# Episode 1146: "Stern Looks Outside To Fix Its Issues Inside"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-10-10  
**Duration:** 25m 57s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1146-to-140901253

---

## Analysis

Kaneda critiques Stern Pinball's management strategy of hiring outside consultants to boost sales, arguing that the real issue is product quality and community understanding, not marketing spend. He discusses internal restructuring (Eric Gilley's role, John Buscaglia's move to Europe, Seth's leadership), quality issues with Predator and Medieval Madness releases, and predicts Beetlejuice will revitalize the market while existing Stern LEs lose collector appeal.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Seth is bringing in an outside company to run Stern Sales North America and asking John Buscaglia to move to Europe to run European sales — _Kaneda reports this as recent information heard through industry sources, not officially confirmed_
- [MEDIUM] Disney has yanked licensing ability for many companies to sell pinball products in Europe, and this is why Star Wars cannot be sold in Europe — _Kaneda states 'I'm hearing that Disney has yanked a lot of people's licensing ability' - secondhand report_
- [MEDIUM] Pinball Brothers will only make approximately 200 Predator machines total before stopping production due to Disney removing their license — _Kaneda: 'I heard this rumor, they might only be making two hundred before they have to stop'_
- [HIGH] The Walking Dead Remastered will not appear at Pinball Expo 2025, likely held until after the show for a Halloween release — _Kaneda: 'We are a hundred percent not going to see anything other than Star Wars at Pinball Expo 2025'_
- [MEDIUM] Beetlejuice will become a highly sought-after collector item, potentially selling for $15,000-$18,000+ on the secondary market — _Kaneda's speculation based on Evil Dead pricing and theme popularity; stated as prediction_
- [MEDIUM] Chicago Gaming Company has quality control issues with Medieval Madness Merlin editions, inconsistent across units — _Kaneda reports 'mixed bag of quality issues' but notes this is atypical for Chicago Gaming Company_
- [HIGH] Predator machines have a manufacturing defect where the lockdown bar rubs against decals, causing scratching and wrinkling — _Kaneda provides specific technical description: 'It is rubbing against the decals and it is causing those decals to scratch and wrinkle'_
- [HIGH] The secondary market for Stern LE machines has collapsed; collector appeal and 'flex' value has disappeared — _Kaneda: 'Nobody wants to buy your used game for these prices anymore' and extensive secondary market analysis throughout episode_

### Notable Quotes

> "The answer is in the past. The answer is what made Stern as big as Stern is today... The only way to grow this hobby is to make amazing products."
> — **Kaneda**, early segment
> _Core thesis: product quality, not marketing spend or outside consultants, drives pinball sales_

> "You can't make a mediocre Star Wars and then spend a lot of money marketing it and expect a lot more of them to be sold."
> — **Kaneda**, early-mid segment
> _Specific criticism of Stern's current Star Wars game and marketing strategy mismatch_

> "If Keith Elwin or Jack Danger left, that would just be like a kill shot. Like that would just telegraph that this company can't hold on to the very people that are really keeping this company an exciting entity."
> — **Kaneda**, mid segment
> _Identifies key creative talent as critical to Stern's reputation; implies risk of departure_

> "These are the people that think that Stern is a lifestyle brand... You are a pinball machine. And of course, we will buy t-shirts, but here's the deal. They don't even make good t-shirts."
> — **Kaneda**, mid segment
> _Critiques Seth's new hires' merchandise strategy as delusional; commentary on company direction_

> "I just don't care anymore to hear Stern Pinball interview itself... What is happening over there?"
> — **Kaneda**, mid-late segment
> _Expresses frustration with Stern's self-moderated panels at Expo; calls for transparency_

> "The entire collector base, there's no flexing anywhere anymore. Nowhere. And I think Beetlejuice will bring back the FOMO and sell out instantly."
> — **Kaneda**, late segment
> _Prediction of market reset; identifies Beetlejuice as turning point for collector interest_

> "This hobby hasn't grown over the last three years. It's shrunk. And the boutique companies are about to eat Stern's lunch."
> — **Kaneda**, late segment
> _Market prediction: shift in power from Stern to boutique manufacturers_

> "Elton John's CE, originally fifteen, is now closer to really an eleven thousand to eleven thousand five hundred dollar game."
> — **Kaneda**, secondary market analysis
> _Concrete secondary market data showing significant depreciation of recent Stern LEs_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer facing internal restructuring, sales challenges, and reputation decline; subject of extensive criticism regarding leadership decisions and product quality |
| Eric Gilley | person | Director of Sales at Stern Pinball; reportedly dissatisfied with company direction; made social media posts about company being better 7-8 years ago; potentially being replaced by outside hire |
| Seth | person | Leadership figure at Stern (former Disney executive); bringing in outside consultancy to handle North American sales; criticized for following Disney-style business model (expensive IP, poor execution) |
| John Buscaglia | person | Currently Eric Gilley's boss at Stern; reportedly being moved to Europe to lead European sales operations |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary Stern designer; identified by Kaneda as one of only two designers keeping Stern's game lineup exciting; potential departure would be critical risk to company |
| Jack Danger | person | Stern designer; identified as one of only two creators making exciting new games; will moderate Stern panel at Pinball Expo 2025 |
| Brian Eddy | person | Stern designer; Kaneda notes his games aren't 'lighting the world on fire' compared to Elwin and Danger |
| John Borg | person | Stern designer; Kaneda notes his recent games aren't performing as well; will appear on Pinball Expo panel |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Boutique manufacturer of Predator; losing Disney license in December; production limited to ~200 units; experiencing manufacturing quality issues with decal damage |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Boutique manufacturer of Medieval Madness Merlin editions; experiencing unusual quality control inconsistencies; described as mysterious/non-communicative company |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; Abbas family backing; Kaneda predicts they will create more fun-to-play games than recent Stern offerings |
| Disney | company | IP licensor; reportedly restricting European pinball sales licenses; removing Pinball Brothers' license to sell Predator after December |
| George Gomez | person | Stern executive; will appear on Pinball Expo panel; Kaneda does not critique his design work directly |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Stern artist; created artwork for Elvira 40th Anniversary; Kaneda praises Franchi's Stern machine aesthetics |
| Abbas family | person/organization | Financial backers of Jersey Jack Pinball; took time to understand community and product quality over financial metrics |
| Pinball Expo 2025 | event | Major annual pinball show; will feature Stern panels with designers; Walking Dead Remastered will NOT appear; Star Wars will be only new Stern release shown |
| Rob Burke | person | Pinball Expo organizer; received complaint message about Kaneda attending (Kaneda denies Pinball Brothers sent it; suspects Pinball Adventures) |
| Beetlejuice | game | Upcoming premium pinball release; Kaneda predicts it will become highly collectible at $15k-$18k; will change secondary market dynamics and restore FOMO |
| Star Wars Pinball | game | Recent Stern release; Kaneda characterizes it as 'mediocre'; cannot be sold in Europe due to Disney licensing restrictions; only game being shown at Expo 2025 |
| The Walking Dead Remastered | game | Upcoming Stern game; will NOT appear at Pinball Expo 2025; likely being held for post-show release, possibly before Halloween |
| Predator Pinball | game | Pinball Brothers release; experiencing manufacturing defects (lockdown bar rubbing decals); production ending December due to Disney license removal; limited to ~200 units total |
| Medieval Madness Merlin Edition | game | Chicago Gaming Company release; experiencing mixed quality control issues; ~250+ units already distributed with more planned into early 2026 |
| El Tizzle | person | California collector attempting to sell unopened Pirates of the Caribbean CE for $40,000; criticized by Kaneda as delusional pricing |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Stern Pinball internal restructuring and leadership changes, Product quality issues and manufacturing defects, Secondary market collapse for Stern Limited Editions, Outside consultancy vs internal expertise for sales/marketing
- **Secondary:** Designer talent retention and competitive positioning, Disney licensing restrictions in European market, Boutique manufacturer market growth vs Stern decline
- **Mentioned:** Pinball Expo 2025 announcements and programming

### Sentiment

**Negative** (0.15) — Kaneda is highly critical of Stern's strategic direction, leadership decisions, and current product quality. He expresses frustration with outside hiring, mediocre games, and the collapse of secondary market value. Criticism is structured and evidence-based rather than purely emotional. Limited positive sentiment expressed toward boutique manufacturers and specific upcoming releases (Beetlejuice, Elvira 40th). Secondary market analysis contains dark humor about collector delusion.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball hiring outside sales consultancy to manage North American sales and moving European sales leadership; suggests internal sales structure failure or management dissatisfaction (confidence: medium) — Kaneda reports Seth bringing in outside company and John Buscaglia move to Europe; Eric Gilley's social media posts about company decline
- **[competitive_signal]** Boutique manufacturers (Jersey Jack, Spooky, Pinball Brothers) positioned to capture collector market as Stern LEs lose appeal; market power shift away from Stern (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'The boutique companies are about to eat Stern's lunch' and compares product quality/gameplay favorably
- **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo 2025 featuring self-moderated Stern panels; Kaneda expresses skepticism about transparency and value of internal-only discussions (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I just don't care anymore to hear Stern Pinball interview itself' and questions panel format authenticity
- **[licensing_signal]** Disney restricting European pinball sales licenses across multiple licensees; Pinball Brothers losing Predator license in December (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Disney has yanked a lot of people's licensing ability to sell product in Europe' and 'Disney is removing the Pinball Brothers license'
- **[market_signal]** Secondary market for Stern Limited Editions in significant decline; collector 'flex' value disappeared; prices declining 20-30% below initial retail across portfolio (confidence: high) — Extensive secondary market pricing analysis showing Elton John CE down to $11k-$11.5k, Jaws LE losing money, Pirates always available for sale, etc.
- **[personnel_signal]** Key Stern designer talent (Keith Elwin, Jack Danger) identified as critical to company viability; implied risk of departure if conditions worsen (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'If Keith Elwin or Jack Danger left, that would just be like a kill shot' and notes these two are making 'most exciting new games'
- **[market_signal]** Boutique manufacturer consolidation and price increases ($15k+ for new releases) while Stern LE secondary values collapse; pricing model appearing unsustainable (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: Beetlejuice predicted $15k-$18k; Predator ~200 units; Medieval Madness Merlin premium pricing despite mass production
- **[announcement]** The Walking Dead Remastered confirmed for post-Expo 2025 release; Star Wars will be only new Stern machine at Expo (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'We are a hundred percent not going to see anything other than Star Wars at Pinball Expo 2025. There will not be The Walking Dead Remastered'
- **[product_strategy]** The Walking Dead Remastered delayed from Pinball Expo 2025; targeting post-show release with possible Halloween timing (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I would assume they want to get Walking Dead Remastered out before Halloween, but that's what I'm hearing'
- **[product_concern]** Predator machines experiencing manufacturing defects with lockdown bar decal damage; Medieval Madness Merlin editions showing inconsistent quality control (confidence: high) — Specific technical description of Predator defects; Chicago Gaming Company's uncharacteristic quality issues noted
- **[sentiment_shift]** Collector enthusiasm shifting from Stern LEs to boutique manufacturers and upcoming games like Beetlejuice; FOMO being replaced by market saturation and disinterest (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'This hobby hasn't grown over the last three years. It's shrunk. And the boutique companies are about to eat Stern's lunch'
- **[business_signal]** Stern pursuing external marketing/sales solutions (consultancy, merchandise, Facebook advertising) rather than addressing core product quality issues (confidence: high) — Kaneda's core thesis: 'They think they're going to get more customers if they do more advertising and they spam more people on Facebook. It's not going to work'

---

## Transcript

 We broke into a million pieces and we can't go back But now we're seeing all the beauty in the broken glass The stars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like Welcome everybody to the world's pinball podcaster that is having a better week than the director of sales at Stern Pinball pinball. Eric Gilley, man, I've heard some more stuff about this whole thing. So he's still over there at Stern Pinball. And apparently Seth is about to bring in his own guy to run Stern Sales North America. And they're asking John Buscaglia to move to Europe to run European sales and to try to create a market there. And John is Eric's boss. So I don't know, man, do we really feel like there's a lot more sales to be had of Stern machines in Europe, especially at those European prices. When I hear from my friends overseas, I mean, how can you increase Stern sales in Europe and you don't even allow them to sell Star Wars in Europe? Now, I'm hearing that Disney has yanked a lot of people's licensing ability to sell product in Europe. That's also the reason I'm hearing, other than the low demand, why Predator can no longer be sold after December because Disney is removing the Pinball Brothers license and their ability to sell the Predator product. So lots of interesting stuff happening. This is going to be a big thing, people, because if Seth is bringing in his own company to handle Stern sales, what does that mean for the future of Stern Pinball? What does that mean for the decision making that's going to happen over there? I think the problem happening at Stern is that they're not looking internally to solve this issue. I think they think they can find an outside consultancy or an outside firm that does sales and they think they're going to turn that on and all of a sudden they're going to ignite new demand for this product. But the answer is a lot easier than that. The answer is in the past. The answer is what made Stern as big as Stern is today. And I think they don't want to acknowledge a very simple thing about this hobby. There's only so much you can grow this hobby. And the only way to grow this hobby is to make amazing products. You're not going to get more Star Wars sales because you hire an outside third-party sales company to shove this game down people's throats. It's not that simple. And they want to buy their way out of this hole. And what I mean by that is Stern actually thinks they're going to get more customers if they do more advertising and they spam more people on Facebook. It's not going to work. And I work on brands that are super, super big. And I work on brands that spend hundreds of millions of dollars. I just had a brief yesterday where the spend, the media buy for this brand is $100 million, okay? But these are brands reaching hundreds of millions of customers. When you're just trying to reach like five to 10,000 potential new in box buyers, it's not advertising that's gonna make it work. It's word of mouth and earned media, more so earning the attention, earning the demand from the people that love this product. You know, and I don't think Stern quite gets that. You can't make a mediocre Star Wars and then spend a lot of money marketing it and expect a lot more of them to be sold. And the thing about bringing in an outside anybody, and I mean this, an outside anybody to help fix Stern Pinball, they've already tried that. Seth comes from outside pinball. The new CMO comes from outside pinball. Why is it that all of these hires from outside pinball who have come in now and been part of these organizations for years have done such a poor job making the company successful? You know, it took the Abbott's family a really long time to figure it out, but I think they finally figured it out. But it took them a long time and they didn't need to sell so many products to figure it out. And even with all the money and all the resources, they also learned that it's not like how much money you have. It's not how much money you spend. It's not how many Facebook ads you do. it ultimately comes down to how well do you know the community and the people that want to buy these products and how well is the product itself? How well is the quality? How much fun is it? How awesome is the theme? What is the thing about this game that makes it special? Because so many people are out of room and you need to give them a very compelling reason why they should put your latest offering in the game room. So you want to hear something else I heard that's really, really funny? The guy that Seth brought in to replace John Bruscaglia, I heard that this guy thinks that Stern should be able to sell a hundred million dollars in merchandise, in merchandise. These are the people that think that Stern is a lifestyle brand. These are the people that when you go on the Stern marketplace, Who do you see wearing the product? Does it look like anybody that's at a pinball show? Does it look like anyone that's ever done an unboxing of a single pinball machine in their entire lives? These people are delusional. The only people making million on merchandise sale are called Taylor Swift Bad Bunny Demon Hunters I just bought 400 bucks worth of Demon Hunter merchandise Zach Ryan you know you not gonna make this kind of money. You're not a lifestyle brand. You are a pinball machine. And of course, we will buy T-shirts, but here's the deal. They don't even make good T-shirts. Their merchandise is crappy. It's not even like they're making great merch. All of it is so funny to me. It's like they're so lost. They're so lost. And in one hour, I pointed these guys in the right direction and they're just headed all over the place. I've seen this so many times. I've seen this time and time again. The only thing that's going to happen when Seth brings in all these outside people, they are going to destroy the culture of Stern Pinball. They are going to jam mediocre products down our throats and they are going to destroy the morale of the very people that made Stern Pinball great. And I mean it. There's just one or two simple moves that would be the kill shot to Stern for the community. if Keith Elwin or Jack Danger left, that would just be like a kill shot. Like that would just telegraph that this company can't hold on to the very people that are really keeping this company an exciting entity. Because think about it, like Brian Eddy and John Borg's games aren't lighting the world on fire. It's really Elwin and Danger that have made the most exciting new games over the last five years. I think he's been around for about six years. But those are the guys. And man, yeah, obviously, Elwin, if he jumps ship, it's really not looking good. So that's the state of Stern Pinball these days, people. And even though we're not internal over there, I think we're feeling it as a community. And I'm here to tell you right now some brand new news. We are 100% not going to see anything other than Star Wars at Pinball Expo 2025. There will not be The Walking Dead Remastered. So when will Stern release it? I think they're going to hold it till after the show. I would assume they want to get Walking Dead Remastered out before Halloween, but that's what I'm hearing. It will 100% not be at the show. Okay, so nothing new, and all we're going to get is mediocre Star Wars. But hey, we're also going to get Drinks with Jack on the stage at Pinball Expo Thursday at 3 p.m. He'll interview Brian Eddy, Elliot Elliot Eismin, and Keith Elwin. And then at 5 o'clock, George Gomez. And then Friday at 3, Seth and Gary. and then Saturday at 3 p.m. Zombie Eddie, Chuck Ernest and Steve Martin. Okay, cool, cool. Here's the thing right now. I just don't care anymore to hear Stern Pinball interview itself. Think about that for a minute. Do you really wanna hear Stern Pinball on its own panel, moderated by its own people, talk about what, what? Are they really gonna tell us the truth? Okay, hey, Seth, are you bringing in an outside organization to help you sell games? Have you booted John Buscaglia to Europe? Why did Eric Gilly write that post about how this company was so much better off seven years ago and how eight years of hard work for nothing? Why did he write that? Why did your director of sales write that? What is happening over there? Why didn't you put all of your resources on Star Wars? Is there going to be a price increase with Spike 3? What will be in Spike 3? Why is the Spike 3 rollout been so sloppy? Why are you guys still still after all these years thinking you can raise prices when the demand for your product is soon going to be at the lowest it's been in a long time? And you're not going to like sell more to Costco and get out of it that way. Nobody walks into Costco and just starts dropping five, $6,000 on a game. That's like the same price as almost every single Stern pro that's ever been made used. Like if you know anything about pinball, why would you buy that game? Gosh, happy Friday, everybody. Let's go here. Stern interview itself about Stern pinball. No, they need a great game. They need a great game. You know, Seth comes from Disney. Look at Disney's moves lately. Look at Disney's moves. The new Tron movie is atrocious. It's getting slammed left and right. All the money, all the talent, that IP, they continue to make horrible movies. The soundtrack's probably the only good thing. Anything with Jared Leto in it is going to be terrible. We know this. Culture knows this. Anything he's in, people don't like. He's not a good joker. He's not a good this. Why do people keep casting this guy. Every time I see him at a movie premiere, I'm like, why this guy again? We're back with this guy again. He's cast as Skeletor in the new He-Man movie. I don't understand how this guy keeps getting these gigs. Is he bankable? I don't get it. So the new Tron movie flopped. And now when I saw that, I'm like, well, you know, bringing back Tron right now wouldn't have had all this cultural hype because no one's talking about even the Tron movie. But We do know the Tron pinball machine is much better than the new Tron movie. And so what else is going on in the world of pinball? I'm looking at pinball brothers right now. People are getting their predator machines. I think in total, I heard this rumor, they might only be making 200 before they have to stop making the game. So this is going to be a very rare machine. Whether or not you want it, I would jump on it. I look forward to playing it. I also want to say for the record, and this is 100% the truth, it was not the pinball brothers that sent a message to Rob Burke complaining about me being at Expo. I've said it wasn't them. It isn't them. They are going to be there. They don't care that I'm going to be there. The Predator machine will be there. I think whoever sent this, it reads more like Pinball Adventures than it does Pinball Brothers. Everybody else is going to be there okay So I don know you know maybe Rob just should not have sent me it and should have just found out who it was and said hey look like that on you He's coming. Let's have a party, baby. Speaking of Predator Pinball, if you get your game, take a look at the gap between the lockdown bar and the play field. There's a bracket that gets bent during shipping. So you're going to see about a quarter inch gap between the play field and the lockdown bar. You're going to have to bend that bracket back. It's an easy fix. More concerning, though, is how the lockdown bar fits over the game. Go look at some people's games right now. It is rubbing against the decals and it is causing those decals to scratch and wrinkle. And so you're going to get damage. Now, that damage will be underneath the lockdown bar when it's closed. But when you take it off, you're going to see some damage to your decals. Again, not the best quality. Should have been caught earlier on. But you know how pinball is. Everyone's just willing to be a guinea pig and accept quality issues left and right. Speaking of quality issues, all these Merlin's editions of CGC's Medieval Madness are going out. I think they're around like 250, which means they're still going to be making these games into early 2026. There's been like a mixed bag of quality issues with those games going out. Some people are having some issues. Some are not. That's typically not CGC's thing. Normally, their quality is top notch. I don't even know who's over at CGC anymore. I really don't. I think Doug runs the shop. But other than that, have any of us heard from anybody over at CGC? I mean, think about it. Have you ever seen like a Facebook live from CGC? Hey, I'm so-and-so the sales director at CGC. Hey, Eric Gilliband, maybe go over to CGC and be their sales director. I don't know. Like, I don't hear from anybody over there. They are the weirdest company in my honest opinion. When they get something out, it's usually high quality. it takes forever but for a lot of you out there the wait is worth it okay no walking dead anything happening in the Harry Potter world I mean I feel like Potter just keeps going out let's see how the pinball marketplace is going right now and let's ask ourselves is this worth the money or not you know me I like to look for games that are $12,000 or more like what's collectible because we're about to get Beetlejuice which I think is going to shoot up to $15,000 or more instantly if we look at Evil Dead's have gone up to 15k and it's Beetlejuice, a much more popular theme. I think Beetlejuice is going to be, I'm just saying it, I think it's going to go all the way up to 18. So here's some interesting games we have at a high price. There's an Elton John CE, which was originally 15, is now $13,000 firm. So what do I think about that? Well, I think with Harry Potter out and with Sonic the Hedgehog, Richie's next game pretty much confirmed, I think that's a theme a lot more people are going to want. I think Elton John's CE, originally 15, is now closer to really an 11,000 to 11,500 game. If you want to ask firm, you're not going to get 13. I don't think anybody needs it that badly. And I just don't think $2,000 off is enough all. I think people are looking for better deals than that. There is a Harry Potter's collector's edition. I think it's like the first one I've seen for sale. It's a routed game though with a dollar bill acceptor on it. $14,000 firm. Okay, so that's $1,000 off. But is it a routed game? I think it is because I see an exit sign where this game is. I don't think anybody would want to route it Harry Potter for just a thousand off. I think once your game's been routed, you got to take off some more money than that. A Medieval Madness Merlin edition for 14,000 or best offer. Get out of here. You're not going to be able to flip these games. There's too many of them. They're going to make over a thousand of them. And you know, I know it's in a box and you can have it today. I just don't think anybody, anybody wants it. Here's a game that I thought was well bought. A HEP restored edition of Twilight Zone for $15,500. I think this was a great buy. Let me explain why. There are not many HEP Twilight Zones out there. They make this game better than it ever was new. Every single component is cleaned. Everything is like silver plated or like chrome plated. It's just gorgeous. It has every mod you want for this game installed that are hard to find these days, I would much rather have bought this. Because think about it. It's a lot harder to find a HEP restored Twilight Zone than a Harry Potter CE, than a Star Wars Ellie. So, you know, when you think about it now, like, yeah, HEP games at $15,500 used to sound like insanely priced. But now, mass-produced games are the same price. And so I absolutely think this was well bought. A Wizard of Oz Yellow Brick Road LE for $13,000 or best offer, not happening. Nowhere close that for Wizard of Oz. The problem with Woz, beautiful game, just doesn't shoot well. So you can have a beautiful museum piece, but I just think Jersey Jack's future is going to make games that are a lot more fun to play than Wizard of Oz is to play. Elvira's House of Horrors, man, 40th anniversary edition. I remember when these games were selling for $25,000 when they first came out. $12,000 firm. That is insane. People legit paid $25,000 for these games when it first came out. $12,000 firm. I actually think it's not a bad buy. I'd much rather have Elvira 40th for $12,000 than Star Wars LE for 13. It's a much better game. The code is much better And overall the package it still a beautiful game I mean this is one of the most beautiful games and it got Christopher Franchi on artwork and I mean it Franchi Stern Machines are so beautiful after all these years, a Deadpool LE for 12.5, I don't know, maybe, maybe, it's hard to tell, right, it's hard to tell, I just don't know, man, I feel like Deadpool, You don't really hear about it much anymore. I don't know. I wouldn't really go for it. And this is what I don't understand. There is an Elvira House of Horrors Ellie. This is an Ellie which is not as nice as the 40th. And he wants 13.5 firm. Like what's wrong with people? I don't get it. There's like the nicer edition of the game is selling for 12. And you want 13.5 for the lesser edition. Jurassic Park Ellie for 12. I wouldn't go near that. Elton John CE, 12.5 or best offer. Jaws LE, 12.5 or best offer. Even Jaws LEs are now losing money. I thought they were going to hold. And you know why the Jaws LEs are going down a little bit? It's because of the 50th anniversary. I mean, it's just that simple. I feel like people are really loving the 50th. It's $9,700. And you know, are you having any more fun if you're playing Jaws Ellie than the 50th and you could save $3,000. Pirates of the Caribbean. Man, these games are always for sale. There's always like three or four Pirates machines for sale. $25,500. I don't know. I just don't think anyone cares anymore if you own a Pirates because they're always for sale. A Tales of the Arabian Nights. This thing is so gorgeous. HEP restored 16.5. I mean, absolutely. If I was tempted to spend around 15K, I'd be looking at this game. It is absolutely stunning. The only problem is, and again, it's a beautiful, beautiful machine. The only problem with owning a Totem and everyone knows it, is it just gets boring because it's so easy. Like you could legit beat it in like a half hour. and there's not much else to do. It is very, very easy to get to the end of that game time and time again. All right, I'm trying to find some other stuff. Even Godzilla LEs, 12.5 with mods, that's losing money. D&D LE in a box for 12.3 firm. You can't say any D&D is firm. I mean, if you have a D&D LE, you are not firm. Here's a sale pending on an Attack from Mars LE for 14.5. Wow. Well, you don't see those come up very often. That's why. I mean, some of these other games, they come up all the time. A Big Bang Bar remake for $28,000. I mean, here we are. That's never happening with the remake, which is absolutely coming. Oh, look at this baby. Look at this baby. Brand new Pirates of the Caribbean CE. No games have been played on this machine, but it has been removed from the box and placed in the game room. Why would you do that? Why would you do that? This dude in California, El Tizzle, takes it out of the box and says he's never played a game. $40,000 he wants for this game. You have to have your head examined. Because here's the problem. If you spend $40,000 on this game because it's never been played, what happens the moment you play it? That first plunge, you're losing $10,000 because a played Pirates of the Caribbean CE is no more than $30,000. But he does have all the Lior mods. So I don't know. Maybe that's why he wants so much money. Getting funny, people. It really is getting funny. Here's a Lord of the Rings that's not even in LE. This is crazy. Not even in LE. He wants $12,000 for a non-LE Lord of the Rings. What are we doing here? Avatar, the Battle for Pandora CE, $14,000 or best offer. All these games, another Avatar CE, $13,500. Tron LE, $16,500. I'm just going to stop, right? I'm going to stop. Because what's funny about it all is you can see, you can see the delusion is still, it's still here. Everybody has become delusional. This hobby hasn't grown over the last three years. It's shrunk. And the boutique companies are about to eat Stern's lunch. Beetlejuice is about to change the game. It's going to be an awesome three months because there is going to be the changing of the guard. And everybody else that's holding on to these COVID prices and these COVID strategies, they're going to lose. And I think the enthusiasm and the excitement is going to only happen when we get games like Beetlejuice. Nobody wants to buy your used game for these prices anymore. It's over because there's no flex anymore. There's no, oh, I got one of those Elvira LEs. Nobody cares. Oh, I have a Jurassic Park LE. Nobody cares. I have a Jaws LE. Nobody cares anymore because they just keep remaking them and remaking them. And, you know, nobody cares if you buy a $40,000 Pirates of the Caribbean seat. Nobody cares. It sucks, but that's the new state of pinball. The entire collector base, there's no flexing anywhere anymore. Nowhere. And I think Beetlejuice will bring back the FOMO and sell out instantly. And, yeah, that will be a game that everyone's going to want to get their hands on as all these guys are trying to sell these old Stern LEs out their back doors for, like, 14-5 OBO. No, try 11 now. Try 11. All right? The days are over, gang. You're not going to get close to $15,000, $14,000 for these mass-produced games. Happy Friday, everybody. Kaneda out. See you at Expo next week. Bye.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 5739e860-b8ee-4ee6-a044-9562e1f44b3b*