# Episode 1115: "My Feelings On Danger's Move and Ritchie's Next Info"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-07-22  
**Duration:** 18m 42s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1115-my-134714805

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## Analysis

John Papadiuk discusses Jack Danger's transition to Head of Community at Stern Pinball, expressing concern about losing him as a designer while acknowledging the pressures of premium game design. He reveals he has learned unreleased details about Steve Richie's next Jersey Jack Pinball game (not Fast and Furious) and praises the layout as potentially the greatest Richie has ever designed. He also offers critical assessments of various manufacturers: optimism about Jersey Jack and Spooky despite ongoing quality issues, concern about Stern's direction and whether they can sustain success, skepticism about Barrels of Fun's market positioning, and doubt about Dutch Pinball's ability to deliver Back to the Future.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jack Danger is transitioning to Head of Community at Stern Pinball but will complete one more game design before any designer departure is unclear — _John Papadiuk, direct statement about Danger's role and future at Stern_
- [HIGH] Steve Richie's next Jersey Jack Pinball game is NOT Fast and Furious, but rather a perfect theme for pinball with layout described as 'the greatest Steve Richie layout of all time' — _John Papadiuk, confidential source he is bound to secrecy about_
- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball appears to be at a crossroads and may have been seeking a buyer — _John Papadiuk speculation based on industry patterns_
- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball has not increased designer budgets or mechanical engineering department size despite raising game prices from ~$7,000 to ~$13,000 in 10 years — _John Papadiuk, commentary on industry economics_
- [MEDIUM] Harry Potter Collector's Edition is outselling the Arcade Edition significantly — _John Papadiuk, market observation from industry contacts_
- [MEDIUM] Jersey Jack Pinball has momentum and optimism, while Stern Pinball does not — _John Papadiuk, based on conversations with company representatives_
- [MEDIUM] Pokemon Pinball may be designed by Keith Elwin rather than Jack Danger — _John Papadiuk, new rumor presented without confirmation_
- [MEDIUM] Star Wars by John Borg should release in approximately six weeks — _John Papadiuk, production timeline estimate_
- [MEDIUM] Barrels of Fun (David Van) has not created sufficient demand despite industry tenure and themes like Tantrum, Labyrinth, and Dune — _John Papadiuk opinion on market positioning_
- [LOW] Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future game design fundamentally does not work mathematically or playfield-wise — _John Papadiuk speculation that the game lacks viability_

### Notable Quotes

> "I know that's how Jack thinks. When you're priorities are a little bit upside down and it's hard because you want to make your family proud and you want to work hard but you also don't want the job to kill you inside."
> — **John Papadiuk**, early segment
> _Core commentary on designer burnout and work-life balance pressures in premium pinball design_

> "The real measurement of success in life is how many days do you wake up in a good mood."
> — **John Papadiuk**, early segment
> _Personal philosophy framing the discussion of Jack Danger's role change_

> "I'm a little worried about Sam Stern pinball. I just don't know where this company goes. I feel like they're at a crossroads."
> — **John Papadiuk**, mid segment
> _Expresses significant concern about Stern Pinball's future direction and business viability_

> "I have to say I'm worried about Sam Stern pinball. They are carrying so much weight. So many people, so much expectation, so much cost."
> — **John Papadiuk**, mid segment
> _Identifies operational/financial burden as key concern for Stern's sustainability_

> "the layout of this game is the greatest Steve Ritchie layout of all time. And that it might in fact be the greatest layout and the most fun pinball game."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _High praise for unreleased Jersey Jack Pinball game by Steve Richie under confidentiality agreement_

> "Jersey Jack Pinball is a company with the wind behind its sails. It's a company with some momentum."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _Positive sentiment on JJP's current market position and outlook_

> "I don't look at Harry Potter and say they nailed it on every level. I don't. But they giving you enough."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _Qualified praise for Harry Potter despite acknowledging imperfections_

> "I'm not sold that David Van Earthshaker knows what the pinball buying community wants. I'm not sold on it."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _Critical assessment of Barrels of Fun's market fit and leadership_

> "I feel super excited about Spooky Pinball. Absolutely. I feel like everybody feels super excited about them."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _Strong confidence in Spooky Pinball as manufacturer with community support_

> "It doesn't even work on the table. It doesn't work when you try to do the math. So what's going to happen when they get thousands of orders? They're just going to collapse under those holes."
> — **John Papadiuk**, late segment
> _Severe skepticism about Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future viability_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jack Danger | person | Stern Pinball designer transitioning to Head of Community; known for designing Foo Fighters and X-Men; discussion centers on career transition pressures and designer burnout |
| John Papadiuk | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; industry insider with confidential access to unreleased game information; commentary on manufacturer health and market dynamics |
| Steve Richie | person | Jersey Jack Pinball designer with unreleased next game featuring praised layout; subject of confidentiality agreement regarding game details |
| Gary Stern | person | Referenced as 'Sam Stern' in podcast (likely transcription error); head of Stern Pinball facing pressures and crossroads decisions |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball CCO; mentioned regarding succession planning and next-in-line leadership consideration |
| Keith Elwin | person | Stern Pinball designer rumored to be designing Pokémon Pinball rather than Jack Danger; discussed as potential successor to George Gomez |
| John Borg | person | Stern Pinball designer working on Star Wars game expected in ~6 weeks |
| Brian Eddy | person | Stern Pinball designer being groomed as potential successor to George Gomez |
| David Van | person | Barrels of Fun founder/designer; criticized for not creating sufficient market demand despite industry tenure |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer facing crossroads; may have sought buyer; carrying operational/financial weight; product pricing increased without design budget increases |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer with positive momentum; Harry Potter success driving CE sales; upcoming Steve Richie game; identified as company with 'wind at sails' |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer receiving enthusiastic community and media support; positive sentiment across industry |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Manufacturer criticized for not creating market demand; themes include Tantrum, Labyrinth, Dune |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Developer of Back to the Future game; facing severe skepticism about design viability and ability to handle production volume |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; huge commercial success; CE edition outselling Arcade edition; acknowledged as not 'nailed on every level' but delivery sufficient |
| Foo Fighters | game | Stern Pinball game designed by Jack Danger; praised as incredible design example |
| X-Men | game | Stern Pinball game designed by Jack Danger; described as very creative with incredible design |
| Pokémon | game | Unreleased Stern Pinball game; rumor that Keith Elwin may be designer rather than Jack Danger |
| Star Wars | game | Stern Pinball game by John Borg expected to release in approximately 6 weeks |
| Iron Man | game | Stern Pinball game rumored for fall release |
| Back to the Future | game | Dutch Pinball game in development; criticized as fundamentally unworkable in design and mathematics |
| Guns N' Roses | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; referenced for requiring 35 patches and having high licensing costs vs. Harry Potter |
| Tantrum | game | Barrels of Fun game; example of themes that haven't created sufficient market demand |
| Labyrinth | game | Barrels of Fun game; example of themes that haven't created sufficient market demand |
| Dune | game | Barrels of Fun game; example of themes that haven't created sufficient market demand |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Jack Danger's career transition to Head of Community at Stern Pinball, Designer burnout and pressures in premium pinball game design, Unreleased Steve Richie Jersey Jack Pinball game (confidential intel), Stern Pinball's business viability and strategic direction, Manufacturer comparative performance and market momentum
- **Secondary:** Pokémon Pinball designer assignment (Jack Danger vs. Keith Elwin), Harry Potter commercial success and edition preference, Stern Pinball succession planning and leadership transitions

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (-0.15) — Papadiuk expresses significant concern about Stern Pinball's future and criticisms of several manufacturers (Dutch, Barrels of Fun), tempered by enthusiasm for Jersey Jack Pinball's momentum and Spooky Pinball's trajectory. Nuanced respect for Jack Danger as designer paired with worry about his burnout and role change. Overall tone leans skeptical about industry health despite pockets of optimism.

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Jack Danger transitions from game designer to Head of Community at Stern Pinball, continuing one more design project before potential designer departure (confidence: high) — Direct statement by Papadiuk: 'They are insinuating that he is going to finish design on one More game, but it doesn't say he's going to stay on as a game designer'
- **[machine_intel]** Steve Richie's next Jersey Jack Pinball game is NOT Fast and Furious; confirmed under confidentiality agreement to feature 'greatest Richie layout of all time' with perfect pinball theme (confidence: high) — Papadiuk: 'I now know definitively this is not Steve Ritchie's next game... But what I did hear was this, that the layout of this game is the greatest Steve Ritchie layout of all time'
- **[design_philosophy]** Premium pinball game design creates significant psychological and professional pressure on designers due to high costs, community expectations, and lack of budget increases relative to game pricing (confidence: high) — Papadiuk: 'The game is a brutal community... you're priorities are a little bit upside down... the job to kill you inside'
- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball appears to be at strategic crossroads with possible buyer search; carrying excessive operational weight and unclear future direction (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'I do feel like they were trying to find a buyer... I feel like they're at a crossroads... I'm not sure the next five years look amazing for Sam Stern pinball'
- **[market_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball showing positive momentum with optimistic company culture; Stern Pinball showing no comparable optimism; Spooky Pinball receiving enthusiastic community support (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'Jersey Jack Pinball is a company with the wind behind its sails' vs 'I don't feel the same way about Sam Stern'
- **[product_concern]** Jersey Jack Pinball games requiring excessive post-launch code patches; Guns N' Roses required 35+ patches indicating incomplete development at launch (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'You don't need 35 patches in Guns N' Roses. You don't need 96 modes over here. They have some work to do'
- **[competitive_signal]** Risk of losing key designers like Jack Danger and Keith Elwin to competitors if Stern Pinball cannot resolve operational/financial pressures; succession planning uncertain (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'I think Sam Stern is in jeopardy if someone like Keith Elwin leaves and goes to a competitor. If Jack Danger leaves and goes to a competitor'
- **[product_strategy]** Harry Potter Collector's Edition significantly outselling Arcade Edition; CE driving revenue preference over lower-margin offerings (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'the CE is far outselling the arcade edition. Nobody wants the arcade edition'
- **[rumor_hype]** New rumor suggests Keith Elwin, not Jack Danger, may be designing upcoming Pokémon Pinball game (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'The new rumor is it Keith Elwin' [designing Pokemon rather than Jack Danger]
- **[product_concern]** Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future game is reported to be fundamentally unworkable both mechanically and mathematically, raising questions about production and delivery capability (confidence: low) — Papadiuk: 'It doesn't work. It doesn't even work on the table. It doesn't work when you try to do the math. So what's going to happen when they get thousands of orders? They're just going to collapse'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Significant shift in Papadiuk's confidence in Stern Pinball's future vs. Jersey Jack Pinball; negative outlook on Stern despite historical success (confidence: high) — Papadiuk: contrast between 'I don't feel the same way about Sam Stern' and 'Jersey Jack Pinball is a company with the wind behind its sails'
- **[industry_signal]** Pinball game prices have increased ~100% over 10 years (~$7K to ~$13K) while designer budgets and mechanical engineering resources have not proportionally increased, creating designer compensation and expectations misalignment (confidence: medium) — Papadiuk: 'Sam Stern hasn't doubled the size of the mechanical engineering department and yet the price is almost double what it used to be'

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## Transcript

 Welcome everybody to Kenaidus Pinball Podcast. Thank you for being patient with Kenaida. I just got back from Austin, Texas. I got back at 2.30 in the morning. I'm pretty exhausteded but that never keeps me away from the mic. So what do we got going on in pinball? So I've learned some information about the next game from Jersey Jack Pinball and I'm glad I did some digging around because it is not the theme I thought it was. So I will confirm for you what it is not on this episode of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast and this is how it's going to go. Because we're going to have Harry Potter on the line for like the next year The Week in Pinball, Tim Pneumonic, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, translite Right? What does this mean for the future of Jack Danger? They are insinuating that he is going to finish design on one more game, but it doesn't say he's going to stay on as a game designer. Now you know me, I think Jack Danger is one of the greatest pinball designers in the world. Foo Fighters and X-Men are incredible designs, very creative, and I don't think anybody out there wants Jack Danger to stop designing games. But clearly,影片, envisioned What he lovessoMuchAboutPinball, which for the most part was always streaming pinball machines and playing pinball machines and being a pinball content entertainer and creator. Now I would hate to lose Jack as a designer. I don't know why he can't do both. Now I don't know how much energy it takes to design a pinball machine. I bet it takes a lot and it's not just the energy to design it. It is the armor you need to wear The game is a brutal community because you don't want to let anybody down and there's so much expectations with every game and when you love the community so much and you love pinball so much and you're putting everything you can every single day your mind is bent on making the best possible pinball machine. I know that's how Jack Wsome pictures Dotism 니 BBQ, Grhtائnhśicional MTV, Surety Food CountRY, ne bureaucnicj즉r Méxicočń, Nice, Jeyrしかj, stretch좉忘rywé, Impすそれは jbēzabla mẹ Cho er Wacağım and Symحせł and nat frase market Nous n it You're priorities are a little bit upside down and it's hard because you want to make your family proud and you want to work hard but you also don't want the job to kill you inside. Because you know that what I always say is true. The real measurement of success in life is how many days do you wake up in a good mood. Now on paper being a pinball designer for someone like jack you would think would make him wake up in a good mood every day. But then you get really close to the sun You get the job at Stern You got to spend all these hours designing a game You got this coder in Wison who doing his thing and it not working out You had to rush your game to market and because you had to rush it to market you didn't have enough time to catch all the potential issues with your very ambitious creative design. And then there's no going back. You're kind of stuck. They forced you to play your hand early and it's stressful and he probably felt a little bit like this is unfair. Namely sexy pink qualcosa in their lower case, logo andailed tah ind oneself theat kilo.comig Vamos a pista Grunberg and Solaire Square ContinentalStoryVan.org The Pinball Company Jack In Front of everything I would have jack launch every single stern machine. You know they've made a lot of really bad launch videos stern They've had other people make videos where they look like it's painting them just to play the game So I think jack is a great ambassador for pinball, but I'm a little worried about stern I have to say I'm worried about stern pinball. I just don't know where this company goes I feel like they're at a crossroads. I do feel like they were trying to find a buyer. I do feel like they're not really sure now if their own formula is going to lead them into the next five years in a successful way. I think Stern has been very successful the last 10 years, but now I think a lot of major, major variables have caught up to them and I'm not sure they really know how to move forward. Foward with the amount of weight that company is carrying, and I think that's the key. They are carrying so much weight. So many people, so much expectation, so much cost. I'm not sure the next five years look amazing for Stern pinball. And they're in jeopardy if someone like Keith Elwin leaves and goes to a competitor. If jack Danger leaves and goes to a competitor because think about it it does feel like they're grooming maybe Brian Eddy to take over from George Gomez who is the next in line is it gonna be Keith Elwin does he want that kind of managerial role I'm not sure he does and I think these designers now they are under so much pressure to deliver a game that's worthy of being this much money that all of a sudden it's just not enjoyable I don't want the pressure of having to sell you a $13,000 game when Stern hasn't increased the bomb for us designers Stern hasn't doubled the size of the mechanical engineering department and yet the price is almost double what it used to be for these le machines and that's just in a 10-year period and I think Jack just wants to get back to doing what he loves now if he is head of Stern community he's not going to be Stringing competitor games that never made sense to me that if you're now working at Stern you can't test drive and help other companies sell their products it just doesn't work that way good news is stern has so many products for jack to be the ambassador for they've got three cornerstones a year they've got remakes and it's not just what's on the line now it's always fun having jack danger play games from the last 20 years of stern Timbal and introducing a whole new crowd to those great games and having him play and walk you through the game Nobody does it better than Jack Danger I still think it not a demotion but I think it feels like now Stern not going to get the best out of Jack They not He an amazing designer I want to see where his designs keep going Now what does this mean about his next game Is he working on Pokemon or is it Keith Elwin The new rumor is it Keith Elwin So we got John Borg Star Wars next We should see that in about a month and a half Then we gonna get Pokemon and somewhere in the fall we probably gonna get ik im�cz Discord CreditW Pope화 Morris.com The Week in Pinball, Johnny Pneumonic, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteelectronic panel in backbox that is backlit during playelectronic Game of Thrones unint and head over there to see our Fridayствен adapted debate with LLC", where we will all do several sideshows when we come back for more sits. See you next week. comments from this week producers have been using the hashtag the pinball for years jersey jack, jersey jack's also had its issues over the years, but the games are finally shooting much better. The games look way better than Stern machines. There's way more you can do on the screen. It's just a prettier machine. It is a machine that feels more of the time. It is a machine that feels like it justifies more of these prices. Now, I thought I knew what Steve Ritchie's game was. And the title I thought it was. And they might have this license. I'm not sure but I now know definitively this is not Steve Ritchie's next game and what I thought it was and I was worried it was going to be another avatar I thought it was going to be fast and the furious and I thought he was going to make like his new version of high speed and it was going to be based on the fast and the furious movie franchise and much like avatar multi-billion dollar franchise but I'm not sure that people want to own it as a pinball game. And so I'm here to tell you it is not that. Now, I also do know what it is. And I can't say because I swore to secrecy and I learned it in a very intimate and personal way. But what I did hear was this, that the layout of this game is the greatest Steve Ritchie layout of all time. And that it might in fact be the greatest layout and the most fun pinball Stoicση��� Kalachko doubtsajdfgdnksdajjs darnnavstntxkmNogex paljon clickskfc. insiderWh estn't artifactthe fifthXxkso46x segundos.s gazexxjbngxd. 국 Tomryi Cit hal gateskijkawnksdclujasbsdiskuh English nams police king browser I flew to Taipei from Chinese моей dasa, あrafah1ее boравляj', VNADMNatοι ev bow Sayascha, in tackling at Forest indigeneane Gopồbread Namsy too фrage, Annus까 Workudες Casa Lontario yEhìngé vny們 geschέeptłöll. Ah menýbe suppose bahtsžčdčajšeškastkey investigation This is a perfect theme for pinball for all of the obvious reasons when you see it. And I don't think we're going to see it anytime soon. So like, I don't think we need to talk about it every week. I don't think it's going to diminish Harry Potter sales. But it definitely feels like Jersey Jack is a company with the wind behind its sails. It's a company with some momentum. It's a company when I talk to the people over there, there's a level of optimism they have that I'm not feeling when I'm talking to them. I still think JerseyJack needs to make some moves I think they need to figure out some egos and attitudes that are over there I think they need to calm down on the code I think they need to make positive changes and continue to improve their product It not just about gameplay the reason we don find those games so much fun There other issues You don need 35 patches in GNR You don need 96 modes over here They got some work to do And they can achieve it But they still got some work to do I don look at Harry Potter and say they nailed it on every level I don But they giving you enough I heard too that like the CE is far outselling the arcade edition Nobody wants suspects list of best Pinball Exработ skills Conclusion hit the laughs go away, retουμε relate to the So maybe the margin is better, but probably not because I think Slash gave them everything and didn't make them pay extra. So I bet the margin on GNR is better than the margin on Harry Potter because it's a much more expensive license. But JerseyJack is a company where I'm excited to see what's around the corner. I don't feel the same way about Stern. It's just something going on over there. I just feel like Stern bit off more than they can chew and they're trying to find a way out of their own quagmire. I feel super excited about spooky Pinball. Absolutely. I feel like everybody feels super excited about them. I don't feel super excited about barrels of fun. I'm not sold that David David Van Es knows what the pinball buying community wants. I'm not sold on it. I'll be sold on it when he drops a theme that people really want. Tantrum, Labrinth, and Dune are not that. So I get they're working hard, I get they're making games, but they haven't created the kind of demand they should for people that have been in the industry as long as they have. I don't know about Dutch Pinball. I don't know how they're going to make Back to the Future. It doesn't work. It doesn't even work on paper. It doesn't work when you try to do the math. So what's going to happen when they get thousands of orders? They're just going to collapse under those Pro holes��Content Only on Ayodeplay, Pasu questionscenes�� Scan titles bombs McCarthyQ reservation considerations War and Pawn RCOME proch coisa yƒ heelselijkづqè Lingŭnžił sano exacer mŵ� уже보žŽšогодermŭ้ Zielрьţŝź ŁγŽŠŠŠŠnŅ ethnicityņ� glowųŸťşŭŭŮţŬŭżŭţũŲŭŖŨŝŦŸőũŁŒũŨ� sürũŻŭŲŭũŨţŭ� rac què That's the key. Everybody thank you for being a member of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. Thank you for being patient with me. I usually have two to three shows a week. I'm a little off schedule. I'm gonna get back, but I hope you're having fun. I'm having fun. A lot's gonna happen over the next couple months and I'm gonna be here to talk about it. Kaneda out. Tentardisc intelektual, and at impulse Sis myth expanderea Modern officers, dia Dire危 κρorman α Jungkookor yukkuri

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 560951ae-38d5-4ccd-af44-6f92c4398f9e*