# Stern's Jaws Pinball was Leaked...

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-01-03  
**Duration:** 10m 20s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGYnKQJVR_o

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## Analysis

Carrie Hardy discusses the leaked James Cameron's Avatar Limited Edition trailer, noting that despite initial harsh community reactions to the sparse playfield art style, the game mechanics appear solid with excellent flow. She contextualizes the art design as intentionally different from Jeremy Packer's typical dense visual style, emphasizes that low-quality leaked footage obscures actual gameplay quality, and expresses curiosity about what features will be stripped from Pro and Premium editions. She also notes industry-first lighted speakers and the inclusion of movie assets as notable features.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball is not hesitant to shut down content creators who post unreleased game trailers — _Hardy stating her reasoning for not posting the avatar trailer herself, based on perceived enforcement patterns_
- [HIGH] Multiple YouTube channels have already posted the full one-minute trailer in violation of copyright/fair use — _Direct observation: 'A couple of channels have already posted it up' and 'There's also a couple of channels that have it uploaded...in its entirety'_
- [HIGH] The Limited Edition Jaws artwork is homage to the Jaws movie poster with shark bite foil art and Dick White armor design — _Visual confirmation from leaked trailer: 'foil art package the Dick White armor with the shark bites out on it'_
- [MEDIUM] Premium and Pro editions will have different, more custom art packages than the Limited Edition — _Speculation based on typical Stern three-tier model: 'on the Premium Edition and Pro Edition, I believe we're going to get a whole new, much more custom type of art package'_
- [MEDIUM] Jaws features lighted speakers, which Hardy believes is a first for Stern Pinball — _'We're seeing lighted speakers, which I don't believe I've ever seen on a release of a Stern Pinball before. So I want to say this is a first.'_
- [HIGH] Jaws will include movie assets, something not present in Jurassic Park — _Confirmed from trailer analysis: 'there will be movie assets' and comparison to Jurassic Park which lacked them_
- [MEDIUM] The sparse appearance of the Jaws playfield is due to intentional art design focused on water/ocean, not lack of effort — _Hardy's interpretation: 'There's a lot of blue, a lot of just ocean, underwater stuff going on there' contrasted with Packer's typical dense art style_
- [MEDIUM] Stern produces 60+ cuts in their promotional trailers which obscure actual game shooting quality — _Critical observation: 'even though we have a leaked James Camerons Avatar (Limited Edition) trailer Stern Pinball does very good on having at least 60 freaking cuts'_
- [LOW] Pro Edition Jaws will likely lose the upper playfield mech that reveals the shark — _Speculation: 'I almost feel like if they took out the upper playfield man this game is going to be missing a lot so I feel like what we probably gonna be missing on the Pro Edition is the mech'_
- [MEDIUM] Jaws is positioned as an L1-tier title with no question about tier classification — _Direct assessment: 'it's an L1 title there should be no question of that'_

### Notable Quotes

> "I was like, oh, I could easily put this up, talk about it, give my two cents and everything. But I was like, I just know that if I do, Stern Pinball is not going to hesitate to shut me down."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 0:00-0:15
> _Explains content creator awareness of copyright enforcement and self-censorship decisions_

> "they know damn well the modders out there are going to do it for them. So why should they put the mate/man, time, and effort into doing all that whenever the modding community is going to do it all for them?"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 2:30-2:45
> _Explains perceived business rationale for sparse playfield art relying on aftermarket customization_

> "For you James Camerons Avatar (Limited Edition) buyers out there, you're going to spend $13,000 on this machine and then eventually more than likely buy all these extra mods to go into it?"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 3:15-3:30
> _Criticizes the three-tier pricing model requiring additional aftermarket investment at premium tier_

> "even though we have a leaked James Camerons Avatar (Limited Edition) trailer Stern Pinball does very good on having at least 60 freaking cuts on this trailer did not give you an idea of how well the game actually shoots"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 4:00-4:20
> _Critique of Stern's marketing approach obscuring actual gameplay through excessive editing_

> "The art on the play field or similar interjection comparison to what you have seen recently makes the game look barren. There's a lot of blue, a lot of just ocean, underwater stuff going on there."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 5:00-5:15
> _Explains visual design context: deliberate oceanic aesthetic vs. typical dense Packer artwork_

> "I would happily take a Pro Edition um so with Godzilla man the Pro Edition still shoots good but you really want that building mech going on"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 7:45-8:00
> _Pro Edition viability assessment; establishes expectations for lower-tier gameplay quality_

> "as of right now i'm going to say the game is going to shoot amazingly i think it's going to have great flow to it it's an L1 title there should be no question of that"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 9:00-9:15
> _Overall positive gameplay assessment despite sparse visuals and pricing concerns_

> "I think the big question is right now is what is the lower tiers? What is going to be stripped?"
> — **Carrie Hardy**, 10:00-10:10
> _Identifies key community information gap: unknown feature cuts in lower production tiers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Carrie Hardy | person | Pinball content creator and YouTuber analyzing the leaked Jaws trailer; known for gameplay commentary and critical analysis |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Jaws pinball game; subject of discussion regarding copyright enforcement, design decisions, and marketing approach |
| Jeremy Packer | person | Stern pinball artist whose typical dense visual art style is contrasted with the sparse oceanic design of Jaws |
| James Cameron's Avatar | game | Jaws pinball game (referred to as 'James Cameron's Avatar' in the content, though this appears to be a labeling error); Limited Edition variant with foil art, Dick White armor, and lighted speakers |
| Jaws | game | Stern Pinball machine based on Jaws film franchise; leaked Limited Edition artwork showing shark-themed foil art homage to movie poster |
| Dick White | person | Artist or designer associated with armor design element on Jaws Limited Edition variant |
| Flip N Out Pinball | organization | Community hosting 'Pinball With Friends' stream where Carrie Hardy was invited to discuss Jaws details |
| Jurassic Park | game | Stern pinball title used for comparison; lacks movie assets that Jaws will include |
| Venom | game | Stern pinball title used for comparison regarding Pro Edition feature cutdowns and centerpiece mech design |
| Godzilla | game | Stern pinball title used as reference for art density comparison and Pro Edition viability |
| Iron Maiden | game | Jersey Jack pinball title referenced regarding Pro Edition gameplay quality |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum where the leaked Jaws trailer has spread widely |
| Facebook | organization | Social media platform where the leaked Jaws trailer spread |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Leaked game footage and copyright enforcement, Playfield art design philosophy and sparse aesthetics, Three-tier pricing model (Pro/Premium/Limited Edition) and feature cutdowns
- **Secondary:** Movie asset integration in pinball games, Marketing trailer editing effectiveness obscuring gameplay, Aftermarket modding community expectations and investment, Mechanical features and upper playfield design decisions
- **Mentioned:** Community first impressions from low-quality leaked footage

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.62) — Hardy expresses optimism about game mechanics and flow despite critical views on art design choices, three-tier pricing model, and reliance on modding community. Defensive of design decisions but questioning value proposition at $13,000 price point. Positive assessment of gameplay undermined by pricing concerns and acknowledgment of things 'they could have done more' with.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Flip N Out Pinball hosting 'Pinball With Friends' community stream to discuss Jaws details with Carrie Hardy and others (confidence: high) — Hardy announcement: 'I have been invited to the Flip N Out Pinball Pinball With Friends stream going on tonight'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Initial harsh community reaction to leaked footage judging game as 'barren' and low-effort based on low-quality images; Hardy defends against premature judgment (confidence: high) — Hardy addresses: 'This is the typical response from the public and enthusiasts when it comes to every pinball machine that gets leaked before it's supposed to. We see images, and a majority of people think it's crap, it's going to be a horrible game, looks barren'
- **[design_philosophy]** Stern's apparent strategy of producing sparse playfield art with expectation that aftermarket modding community will enhance aesthetics, reducing manufacturer development investment (confidence: medium) — Hardy's interpretation: 'they know damn well the modders out there are going to do it for them. So why should they put the mate/man, time, and effort into doing all that whenever the modding community is going to do it all for them?'
- **[leak_detection]** Full one-minute James Cameron's Avatar/Jaws Limited Edition trailer leaked before official announcement; multiple channels uploaded complete footage, some claiming it as original content (confidence: high) — Hardy observes: 'A couple of channels have already posted it up or similar interjection their videos. There's also a couple of channels that have it uploaded...in its entirety. The full one-minute clip, not even dabbling or similar interjection the fair use policy'
- **[market_signal]** Stern's promotional trailers use excessive editing (60+ cuts) that obscures actual game shooting quality and playability (confidence: medium) — Hardy critiques: 'Stern Pinball does very good on having at least 60 freaking cuts on this trailer did not give you an idea of how well the game actually shoots it's irritating almost to watch'
- **[personnel_signal]** Jeremy Packer established as primary artist for recent Stern titles (Godzilla, Venom); Jaws art design intentionally different from his typical dense visual approach (confidence: medium) — Hardy compares Jaws playfield sparse look to Packer's typical style: 'when you compare the play field on Jaws to what you are used to seeing on like Godzilla and Venom and basically any other Jeremy Packer art package'
- **[market_signal]** Three-tier model requires $13,000+ Limited Edition purchase plus anticipated aftermarket mods, raising questions about value proposition (confidence: medium) — Hardy questions: 'For you James Camerons Avatar (Limited Edition) buyers out there, you're going to spend $13,000 on this machine and then eventually more than likely buy all these extra mods to go into it?'
- **[product_strategy]** Jaws Limited Edition features lighted speakers (described as Stern first), movie assets, foil art package, Dick White armor design; Premium/Pro editions will have different custom art packages (confidence: high) — Hardy confirms: 'We're seeing lighted speakers, which I don't believe I've ever seen on a release of a Stern Pinball before' and notes movie assets are new feature absent in Jurassic Park
- **[product_concern]** Pro Edition feature cutdowns speculation: upper playfield mech likely removed, risking bare/unfinished appearance similar to other lower-tier trade-offs (confidence: low) — Hardy speculates: 'I almost feel like if they took out the upper playfield man this game is going to be missing a lot so I feel like what we probably gonna be missing on the Pro Edition is the mech that goes up to show the shark'
- **[technology_signal]** Unclear mechanical feature implementation on Jaws playfield; right-side outlaying save mechanism and upper playfield shark reveal mech specifications unknown from leaked footage (confidence: medium) — Hardy notes: 'we're still not able to see a lot of it yet and that includes the outlaying save that I'm seeing on the right side we don't really know how that's going to work just yet'

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## Transcript

 I was honestly going to do a video about the LE trailer leak last night. I chose not to. I was like, oh, I could easily put this up, talk about it, give my two cents and everything. But I was like, I just know that if I do, Stern is not going to hesitate to shut me down. And then I wake up this morning and see that it's all over Facebook, all over Pinside. A couple of channels have already got it up in their videos. There's also a couple of channels that have it uploaded in its entirety. The full one-minute clip, not even dabbling in the fair use Ryan Policky on it, just here it is as if it's their own i know if i was to do that i would be contacted but okay it is what it is so uh since pretty much everybody's already seen it i'm just going to discuss it for a little bit and um i don't want to go too deep into this because we're going to get better images and better videos very soon and so there's no sense of me trying to dissect this and everything at least in this video so what we've seen so far is the le we've seen the foil art package the white armor with the shark bites out on it the basic it is it is like basically it is homage to Jaws the movie when it comes to the art package exterior wise for the LE. Now on the premium and pro, I believe we're going to get a whole new, much more custom type of art package. We just don't know what that is yet. I can say that as of right now, if you are a fan of Jaws, then the LE more than likely interests you because it's paying homage to the movie poster when it comes to the back glass and stuff like that. But I have to, like... There's a lot of things, obviously, that they could have done with this game, okay? I see that, and I'm not denying that, yes, they could have done more, and I believe that they wish they could have done more but there could have been license restrictions or it could be that Stern Pinball is a machine Now when I say machine I mean like they are there to print copy paste make a machine, get it out there, get it out there. This is going to work. This is going to shoot fine. There's no sense of putting all the efforts into 3D moldings and creating a world underneath glass when it comes to that, because they know damn well the modders out there are going to do it for them. So why should they put the money, time, and effort into doing all that whenever the modding community is going to do it all for them? So it kind of makes sense in a way. But it's the price that they're charging along with that where it's kind of like, really? I mean, for you LE buyers out there, you're going to spend $13,000 on this machine and then eventually more than likely buy all these extra mods to go into it? We're seeing lighted speakers, which I don't believe I've ever seen on a release of a Stern before. So I want to say this is a first. If I'm wrong, I know I'm going to be corrected, but I just don't recall at the top of my head of this being done before. Also, along with what we're seeing so far is that there will be movie assets. And how much of that, we don't know just yet, but there's going to be movie assets. That's something that we did not have in Jurassic Park. Now, this is the typical response from the public and enthusiasts when it comes to every pinball machine that gets leaked before it's supposed to. We see images, and a majority of people think it's crap, it's going to be a horrible game, looks barren, nothing there, because all you're getting is some low-quality images and not good videography of how the game actually shoots. even though we have a leaked le trailer stern does very good on having at least 60 freaking cuts on this trailer did not give you an idea of how well the game actually shoots it's irritating almost to watch these damn trailers sometimes because you don't really get a good idea of how well it shoots but going over the layout like i have at least and seeing what little we can see in the trailer and going through, I think this game, of course, is going to shoot amazing. I'm loving what I see on the layout so far, and I know there's a lot of you out there that are like the game looks barren there nothing in it and that mainly because the art The art on the play field in comparison to what you have seen recently makes the game look barren There's a lot of blue, a lot of just ocean, underwater stuff going on there. Now, if you compare the play field on Jaws to what you are used to seeing on like Godzilla and Venom and basically any other zombie Yeti art package and stuff, that it's going to look a lot more empty because there's not a lot of art filling all the empty space. Instead, on Jaws, we have a lot of water. So, of course, when you first look at this, it's going to look empty, mainly because of the art package. but going by what I can see in the videos which we're still not able to see a lot of it yet and that includes the outlaying save that I'm seeing on the right side we don't really know how that's going to work just yet and of course once again this is the LE this has everything the art blades on the side all the mechs all the toys what are we going to be getting in the lower tiers So in Premium, we know that it's essentially the same as the LE. You're just probably not going to be getting Art Blades, and of course not the armor that's going to be powder-coated or anything like that. It's probably going to be your basic black, but you're going to get all the toys and everything inside. Now, the major question here is, what's the pro going to be like? Now, the pros, at least with Team Elwynn, have still shot very well, even though they have taken out some of the mechs and some of the little moving stuff or whatever they've always still been well received i was more than happy to to settle for my jurassic park pro because the game still shot just fine aiq the game shoots fine on pro and premium granted you've got a lot more in the premium the game shot fine it's just a lot of people didn't understand what the hell the code was all about but even then with like iron maiden i would happily take a pro um so with godzilla man the pro still shoots good but you really want that building mech going on so a premium in a way is the way to go even the pro still shoots great so it's what are they going to be taking out of the premium le for their pro i almost feel like if they took out the upper playfield man this game is going to be missing a lot so I feel like what we probably gonna be missing on the pro is the mech that goes up to show the shark and that's also a pretty big thing to be taken out of a game but it's a moving motor and all the parts that go along with that it's basically what was taken out of venom that i think that the pro on venom should have kept that centerpiece and taken out other stuff but whatever i think the pro would have sold better so as of right now let me put a freaking quick pin in this because like i said there's no need to dissect the hell out of this game when we're going to be getting all the information this week so as of right now i'm going to say the game is going to shoot amazingly i think it's going to have great flow to it it's an l1 title there should be no question of that the reason why it looks barren is because you're accustomed to art being a certain way with stern games especially when it comes to zombie yeti and that's just something that looks barren in comparison that's why you're feeling that way at this point but as i'm going across the play field in the video and and the screenshots and everything, I can see where money has gone. Now, whether or not that adds up to the price of the machine, that's always debatable. So I think the big question is right now is what is the lower tiers? What is going to be stripped? And I'm kind of curious of what it is. I would like to hope the upper play field is there. I think at least have that but man I think if you take out that upper play field it really is going to look very barren but guys if you want to hear a discussion and talk about what this game has got going on or thoughts and speculations and everything then I have been invited to the Flip N Out Pinball With Friends stream going on tonight So by all means check that out. I'll put a link in the video description down below. So if you want to hear us go back and forth and discuss what's going on with what we can see so far with Jaws, then feel free to join in the chat. So as of right now, what are your thoughts and opinions on Jaws? Let me know in the comment section down below.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 2b469bed-34e0-4319-b249-6fa811ea3e07*