# The Pinball Show Ep 73.5: Stern‘s Next Cornerstone Release Date, Mini-Interview w/Homepin‘s Mike, & Online Platform Wars

**Source:** The Pinball Show  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2021-09-06  
**Duration:** 14m 46s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.thepinballnetwork.net/e/the-pinball-show-ep-735-stern-s-next-cornerstone-release-date-mini-interview-whomepin-s-mike-online-platform-wars/

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## Analysis

The Pinball Show Episode 73.5 delivers industry news on Stern's confirmed Godzilla release date (September 8), the debut of Stern Insider Connected platform, and coverage of emerging online connectivity competition from Jersey Jack/Scorebit. Additional segments cover Chicago Gaming's Medieval Madness updates, American Pinball's co-op gameplay features, and an exclusive interview with HomePin's Mike about their upcoming Spinal Tap pinball machine licensing and design philosophy.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Godzilla pinball will be revealed on Wednesday, September 8th — _Craig Bobby citing confirmed sources on the Stern News Update segment_
- [HIGH] Godzilla is Stern's debut title with Stern Insider Connected pre-installed on all machines — _Craig Bobby's Stern News Update segment explaining Insider Connected features_
- [MEDIUM] Stern Insider Connected will allow remote game adjustments and co-op gameplay/tournaments over internet — _Craig Bobby notes the co-op/tournament features are 'most likely' and 'not yet confirmed'_
- [HIGH] 378 Royal Editions of Medieval Madness were produced with no more to be made — _Matt Morrison's Chicago Gaming Update citing production numbers_
- [HIGH] HomePin's Spinal Tap will have both an orange DMD and 27-inch LCD display — _Mike from HomePin in direct interview explains dual-display system_
- [HIGH] HomePin anticipates building around 20 Spinal Tap machines per month over three-year license term — _Dr. John reports Mike's production estimate during interview_
- [HIGH] Scorebit integration allows virtually any solid-state pinball game to be connected, including Spooky and Jersey Jack machines — _Ken Rudberg's Jersey Jack update explaining Scorebit vs Stern platform differences_
- [HIGH] American Pinball plans to reveal game number four in late September/early October with availability by Pinball Expo — _Kaz's American Pinball update citing David Fix interview on Pinball News podcast_

### Notable Quotes

> "oh my god i want cactus canyon cactus canyon wasn't any good when williams made it the first time it wasn't even collectible then and it was the last gasp of a dying company then why does someone think it's bad it's collectible it's beyond me"
> — **Joe Kamikow**, ~45 min mark of Loser Kid Pinball Podcast
> _High-profile designer publicly dismissing collector demand for classic remake; Matt Morrison uses this to critique Kamikow's own game performance record_

> "It's been a long, hard slog to secure the licence. It's a lot more tricky and difficult to secure licences, well-known licences such as Spinal Tap, than some people might realise."
> — **Mike (HomePin)**, Mini-interview segment
> _Highlights licensing complexity as barrier to entry for boutique manufacturers_

> "We started by designing things that were specifically Spinal Tap, things that spoke Spinal Tap before we even considered any form of layout, such as an exploding drummer, that's a given with Spinal Tap"
> — **Mike (HomePin)**, Mini-interview segment
> _Reveals HomePin's thematic-first design philosophy; exploding drummer is signature mechanic_

> "One thing I can say, if you're a tournament player and you love deep rule sets, do not buy one of these machines because that's not what we do."
> — **Mike (HomePin)**, Mini-interview segment
> _Explicitly targets casual/home collectors over competitive players; differentiates HomePin product positioning_

> "We were thrown in at the deep end from day one having to come out with a medieval madness beater as our first game, and that just was never going to happen. That's just too much of an ask."
> — **Mike (HomePin)**, Mini-interview segment
> _Acknowledges design/production constraints of new manufacturers; references learning curve from Thunderbirds launch_

> "Stern Insider Connected is only available on current and future Spike 2 games."
> — **Ken Rudberg**, Jersey Jack Update segment
> _Key platform limitation; explains why Scorebit is broader ecosystem choice_

> "Which platform, if either, will come out on top remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to see if two systems can survive within this niche hobby."
> — **Ken Rudberg**, Jersey Jack Update segment
> _Industry observer flagging potential fragmentation and platform war as significant risk_

> "material costs being as much as 50% more than they were"
> — **Mike (HomePin)**, Mini-interview segment
> _Significant cost inflation impacting pricing strategy across manufacturers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary Stern pinball designer; confirmed designer of upcoming Godzilla pinball; two-time Game of the Year winner (Iron Maiden 2018, Jurassic Park 2019); known for signature shot layouts and competitive/casual appeal |
| Godzilla | game | Upcoming Stern Pinball machine by Keith Elwin featuring collapsing building mechanic; debut title for Stern Insider Connected platform; reveal date confirmed for September 8 |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer launching Insider Connected platform starting with Godzilla; Spike 2 hardware limitation noted |
| Stern Insider Connected | product | Stern's proprietary internet connectivity platform for pinball machines; offers leaderboards, achievements, remote adjustments, co-op gameplay; limited to Spike 2 games; debut with Godzilla |
| Zombie Yeti | person | Stern pinball artist confirmed to work on Godzilla art package; referred to as 'everyone's favorite Stern artist' |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Competitor to Stern; integrated with Scorebit for online connectivity; broader platform compatibility than Stern Insider Connected |
| Scorebit | product | Alternative online connectivity platform for pinball; compatible with virtually any solid-state game including Spooky and Jersey Jack machines; allows score tracking, leaderboards, operator analytics |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer producing Medieval Madness remakes; added direct drive motor to drawbridge at some point in production; no Royal Editions planned for 2023 |
| Medieval Madness | game | Classic Williams remake by Chicago Gaming; 378 Royal Editions produced; equipment modifications documented on Pinside forums |
| American Pinball | company | Manufacturer with four games in development; adding co-op team play mode to Houdini, Oktoberfest, and Hot Wheels; planning fourth game reveal late September/early October |
| HomePin | company | Taiwan-based boutique manufacturer launching Spinal Tap; uses dual DMD/LCD display system (orange DMD + 27-inch LCD); ~20 machines/month production target; targets casual players, not tournament competitors |
| Spinal Tap | game | Upcoming HomePin title based on cult classic movie; dual-display system; Marshall Amplification license integration; exploding drummer mechanic; motorized smoking topper accessory; single model tier only |
| Mike (HomePin) | person | HomePin owner/lead designer; discussed Spinal Tap licensing complexity, design philosophy, production targets, and pricing challenges in exclusive interview |
| Joe Kamikow | person | Pinball designer; appeared on Loser Kid Pinball Podcast; made public comments dismissing collector demand for Cactus Canyon remake; highest charting game was original GNR (63) and Cactus Canyon (48) |
| Cactus Canyon | game | Original Williams game last produced by dying company; subject of collector demand debate; being remade with upgrade kits |
| Matt Morrison | person | Chicago Gaming Update host on The Pinball Show; provides production statistics and technical details |
| Ken Rudberg | person | Jersey Jack Pinball Update host on The Pinball Show; provides analysis of online platform competition |
| Craig Bobby | person | Stern News Update host on The Pinball Show; confirmed Godzilla reveal date via sources |
| Dr. John | person | Host of HomePin/Spinal Tap interview segment on The Pinball Show; conducted exclusive interview with Mike |
| Avengers Infinity Quest | game | Keith Elwin designed Stern game from August 2020; nominated for Game of the Year |
| Iron Maiden | game | Keith Elwin design for Stern (2018); won Game of the Year |
| Jurassic Park | game | Keith Elwin design for Stern (2019); won Game of the Year |
| Thunderbirds | game | HomePin's first machine; Mike acknowledges design/production mistakes that limited ambition for debut title |
| Loser Kid Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast featuring Joe Kamikow interview; media outlet covering industry news |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Online Connectivity Platforms, Stern Godzilla Announcement, HomePin Spinal Tap Design & Development
- **Secondary:** Licensing Complexity for Boutique Manufacturers, Production Capacity & Pricing Impact from Cost Inflation, American Pinball Co-op Gameplay Features, Collector Demand for Classic Game Remakes
- **Mentioned:** Chicago Gaming Medieval Madness Technical Updates

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Strong enthusiasm for Godzilla announcement and Keith Elwin pedigree; cautious optimism about online platform competition; HomePin interview reveals thoughtful design approach despite past Thunderbirds criticisms; industry cost pressures acknowledged but not dwelling; Joe Kamikow criticism adds minor negativity but framed as analytical pushback

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** American Pinball planning fourth game reveal late September/early October with expected availability by Pinball Expo; adding co-op features across multiple titles (confidence: high) — Kaz cites David Fix interview; co-op mode confirmed for Houdini, Oktoberfest, Hot Wheels; streaming/promotion plans active
- **[community_signal]** Joe Kamikow's dismissive comments about Cactus Canyon collector demand; Matt Morrison responds with statistical analysis of Kamikow's own game performance records (confidence: high) — Kamikow quote on podcast; Morrison's counter-analysis citing GNR/Cactus Canyon rankings vs. Data East market trends
- **[competitive_signal]** Jersey Jack vs. Stern online platform competition explicitly framed as battle for 'pinball attention and dollars'; Scorebit's broader compatibility seen as strategic advantage (confidence: high) — Ken Rudberg concludes JJP/Stern rivalry over platform dominance; notes ecosystem differences
- **[design_philosophy]** HomePin explicitly positioning Spinal Tap as casual/fun-focused game, not deep rule set competitor; contrasts with tournament-focused machines (confidence: high) — Mike quote: 'if you're a tournament player and you love deep rule sets, do not buy one of these machines'
- **[market_signal]** Data East machines trending upward in secondary market value (Simpsons, GNR, Lethal Weapon 3); Viper Night Driving referenced as potential high-value collectible (confidence: medium) — Matt Morrison's analysis of market trends; GNR pricing noted as exceeding JJP standard model
- **[personnel_signal]** Zombie Yeti confirmed as Stern's primary art director on Godzilla; maintains position as 'everyone's favorite Stern artist' (confidence: high) — Craig Bobby's statement about Yeti delivering 'industry-leading art package once again'
- **[market_signal]** Material costs up 50% impacting pinball manufacturer pricing strategies; HomePin deferring final Spinal Tap pricing to distributors (confidence: high) — Mike (HomePin) direct quote about cost inflation; stated pricing uncertainty
- **[announcement]** Stern Godzilla pinball officially confirmed with reveal date September 8; Keith Elwin designer; debut title for Insider Connected platform (confidence: high) — Craig Bobby cites confirmed sources; specific date provided; featured as cornerstone news segment
- **[product_strategy]** HomePin Spinal Tap uses dual-display system (orange DMD + 27-inch LCD for movie clips); first such implementation aside from Porsche commercial machine (confidence: high) — Mike explains both displays and their purposes; cites Marshall Amplification license integration
- **[product_strategy]** Chicago Gaming added direct drive motor to Medieval Madness drawbridge during production; original revision included gear changes (confidence: high) — Matt Morrison reports technical modifications documented on Pinside forums
- **[technology_signal]** Stern Insider Connected represents new proprietary online connectivity ecosystem competing directly with Scorebit; fragmentation risk flagged (confidence: high) — Ken Rudberg's analysis of platform differences; Spike 2 hardware limitation; explicit warning about fragmented player base
- **[licensing_signal]** HomePin acquired Spinal Tap movie license (1981 film only, no expanded universe); described as complex and difficult process; 3-year term with ~20 units/month capacity (confidence: high) — Mike discusses licensing 'long, hard slog'; license scope limited to movie/posters; production capacity estimate provided

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## Transcript

 Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised. The Pinball Network is online. Launching The Pinball Show. This week on The Pinball Show, we have a double feature for you. That's because we here at TPN just love you. Today you're going to hear a mini-episode from The Correspondents. Shake and Bake Bobby talks release date of Stern's title. Morrison gets feisty with JoJo Capow. Kenny Bergenstein fills you in on the upcoming online platform wars. The Cause discusses AP's new co-op features. And The Doctor is in the house with a mini-interview with Home Pin's Mike and their upcoming pinball title Spinal Tap. Then in a couple of days, I will be back here with a full analysis of these news bits, as well as to serenade your temporal lobe with the details of Stern Pinball's newest Keith Elwin game. So until then, always practice safe pinball and Mylar up. It's time for TPN Industry News. Hello and welcome to the Pinball Show's Stern News Update. I'm Craig Bobby. Well hotter than the new apparel collection from Flip N Out Pinball, now available online at FlippinOutPinball.com, comes confirmation of the reveal date of Stern's next machine. Yes, that's right, the much-rumored and talked-about next pin from Stern will be courtesy of the greatest of all time himself, Keith Elwin. as he takes on Japan's greatest monster and Keiju of all time in Godzilla. Fans of Keith's game will remember that just over one year ago today, Stern announced the Marvel comic-themed Avengers Infinity Quest back in August of 2020, which went on to be nominated for Game of the Year. Previous to that, Keith won Game of the Year two years in a row with the 2018 rock metal classic Iron Maiden and the 2019 dinosaur-themed Jurassic Park. Fans of Keith's are eagerly awaiting Keith's signature style of generally unique and interesting layouts, one or two good mechanical mechs paired with complex and entertaining code that seems to satisfy both the home and tournament player alike. And let's not forget, Keith is also rumored to be paired once again with everyone's favorite Stern artist in Zombie Yeti, who no doubt will deliver an industry-leading art package once again. All these ingredients will no doubt make Stern's Godzilla one of the most anticipated and popular machines of 2021. And let's not forget Godzilla will also be the debut title where Stern pre-installs their new Stern Insider Connected device on all machines. Stern Insider Connected will connect owners and operators not only to the internet, but to Stern's proprietary network. Insider Connected will offer users and operators a set of tools to drive location play, build player loyalty through achievements and trophies, analyze performance, allow some game adjustments remotely, and although not yet confirmed, most likely will connect others over the internet for co-op gameplay, tournaments, and player leaderboards. So when can Elwynn and Godzilla fans expect to see this new reveal? my confirmed sources are telling me that this Wednesday, September the 8th should be circled on everyone's calendars around the world as Godzilla Pinball Day. But you guessed it we shall have to wait and see Well that all for this week for the Pinball Show I Craig Bobby Catch you on the flip side Matt Morrison with the Chicago Gaming Update for the week A couple extra tidbits from last week's seminar. They made a total of 378 Royal Editions and no more to be made after that. So with the 2023 run lined up, there will not be any Royal Editions, but you can make your own Royal Edition without the powder coat with all the upgrade kits. there will be a new operating system for all new games moving forward it isn't going to be retroactive on older games or new runs of older games at some point in the production of medieval madness they added a direct drive motor to the drawbridge you can look up some pictures in the online pin side threads ltg has some great photos there was also an original revision to medieval madness with some gear changes in the manual you can check that out the most interesting piece of news this week came from the loser kid pinball podcast and they interviewed joe kamikow and around the 45 minute mark joe is commenting on pinball collectors going in on rare titles quote oh my god i want cactus canyon cactus canyon wasn't any good when williams made it the first time it wasn't even collectible then and it was the last gasp of a dying company then why does someone think it's bad it's collectible it's beyond me i thought this was pretty funny to be fair joe sounded like he just woke up from a nap in the batmobile also claimed no one sells data east simpsons or lethal weapon 3 now i normally don't interject my personal feelings but i mean he was coming out swinging and flexing hard data east gnr sells for more than the current model of J.J.P., maybe the standard he was talking about. Just a reminder, Mr. Kamikow's highest charting game was the original GNR at 63 and Cactus Canyon at 48. If we use the bad is collectible argument and low production numbers theory, why doesn't Viper night driving sell for like 10 grand? I guess trending up, Zach, is Viper, Simpsons, and anything Data East. Back to you guys. Hi, this is Ken Rudberg with your Jersey Jack update. With Stern's announcement of the Insider Connected platform last week, it might be a good time to consider the current state of internet-connected pinball machines. I've reported in the past on Jersey Jack's integration with Scorebit, which is another approach to online connectivity. Both systems allow players to track scores, look at leaderboards, and complete challenges. They also allow operators to better keep tabs on their machines. They both require additional hardware and or software for the machines, as well as signing up for accounts with the respective companies. One key difference is that Scorebit allows virtually any solid-state game to be connected, including the most recent offerings from Spooky and Jersey Jack Pinball, which has the functionality integrated in all new releases. Stern Insider Connected is only available on current and future Spike 2 games. Some current Scorebit fans and Jersey Jack pinball owners are not excited about the appearance of a new platform, as it will potentially fragment the player base and require multiple apps to track scores. Which platform, if either, will come out on top remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to see if two systems can survive within this niche hobby. Once again, it appears to be Jersey Jack Pinball vs. Stern in a battle for your pinball attention and dollars For the Pinball Show this has been Ken Rudberg Hey this is Kaz with an update on American Pinball Michael Grant and Josh Kugler joined Jack Danger streaming Houdini on the Deadflip Twitch channel this past week. There's some updates to the game, and it also introduced an all-new co-op team play mode. They also mentioned that Oktoberfest and Hot Wheels will also receive new updates to include the co-op mode as well. There's going to be some more streams to come in the upcoming weeks. And also, David Fix was a guest on the latest Pinball News and Pinball Magazine podcast. He talked a whole lot about game number four. They want to reveal that sometime either in late September, early October to have the games ready for Pinball Expo. Hopefully, even to have games available for sale by Expo. He also mentioned that American Pinball has four games in development. He talks a lot about licensing and has a lot of info on Pinball Expo. so I hope everybody has a great week has fun playing pinball for the pinball show this is Brian Cosner Hi and welcome to this week's SHIT update with Dr John on the pinball show so our hates this week is going to be a little substitute from Haggis to Homepin with the announcement of their release of their next title for worldwide distribution and that of course being Spinal Tap this is based on the movie of the same name this is spinal tap which is a bit of a cult classic loved by some and unknown by others i had a chat with mike out of taiwan a bit of a disclaimer there's been some controversy with mike in the past and i addressed this with him but in this chat i really wanted to focus on the pinball machine to let people know what to look forward If you can see, the numbers all go to 11. Look, right across the board. 11, 11, 11. And most of the amps go up to 10. Exactly. Good morning, Mark. Congratulations on the announcement of your next title. Thanks very much. It's been a long, hard slog to secure the licence. It's a lot more tricky and difficult to secure licences, well-known licences such as Spinal Tap, than some people might realise. So we're happy to finally be there where we've got the license and we've developed the machine and all's looking pretty positive at the moment. Now, I know you're not keen to talk about who designed it or who's doing the rules for the game, but can you tell us anything about the design progress as the game went into development? It wasn't designed by one person, by the way. It was designed by several of the team, including myself. So, okay, I'll put my hand up if you like. We started by designing things that were specifically Spinal Tap, things that spoke Spinal Tap before we even considered any form of layout, such as an exploding drummer, that's a given with Spinal Tap, and getting trapped in a pod and going backstage and all these types of things. We had a big long list when we brainstormed all of this very early in the piece and came up with some key things that we decided needed to be mechanisms because they just screamed Spinal Tap. That was where we started. but i do have to ask was there much of an overlap between the designer of thunderbirds and the designer of this game oh not so much uh one of the guys had a little bit to say about thunderbirds but it was more along the lines of oh i guess it was closer with liaising with artwork and stuff more so than design work really we know we made a lot of mistakes with thunderbirds and uh it was our first machine you know everybody has to start somewhere people companies like stern for example were very fortunate They started a long long long time ago when they could build electromechanical machines that were so basic it not funny and advanced through to solid machines They were able to grow the business over many, many, many years and introduce new mechanisms over time as the machines became more and more complicated. We were thrown in at the deep end from day one having to come out with a medieval madness beater as our first game, and that just was never going to happen. That's just too much of an ask. And can you discuss the operating system of the game? What sort of board sets it using? What sort of displays and features has it got? I'm pleased to say it's an extension of one of our commercial machines that we made for Porsche. And it has an orange DMD and a 27-inch LCD, both. It's the first pinball machine, as far as I'm aware. Well, Porsche would be the first. This would be the second that has both. basically the dmd looks after the scoring and the uh and the players and so on and interesting uh animations that fit with with marshall marshall amplification are on board we have a license with them as well so the display fills that little void there while the 27 inch monitor at the top which i'm not a fan of by the way just for the record shows various clips our spinal tap license is only for the movie and associated posters and things for the movie this is spinal tap it's not for anything prior that they did, it's not for anything more recent, it's only for that movie. So we can show clips from the movie, we can use anything at all we like from the movie and that's where we're taking advantage of the monitor to show clips as it's appropriate with the gameplay. And when do you expect the world will see images of the game or some gameplay, that sort of thing? We'll probably release some cabinet images in another couple of months when we're starting to sort of push them out the door. We've already got quite substantial advance orders from our agents. I'm going to leave it up to the agents to deal with the actual release of machines, as in showing gameplay and play field shots and things. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to leave it entirely in their hands. I'm happy to show the cabinet and our art, which is quite spectacular, I think, but others will probably judge that. One thing I can say, if you're a tournament player and you love deep rule sets, do not buy one of these machines because that's not what we do. If you want something like that, you better go and buy something else because our game is a very straightforward, simple game and we're not interested in getting involved in stuff that's 10 mile deep in rules. I asked Mark about expected pricing for the game and he explained with the current costs of materials, being as much as 50% more than they were, it's a bit hard to put a direct price on the game and he's going to leave final pricing up to the distributors once he works out the costs for transport and tax, etc. I also asked about is there a limit to the numbers of games and anticipating being able to build around 20 a month with a three-year license, so it'll depend on the demand for the game on how many final games are constructed. There will only be one model with no special editions or limited editions or collected editions, but there will be availability for addition of a shaker motor and importantly for Zach, a motorized smoking topper which will be available for separate purchase as well. So that's it for this week, all about Spinal Tap. Hope you learned something and we'll see in a couple of months what the game looks like. Catch you all next week. Thank you.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 4f35f5b4-03f5-4e4e-82fb-31841c36c7c1*