# Beetlejuice Midnight Launch Event Announcement

**Source:** Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-10-27  
**Duration:** 13m 16s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donspinballpodcast/episodes/Beetlejuice-Midnight-Launch-Event-Announcement-e3a47jp

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## Analysis

Don announces a midnight launch event for Spooky Pinball's Beetlejuice machine on November 13-14, offering 20 pre-order deposit spots to participants who travel to the factory. He details the RSVP process using an October 30th code-word email system, deposit amounts ($2,000 base, $600 each for topper/cabinet upgrades), and event logistics including a pre-party and midnight opening ceremony.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Beetlejuice game limited to 999 units worldwide with fewer than 100 available for new box purchases — _Don cites these as available inventory numbers as of announcement; claims from Spooky_
- [HIGH] Spooky allocated 20 deposit spots for midnight event (Don requested 50) — _Don states: 'I asked for 50, I got 20. I got 20 spots that'll be available'_
- [HIGH] Beetlejuice release date is November 14th at midnight — _Don repeatedly confirms: 'coming out November 14th' and 'stroke of midnight on that morning'_
- [HIGH] Base deposit is $2,000; topper and cabinet upgrades are $600 each — _Don specifies deposit structure and mentions 3% credit card fee may apply_
- [HIGH] Toppers are unlimited production (not part of 999 unit limit) — _Don states: 'The games are limited to 999. The toppers are not limited, okay?'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Nobody does this, and I said that's exactly why we're going to do it. And now, come to find out, this is the hottest ticket in town"
> — **Don**, ~2:00
> _Expresses surprise at demand for unconventional midnight launch concept for 300-pound pinball machines_

> "I asked for 50 games, man. I wanted everybody to have a chance to get one. They said, 'That's great, Don, here's 20.' That's what we got. The game's popular and so that's what we're doing."
> — **Don**, ~7:15
> _Reveals production/allocation constraints and scarcity of Beetlejuice inventory_

> "There's going to be heartbreak and tears no matter what. I'm trying to minimize that."
> — **Don**, ~6:00
> _Acknowledges extreme demand pressure and limited availability creating community disappointment_

> "Rather than have people set up bots to snipe these spots, I'm going to release on the socials a code word at noon on the 30th of October."
> — **Don**, ~5:30
> _Describes anti-scalping measure for fair allocation of limited event spots_

> "If you decide later, 'Hey, I think I'd like the better option actually,' you know, the better cabinets, they need to be printed, they need to be clear-coated, and then it's several weeks for them to cure before they can be used to construct a cabinet."
> — **Don**, ~10:15
> _Explains Spooky's production constraints on cabinet variants and need for pre-commitment_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Don | person | Host of Don's Pinball Podcast; organizer of Beetlejuice midnight launch event |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Beetlejuice pinball machine; allocated 20 deposit spots to Don's event |
| Beetlejuice | game | Limited-edition Spooky pinball machine (999 units); releasing November 14th |
| Morgan | person | Spooky Pinball contact for deposit pre-approval and credit card fee negotiation |
| Don's Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast platform for announcing and promoting midnight launch event |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Beetlejuice release event and logistics, Product scarcity and demand, Fair allocation and anti-scalping measures
- **Secondary:** Spooky Pinball production constraints, Community engagement and event participation

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Don is enthusiastic and celebratory about the event concept; genuinely concerned with fair allocation and community goodwill; acknowledges scarcity-driven heartbreak but frames it constructively

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Production constraints on cabinet variants requiring multi-week print and cure time before assembly; batch production model necessitates pre-orders (confidence: high) — Don explains: 'better cabinets, they need to be printed, they need to be clear-coated, and then it's several weeks for them to cure before they can be used to construct a cabinet'
- **[community_signal]** Experiential midnight launch event with gameplay access and photo opportunities designed to build brand loyalty and media coverage (confidence: high) — Pre-party warmup, factory access at midnight, guaranteed game play time, official photo documentation with media embargo on personal phones
- **[collector_signal]** Limited allocation and midnight launch timing designed to create FOMO and celebratory event experience similar to gaming console releases (confidence: high) — Don explicitly references GameStop midnight console launches and structures event as theatrical scarcity play
- **[market_signal]** Beetlejuice demand far exceeds available inventory (fewer than 100 games worldwide available for purchase; 20 spots allocated to event represents major scarcity) (confidence: high) — Don states: 'less than 100 games worldwide still available to be purchased new in box' and 'this is the hottest ticket in town'
- **[market_signal]** Beetlejuice deposit of $2,000 plus $600 per upgrade option ($3,200 total possible) signals premium positioning within Spooky's product line (confidence: high) — Don specifies deposit structure and emphasizes need for pre-commitment on upgrades due to production constraints

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## Transcript

oh I hope everybody's in a Beetlejuice mood all right we're doing a midnight launch event for Spooky Pinball's celebratory Beetlejuice pinball machine which is coming out November 14th and so I want to just give some quick details on what this event is how to participate in it what to expect and all that. So everybody is on the same page and there's no hurt feelings and there's a dry eye somewhere in the house there. All right, this game's going to be absolutely blockbuster. And what I thought would be fun is what if we celebrated just like we did at GameStop or Best Buy back in the day when a game was going to come out, some new console and we all waited in line out front for like a midnight release. Like they can't sell this game until release date. The soonest the release date comes is a stroke of midnight on that morning, and so we could be there. Why not? Now, it makes no sense to do this for pinball. These things are 300 pounds or the size of a refrigerator. Nobody does this, and I said that's exactly why we're going to do it. And now, come to find out, this is the hottest ticket in town with less than 100 games worldwide still available to be purchased new in box by deposits, they will be released on the website sometime on November 14th. You know, maybe noon, maybe 10, whatever. It's going to be mayhem trying to fight for these ones. So what if we could find a way to maybe carve out a couple of those games allocation and give them to people that are putting in the extraordinary effort to travel to Southern Wisconsin on a cold November night and wait outside a parking lot just to get one, just to reward those people that are just willing to call off work, you know, put the kids with the babysitter, lock the dogs in the kennel and like, let's do it. So graciously Spooky Pinball said yes, "Don, that's a crazy idea, why don't you do that," and it'll be kind of fun. So they have allocated—I asked for 50, I got 20. I got 20 spots that'll be available for pre-order deposit spots at midnight on Thursday, November 13th, right? The stroke of midnight into the 14th, that's when it's going to happen. So this will be an event that will happen on Thursday night. And then as soon as midnight hits, it'll be the 14th. They can sell the game. It's as soon as they can do it and we can be there for it. How fun, right? For 20 people, this is going to be amazing. 20 people excluding me, by the way. So this is for you guys.

So what I'm thinking of is an event where we all come into town. We can attend a local home to kind of warm up and get to know each other, maybe play some pinball and stuff. And then at around 11 PM, we start our march or car if you don't want to walk the whole way over to the factory we stand out there in the parking lot and at midnight the door rolls up we can go in there give our deposits and they're gonna let us go in and ogle one of the Beetlejuice games and we should be able to play it as well.

So how do you get a spot for this? I'm trying to come up with a fair way to do it. The last thing I want to do is have people put in time and effort, travel across the country—some of these people—and then find out like, sorry, you didn't get one. I remember back in the day you would just travel to your local strip mall to a GameStop. You wait out there. There'd be 20 people and then you find out when they opened that that GameStop only got four games and everybody else had to go home empty. I do not want that to happen.

So this will be a pre-event. That way if you are registered, okayed, approved, you are guaranteed that you will have a deposit spot there. You can reduce the stress level and just participate. And it's going to be super fun. I've got to have a fair way to do this. So we're going to do an email RSVP for a spot. You will email donspinballpodcast at gmail.com on October 30th. That's Devil's Night, Mischief Night, the day before Halloween. And what I'm planning on doing is opening that gate at noon. But here's how it's going to work. Rather than have people set up bots to snipe these spots, I'm going to release on the socials a code word at noon on the 30th of October. It's going to be on Patreon, Discord, Facebook. I'll go live on YouTube at the same time. We'll do it all simultaneously. So just hit refresh, see what that code word is. Let's say it's cranberries. And then all you have to do is email cranberries to Don at donspinballpodcast at gmail.com. And then everything will come in. It'll be timestamped in order that it was received. And then I'll just take people in the order that they came in until there's no spots left. If there's spots left over, then we can kind of barter for those, or I'll give them back to Spooky, whatever they want to do, and they go back in the pile. Sound fun? I think this is the only way I can see to fairly do this.

Now, it's going to be noon on the 30th, Spooky time, which is Central U.S. time, right? U.S. Central time. And I guess it's kind of open to anybody. Now, a couple of caveats. It's one deposit per email that I get in, and it should be one per person, okay? These rules are somewhat subject to change. If Spooky needs to change them, they can change them. What I don't want to happen is for somebody to, you know, send an email and then have every one of their seven kids send an email. And then all of y'all show up thinking you're going to get eight deposits so you can go sell them all. You know, if there's some leftover, go ahead and buy them and resell them, do whatever you want to them. But for this initial period, it's going to be one person like per entry per household.

"Don, I have a wife. She wants to come too. We only need one game. Is it okay for her to come?"

Yeah, that's reasonable. That's okay. But it'll still be like one game per person. I'll have tickets or something once you get there, and that will ensure that you get your deposit. So I want to make it as secure as possible. I'm thinking demand might be potentially crazy, and so I'm trying to come up with an egalitarian way to do this so everybody's on the same page. Sound fair?

Look, this game's going to launch, and there's just not enough games for everybody. There's going to be heartbreak and tears no matter what. I'm trying to minimize that. So I just wanted to come out and give people a sense on what's going on. Right now, and these plans may change a little bit between now and November 13th. Remember, that's Thursday. That's the day before the release of the game because the game's going to release at midnight. So it'll be very late in the night as Thursday the 13th turns into Friday. I don't want you to come a day early or a day late. But the plan is to kind of arrive in that area. Really, all you need to do is just confirm that you received the email and then show up to the factory at midnight. If you want to attend the pre-party, I'll share details with you of that. It's going to be super fun and I'm planning some fun things to do on our march over to the factory to really just hype this up, you know, we see if we can bring people out there, but you know, if you're local and you want to bring your significant other or your best buddy just to come by, that should be allowed, but confirm with me on email beforehand.

All of these numbers came to me from Spooky. If it was up to me, I asked for 50 games, man. I wanted everybody to have a chance to get one. They said, "That's great, Don, here's 20." That's what we got. The game's popular and so that's what we're doing.

So this will be kind of like the official announcement of everything. I tried to think of some other questions. "Don, I was in the email list. My flight got delayed. I'm not going to be there until late. Is that still okay?"

Yeah, that's fine.

"Don, I got a spot, but you know, work is busy. I can't make it. Can I just give you the $2,000 for the deposit?"

No, you can't do that. You got to have made a concerted effort to get out here. It's in the spirit of the event.

As far as the details of the event itself, it's a $2,000 deposit for this game. They will take cash. They will take check. They will take credit cards. Credit cards may come likely with a 3% fee if you choose to go that route. Everybody will be pre-approved and can negotiate this with Morgan at spooky.com ahead of time. But essentially, we're going to be making our deposits then.

The topper and the better cabinet upgrade will also be available for $600 deposits each to lock those in. Now, the games are limited to 999. The toppers are not limited, okay? So if you don't buy a topper or put a deposit down for one, yes, you can get one later, but they've told me that it really smooths things along, that if you're thinking of either of these two upgrades, go ahead and reserve them all at the same time. That way, when it comes to your build, there won't be any delays for you. The regular cabinets, the wooden cabinets come in, they're assembled, the decals are put on, that game goes right into production when it's ready. If you decide later, "Hey, I think I'd like the better option actually," you know, the better cabinets, they need to be printed, they need to be clear-coated, and then it's several weeks for them to cure before they can be used to construct a cabinet. So if you tell them right then and they need to go print it that day, it's going to be several weeks of a delay for you for your game. But if you let them know now, then when they do those batch orders they'll have you already included. So if you're thinking you might want to do that, it's $600 for that. If you're thinking that you might want the topper, which you will, $600 is the deposit for that. So it'll be a total of $3,200 you bring there plus a 3% credit card fee, or bring cash or check, or I'm sure they can probably arrange a wire transfer if you'd like to do that too. You can work out those details. The main thing is that this will be a fun, free event. No deposits are taken for the event itself. It's an opportunity to get yourself one of 20 spots of deposit as the clock strikes midnight in the very early hours of November 14th. That's how it's going to happen.

When can you email? It'll be October 30th, let's do noon Central time. That's where Spooky's located. That's where I'm located. We'll go live. And so what I'm planning on doing is having all of my windows of my socials open. Whatever this word is, it'll be an English language word, easy to spell. I'll put it all out there. And then we'll just go click, click, click, click at a show, go out everywhere at the same time. I'll try to also jump on YouTube as well. So be sure you like, subscribe, get an alert, be ready. I'll try to give you guys some reminders heading up to it so that you can take that word and send it in.

"Don, what should we email you?"

Listen, if you want to just take the code word and email that as quick as you can to get in, that's fine. I'll respond with an email, confirm you. We can get your details, your email address, your phone number, your flights, whatever. We can talk about that. But if you want to, you don't have to have a fully drafted email. Just send me that word. Whether, you know, if it was cranberries, for instance, just email that. That'll get your spot locked in, get confirmation that we're good.

Um, I'm sure there'll be more people than I have spots for. And so the people that didn't quite make the list, I'll keep you on another list for alternates. If you get confirmed and you decide later on, "You know, I can't make it, I don't want to do it," then I can give my spot to, or that spot to an alternate, or it can go back into the pile for the main release on the website.

So I'll try to do this as reasonable as we can. It's going to be a lot of fun.

"So, yeah, uh, let's do it. Don, I'm not buying a game, or I have a game through a distributor, but I'd still like to participate. Can I?"

A great way to ask that question is Don's Pinball Podcast at gmail.com. Let's chat. I got to keep things manageable but reasonable requests will be heard. And of course all of this is subject to Spooky themselves. I'll let them—you know, they may override things at last minute. I'm going to kind of roll with the punches, but that's what this is going to be.

A midnight release event, not for a brand new game that you're going to take home that night, it's a chance to put in a deposit. Likely you'll be able to see the game as well, also likely you should have a chance to play it.

Now, uh, I'll do official rules and things will be closer, but uh, no cameras or camera phones will be permitted at the gameplay portion of this, okay? The game will be released with a trailer that day. Once that's out there, there will be live streams that are official. They would like that to be the first glimpse that people get of this game just to avoid the first images coming out being potato cams. I'll be on site. I'll take photos of you with the game. I'll share them with you later after the official launch, and then you can have your photos and everything. But cell phones can be kept at the door. Go and have fun with the game. If you need to make a call, just go outside and do it. But that's what they've asked me, and so we'll honor that. We'll cover more ground rules with the people that make this list, but the take-home points are on October 30th, the day before Halloween, at noon Central time on the socials. I'll release a code word. Take that code word password and just email it to me and lock in your spot. I'll keep a list for alternates, and everybody else I'll reach out to you personally. We're going to try to keep it as one game per household, okay? So if your seven kids want to come and play around, I think that's okay, but it's still just the one game for y'all. And so there we go. Any other questions, let me know. DonSpinballPodcast at gmail.com. Great way to be there.

Like and follow the Facebook page because a lot of stuff goes up there, and if you want to kick me some dollars in my tip jar, I have patreon.com/Don's Pinball Podcast—that's a great way to keep up to date on this information before it filters and disseminates out everywhere else. And I also have a Discord, just give me an email, I'll send you a link, join up in there, we have a great time. All right, everybody else, have yourself a Beetlejuice day. I'll be back when I know some more. You.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 615136eb-7277-4388-8a51-ade0484b0b58*