# FREE SHOW:  Episode 1220: "Kaneda Has Complete Meltdown Over Transformers, Sonic and BTTF Images"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2026-05-14  
**Duration:** 19m 23s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-show-1220-158247022

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## Analysis

Kaneda reacts emotionally to leaked images of Stern's Transformers pinball (G1-themed, designed by Elliott Eisman), Sonic the Hedgehog (by Jersey Jack), and Back to the Future (by Dutch Pinball), which he claims will dominate 2026. He criticizes Stern's rapid release cycle, predicting Pokemon LE will tank in value due to superior competing games, and forecasts Sonic as game of the year, Back to the Future SLEs reaching $30K+ on secondary market, and Fallout as a strong competitor. He advises against buying Transformers (LE) at launch and emphasizes controlling supply through Cointaker.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern leaked Transformers via its own app — _Kaneda, episode opening_
- [MEDIUM] 22 Pokemon LEs currently for sale on Pinside, largest fire sale of LEs he's seen — _Kaneda, mid-episode (verifiable via Pinside)_
- [MEDIUM] Optimus Prime in Transformers won't transform—rumored to be static target due to mechanical failures — _Kaneda citing Kale and others as source_
- [MEDIUM] Pokemon will be 'quickly forgotten' due to lack of mechanical depth vs. Transformers and Sonic — _Kaneda's opinion, comparing game design_
- [LOW] Sonic the Hedgehog LE will be ~$12,500 and Sonic at $15K premium will make Transformers LE at $13K look overpriced — _Kaneda speculation based on leaked images_
- [HIGH] Back to the Future will have 88 SLEs in America, 88 in Europe only — _Kaneda stating confirmed production numbers_
- [LOW] Back to the Future SLE will sell for $30,000+ on secondary market due to limited supply and Dutch's low production capacity — _Kaneda's prediction based on rarity and brand prestige_
- [MEDIUM] Stern's marketing department failed to prevent leaks; suggests hiring Kaneda to fix it — _Kaneda's self-deprecating criticism of Stern operations_

### Notable Quotes

> "Stern Pinball leaked its own upcoming game, Transformers, via its own app. I mean, last time it was a dealer, Betsen, that leaked Pokemon and now Stern Pinball couldn't even keep its own game under wraps."
> — **Kaneda**, opening
> _Establishes the leak event and Stern's repeated inability to control product reveals_

> "If you wait, you're going to get one for 10-5 in just a couple months when Fallout comes out. That is the problem with Stern's model. The games come out too fast on top of each other."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Core market critique: Stern's rapid release cycle destroys LE value retention_

> "There is no Stern Pinball machine that is worth anywhere near $13,000. And that is a big problem for this company."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Strong market signal about Stern LE pricing and value destruction_

> "Pokemon is a great game for beginners. It's a great game for kids. There's just not enough in it."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Design criticism of Pokemon's mechanical depth vs. competitors_

> "Sonic is going to make Transformers look like a Tinker toy. It is. It looks insane."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Positioning Jersey Jack Sonic as dominant over Stern's Transformers_

> "I know the folks over at JJP are really, really itching to show people this game on top of the freaking Transformers reveal. And I know they don't even care about Transformers. They're not worried about anything else. They know they have a game that's just on a different level."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Confidence in Jersey Jack's competitive advantage and strategic awareness_

> "Back to the Future SLE on the secondhand market will be a $30,000 or more dollar game to try to secure. It is just that kind of theme with that limited number."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Extreme secondary market price prediction based on rarity thesis_

> "Get on Chris and Melissa's good graces list. They're going to control the supply of this game. Remember that."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Identifies Cointaker as key distribution gatekeeper for Back to the Future_

> "The battle for game of the year, if you ask me, is going to be Sonic versus Fallout."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Sets up competitive hierarchy: Sonic wins, Fallout #2, Back to the Future hardest to get_

> "Stern needs to fire its entire marketing department. They can't launch these games without these dumb mistakes. What is up over there?"
> — **Kaneda**, closing
> _Direct criticism of Stern's operational incompetence regarding product control_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Transformers, Pokemon, Fallout; criticized for rapid release cycle, LE value collapse, and inability to control leaks |
| Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) | company | Manufacturer of upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog; positioned as competitive threat to Stern with superior game design |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Back to the Future; produces limited quantities, SLEs expected to be highly collectible |
| Transformers | game | Stern's leaked G1-themed pinball (2026 release); designed by Elliott Eisman; features Megatron cannon, Soundwave cassette mechanism; Optimus Prime rumored non-functional as static target |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | game | Jersey Jack upcoming pinball; features loop-de-loop playfield; predicted as game of the year; premium ~$15K, LE ~$12.5K |
| Back to the Future | game | Dutch Pinball upcoming title; limited to 88 SLEs America/88 Europe; features DeLorean, Hill Valley, hoverboard; predicted $30K+ secondary market price for SLE |
| Pokemon | game | Stern LE released ~90 days before Transformers; criticized for lack of mechanical depth; 22 LEs currently fire-sold on Pinside; positioned to become 'quickly forgotten' |
| Fallout | game | Stern upcoming title designed by Keith Elwin; predicted #2 game of year behind Sonic; releases before Back to the Future |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; pinball enthusiast and market analyst; known for strong opinions and emotional reactions to game leaks; frequently discusses secondary market pricing and collector sentiment |
| Pat Lee | person | Artist on Transformers pinball; praised for capturing authentic G1 cartoon aesthetic rather than manga style |
| Elliott Eisman | person | Designer of Stern's Transformers pinball |
| Keith Elwin | person | Designer of Stern's Fallout pinball; described as making 'crazy bonkers' game |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Artist on Back to the Future pinball; referenced for potential embossed DeLorean artwork similar to Batman SLE |
| Kale | person | Source for Kaneda's rumor about Optimus Prime transformation mechanism failure |
| Cointaker | company | Distributor/retailer controlled by Chris and Melissa; identified as key supply gatekeeper for Back to the Future allocation |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum/marketplace where secondary sales are tracked; currently showing 22 Pokemon LEs for sale |
| Betsen | person | Dealer who previously leaked Pokemon pinball before official announcement |
| Barry | person | Distributor for Back to the Future; one of limited direct sellers along with Cointaker |
| Melissa | person | Co-owner of Cointaker; identified as key figure controlling Back to the Future supply allocation |
| Chris | person | Co-owner of Cointaker (likely Chris Conley); identified as key figure controlling Back to the Future supply allocation |

### Signals

- **[leak_detection]** Stern Pinball accidentally revealed Transformers via its own mobile app before official announcement; follows previous Pokemon leak by dealer Betsen (confidence: high) — Kaneda opening statement: 'Stern Pinball leaked its own upcoming game, Transformers, via its own app'
- **[design_innovation]** Transformers features Megatron cannon that fires ball across playfield and Soundwave mechanism that locks/ejects balls as cassettes; represents significant mechanical complexity (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Megatron with that cannon blaster... Soundwave... lock the balls and eject them out as a cassette... Optimus Prime will be a static target'
- **[product_concern]** Optimus Prime transforming mechanism reportedly could not be made reliable; will be static target instead of rising/transforming (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Optimus Prime, the transforming Optimus Prime... they could not get it to work consistently. So the rumor I'm hearing from Kale and others is that Optimus Prime will be a static target'
- **[market_signal]** 22 Pokemon LEs listed for sale on Pinside at $15-16K; largest fire sale of LEs observed; indicates demand collapse due to superior competing titles (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'If you go on to Pinside right now, there are 22 Pokemon LEs for sale. 22! This is the most amount of LEs I've seen in a fire sale situation'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pokemon rapidly declining in collector favor as Transformers/Sonic/Fallout reveal their mechanical superiority; community sentiment shifting from FOMO to regret (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Pokemon is going to be one of the most quickly forgotten games... Look at what has happened to the Star Wars games Nobody cares about them The same thing I feel like is going to happen to Pokemon'
- **[product_strategy]** Stern releasing Transformers within 90 days of Pokemon; multiple titles (Transformers, Sonic, Fallout, Back to the Future) launching within months, saturating collector capital and destroying LE value retention (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'That is the problem with Stern's model. The games come out too fast on top of each other... This is what happens when you release a game within 90 days of a previous game'
- **[collector_signal]** Transformers LE predicted to drop to ~$10.5K within 6 months; Sonic LE ~$12.5K; Back to the Future SLE predicted at $30K+; secondary market pressures intensifying (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think I will be able to get this game in six months when the code is done for around $10,000... When Sonic at $15, it's going to make Transformers LE for $13 look like... $6,500 game... Back to the Future SLE... $30,000 or more'
- **[competitive_signal]** Jersey Jack (Sonic) and Dutch Pinball (Back to the Future) positioned as dominant over Stern in 2026; Sonic predicted game of year, Fallout #2, BTTF highest collector prestige (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I know the folks over at JJP are really, really itching to show... They know they have a game that's just on a different level... Sonic versus Fallout... Back to the Future will be the hardest to get most expensive collectible game'
- **[supply_chain_signal]** Back to the Future supply highly controlled: only 88 SLEs America/88 Europe; distributed via Barry (Dutch), Cointaker (Chris/Melissa), and Nitro; limited channels create artificial scarcity and collector bottleneck (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Get on Chris and Melissa's good graces list... You're either going to buy directly from Barry or from Cointaker... Cointaker is who you're going to have to really, really get in good with'
- **[design_philosophy]** Transformers praised for authentic 1986 G1 cartoon aesthetic via Pat Lee's art direction; avoids anime/manga style that was community concern (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'They definitely nailed the G1 vibe... Pat Lee would animate this thing or draw this game to look like it was more manga... I'm happy to report that this game looks exactly like it was ripped out of 1986'
- **[industry_signal]** Stern's marketing/product control processes repeatedly failing; two consecutive leaks (Pokemon by Betsen, Transformers via app); community and Kaneda calling for management overhaul (confidence: high) — Kaneda closing: 'Stern needs to fire its entire marketing department. They can't launch these games without these dumb mistakes... Fire everybody, hire Kaneda, and it won't leak'

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## Transcript

You got the touch. You got the power. Welcome everybody to Canadian Pinball Podcast. What a day yesterday. We got Stern Pinball leaked its own upcoming game, Transformers, via its own app. I mean, last time it was a dealer, Betsen, that leaked Pokemon and now Stern Pinball couldn't even keep its own game under wraps. What a bad way to see the game for the first time. But I will say this, looking at Transformers, they definitely nailed the G1 vibe of the cartoon that most of us grew up with. And I want to say my biggest concern, and you remember it, was that Pat Lee would animate this thing or draw this game to look like it was more manga, which is the style he's famous for. And I'm happy to report that this game looks exactly like it was ripped out of 1986. So thank you, Pat Lee. You nailed it. And this game looks incredible, especially from an artistic standpoint. Now, let's talk about this game. We've got Sonic the Hedgehog images are starting to leak. I think we're going to see a lot more of our little fast friend in the upcoming days. Everybody is jockeying for our attention. They know that there's only so much money to go around, only so much space people have, and I love it. It's all colliding at once, Transformers and Sonic within a month. The game that is dead now is Pokemon. If you go on to Pinside right now, there are 22 Pokemon LEs for sale. 22! This is the most amount of LEs I've seen in a fire sale situation. And everyone's trying to get around like $15,000 to $16,000 for these games. It's going to go down even further. This is what happens when you release a game within 90 days of a previous game in which there's so much more inside of Transformers. The mechs do so much more. There's way more shots in the game. It's going to have mechanical moments of wow when Megatron fires the freaking ball across the air into a freaking wire form across the play field. When that moment happens, when you load up Megatron's gun, you are going to get more satisfaction than anything happening in Pokemon. I guess the fears around Pokemon are now true. And here's why those fears from people over at Stern that we were hearing about are now being felt by us. Because think about it. When we first got Pokemon, we had nothing else to compare it to. Everybody else at Stern was playing Pokemon, and then they were playing Transformers, and then they were playing Fallout. So they have seen the other games coming from Stern. And that is why there was a lot of worry that Pokemon wasn't enough. There wasn't enough in it. Now, when we got Pokemon as consumers, we did not know what was in Transformers. We did not know what's going to be in Fallout. And I think what's going to happen now is this, and I'm just going to call it. Pokemon is a great game for beginners. It's a great game for kids. There's just not enough in it. And as these other games come out, and it's not just Transformers, it's games like Sonic. As these games come out, I think Pokemon is going to be one of the most quickly forgotten games that we've seen in a long time. And if you think that a big IP can make a game stay relevant, you're dead wrong. Look at what has happened to the Star Wars games Nobody cares about them The same thing I feel like is going to happen to Pokemon and it all Stern fault They released the game with not enough in it They released another game with a lot more in it right after Pokemon and they didn put enough in Pokemon There just no other way around it I mean I love the way the game shoots but there no denying the fact that mechanically there not a lot in the game There just not a lot The Pokeball doesn even open up You not even physically locking the balls inside the Pokeball There not a lot going on And then you look at Transformers Transformers has got Megatron with that cannon blaster It got Soundwave He going to lock the balls and eject them out as a cassette That's awesome. It's got Grimlock area doing something. Now, the big disappointment in Transformers that I'm hearing about is that Optimus Prime, the transforming Optimus Prime, which was supposed to be the coolest mech in the entire game, they could not get it to work consistently. So the rumor I'm hearing from Kale and others is that Optimus Prime will be a static target. He will not rise up. He will not transform. That sucks. If that is the case, I bet this community is going to mod him to work properly. And I just would hate to see this game fall short in that area because everything else I'm seeing in this game, I absolutely love. I love the shots. I love the left to right action in this game. I love that everywhere you look, there is something that interacts with the ball. That is awesome. This game looks phenomenal. I love the modes. We're going to get like I think we're going to get you got the touch, baby, Because the Transformer episodes that are all about like the ultimate doom and the resurrection of Optimus Prime, one of those inserts says resurrect Optimus. The moment they resurrect him is when we get him back and he fights the spores and he has to open up the matrix of leadership. And when he opens up that bad boy, you know what song is going to play. Stan Bush's You Got the Touch. And you know what I said? If this game has you got the touch in it, I'm a buyer. Now, here's the thing. I'm not a buyer right away of the LE and I want to buy the LE. Even though I love what I see, I just still don't think even if they make only 750, I still don't think Transformers LE is going to hold value. I think the period of Stern LEs is over. I think it is. I think if you wait, you're going to get one for 10-5 in just a couple months when Fallout comes out. That is the problem with Stern's model. The games come out too fast on top of each other. There's not enough separating the LE from the premium. The community can easily powder coat the armor to be red and purple. I like the split red and purple. Some people don't. I think it looks cool. I think it works well on this game. There's just not enough differentiating stuff happening on the art packages between the LE and the premium. And again, I have to take my own advice and also seeing 22 Pokemon LEs being fire sold right now is an indication that Stern LEs are just not anything anymore. Nobody cares. Like even Jaws LE is $2,000 less than it was. I'm just going to say this. There is no Stern Pinball machine that is worth anywhere near $13,000. And that is a big problem for this company. And we've now seen over the last four to five years, every single $13,000 LE is just going to lose money. And they're going to hit you again with a freaking goldfinger edition of James Bond. You hear this? They're coming back out with a new James Bond, a special Goldfinger edition, which is going to cause all the old James Bond LEs and premium to plummet in value even more. It's kind of like Jaws 50th. They're going to make this special premium version nicer than the LE, and they just keep screwing over all of their previous customers. And that's just Stern's MO. And that's just the way it goes. So look, I love Transformers LE. I want a Transformers LE. I'm going to get a Transformers LE, just not right now. I think I will be able to get this game in six months when the code is done for around $10,000. And I don't think you're going to ever have to pay a penny more than 13. So it just begs the question, what would be the point of spending 13 right now when you know you're going to get a discount in just a few months? And the reason why Transformers won even hold for like a month at 13 is one thing and one thing only Sonic the freaking Hedgehog So I looking at Sonic the Hedgehog as well right now I going to tell you right now I put up a post I took it down It was a little mean spirited I was a little drunk last night If I offended you I sorry Kaneda has some bad nights where he just flies off the handle He wakes up he recalibrates he does a show You never get to witness most of it but it just who I am No apologies Sonic is going to make Transformers look like a Tinker toy. It is. It looks insane. I'm seeing a loop-de-loop. Now, am I getting served up some AI-generated stuff? I don't think so. But maybe. There's always a chance of that. This damn AI stuff is really good right now. Now, I've seen the unpopulated Sonic play field. It looks great. I've seen the cabinet. It looks amazing. This cabinet is going to do something no other cabinet has done before in the art department and you're not going to want to put it between any other games. You're going to want to walk around this thing, baby. You're going to want to put this thing in the center of your damn living room and just walk around and look at how gorgeous it is. Now, I know the folks over at JJP are really, really itching to show people this game on top of the freaking Transformers reveal. And I know they don't even care about Transformers. They're not worried about anything else. They know they have a game that's just on a different level. And look, when we see Sonic at $15, it's going to make Transformers LE for $13 look like Transformers should be a $6,500 game. I also know we're going to get a Sonic LE. That's probably going to be $12,500. That's probably going to be all you need. I don't know if they're going to do an arcade edition again. It kind of makes sense. If you're going to do an arcade edition of any game, shouldn't it be Sonic, which is a freaking arcade game, you know, which has been in the arcades for decades. So, look, I just can't wait until like a month from now because a month from now, like we are going to have this Transformer game out there in just a few weeks. We are going to have Sonic the Hedgehog, which is going to be, I feel like, the game of the year, the battle for game of the year, if you ask me, is going to be Sonic versus Fallout. I'm hearing that Keith Elwin's next game, crazy bonkers. Now, look, for most of us out there, Fallout is not a theme that we want as much as a Sonic or as a Transformers. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting. And then and then it's like, gang, once we get Fallout, we are just a couple of months away from Back to the Future. I'm looking at a new image of Back to the Future right now on my phone with the sculpts and the buildings and Marty McFly on the hoverboard. I'm looking at it right now. He's on that hoverboard in the upper left section of the game. I'm seeing Hill Valley, baby. I'm seeing like the building, the clock tower area. I'm seeing. Oh, man, I'm seeing stuff. I'm seeing the cafe, the 80s cafe that he goes into and orders the Pepsi Perfect. I'm seeing stuff, baby. I'm seeing stuff. I'm seeing what the inserts say. It's got the different years that he goes to in the movie. Oh, Canada, what are you doing? Are you going to give us more? Of course, I'm going to give you more. But look, back to the future, when I look at this new picture I got and it's like the angle from the player, it looks awesome. I take back a little bit of like there's not as much in it. When you see it from the player perspective, the buildings, the sculpts, the DeLorean, it's going to sell like hotcakes and it's going to be impossible to get. So this is where it gets interesting, right? So here's my advice to everybody. Try as hard as you can to butter up Melissa at Cointaker to try to get a back to the future. That's job number one. Get on Chris and Melissa's good graces list. They're going to control the supply of this game. Remember that. Like you're either going to buy directly from Barry or from Cointaker. I think Nitro has an allocation as well. And that's it, baby. There is not going to be like a lot of other people selling this game. If they want to get their hands on it, they're going to have to buy from Chris and Melissa. So I'm just saying out there, Cointaker is who you're going to have to really, really get in good with. And we're going to see if Barry honors that anyone who bought an Alice gets front of the line to get this game. You know, Canada's always at the front of the line, baby. And you know, the SLEs are coming. They are going to make 88 SLEs in America and 88 SLEs in Europe. And they're not going to be cheap and they're not going to be easy to get. But you know speaking to the folks who are going to control it I think there going to be something they do that makes it fair for everybody to sort of win an opportunity to buy the SLE of this game This is, as I predicted, the craziest year in pinball since I've been covering this hobby. I think nobody wants the older stuff. I think the new stuff has got so much excitement. I think the new games are awesome and I think getting them is something that's just going to require some patience on behalf of all of us because I don't think and Pokemon was a great example. If you run up these things too quickly, you might get burned. The chances of losing a small fortune on a single pinball machine is real and present. Be smart. I don't think Transformers LE is one of these games that people are going to pay over for. And here's the thing. Don't fall victim to the day one or two. It's sold out. Trust me. You're going to hear that. We heard it about Pokemon and now there's 22 for sale and you're going to be able to get a Pokemon. I bet in just three weeks for 13 on the table as these like scalpers need to move them out. They need to move them out because Transformers is the new hotness. They're also going to be selling you Sonics and they're going to be wanting to sell you more Beetlejuices or take your Beetlejuice money. You got to pay for your Winchesters. You got to pay for your Dunes. You got to pay for your Totens. You got to pay for your Circus Voltares. It goes on and on and on. The amount of games is insane. I'm going insane. I don't know how like all these games can come out at the same exact time, but I'm here to tell you right now, the winners are going to be the following. It's going to be Sonic the Hedgehog game of the year followed by followed by Fallout. Then Back to the Future will be the hardest to get most expensive collectible game of the year. I think easily we are going to see people offer $10,000 or more to get a year one Back to the Future. I think the SLEs, I'm going to say this right now, if they make only 88 in America and 88 in Europe, I'm telling you right now, back to the future SLE on the secondhand market will be a $30,000 or more dollar game to try to secure. It is just that kind of theme with that limited number. And because Dutch doesn't make many games, it's always going to be limited. Like this isn't going to be a game where in three years there's 3000 out in the world. They can't possibly make that many. So get ready. It is going to be the game for the rich and the rich are going to get them. And it's going to be like, OMG, you've got an SLE of Back to the Future. Not sure if it'll have any additional like sculpts or mechs or modes. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. If they put on the Back to the Future SLE, the DeLorean in that embossed, beautiful decal like the Batman SLE Batmobile, if you look at Batman SLE and if Christopher Franchi, who's doing the art on this game, makes 88 Back to the Future games with a big DeLorean like that on the side of it, $30,000 or more is what you're going to have to spend to get one. And I know you hate when I talk about price like this, but you got it, Billy B. You've got it, Kim Mitchell. You've got it, Fizzy. You guys got the money. B, you've got the money, man. You live in an $8 million house. Kaneda, what is in the coffee, everybody? Happy freaking Thursday. It's a great time to be alive in Pinball. More stuff is going to happen this week. Stern needs to fire its entire marketing department. They can't launch these games without these dumb mistakes. What is up over there? Fire everybody, hire Kaneda, and it won't leak. It's that simple. It won't leak. You can easily control the leaks of your product. Everybody, Kaneda out. You got the touch. You got the power. Thank you.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 6e48f94a-6527-4c1b-826a-734d4ee72fd3*