# Episode 1137: "Kaneda's 8am Patreon Live Rant"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-09-16  
**Duration:** 28m 12s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1137-8am-139021821

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## Analysis

Kaneda delivers a scathing early-morning rant criticizing Stern Pinball for three consecutive "cornerstone" game failures (D&D, King Kong, Star Wars), arguing the company lacks creative vision, has become greedy with pricing, and is fundamentally misunderstanding market demand. He contrasts Stern's recent output unfavorably with competitors like Jersey Jack and Spooky, predicts Beetlejuice will reset expectations, and laments Stern's rejection of licenses like Back to the Future and Superman '78 in favor of safe but uninspired choices.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball has released three consecutive disappointing cornerstone games: D&D, King Kong, and Star Wars — _Kaneda opening argument about 0 for 3 performance, referenced throughout the rant_
- [MEDIUM] Star Wars LE will depreciate from $13k to $10k to $8k, similar to recent LE failures — _Kaneda's prediction based on Foo Fighters LE collapse pattern; stated as anticipation not confirmed fact_
- [HIGH] Stern's Spike 3 platform launch is uninspiring and not generating consumer excitement — _Kaneda asks 'What a non-glorious way to usher it out' and notes no one saying 'I can't wait to get this pin'_
- [HIGH] Stern rejected Back to the Future and Superman '78 licenses, which community polling shows high demand for — _Kaneda states 'We know for a fact that Stern Pinball passed on Superman '78' and 'Back to the Future was available and it would have been out right now if Stern had not passed on it'_
- [MEDIUM] Beetlejuice will be a game-changing release that resets the bar for the industry — _Kaneda's prediction based on conversations with Franchi, Bug, and Luke; described as anticipated turning point_
- [MEDIUM] Foo Fighters LE, which sold all 1,000 units, now resells for $8,500-$9,000, representing massive depreciation — _Kaneda citing secondary market values as evidence of LE strategy failure_
- [MEDIUM] Batman SLE (80 made) maintained value by scarcity; newer mass-produced LEs have no value retention — _Kaneda comparing Batman SLE (15k, 80 made) to current mass LEs that depreciate to $8-10k_
- [MEDIUM] Star Wars 50th Anniversary will arrive in 2026, making current 2025 purchase irrational for collectors — _Kaneda's logic: '50th of Star Wars is 2027... we know that the 50th is coming out in like a year and a half'_
- [MEDIUM] Insider Connected was Stern's primary bet for platform innovation, not hardware improvements — _Kaneda's interpretation: 'they went all in on Insider Connected' and badges instead of real game features_
- [MEDIUM] Stern prioritized influencer media events over pinball industry media at recent reveals — _Kaneda: 'who is it? It's not the pinball media... I don't want to like be ushered through Stern like another YouTube sheep-like influencer'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Stern Pinball has now gone 0 for 3. I mean, seriously, they have three cornerstone games a year. And we now have what is turning out to be three cornerstone kind of misses in a row."
> — **Kaneda**, ~0:45
> _Opens the main thesis of the entire rant; establishes the three-game failure narrative_

> "Let's just stop saying that this in 2025 is a good game. Like we should look at this like they nailed it... Star Wars exists to make everybody else's product look so much better."
> — **Kaneda**, ~2:00
> _Core argument: Star Wars is so mediocre it elevates competitors by contrast_

> "Stern Pinball, this is not a $13,000 product. Stern Pinball, this is not how you launch your new platform that is supposed to usher in the new period, the new chapter, if you will, in your company's sort of dynasty."
> — **Kaneda**, ~5:30
> _Directly challenges Spike 3 launch strategy and pricing model_

> "Why would anybody go now and buy the $13,000, no foil decal sort of version of the game when they're going to make a nicer version of the game? Not even two years."
> — **Kaneda**, ~8:15
> _Identifies consumer irrationality: 50th Anniversary cannibalization of current sales_

> "They never should have killed its own golden goose. They never should have raised prices to where they did. They don't have the product to justify the cost."
> — **Kaneda**, ~11:30
> _Central complaint: pricing/value disconnect_

> "It's kind of embarrassing. Like if I put Star Wars next to Ghostbusters, it's kind of embarrassing. If I put it next to Batman '66, it's kind of embarrassing."
> — **Kaneda**, ~15:00
> _Comparative assessment establishing Star Wars quality gap vs. classic/modern competitors_

> "Nothing in the game makes me feel like those space battles. Nothing makes me feel the emotion and the gravity of the Death Star... They couldn't make the Death Star fire a green laser beam and create a wow moment?"
> — **Kaneda**, ~17:30
> _Specific criticism of mechanical/narrative execution despite Spike 3 capabilities_

> "Stern needs a hit. This isn't it. And that's it."
> — **Kaneda**, ~21:30
> _Summary conclusion of gameplay/design assessment_

> "They've stopped listening to us. They're not making products that we want to buy. They're making products that they want to make."
> — **Kaneda**, ~25:00
> _Identifies strategic disconnect between market demand and company decisions_

> "The Fall of the Empire is going to mean more than just the game title if they don't get it together."
> — **Kaneda**, ~26:00
> _Metaphorical warning: game title prophesies company trajectory if course uncorrected_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary target of criticism; accused of three consecutive game failures, poor platform launch, pricing greed, and disconnection from market demand |
| Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | game | Recently released Stern cornerstone game criticized as mediocre, lacking mechanical innovation, poor artwork, and insufficient use of Spike 3 capabilities |
| Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye | game | First of three consecutive Stern cornerstone games criticized as lukewarm with limited replay value |
| King Kong | game | Second of three consecutive Stern cornerstone games criticized for uninspired mechanical design and poor artwork direction |
| Spike 3 | product | Stern's new hardware platform; criticized for uninspiring launch with Star Wars, lacking demo of platform's true capabilities |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital ecosystem; Kaneda argues it was Stern's primary innovation bet, diverted resources from actual game design |
| Beetlejuice | game | Upcoming Stern release predicted to reset industry expectations; positioned as turning point after three-game failure streak |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game used as benchmark for quality/execution; favorably compared to Star Wars |
| Evil Dead | game | Spooky Pinball game used as benchmark; favorably compared to Star Wars as superior execution |
| Foo Fighters | game | Past Stern LE cited as depreciation example; sold all 1,000 units at $13k now worth $8,500, illustrating value collapse |
| Batman SLE | game | Past Stern ultra-premium (80 made, $15k) used as contrast example of value retention through scarcity |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Boutique competitor benefiting from Stern's failures; praised for Harry Potter execution |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique competitor benefiting from Stern's failures; praised for Evil Dead |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Stern artist/designer; reportedly pitched Superman '78 and Back to the Future licenses that Stern rejected; Kaneda anticipates his Beetlejuice work will redeem the platform |
| Back to the Future | game | Available license Stern reportedly passed on; community polling shows high demand; Kaneda cites as example of market-tone-deafness |
| Superman '78 | game | Available license Stern reportedly passed on; community polling shows highest demand in Kaneda's survey; pitched by Franchi |
| Dune | game | Barrels of Fun release; Kaneda argues Dune was developer preference, not market demand; sound design insufficient for purchase decision |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary designer; Kaneda's polling shows community wants Elwin to design Transformers, Fallout, or Superman '78 |
| David Van Ness | person | Associated with Barrels of Fun; Kaneda criticizes Dune selection as developer preference vs. market demand |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; primary speaker delivering rant; established pinball media personality with significant community following |
| Kerry | person | Pinball media figure whose recent interview on Star Wars being 'approachable' is cited as example of lowered expectations |
| Ghostbusters | game | Classic Stern game used for comparative quality benchmarking against Star Wars |
| Batman '66 | game | Stern game used for comparative quality benchmarking against Star Wars |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Stern Pinball's recent game quality and market reception, Spike 3 hardware platform launch and capabilities, Pinball machine pricing and value retention in secondary market, Market demand vs. manufacturer decision-making on licensed IP, Competitive positioning of boutique manufacturers vs. Stern
- **Secondary:** Insider Connected digital ecosystem strategy and resource allocation, Mechanical and artistic design quality in modern pinball machines, Star Wars 50th Anniversary cannibalization of current sales

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.88) — Kaneda is intensely critical throughout, using strong language ('embarrassing,' 'mailed in,' 'lazy,' 'greedy') while maintaining structured arguments. Tone is frustrated but not ranting incoherently—he builds logical case for failure. Brief positive moments acknowledge Beetlejuice potential and boutique competitor success, but overwhelmingly focused on Stern's missteps.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Pinball enthusiast community experiencing fatigue with Stern's approach; shift in media coverage toward influencers vs. pinball-specific media indicating disconnect from core enthusiasts (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'The moment a company like this is marketing around the very people that know the product the best, it's not that they didn't invite us... I don't want to be ushered through like another YouTube sheep-like influencer'
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern's consecutive failures creating opportunity for boutique manufacturers (Jersey Jack, Spooky) to capture market share and brand loyalty (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I think this is great for Spooky. I think it's great for Jersey Jack... the door is open for someone else to come in here and sell 500 to 1,000 boutique games'
- **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda argues modern Stern games lacking mechanical 'wow' moments compared to historical references (disappearing magnets, shooting stars, Theater of Magic, magnetic hand), indicating design philosophy shift toward passive/visual over interactive mechanics (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'When was the last time you actually saw the physical pinball do something wow in a pinball machine?... go look at Theater of Magic... the hand reaching out and magnetically grabbing the ball'
- **[market_signal]** Beetlejuice positioned as redemptive release that will reset industry quality expectations and expose Stern's recent mediocrity by contrast, operating as 'Emperor's New Clothes' moment (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think Beetlejuice is going to be so insanely awesome... it's like the Emperor's New Clothes. I feel like Stern is going to get caught with its pants down'
- **[licensing_signal]** Stern rejected multiple high-demand licenses (Superman '78, Back to the Future, Transformers) in favor of Dune and other developer-preference selections, contradicting market research (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'We know for a fact that Stern Pinball passed on Superman '78' and Franchi was 'trying to get them to make this stuff and they didn't want to.' Community polling shows Superman '78 running away with votes.
- **[market_signal]** Stern LE depreciation pattern: Foo Fighters LE ($13k → $8.5k) establishing precedent for Star Wars LE value collapse despite demand initially meeting production (confidence: high) — Kaneda cites Foo Fighters sold all 1,000 units but now worth $8,500; predicts Star Wars will follow identical depreciation curve ($13k → $10k → $8k)
- **[community_signal]** Christopher Franchi (Stern artist/designer) attempted to pitch Superman '78 and Back to the Future to Stern but was rejected, positioning boutique opportunity (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Franchi was trying to get them to make this stuff and they didn't want to make it' in reference to Superman '78 and Back to the Future pitches
- **[market_signal]** Pinball LE pricing model unsustainable; three-tier (Pro/Premium/LE) differentiation eroded when all variants visually similar and LE depreciation reaches parity with or below Premium (confidence: high) — Kaneda: Foo Fighters LE worth $8.5k means Premium worth even less; 'you've got nothing left in the value of the game. They didn't even care about this.'
- **[product_concern]** Star Wars Pinball criticized as lacking mechanical innovation, poor artwork quality, weak use of Spike 3 capabilities, and insufficient emotional/gameplay depth vs. licensed film material (confidence: high) — Kaneda's detailed mechanical critiques: gong shot uninspired, Death Star doesn't fire green laser, no trash compactor mode, translucent Jabba uninspiring, playfield artwork poor quality
- **[product_strategy]** Star Wars 50th Anniversary planned for 2026/2027, creating market cannibalization problem where current $13k purchase becomes irrational for collectors aware of upcoming premium variant (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: '50th is 2027... we know that the 50th is coming out in like a year and a half. Why would anybody... buy the $13,000... version... when they're going to make a nicer version'
- **[business_signal]** Stern allegedly prioritized Insider Connected digital ecosystem over hardware/mechanical innovation, resulting in platform launch that communicates incompleteness to market (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's interpretation: 'they went all in on Insider Connected... doubled down on all the resources to put everything against these silly little badges' instead of game design

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## Transcript

 Uh-oh, we're in trouble. Kaneda's going live. It's like 7.40 in the morning. Haven't had much sleep. Got all this stuff going on at work. And I'm not even going to give anybody any notice. I'm not even going to do a show intro here. No music. No Kaneda theme song. I'm live on Patreon. People are saying, you're not allowed to do lives and turn it into podcasts. I'll do whatever the damn well I please on this little sort of morning rant by Kaneda. What's up, everybody? I just want to say this. I woke up this morning and I had one feeling in mind. Stern Pinball has now gone 0 for 3. I mean, seriously, they have three cornerstone games a year. And we now have what is turning out to be three cornerstone kind of misses in a row. and how many strikes before you're out by the world's largest empire pinball company. What is going on over there? You know, I look at people looking at Star Wars. I think we've been way too kind to Star Wars. Let's just stop. Let's stop trying to find the silver lining in this game. Let's just stop trying to be so damn kind to the world's biggest pinball company making the biggest IP. And let's just stop saying that this in 2025 is a good game. Like we should look at this like they nailed it. I mean, it's just, come on. I mean, look, I get it's Star Wars. I get there's Star Wars fatigue. But man, when I woke up this morning and I looked at this game next to Harry Potter and maybe that's what did it to me. I looked at this game next to Harry Potter and I looked at this game next to freaking Evil Dead and it is just embarrassing. Nothing makes Harry Potter and Evil Dead look as good as they look, better than Star Wars. It's like this game exists to make everybody else's product look so much better. And I just don't understand how you have that huge building, all the resources, all the talent under one roof. You've got all the institutional knowledge, 35 years, 40 years of pinball making experience. And this is it. This is it. This is your return to Star Wars. We've got, I don't even know like what to say. I don't even know what to say. You know, you don't even, Spike 3, your new platform. What a non-glorious way to just usher it out into the world. And I don't see anybody being like, I can't wait to get this pin. People didn't say that about King Kong. People didn't say that about Dungeons and Dragons. And so now you have three lukewarm games in a row. D&D, then you've got King Kong, and now we've got Star Wars. Do any of those games make you feel like you have to have it? You have to own it? I don't even hear people talking about their save D&D journeys no more because they all know it's not going to turn into this like forever enjoyable replay value game. It's not. I like the big dragon. I feel like there was more effort on D&D in that dragon mech than anything we saw in King Kong, than anything we saw in Star Wars. So is that how it is over at Stern? Like once a year we might get something, one mech that we actually think is really cool. Because if I asked you right now, I mean, I think D&D had two cool mechs. It had the ice cube that had the magnet. Look, they were trying. they were trying in King Kong name me the magical mech in King Kong I love when people are like it's the gong shot the gong shot is just so rewarding when you rip that gong come on because this gong shot are you serious this is where we're at this is where we're at it's like nobody remembers the stuff that used to go into pinball machines 30 years ago disappearing magnets shooting stars theater of magic you know go look at some of those games the hand reaching out just think about the hand from adam's family reaching out and magnetically grabbing the ball when was the last time you actually saw the physical pinball do something wow in a pinball machine it's just like oh no and now now you know where we're at now we're like actually giving credit to star wars because the game is approachable. I mean, I was listening to Kerry's interview yesterday. It's approachable. Like, that's a good thing. Like, you made a pinball machine that's approachable. Heck, every pinball machine is supposed to be approachable. And now we're looking at this thing with such soft, sort of like, oh, you know, good effort, guys. Good effort. Maybe it's Star Wars fatigue. Maybe it's this. Maybe it's that. But I'm here to tell you right now. I'm here to tell you right now on this little early morning rant, because I got to wake myself up for a full day of work. I'm here to tell you right now, Stern Pinball, wake up. Stern Pinball, this ain't good enough. Stern Pinball, this is not a $13,000 product. Stern Pinball, this is not how you launch your new platform that is supposed to usher in the new period, the new chapter, if you will, in your company's sort of dynasty. does this feel like the revolution no it feels like a tiny little evolution and here is the other part I think Stern Pinball sort of made the wrong bet I think what they did was they went all in on Insider Connected I think they saw Insider Connected as the real revolution in pinball and I think they doubled down on all the resources to put everything against these silly little badges and insider connect it was going to be the thing because what I really think they were going to plan to do and they haven't really done it yet because they realized they can't do it. I think they were trying to internet connect every single game and then they were going to roll out DLC like it was a video game. Like it was, you know, the difference is, I don't mind DLC on a video game if the game itself is free. I don't mind DLC on a video game if the game is 80 bucks. But you're not going to be able to charge downloadable content for a dude that spent seven to thirteen thousand dollars. So you're going to sell someone an incomplete toy for 13 grand and then they have to spend more money to unlock more of the game features and more of the game modes and moments of magic. It's not going to happen. And I think they were trying to do that. And I don't think we want all that. I don't want to walk up to me. This is not pinball. Let me walk up and scan my name. And all of a sudden, like, there's my badges. And you know look all that stuff great And you should be doing it And I not upset that Insider Connected is out there I think it actually gives a lot of replay value But what is making me sort of confused is that this is how you launch your new platform And in the moment you launch your new platform, you're also communicating to everybody, everybody, that this isn't even what this platform is capable of. Oh, yeah, what a great way to say, don't buy it. Don't buy it because this isn't what it's going to end up being. And then what are you going to do? Everybody knows this. It's like everybody in the room knows one simple thing. That Stern Pinball will release a 50th anniversary of Star Wars with all of the Spike 3 features. So why would anybody go now buy the $13,000, no foil decal sort of version of the game when they're going to make a nicer version of the game. And not even two years, people. Not even two years. Remember, the 50th anniversary of Star Wars is 2027. It is going to be like 2026 in just four months. So we know that the 50th is coming out in like a year and a half. And it's not even about like the 50th. It's about like looking down at this game and then looking over at Evil Dead. looking over at Harry Potter and you tell me, like, who's making the effort? Who's making the effort? And I just think, you know, three in a row. Three in a row that have not really excited people. And we might now get to four in a row if they bring out The Walking Dead Remastered. If you were to ask people, you know, what's been the most exciting launch in the last six months to eight months, it is absolutely Jaws 50th. And so now you've got this company almost like incapable of making amazing present and future decisions like they don't know which way to go. Now, they know they've got probably the best portfolio ever in pinball and they do. But Stern Pinball is in a quagmire now. Like, do we keep remaking old games, remastering them, anniversary editioning them? that feels like a company that is sort of already peaked. It feels like a company that doesn't have a future-looking vision. It feels like a company that didn't secure the best licenses for pinball. It feels like a company that is a bit exhausted, a bit tired, a bit out of creative ideas. And I think most of us would rather Stern Pinball instead of bringing out D&D, King Kong, and this new Star Wars, would have much rather have seen Lord of the Rings brought back, Tron brought back, and Ghostbusters brought back. Like, if they had brought back those three games and make them sort of like the platinum edition of those games, launch them on Spike 3, that would have been a much more successful sort of relaunch of your company. Like take your old hits and put it on the new platform. Instead, here we are. Here we are. We're just in this weird limbo place with Stern. I think the mojo they had is gone. I think the FOMO is dead. And, you know, there's a reason why. There's a reason why when you see the media coming through the door at Stern these days. Who is it? It's not the pinball media. I mean think about it. The moment a company like this is sort of marketing around the very people that know the product the best, it's not that they didn't invite us. I want to be fair here. They did invite us. But it would have been weird if I walked through that door and I'm looking around like, who are all these people? And I don't want to like be ushered through Stern like another YouTube sheep like influencer. I really don't really care. I want to know how we ended up back at Star Wars. I want to know how we ended up with this title that is now starting to feel ironically titled or like a bad omen, if you will, that Stern Pinball would call a game the fall of the empire as they struggle to get people super excited about their products. Star Wars LEs are readily available. A week later, they will be readily available. A month from now, they will be readily available. This is going to be the next LE that goes from 13 to 10, then from 10 to 8. I mean, this is the way it's going. I am looking at, remember when Foo Fighters LE came out? Like we literally were like, yeah, yeah, right? Everyone was jazzed. It was one of the fastest selling LEs. That was still during that COVID period. Correct me if I'm wrong. It was like right when we were still throwing money at everything. We justified the price. uh they sold all thousand foo fighter le's even though it didn't have different artwork than the premium even though it wasn't like needed right it's like it didn't you didn't feel like the foo fighter le was like that much better than the premium and now look at it if you have a foo fighter le you can't even get 8500 for it you can't even get 8500 for it so that means you're taking eight grand on the table for a Foo Fighter LE. And this is another game in which Stern made a $2,000 topper for it. And so there are dudes out there that are 15 grand out of their pocket in on a Foo Fighter. And this is it. This is it. You know, when you talk about like greed and what's the strategy over there how did you go from batman sle the nicest game they've ever made like aesthetically uh maybe the best code they've ever done they made 80 of them right so they built in the value for collectors only 80 in the world ever and it was 15 grand and remember when that happened we were like upset now you can spend 15 000 on what is ostensibly a mass-produced game that looks exactly like the model below it that nobody cares about now. And so you've got nothing. You've got nothing left in the value of the game. And now if you just wake up in the hobby, you can go get an LE of like Foo Fighters for eight, right? For eight, 8,500. So what's a premium worth? If an LE is going for eight, then how much is a premium worth? And it's like they didn't even care about this Look and the moment I know people have been saying like well it just like cars You need a car You need a car to go to work You need a car to go to the supermarket You need a car to move your family around You need a car to get through life You don't need another pinball machine. The cargument does not hold water here. It doesn't. Like there's a necessity versus a luxury. And you know what a luxury car is? yeah, people would not keep buying Porsches if they lost $80,000 or 30% the value of the car. And I'm telling you, what's happening in pinball is also happening in the car world. There are certain car brands where if you go in on them and you get like hosed, you're not going to keep going in on them. So this is like where we're at. This is where we're at. And now it's going to get really interesting because I think something's going to happen and it's going to happen real soon. I think Beetlejuice is going to have just like this, this moment for everybody where it resets the bar. And I can tell by talking to Franchi and Bug and Luke, I just think like Beetlejuice is going to be so insanely awesome that it is now going to be the new benchmark by which we as hobbyists, as enthusiasts, as fans of pinball, we're going to start to quickly, quickly start to realize, OMG, it's like the emperor's new clothes. I feel like Stern is going to get caught with its pants down that it never, never should have done what it did. It never should have killed its own golden goose. They never should have raised prices to where they did. They don't have the product to justify the cost. and the only way they could do it is if they still hand it to the consumer some of the value and they took it away and they were greedy and there were a lot of greedy moves and they still have done nothing nothing I know they've got the new CMO I know they've got new people over there I know Seth has a vision but they've done nothing to sort of alter their approach and to me that is the definition of insanity when you do the same thing over and over again and you expect a different result now some of you out there are saying well they're going to sell a ton of star wars and they might sell a lot of star wars machines but the damage that star wars will do to the core and the enthusiast is is is more is more damaging than the benefit of getting some newbies into the hobby. And I think for every newbie joining, there's going to be like three to five of us done, done. And guess what? These newbies are not going to get bit by the bug. They're not going to want to keep buying if they're losing so much money. They're not going to be the next like generation of pinheads. They're not. I know who the like, you know, the happy go lucky newbie rich buyer is. I know they don't care. They're not, they're not going to get into the community like people think. And also, you don't expand pinball by raising the prices. It's just not happening. You know, we still live in a world where you tell people what these machines cost and they think you're crazy. They think you're crazy. And that's why the machines have to be magical. They have to be special and they have to give us more. And I think, you know, Stern has struck out three times in a row. And I think Star Wars, when I look at it, it's kind of embarrassing. I'm not going to lie. It's kind of embarrassing. Like if I put Star Wars next to Ghostbusters, it's kind of embarrassing. If I put it next to Batman 66, it's kind of embarrassing. If I put it next to King Kong or Jurassic Park, if I put it next to Deadpool, it's kind of embarrassing. Like this is where they're at. And, you know, we know the excuse is always, well, the license older. I don't care. It's your decision. It's your decision to do it this way and I feel like we're all being like we're you know we're kind of approaching it with kid gloves because I I I don't know you know it's it's like we we it's it's real that there is fatigue around Star Wars that is definitely real and I I don't think I've felt it more than watching this game being played because there's just something like we're just kind of all over it I mean we're we're living in exhausted times with so much content that for something to really break through, I think what's missing too, and as I watch this Star Wars game, I just feel like it's like lacking in personality. And I think it's lacking in taste. And I think it's lacking in sort of like a premium feel. And it does feel very like pedestrian. It feels very childlike. It feels like it's not capturing the emotion and the magic of the films. And I think that's kind of the way they're serving it up to us. It's just kind of like the moment I'm seeing weird artwork that's not great or translucent Jabba and just watching the ball spin down the Jabba pit, I'm not seeing the ball fly through the air. Nothing in the game makes me feel like those space battles. Nothing in the game makes me feel the emotion and the gravity, if you will. of think about the gravity of the emperor's lightning bolts and that moment right that moment where darth vader takes his mask off nothing's making me feel the gravity of the death star i mean think about this death star doesn't even fire a green beam to blow up alderaan like what why they couldn't make the death star look look at the death star that's during created why isn't there with their new platform and all this horsepower you couldn't make the Death Star fire a green laser beam and create a wow moment in the pinball machine. Instead, all we got is a tiny little ad at and that's it. And, you know, a door that opens up to lock balls. I just I feel like this stuff is mailed in a little bit. It feels lazy. It doesn't feel magical. You're telling me they couldn't have made even like the scene, right? The scene with the trash compactor as it's closing up you tell me you couldn't you couldn't have made a mode in which the walls are actually closing in on the figures and you have to beat the mode before they touch or you lose like you don't say like there's nothing physically happening that really creates any wow and i i don't i don't know what else to tell you it's kind of fun watching stern stumble like this with all these launches and then just keep trying to do the same launch I mean this launch was bad I mean it was it like and I said it I feel like they knew they didn have anything great It feels like they knew they didn have anything great and they launched it in a way that wasn great And looking at more of like the gameplay and the footage it doesn't feel great. It just feels like middle of the road. And that's exactly what people said. And it's exactly what we got. So look, I, I, I think this is great for spooky. I think it's great for Jersey Jack. I think it's great for Dutch and Back to the Future. I think the door is open for someone else to come in here and sell your, you know, 500 to 1,000 boutique games. And for a lot of you guys out there, did you buy one? I mean, look, we got 64 people. Did you buy one? Did anyone here buy one? I haven't really met many people. I mean, operators are buying them. I'm going to take a screen grab of this right now and let people know where the action's at. A lot of fun this morning. Guys, happy Tuesday morning. It's only 8 o'clock in the morning. See, I can crank out a show. People are like, you can't do the podcast and do the live. It's different. It's not different because I got my sunglasses on. I can't even read most of the stuff you guys are saying. But I'm just here to tell you right now, Stern needs a hit. This isn't it. And that's it. That's it. the fall of the empire is going to mean more than just the game title if they don't get it together and they need to get it together look i just put up a poll would you rather have Keith Elwin make transformers fallout or superman 78 and we know for a fact that stern pinball passed on superman 78 we know for a fact that franchi was trying to get them to make this stuff and they didn't want to make it. And then I look at the survey and Superman 78 is like running away with it. So I don't understand. So then how do you make fallout? So you're not going to listen to your own consumers. And this is what will cause a company like Stern to fail is they've stopped listening to us. There's they're not making products that we want to buy. They're making products that they want to make. You know, Ultraman, right? Look at that mistake. Ultraman, you know, big mistake. And now here we are. Here we are. Dune. You know, Dune, like David David Van Es wanted to make Dune. The community didn't ask for it. And I love that. Oh, Kerry's like, oh, once people hear it, I don't know, man. I don't know. Look, Dune does sound phenomenal. The orchestration in that movie is phenomenal. But I'll tell you this, people don't buy pinball machines because of the sound. It's not the, it's like probably like the eighth reason that would make you own a game. The thing is this, it's like, if I want to hear the Dune orchestration and it fill my house, I will just play it through my speaker system. People need to have more of an emotional connection to the film and to the moments in the movie. And I'm not sure it does that. Dune over Star Wars, absolutely but again I just think you know Back to the Future over both of those titles and Back to the Future was available and it would have been out right now if Stern had not passed on Back to the Future it would have been out by now and Keith Elwin would have done it we need more nostalgia we need more stuff that this community wants to buy nostalgia is back with Gen Z. This is what they don't understand. Nostalgia is back with Gen Z. If you made a Christmas story, if David David Van Es made a Christmas story with Ralphie and the leg lamp and, you know, the telephone pole or the flagpole that you stick your tongue to, if they made that, right, they would have sold more Christmas story pins on day one than Dune. I mean, it's just, it's just, but he doesn't get that because he didn't grow up in America. And maybe that movie wasn't big there. And I'm just saying, but that's the thing. That's what market research will do for you. And it's just the problem is like trying to guess at this is the biggest risk imaginable. Okay. Everybody look, love you guys. Thank you for being a member of Canada's pinball podcast. This is a special little treat for you. Only Patreon Club members get to have this. Do me a favor. If you have any friends not a member of Canada's Pinball Podcast, tell them to join. We're doing great. I am planning to go to Expo as a guest of Melvin Williams. That's helping me out a lot because Melvin's going to be doing a lot of stuff at the show. and he's kind of holding the Canada as his plus one, a little bit of leverage against Mr. Rob Burke. I understand they didn't want me there from day one. I understand I never should have threatened Glenn with some physical violence. But, you know, I took it to heart, and I took it personally. When you make fun of my 9-11 sentiment, I just think there are certain things you don't make fun of. As a New Yorker who lived in New York City during 9-11 and went through that tragedy, I find it highly, highly insensitive to insult someone who lived through that and has a strong emotional connection to that day. And I would want to slap you around if I heard you say that to my face. But you know what? Violence is never the answer. We saw what happened last week when people used violence to shut down people speaking their mind. And, you know, I always have to remind myself that freedom of speech, it cuts both ways. You have to be able to accept the speech you don't want to hear without resorting to violence. So I do apologize for that. And I apologize to anyone who was offended by my comments. I was just in a rough spot emotionally thinking about my friends I lost on 9-11. But that being said, I'm not going to allow one person's comments or a few of my haters crusades to keep me from pinball shows. I'm not going to let them win. I'm not going to retreat. I put in the hard work. I built the audience. I have the most amount of pinball podcasts that have ever been created. I have the best pinball community. I have the best pinball audience here. And I have a lot of fans going to the show. So you're not going to tell me I'm not allowed into a pinball show. I have a lot more friends with the manufacturers than these people even have, and it's just the way it's going to go. There's not going to be any fighting. There's not going to be drinks thrown. There's just going to be good times happening. Everybody, have a great Tuesday. This podcast with no music is over, people, and we're just going to air it. I don't even care. See, now I got like two for one, and if you thought this wasn't good and doesn't have the energy, let me know, but I thought this went pretty well. Everybody, have a great Tuesday.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 1d9af189-c841-459f-a2d1-e137148218f7*