star Wars. Now he's nowhere to be found. He's crawled back into his multi-million dollar like little game room and he doesn't have anything to say about this game that's got a kind of hard to hit, kind of tight Death Star shot. that's how we're gonna sell this game I feel like Ruby Rod like can you give me a little bit more excitement Corbin like what is this you have like a two-word vocabulary so Stern Pinball a year ago that was my message to them and if we've looked at this company over the last year have they done anything anything have they made a single move that was targeted and I don't just mean about the games, but as a company, a single move that showed they wanted to win back the pinball buying community, the new in box collector, not a single move. When I walked into that conference room, I had one question for George, for Gary, for Seth. Have you ever done anything special for somebody that has bought a quarter million dollars of your product. Just think about that. For someone who has bought a quarter million dollars of your product, have you ever done anything special? And there was silence. They looked at me and they knew the answer was no. And you know why they've never done anything for people like Bill Brandis, even people like Neil McRae. They've never done anything special out of the ordinary for any of these individuals. You know why, Kim Mitchell? Maybe only Ed Ed Robertson has gotten something special when they gave him a Supreme Machine. I don't think he was online like the rest of us. But the reason why is simply this. They don't look at any of us like the customer. To them, the person who spent a quarter million dollars or more are the distributors. So yeah, they've done something what they thought was special for those customers, the distributors, they handed them another Elvira LE. They re-ran Jurassic Park LE. They made more James Bond toppers. They priced James Bond 60th at 20K. All of those moves, think about that, all of the moves they've ever done have been to say thank you to the distros at the cost of the consumer. And I'm just here to tell you right now, at 4.49 in the morning. This is why Stern Pinball is headed off the cliff. And yes, they are not too big to fail. If you think this is a humongous company, you are not right. I mean, they might be a hundred million dollar a year company, maybe a little bit more, but that's not that big. Go look at some real publicly traded companies. And it makes me sad. It makes me sad because I don't know why. Stern Pinball, not even about the games, people, not even about the mediocrity of Star Wars. It's not even about that. It's about as a company and as a brand, they cannot make that shift over to seeing the buyer not being the dealer in the distro. They are still stuck in a 30 or 40 year old model. And as long as they're stuck there, and as long as they have an inability to connect with the community and the home buyer, they are going to continue to falter and they are faltering. What was the last big Stern hit? What was the last Stern LE that got you excited? What was the last time unboxing a Stern made anybody feel any sense of envy or FOMO? And you think about it. I mean, I was thinking about this the other day. The last Stern LE that was really a wow was Ghostbusters. I mean, it was freaking Ghostbusters. Godzilla LE wasn't a wow. James Bond wasn't a wow. Venom wasn't a wow. D&D wasn't a wow. King Kong wasn't a wow. Star Wars is not a wow. John Wick was not a wow. I mean, you can keep naming game after game that's not a wow, and yet those are all $13,000 games. And we all know the harsh reality. Almost all of those LEs are going to be worth $8,000 in just a short amount of time. $5,000 losses per game and we're not supposed to talk like this and if we talk like this you know I have people on my Facebook being like what's wrong with you Canada don't you like fun what's fun about losing $5,000 what's fun about having a pinball company out of touch with its own customer base why doesn't anybody else talk about this you know I don't understand it it's like there's a reason why we have such a compelling audience on Canada's pinball podcast and you look The only way Stern is going to get better is if we talk like this. Like, hey, Stern, is it Mark, the new CMO? Mark, wake up. Say hi to the community. You don't get to hide. You look like a really attractive guy You much taller and handsomer than Kaneda Say something Make a video Make a live Hey I happy to be the new chief marketing officer at Stern I would love to hear from each and every one of you. No. You know what he's probably trying to do? How do we grow pinball in China? How do we grow pinball here? How do we grow pinball with Gen Z? How do we do this? All behind the scenes. All behind the scenes. And what this company continues to fail, and I said it to George. I'll say it to Gary. I'll say it to everybody. The only way you're ever going to grow pinball is you're going to treat the people that actually care better. And you're going to have them invite just one of their friends. If each one of us that loves pinball so much, just invited one new friend into the hobby, you would double the size of the hobby. I'm into pinball. I've got all these millionaire friends in Connecticut. Most of them don't buy pinball. So you should be incentivizing me. I'm going to reach those people more than crappy Facebook ads from dealers and distros spamming people that need to be introduced in a different way. The greatest content you can ever show someone new to get them to buy a pinball machine isn't crappy Facebook ads. It is showing what it looks like in a home. It is articulating to people that this is the most amazing piece of furniture you could ever put in your home because of the hours of fun it will give you, your family, your kids. I mean, when you think about it, I hear so many stories about people that say, I inherited a pinball machine from my grandfather. Let's keep that legacy alive. You don't see any of that. It's just Jack Danger walking up in a sling, getting a guy that kind of likes a shot that's kind of tight, that's kind of hard to hit. And your marketing department is doing the same old thing every single day. And you're expecting different results. This company needs a hard reset. I shouldn't have to tell them this at five in the morning. I'm about to go to the gym. You guys need a hard reset. You need a hard reset. You've got great people. You're going to lose your talent. You're going to lose Jack Danger. And when you lose Keith Elwin, it's over. Like, I mean, if Keith Elwin walked out of Stern tomorrow, it would literally be over. Think about it. Would you would you stay supporting a brand if they lost the most valuable thing happening in the company right now, which is really it's not one dude. And the reason why Keith doesn't walk is truly this. He knows it's not just him, but he's the face of it all. Like he leads a big team that he would probably say are way more talented than him, making his ideas come to fruition. But it's more about what the symbol is of Keith Elwin leaving. If Jack Danger left, think about what that would do. Jack has been the face of pinball for so long. We love Jack. No one ever has a bad thing to say about Jack. And he goes over to Stern and it literally and emotionally, you can tell it broke the man. The damn job broke the man. When I walked through there a year ago and X-Men was just out and he was taking a beating, they forced it out early. They gave him the worst coder at Stern and it just like beat him down. I mean, he physically looked like a couple of years had been taken off his life. And I love Jack and I didn't want to see him like that. Nobody wants to see him like that. Again, all of this, I think all of this can be fixed if Stern Pinball stops and calls a timeout and resets things a little bit. Not even a lot, just a little bit. They need to reset what the company strategy is. They need to get back to what made them so beloved by everybody. And look, we always had complaints here and there. They weren't always universally beloved, but they were so far ahead of everybody else and it doesn't feel that way anymore. And now the competition is so far ahead of Stern in the emotional places, in the transparency, in the feel good nature of the brand. And I think Stern Pinball, the problem now is because the games have been mediocre and everything else has been like not great, it really is a double whammy you know you know what I'm saying it's like you got a new Star Wars game out in the world and the designer's not even out there selling it you've got a company with an entire marketing department I mean I heard something like Stern has 90 employees 90 employees that are not on the line like these are people just in offices in cubicles 90 people spooky pinball doesn't have that many people and look what they're cranking out and when you get so big and then you have so many committees of people making decisions, I'll tell you what that does to the people with the good ideas. I'll tell you what that does to the creativity. You know, I spoke to Zombietti recently. I can tell it's not the same Zombietti. You know, he's stressed out. He's trying to change things. He's trying to move this big ship. And of course, he's frustrated with Canada because I'm frustrated with the products they're putting out. And I'm frustrated with how the art direction is going. And now he's part of the big system. He's not free. He doesn't have the same vibes. When I speak to Christopher Franchi, it's the complete opposite. He's loving life. He loves where he's at. He can't wait for us to see his next game. I don't hear anybody from Stern saying that. Because the truth is, they know what the Walking Dead remastered looks like. They know it's not going to be worth twice the amount of money that the original Walking Dead was. And they know that spike three when they turn it all on is going to come with a price increase I mean, how are you gonna increase the price of your product in a time when demand might be the lowest? It been in about five years and this is the problem and they put themselves in this box They all did And I think they need a hard reset Gary Seth George this is your moment to reset things to open up a little bit more. It's not going to work. You're not going to design your way out of this. You actually need a new strategy and your strategy is not working. And I love you guys. and I think you guys can do it. But man, this game is ironically titled. It feels like a metaphor for what all of you are going through over there. I know people that work at Stern listen to this show and I know it's probably hard because nobody's speaking on your behalf. If you're working over at Stern and you wanna see these things happen, it doesn't help that Canada shows behind a paywall. More people should hear this. So I'm gonna make this show free. So you could pass this around and say, hey, look, look at what Kanae is saying about our company. Maybe he's right. Maybe we need to get back to what made us great, giving people the best value in pinball. Maybe that stopped when we started charging $2,000 for toppers. Maybe we became jerks when we started rerunning LEs. Maybe we should listen to people. Why can't we just make more Ghostbusters toppers? Why are we doing this to our customers? Like this topper only cost a few hundred bucks to make. Why are we seeing people trade them for $3,000? That's not good. We don't want people to see a cheap plastic Ghostbusters topper be selling for $3,000. I don't want to see this Kiss topper. Let's make more of these. We're never going to make more Ali's, but we never said the topper was exclusive. So why are we doing this to our own customers? Why are we making our distros high on the hog while our customers are losing their shirts? if we keep going this way everyone's going to lose in the end because we're going to run out of customers and then distros are going to have nobody to sell our games to and star wars the biggest ip should have been a game where we brought all of our talent in on the game how are we going to give Keith Elwin the greatest pinball designer in the world maybe in the history of pinball how are we going to give Keith Elwin King Kong and not Star Wars? What are we doing? If we're going to make petty internal political decisions that don't have the best interest of the customer in mind, we will fail as a company. And Stern Pinball seemingly is making moves like that. Siloed moves. Jack Danger, when he came out of the gate, his game was beloved. Everybody loves Jack. How are we going to stick a coder and a code team on his game that nobody is in demand for? How are we going to do this to Jack? Is that how we're going to pay him back? He has done one of the most creative layouts ever for us. It's incredible. And the code and the software needs to be equally as ambitious and incredible. These are the kinds of things we need to do. And the only way you're going to do that stern is if you slow down. It's like your whole company. I mean, yeah, you're living what Gary always says. It's like you're a manufacturing company that doesn't care. You just need things on the line every single day. And that may be true. But the best way to have your line always going is if you green light back to the future and say no to venom. The best way you're going to keep that line going every single day and everyone's having a good time is if you make Beetlejuice and don't make John Wick. And the best way you're going to bulletproof the future of Stern Pinball is if you listen to each and every one of us and you haven't listened very much and you need to get on it. All right, I'm going to end this show real quick addressing this big bang bar like, oh, Kanae is sharing fake photos. So I'll give you the truth. This game is one of the prototypes that was made and handed off to Pedretti Gaming in their efforts to remake Big Bang Bar. So it's not fake. Like none of my photos are fake. This game was being remade. Changes were made to the game. It was handed to Pedretti Gaming who are now remaking the game. And they were given a prototype of what their version of Big Bang Bar could be. The photos are not fake. I have video of the game itself. I've seen changes made to the game. And by the way, there have been some positive changes to the game that were super cool that Pedretti Gaming doesn't want to implement. And so, yeah, I think the reason they're mad is that nobody is like, yeah, man, I hope Pedretti Gaming makes Big Bang Bar. You would much rather have Dutch Pinball do the remake of Big Bang Bar and screw that game together. So yeah, the photos are real, but they're real photos of a prototype of a game that's being now made 100% by Pedretti Gaming. So yes, Melvin Williams is not involved in the remake with Pedretti Gaming. That's a bad thing. That's not a good thing. Trust me. They should have listened to my boy. All right, everybody. So that's how it's going. And they're just mad because Kaneda spoiled the reveal. Five o'clock in the morning. I'm going to hit the gym. Then I'm going to come home. I'm going to edit this show. Let me edit this show right now and then go to the gym because the kids don't get up for an hour and a half. Kaneda out with another early morning takedown. Take it down Take it down

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 199e0c44-2822-4986-bf09-c22f728498c4*