# Episode 1153: "Kaneda Doesn't Like Spooky's Beetlejuice Show Game #...But It Won't Change a Thing"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-10-28  
**Duration:** 25m 46s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1153-but-142251829

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## Analysis

Kaneda discusses Spooky Pinball's Beetlejuice reveal (Nov 14, 2025), which has sold out its 999-unit allocation before official announcement. He reveals an exclusive detail: 80 additional show games will be produced (1,079 total), which he criticizes as diluting limited-edition exclusivity. Kaneda argues this reflects broader market dynamics where boutique manufacturers (Spooky, Jersey Jack, Barrels) are now outpacing Stern Pinball in collector excitement, and predicts secondary market prices will reach $15,000-18,000 due to extreme demand.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Beetlejuice is already sold out (all 999 units) before November 14 reveal — _Kaneda states this directly and multiple times; confirmed by Luke from Spooky in conversation_
- [HIGH] 80 show games will be produced on top of 999 numbered units (1,079 total Beetlejuice machines) — _Kaneda presents this as exclusive information directly confirmed by Luke from Spooky Pinball_
- [MEDIUM] Winchester Mystery House sold 525 units in two days — _Kaneda cites this as market indicator but does not specify source verification_
- [MEDIUM] Harry Potter CE production reached approximately 3,000 units, diminishing collectibility — _Kaneda estimates based on market observation; stated as 'I think the number might be somewhere around 3,000'_
- [LOW] Stern Pinball owners have been fiscal losers over 12 years of supporting the brand — _Kaneda's opinion based on secondary market value retention vs boutique manufacturers_
- [MEDIUM] Stern does not produce show games in significant quantities like boutiques do — _Kaneda states Stern makes 'maybe one or two' show games sent to distros, unlike Spooky's 80_
- [MEDIUM] Secondary market Beetlejuice prices will reach $15,000-18,000 or higher — _Kaneda prediction based on demand analysis; not verified_
- [MEDIUM] Evil Dead took months to sell its full 888-unit run before becoming collectible — _Kaneda's market observation; timeline not precisely verified_

### Notable Quotes

> "I'm starting to see panic. I'm starting to see fear. I'm starting to see anxiety. I'm seeing excitement. I'm seeing grown men who are going to be told they can't have something. This is the best part of FOMO."
> — **Kaneda**, ~2:30
> _Sets tone for episode; explains why Beetlejuice's scarcity creates community frenzy_

> "You've got the biggest pinball company in the world making some of the most mediocre pinball machines ever in Stern Pinball. I think people are bored not just with Star Wars. I think they're bored with Stern's overall approach."
> — **Kaneda**, ~5:00
> _Direct criticism of Stern's market position and why boutiques are winning_

> "The total number of Beetlejuice show games... there's going to be 80 of them. 80. Now that's a lot. I think it's a high number to me."
> — **Kaneda**, ~18:00
> _Exclusive reveal of production details; Kaneda's skepticism of decision_

> "If Ferrari makes 100 Limited Edition versions of a new car that everybody wants, they only make 100. They don't send to each Ferrari dealership a car so people can test drive it... it just dilutes the specialness."
> — **Kaneda**, ~20:00
> _Articulates core critique of show game practice using luxury goods analogy_

> "What I would do if I were them... charge $1,000 for a guarantee to buy the next three games. You have first dibs. That $1,000 is non-refundable."
> — **Kaneda**, ~52:00
> _Business strategy recommendation for Spooky to capture secondary market demand legitimately_

> "I think it's a three-horse race now where the excitement lies... Jersey Jack Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and Barrels of Fun. Nobody is saying Stern anywhere. Nobody. And they've got no way out."
> — **Kaneda**, ~55:00
> _Market positioning statement; declares Stern effectively defeated in collector segment_

> "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. And there's no greater example of that than Stern Pinball. Everything they could have done, they did do for the worse."
> — **Kaneda**, ~48:00
> _Philosophical critique of Stern's pricing/production decisions as self-destructive_

> "That's a sign of a healthy product. It's a sign of a healthy brand and it's a sign of a healthy collector base."
> — **Luke (Spooky Pinball)**, ~37:00
> _Luke's acceptance of secondary market scalping; contrasts with community complaints_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Beetlejuice | game | Spooky Pinball limited edition (999 units + 80 show games = 1,079 total) releasing November 14, 2025; already sold out pre-reveal; $9,999 MSRP |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer positioned as market leader alongside Jersey Jack; navigating unprecedented demand for Beetlejuice; confirmed 80 show game production |
| Stern Pinball | company | Criticized by Kaneda as producing 'mediocre' games; losing collector mindshare to boutiques; secondary market value retention poor; Star Wars game underperforming |
| Luke | person | Spooky Pinball representative; provided exclusive show game numbers to Kaneda; defended secondary market scalping as healthy market signal |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; 1,150+ episodes on pinball; has 5 Beetlejuice allocations; claims Spooky gave him game #999 (last numbered unit); advocates for free market dynamics |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Positioned as strong competitor with Harry Potter success; ~3,000 CE units produced, limiting collectibility per Kaneda |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Newly elevated to 'three-horse race' of exciting manufacturers; produces Winchester Mystery House (525 units in 2 days per Kaneda) |
| Winchester Mystery House | game | Barrels of Fun release; Kaneda reports 525 units sold in two days; generating significant collector excitement |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball premium game; ~3,000 CE units produced; one of biggest IPs in pinball; high sales volume reduced secondary market value per Kaneda |
| Evil Dead | game | Spooky Pinball release (888 units); took months to sell out; became collectible post-depletion; features extensive mechs and Christopher Franchi artwork |
| King Kong | game | Keith Elwin design; Kaneda criticizes it for underperforming market expectations vs Evil Dead |
| Star Wars | game | Stern Pinball release; criticized for poor design and collector disinterest; exemplifies Stern's market decline |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Artist/designer of Evil Dead playfield art; praised for detail and quality work |
| Marco Specialties | company | Distribution/parts supplier; previously reported on show game practices in pinball industry |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Developing Back to the Future; positioned as future competitor once title releases |
| Keith Elwin | person | Designer of King Kong; Kaneda suggests game failed to meet collector expectations |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Beetlejuice pre-release sold-out status and show game allocation, Boutique manufacturer market dominance vs Stern Pinball decline, Secondary market scalping, FOMO, and free market pricing dynamics, Limited edition production numbers and collectibility dilution
- **Secondary:** Comparison of Harry Potter, Evil Dead, and Winchester Mystery House market performance, Spooky Pinball's growth trajectory and future strategy recommendations, Community backlash predictions and Kaneda's personal allocations, Dealer/distributor inventory practices and show game accountability

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.62) — Kaneda is enthusiastic about Spooky's success and Beetlejuice's market position (positive) but critical of the show game decision, Stern's failures, and anticipates community conflict (negative). He oscillates between celebration of free market dynamics and frustration with collector behavior.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Show game practice (80 units beyond 999) dilutes limited-edition collectibility; Kaneda criticizes as departure from stated scarcity promise (confidence: high) — Kaneda exclusive: Luke confirmed 80 show games; Kaneda explicitly stated dissatisfaction with practice
- **[business_signal]** Spooky Pinball confident in size, production rate, and collector demand; no growth pressure; Luke stated Luke rejects secondary market value capture strategy (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's statement of confidence in Luke; Spooky's stated position on secondary market profit avoidance
- **[community_signal]** Kaneda revealing exclusive show game numbers and leveraging insider access; has 5 Beetlejuice allocations and game #999; audience demands fairness in allocation (confidence: high) — Kaneda's stated allocations; listeners requesting priority based on Patreon contribution levels; Kaneda declining to establish pay-to-play precedent
- **[sentiment_shift]** Anticipated post-reveal backlash from collectors locked out of Beetlejuice; secondary market scalping expected at $5k+ markups; Kaneda advocates for normalized ADM pricing (confidence: high) — Kaneda predicts 'anger all at the same time' and 'complaining'; dealer show game inventory already being sold as speculative purchases
- **[competitive_signal]** Three-horse race declared: Jersey Jack, Spooky, and Barrels of Fun as exciting manufacturers; Stern positioned as effectively out of competition for collectors (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's direct statement; market data on sales velocity and secondary value retention
- **[design_philosophy]** Evil Dead praised for mechanical depth ('way more going on mechanically... than Harry Potter') and Christopher Franchi artwork quality; King Kong criticized as underperforming theme (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's comparative analysis of Evil Dead vs Harry Potter mech complexity; King Kong market disappointment
- **[market_signal]** Winchester Mystery House (Barrels) sold 525 units in 2 days; significantly outpaced King Kong and Dune in excitement velocity (confidence: medium) — Kaneda cites this as market indicator of collector demand shift toward boutiques
- **[market_signal]** Beetlejuice sold out (999 units) before official reveal; 80 show games added (1,079 total); secondary market prices predicted at $15k-18k within days (confidence: high) — Kaneda exclusive confirmation from Luke; pre-order cutoff documented; demand estimates based on dealer feedback
- **[market_signal]** Beetlejuice $9,999 MSRP expected to appreciate to $15k-18k secondary market overnight; Kaneda argues this validates Spooky's pricing vs Stern's margin compression (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's secondary market prediction based on demand analysis; contrasts with Stern LEs depreciating
- **[product_strategy]** Boutique limited edition strategy (finite runs, scarcity messaging) outperforming Stern's unlimited-run strategy; Evil Dead/Beetlejuice demand vs Star Wars collector rejection (confidence: high) — Kaneda's comparative analysis of Harry Potter CE saturation vs Beetlejuice exclusivity vs Stern price depreciation
- **[sentiment_shift]** Collector community shifting away from Stern Pinball toward boutiques (Spooky, Jersey Jack, Barrels); boredom with Stern's design philosophy and unlimited-run model (confidence: high) — Kaneda's market assessment; Winchester Mystery House 525-unit 2-day sell vs King Kong/Dune underperformance; Stern LEs losing secondary value
- **[business_signal]** Spooky Pinball maintaining premium pricing and collector trust; Luke stated no aversion to secondary market profits as 'healthy brand signal' (confidence: medium) — Luke's quoted acceptance of scalping; Kaneda's confidence in Spooky's future positioning

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## Transcript

 This is what everybody that did not listen to Kaneda is going to be singing in two weeks when they try to get a Beetlejuice. If you go, say goodbye, there'll be something missing in my life. Cause you know that all I really want is you. Welcome everybody to Canada's Pinball Podcast on three hours of sleep after watching the greatest baseball game I've ever seen. Seven hours long. Congratulations to the Dodgers. My gosh, what a game. But I'm looking not at baseball. I'm looking at Beetlejuice, baby, with a B. and I'm starting to see something happening in this hobby I haven't seen in a very long time. I'm starting to see panic. I'm starting to see fear. I'm starting to see anxiety. I'm seeing excitement. I'm seeing grown men who are going to be told they can't have something. This is the best part of FOMO. When you take grown men who have the money and you tell them, I'm sorry, but you can't have one. I am sold out. We're going to talk about something that's interesting on this episode of Canada's Pinball Podcast. I just had a great conversation with Luke for about a half hour this morning. I wanted to get some clarity around something I wanted to talk about. it is the fact that there are going to be in the pinball world there's going to be a little bit more than 999 beetle juices there's going to be some show games now they've talked about this in the past maps arcade had a story about this these games are going to be on top of the 999 now you might ask yourself what's the point of a show game if the game is sold out what's the point of a a great Zach Many featurette if the game is sold out. Now, there is no need for any marketing around this game. It is spoken for. And I've been speaking about this game now for many, many months. I've been telling people for many, many months, get on the list to get a game. And I think some people slept on that. I think some people didn't realize that I was being serious. But it's a multitude of factors that has led to this game being already sold out well before the November 14th reveal of the game. The factors are easy to understand. You've got the biggest pinball company in the world making some of the most mediocre pinball machine ever in Stern Pinball. I think people are bored not just with Star Wars. I think they're bored with Stern's overall approach. I think they're bored with Stern Games always looking the same. I think they're bored with like the art decisions. They're bored with the layouts. They're bored with a lot of what Stern is doing. And they're just very bored of losing money and these unlimited run sort of games that just don't hold any value. On the boutique front, we just got Winchester's Mystery House. Lot of excitement, right? Sold 525 games in two days. That is a great indicator of where the market is at. You've got thousands of starving collectors that haven't had anything that's made them feel special in a very long time. And you drop Winchester into the pinball world. And in two days, it does more and creates more excitement, more lines than games like King Kong, than games like Dune. You know, Harry Potter is kind of like a game that we don't talk about much, but Harry Potter did its job. Harry Potter is one of the biggest IPs in pinball. Jersey Jack made a beautiful game. Jersey Jack made a game that shoots very well. A lot of people ordered Harry Potter. A lot of people ordered Harry Potter CE. I think the number might be somewhere around 3,000 Harry Potter CEs. On top of that, you're going to get all those wizard editions and arcade editions. So it's not going to be limited. And so you set up this environment in which, well, no Harry Potter CE is really collectible because there's so many of them. And then you still sort of have this white space where a collector, Somebody that wants something a little bit different, a little bit off of the norm, doesn't really have anything anymore that truly excites them. And then you get a game like Evil Dead, right? Remember, Evil Dead did not sell out instantly. It's a game that took a while to sell all 888. It took a few months, but once they were gone and once they were spoken for, I think what happened with Evil Dead was interesting because I think people expected a lot more from Elwynn's King Kong. It never arrived. And then nobody else really came out with anything other than Harry Potter that really wowed the pinball world. And when you stood back, whether or not you liked Evil Dead as a theme or not, there's a moment I think with everybody when you stood back and you looked at Evil Dead and you saw the game and it was a wide body. There were all these mechs in it and there's so much going on. I would argue there's way more going on mechanically in Evil Dead than there is in Harry Potter. There just is. And you look at the game and franchise art and all the detail, and it just like, regardless if you like the theme or not, it just became a pin that just excited people. It was gorgeous. It was sexy. Still a little bit of an obscure theme for most people, but man, what a package, right? What an overall package. And I think that's where pinball is at now, is like we're looking for companies. to deliver an overall package that just feels special. And so here we are on the eve of Beetlejuice, one of the worst kept secrets in pinball, and they're making 999 and then a little bit more. Let's talk about this. So you don't need to market this game. It's sold out. You don't need any feature at videos. It's going to be great. Zach's going to do a great job. It's going to get people even more excited. And unfortunately for Spooky, and I told this to Luke, They are now in a position where anybody over 999 is going to be disappointed when they get excited because they can get a game Now that not true I have as an exclusive on this show the total number of show games they are going to make Now this is a number of games that is going to be on top of the 999. And I told this to Luke and I'll tell it to you. I'm not the biggest fan of this approach. I think what makes limited edition anything nice is a finite number of them. And that's it. I have one of only 999 in the world. There's something special about feeling like you own something that there's not even a thousand of. And now there's going to be more. I'm going to tell you the number in a second, but it just spoils a little bit being a member of that exclusive club because now you've made another exclusive club to the side on these show games and look for the collector out there is the show game now the super elite is no different but you know how we are like a little plaque that's different is only going to be this many of those show games and there's always going to be less show games than normal numbered games but I don't think it's really going to matter much because again I think the demand for this game is so astronomical the demand is in the thousands and so they're not going to make anywhere near what the demand for this game is not even close you know they're not even going to scratch the itch of the amount of people that are going to want this game once they see it not to mention all the newbies and rich doctors and lawyers who are going to see Zach's video or get a Beetlejuice pinball ad and then want one and then be told there's none available, that's just going to create even more and more demand for this game. So you don't need to market a game that's already sold out and yet there's going to be marketing. And so here, let me just tell you right now, here are the number of show games that are going to be built, confirmed by Luke and the crew over at Spooky. The number of Beetlejuice show games, before I give you the number, I just want to say They made a few show games for Rick and Morty. I think they made around like maybe 20 Rick and Morty show games that were outside of the 750 numbered games. Now, when they did Evil Dead, here's the thing. The recent release, the show versions of Evil Dead were part of the 888 games. What was annoying people, let's say you had Evil Dead number 500 and you went to a show and you saw a show game with the number 758 on it. And then all of a sudden you're crying like a baby because why is there a show game that is numbered later than my game and I still don't have my game yet and I could buy this show game today off the floor. So people were complaining about that. You know, look, it's just the way it works with like allocations and numbers. Like, you know, because if you're them, you've got 888 on an Excel grid and you know that like Joe Newhart's going to get game number one through 30. Zach gets game number 30 through 80, whatever it is. The show games are later in the builds and you need to bring stuff to a show. 758 goes to the show before we even get number 500 on the line. I guess that's how they were doing it. Now, here's the thing. This is going to be different. This is going to be a lot more than 20. You know, it's funny because I was talking to Luke at it, he's like, you know, we're not quite sure how many the total is going to be. And I was like, look, man, just need a number. You just need a number because what you need to do, and the reason why you need a number is the people that are collecting these things just need to know how many in total there's going to be. And as a company, what's made Spooky's Goodwill so strong is they've never made more games after they said they were never going to make more games. and I told Luke, I never want to see you guys go against your word. So it is important that you are 100% transparent and you hold your word on this number. So the total number of Beetlejuice show games, a game that is sold out that doesn't even need to market itself, there's going to be 80 of them. 80. Now that's a lot. Like it's not insignificant when you think about it. Making 80 games to take to shows around the country When this game is sold out, they're going to be making it for a year. Seems like a high number to me. And I told that to Luke. I'm not so sure I would have done so many. And I'm not even sure why there are even show games. Because the analogy I use is a car you man. If Ferrari makes 100 limited edition versions of a new car that everybody wants, they only make 100. they don't send to each Ferrari dealership a car so people can test drive it and then buy that showroom car that's on top of the 100 they said they were going to make it just dilutes the specialness of being one of only this many so now we've got in total 1079 Beetlejuices will be made in total. When I say it like that, it doesn't sound like a lot, right? It's like when you look at 80 in a vacuum, you're like, oh, 80 more games? Like, what are they doing? Like, they're totally screwing over the collectors. 1,079, does that make anybody really upset? Is that gonna change the secondhand value on any of these games? Absolutely not. Do I think the show plaque games are gonna be worth more? I don't. I just think this demand is so through the roof, and I think the dealers and the distros were coming at them hard to get a little bit more because here's what's happening already and I don't like this because if you're calling something a show game that game should have to be on the show floor and it's almost impossible for them to police it I was telling this to Luke I'm like well why don't you make it so if you give Joe Newhart, 10 show games for Allentown, which is his show, that he has to share a photo of 10 Beetlejuice machines lined up at the show, turned on for people to play. Like if you going to call it a show game require that it actually set up at a show It hard to do it because what happening already is this These dealers are selling already these show games as part of their allotment to their screaming customers that are crying that they did not get one of the 999. And so what they're being told is, look, I'm sold out of my original allotment, but I'm getting 10 show games and I can sell you one of those. And so now, you know, you've just given dealers more inventory. You've added a little bit more saturation to the number of games that are available. And look, all those show games are going to be gone anyway if they're not gone already. I don't think anyone has any spots available, whether it's a show game or not. You know, if I were a dealer, all right, if you're going to take this, take it all the way. That's my thing. If you're going to take this whole thing about demand and we need a few more, then take it all the way. What is with this like halfway? Like if your demand is through the roof and I'm going to give you a show game and I'm going to put this on the showroom floor, just like a car. Have you ever tried to buy a hot automobile off a dealership showroom floor? There is something called a market adjusted price. So my thing is this. I'd rather everybody just go all the way. If I'm going to give Joe Newhart 10 Beetlejuice games for Allentown, then Joe, just go all the way. list those games with a market adjusted price at the show. If you want one and these things are sold out, you're going to sell that game for $9,999. Why? Why? Why doesn't everyone just stop complaining about the normal market forces at play and actually just add an ADM, an adjusted markup on the game? So the show game, if you want it, a game that's been sold out now for weeks or months and you can't get your hands on one, then this game's not 999. Maybe it's got an additional three to $5,000 marked up on the game because that's what the market will bear. You know what I'm saying? Like just go all in. I love that when we get into these situations, we're all trying to be like, yeah, well, you know, everything comes with like a story and a little bit of spin. But the truth is this three to 5,000 people are going to want this game. There's 1079. And unfortunately for Spooky, what's going to happen in two weeks is they are going to upset more people than they make happy. And I feel bad for them because they're going to get a lot of complaining, a lot of moaning and groaning. And then what's going to happen is this. There are going to be people that got a spot that they were speculating a little bit, and they're going to want to sell their game for a profit. And you know what Luke said to me? He's like, that's fine. It doesn't upset me that I see people scalp our games or sell them for more money. That's a sign of a healthy product. It's a sign of a healthy brand and it's a sign of a healthy collector base. I am so tired of the babies in this hobby that when they get locked out of a game and they see someone sell it for a profit, they kick and scream like children. Whoever got that game got that game fair and square. These dealers got those show games fair and square because guess what? They do this for a living. You don't. If some content creators get a game and you didn't get one, guess what? I've done 1150 shows about pinball. I've been talking about this game for a year, telling everybody to get on a list. You think I'm on the same exact line that you're on and now you're going to whine about not getting a game. You know how many times people threaten me? They threaten me. If I ever want to sell something for more than I paid, they threaten to quit my show. I'm leaving. It's not fair. Meanwhile, they're going to go buy games from distributors and make those guys millionaires because they're getting thousands of dollars in margins on every single game. They're just drop shipping. And there's no problem with that. But I'm doing this thing every single month, the amount of hours, every single week, the amount of times, you know, I'm like not even seeing my family in the morning because I'm doing this right now for you guys. It's a free market and we should fight for the free market and we should celebrate the free market forces and we should find it fun that spooky pinball can now make a game that people would even consider spending 15 on 16 on 18 on and stop complaining. And maybe everybody needs to just like do what you got to do to get one. And look, I think spooky is in a really interesting situation right now. What I would do if I were them, I don't love the show games. I don't. I told this to Luke. I don't like it. I think it's not normal because I was like, hey, man, just show me where Stern's got like all these show games. They don't do it. They don't do it. There's like maybe one or two games they make that maybe they send out to one of their big like distros, but that's it. There's not 20 extra Stern LEs as show games. I think it's a practice that needs to stop. I told this to Luke, you know, do it this time, get past it, but don't do this. Just figure out a way where like the number of plaqued games are the only things out in the world. I don't like this sort of arbitrary additional amount. Now, I'm happy that he said 80 because I was worried about what I really was worried about was he wasn't going to say how many in total before the 14th. And then like every year, if there's like more shows and more Beetlejuices just start popping up with show game like plaques on them. And then nobody really knows how many show games are in the world. They're going to be serial numbered. We're going to know there's going to be one through 80 of those. OK, but man, it's like we're about to get to a place where everyone's going to start complaining. Everyone's going to start whining, you know, and like I've got five games. I'm sitting on five games that I want to figure out what to do with. I've got some listeners coming up to me saying, hey, because they gave more money. You know who I'm talking about? I'm not going to name names because they've contributed more money to the show that they should get one of those five. I never said that's how it works. I'm really happy for people that give a lot of money to the show who give more than most. And yeah, I do agree with what my friend said. He's like, Chris, it's ridiculous. Five dollars a month. Ridiculous for all the work you do It ridiculous this and he got a point He got a point And I not here trying to say if you increase your amount you going to get a game That not how it going to work We going to do something fun We don have to get it right away Spooky is like, Chris, you got it. I think I have game number 999. And that's going to be fun. I'm the last of the serial numbered games. But we're going to figure out what to do. We're going to see games being scalped. And I'm just telling you right now, don't lose your cool. you're going to see people asking $5,000 over a sticker for a spot. I mean, it's just the way it is. It's just the way it is. You're going to see people asking $5,000 over for a Beetlejuice spot. And you're also going to see the following. You're going to see people get it. You're going to see people get it. The amount of money in this hobby, the amount of people with money in this hobby is way greater than $999. It's just way greater than that. And the world's so damn expensive. and I think people are really going to want this. I think they're really going to want it when they see it. I think it's going to create a frenzy. And I think Spooky's biggest challenge moving forward is how do they navigate this now? They're not used to this level of FOMO and success. But in talking to Luke, I have nothing but confidence in them and confidence in the fact that they found their size. They found the amount of games they want to make a year. They found their groove and they don't feel this like pressure to grow. And they definitely are not gonna try to take as much of that secondhand value for themselves. And that is gonna be their biggest challenge is to stay true to that. Because if you're them, what you wanna see when you make this $10,000 Beetlejuice with butter cabinet and topper, $13,000, what you wanna see is them selling for 18,000. What you don't want to do is then charge $13,000 to $15,000 as a base price for the next game because you could possibly do that. It's just the way to do it. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. And there's no greater example of that than Stern Pinball. Everything they could have done, they did do for the worse. And they've turned their company into a product that has made everybody who buys from them a loser. right? A fiscal loser. And I don't care how much the gameplay is supposedly exciting you. You never lost that much money in the 12 years you supported Stern Pinball that I've been following this hobby. And now all of a sudden you're a big loser. And now all of a sudden 1,079 people are going to be lucky enough to get a Beetlejuice. And that $9,000 game or $10,000 game is going to be worth overnight 15 or more thousand dollars. It's just going to happen. You're literally going to get a 50% return on your investment that is going to be like evergreen. I think it's going to be inelastic. I don't think it's going to go away. I think the next game is going to be even better. And if I were spooky, I would do this. Remember the old fan club for 50 bucks? 50 bucks, man. You go to McDonald's, it's like 50 bucks. What I would do if I were them, knowing that there is going to be this tremendous demand for their future titles, and there's going to be. I would start a new sort of fan club that's not tiptoeing the reality of what they got. I would charge $1,000 for a guarantee to buy the next three games. I would do $1,000 to buy the next three games and you have first dibs. Now, that $1,000 is non-refundable and that $1,000 does not apply to your deposit. it is simply a thousand dollars to be a vip first online person forget the 50 bucks you know if they were to do this after seeing what happens with beetlejuice in two weeks the amount of people that would happily pay that for just the peace of mind to not have to go through what they're going to go through in two weeks because you know you all know this you're going to end up spending way more than a thousand dollars over to get this game if you didn't get one. Ladies and gentlemen, it's about to get crazy. We're going to see a level of pinball community excitement and pinball community anger all at the same time. I think we're going to see a game that I've been predicting to be the game that's going to set a new bar for a lot of people. And I think the changing of the guard is not coming. I think the changing of the guard is here. I think it's a three-horse race now where the excitement lies in all of pinball. I think it's Jersey Jack pinball. I think it's spooky pinball. And I'm going to put barrels of fun in it right now. Dutch pinball, they'll be in that race when they get back to the future going. But for now, it's like when I say what pinball company is exciting you the most, what pinball company is surprising you the most, what pinball company is giving you the best value, nobody is saying Stern anywhere. Nobody. and they've got no way out. And this game is going to bury their hole even deeper. I'm super excited for the people over at Spooky. I can't wait. I've got my popcorn ready for the 14th. And I think we might get a little bit something on Halloween. Maybe just a little bit something, a little bit more. I think I would tease a little bit. Give us something more to chew on, guys. A little bit of the cabinet artwork, the backbox, something. But, you know, Halloween, Spooky, I think it's going to be an amazing week for them. and I don't want to be in their shoes on the 14th when the dam breaks. Just sing this song as you realize you should have listened to Kaneda when I told you to get on a list months ago when it was easy to get on a list. Later. All I really want is you. Baby, I know. Say goodbye. Say goodbye. It's all for me. In my life. You should go, it's all I really want is you All I really want, all I really want is you You should go, take a bath You son of a bitch! You should go, it's all I really want is you

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 55ceee06-8f65-4491-b86e-a90435031f6f*