# Spooky Pinball Update; Which Stern Pinball Game is the Hardest?; Is Another Star Trek Pin Coming?

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-05-26  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/spooky-pinball-update-which-stern-pinball-game-is-the-hardest-is-another-star-trek-pin-coming

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## Analysis

Bug Emery from Spooky Pinball confirmed in recent interviews that Goonies is the next title with a single-scoop layout and novel mechanical innovations. Beetlejuice production is ramping to ~100 games/month with future expansion of voice-activated Spooky Speak features. A new Rob Zombie machine and Motörhead title are being discussed as potential future projects. Additionally, unconfirmed rumors suggest Stern's Keith Elwin may design an original Star Trek game for 2027, and a Dracula-themed unlicensed Stern game is believed to be in development.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Goonies is Spooky's next pinball machine title — _Bug Emery on Golden State Pinball Festival interview; confirmed through joking responses to Goonies-themed interviewer hints_
- [HIGH] Goonies layout has only one scoop versus Beetlejuice's multiple scoops — _Bug Emery stated directly during Golden State Pinball Festival interview_
- [HIGH] Spooky is building approximately 100 games per month as of May 2026 — _Bug Emery stated at Golden State Pinball Festival; production ramping involved internal training and new factory management_
- [HIGH] Beetlejuice production was 'into the 300s' out of 999 units as of May 15-17, 2026 — _Bug Emery stated at Golden State Pinball Festival_
- [HIGH] Rob Zombie licenser recently asked if Spooky wanted to do another Rob Zombie pinball machine — _Bug Emery stated: 'The licenser did just recently ask if we wanted to do another Rob Zombie pinball machine. The answer is yes.'_
- [MEDIUM] Spooky is likely doing a small run of Motörhead in the future — _Article author speculative assessment based on Bug's comments about smaller licenses alongside bigger themes_
- [HIGH] Evil Dead's lower playfield was almost not included in the game for the first six months of design — _Bug Emery stated: 'For the first probably six months of this game's design, we did not have a lower playfield in this game.'_
- [LOW] Keith Elwin's next game for Stern after a rumored Fallout game will be based on original Star Trek series — _Kaneda's Pinball Podcast reported rumor; author explicitly notes skepticism about unverified rumors_
- [MEDIUM] Brian Eddy's unlicensed Dracula-themed game is real and coming as first Stern release of 2027 — _Cale from JBS Show stated strong belief; no official confirmation provided_
- [HIGH] Black Knight Sword of Rage Pro is the hardest Stern game based on shortest single-player ball time — _Serge's analysis of audit data from Electric Bat arcade, presented on JBS Show_

### Notable Quotes

> "Why are you asking stuff everybody already knows?"
> — **Corwin 'Bug' Emery**, Golden State Pinball Festival interview
> _Bug's joking confirmation that Goonies is the next Spooky title, followed by request to edit out the comment_

> "The licenser did just recently ask if we wanted to do another Rob Zombie pinball machine. The answer is yes. I would love to do another."
> — **Corwin 'Bug' Emery**, Recent YouTube streams
> _Official confirmation that Rob Zombie licenser initiated conversation about a second machine; reveals active negotiations_

> "For the first probably six months of this game's design, we did not have a lower playfield in this game. Ben kept telling us it doesn't matter if it's a good playfield or bad, but if you don't have one in there, people are going to kill you for it."
> — **Corwin 'Bug' Emery**, Evil Dead tournament livestream
> _Reveals design iteration and external feedback influence; attribution to 'Ben' (presumed Ben Heck) on lower playfield necessity_

> "Spooky is now building at around 100 games per month."
> — **Corwin 'Bug' Emery**, Golden State Pinball Festival, May 15-17
> _Production capacity milestone reflecting Spooky's factory ramping and organizational maturation_

> "Beetlejuice production was 'into the 300s' out of 999."
> — **Corwin 'Bug' Emery**, Golden State Pinball Festival, May 15-17
> _Progress checkpoint on limited 1,079-unit production run; implies ~30% completion at mid-May_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Corwin Emery | person | Co-founder and lead designer at Spooky Pinball; publicly known as 'Bug'; appeared on multiple YouTube streams in May 2026 discussing company direction and game design philosophy |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique Wisconsin-based pinball manufacturer; ramping production to ~100 games/month; developing next title (Goonies) and exploring future licenses including Rob Zombie and Motörhead |
| Goonies | game | Confirmed as Spooky's next pinball title; single-scoop layout, minimal similarity to Beetlejuice; expected 2026 release with novel theme-integrated mechanical features |
| Beetlejuice | game | Spooky Pinball's latest release; 1,079 unit production cap (999 standard + 80 show); production 'into the 300s' as of May 15-17, 2026; features Spooky Speak voice-activation technology with planned expansions |
| Evil Dead | game | Spooky Pinball game; underwent significant design iteration regarding lower playfield inclusion; featured in tournament livestream on Bug's Scream N' Stream channel |
| Ben Heck | person | Pinball designer referenced by Bug as advocate for lower playfield inclusion in Evil Dead despite initial design resistance; associated with Spooky Pinball design work |
| Rob Zombie | person | Musician/filmmaker whose original pinball machine (Spookshow International) is considered Spooky's weakest title; licenser recently approached Spooky about developing a new machine based on his brand |
| Golden State Pinball Festival | event | May 15-17, 2026 event where Bug Emery participated in Spinner Is Lit podcast interview; venue for production updates and theme announcements |
| Spinner Is Lit | organization | Podcast/YouTube channel that conducted interview with Bug Emery at Golden State Pinball Festival; featured on Marco Pinball YouTube channel |
| Marco Pinball | organization | YouTube channel that hosted Golden State Pinball Festival interview featuring Bug Emery |
| Scream N' Stream | organization | Bug Emery's YouTube channel; hosted Evil Dead tournament livestream where design philosophy and mechanical innovation were discussed |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer; subject of hardest game analysis and licensing discussions regarding Walking Dead Remastered and potential Star Trek title |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer promoting upcoming machine designed by Steve Ritchie; reveal expected early June 2026 |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer; designing upcoming Jersey Jack Pinball title; teaser released late May 2026 |
| Keith Elwin | person | Stern Pinball designer; rumored to be designing original Star Trek series game after Fallout; information sourced from Kaneda's Pinball Podcast with low confidence |
| Brian Eddy | person | Pinball designer; believed to be designing unlicensed Dracula-themed game rumored as first Stern release of 2027; confidence level medium |
| JBS Show | organization | Pinball podcast featuring Jamie Burchell, Cale, Jeff, and Serge; discussed Stern difficulty analysis, Walking Dead Remastered licensing, and Star Trek rumors |
| Kaneda's Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast hosted by Kaneda; reported Star Trek rumor about Keith Elwin on weekly broadcast |
| Motörhead | product | Band/IP; speculated by article author as likely Spooky Pinball small-run project in future |
| The Walking Dead Remastered | game | Stern Pinball game; remaster of 2014 original under new licensor with different approval constraints; code still being updated with mini-wizard modes and walker-kill achievements |

### Signals

- **[announcement]** Goonies confirmed as Spooky Pinball's next title through Bug's joking responses to interview prompts; not an official press release but industry-standard semi-public confirmation (confidence: high) — Bug's response 'Why are you asking stuff everybody already knows?' and request to edit comment during Golden State Pinball Festival interview
- **[design_innovation]** Goonies will feature novel theme-integrated mechanical toy similar to Beetlejuice's sandworm and meat hooks; single-scoop playfield represents departure from Beetlejuice's multi-scoop design (confidence: high) — Bug referenced 'the stuff we're doing in the next one' when discussing sandworms and meat hooks; stated Goonies has 'only one scoop' and 'extremely few similarities' to Beetlejuice
- **[manufacturing_signal]** Spooky Pinball ramping production to ~100 games per month; internal training and new factory management were required to achieve this rate (confidence: high) — Bug stated 'Spooky is now building at around 100 games per month. It took Spooky some time to ramp up to this rate due to internal training and new management at the factory.'
- **[product_launch]** Beetlejuice production tracking toward 999-unit standard edition cap; 'into the 300s' as of May 15-17, 2026, suggesting ~30% completion and on-pace for 2026 delivery (confidence: high) — Bug stated at Golden State Pinball Festival that production was 'into the 300s' out of 999 units
- **[technology_signal]** Spooky Speak voice-activation technology currently in one Beetlejuice mode; future roadmap includes call-your-shot mode, operator service menu integration, and European accent interpretation (confidence: high) — Bug discussed Spooky Speak applications and mentioned 'working on updating Spooky Speak to be able to interpret different European accents for games that ship overseas'
- **[licensing_signal]** Rob Zombie licenser proactively approached Spooky about developing a second Rob Zombie machine; Spooky confirmed willingness to pursue project but no guarantee of execution (confidence: high) — Bug stated: 'The licenser did just recently ask if we wanted to do another Rob Zombie pinball machine. The answer is yes. I would love to do another.'
- **[rumor_hype]** Motörhead rumored as likely Spooky Pinball small-run project based on company's expansion into larger franchises and historical pattern of smaller licenses (confidence: medium) — Article author states: 'they are likely doing a small run of Motörhead in the future, so you never know'
- **[design_philosophy]** Evil Dead's lower playfield nearly excluded from game for first six months of design; external advocate (Ben Heck) convinced team of necessity; extra effort invested to ensure quality (confidence: high) — Bug quoted: 'For the first probably six months of this game's design, we did not have a lower playfield in this game. Ben kept telling us...if you don't have one in there, people are going to kill you for it.'
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern game difficulty ranked by single-player ball time; Black Knight Sword of Rage Pro identified as hardest, followed by James Bond 60th and Stranger Things; Godzilla, King Kong, JAWS easiest (confidence: high) — Serge's analysis of audit data from Electric Bat arcade presented on JBS Show; data represents real venue metrics
- **[licensing_signal]** The Walking Dead Remastered shipped with less complete code than original due to new licensor's different approval constraints; code updates ongoing (mini-wizard modes, walker-kill achievements); possible impact on Pokémon achievements/Pokédex (confidence: medium) — JBS Show discussion: 'the new licensor wouldn't have approved' certain elements; 'Stern had to rebuild it under new approval constraints'
- **[venue_signal]** Electric Bat arcade providing game audit data revealing ball time patterns; serves as representative sample for Stern game difficulty comparative analysis (confidence: high) — Serge shared 'analysis of what Stern games have the longest and shortest ball times, based on audits from the games at The Electric Bat arcade'

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## Transcript

News Spooky Pinball Update; Which Stern Pinball Game is the Hardest?; Is Another Star Trek Pin Coming? k knapparcade May 26, 2026 I am going to kick things off today with a ton of interesting news about Spooky Pinball. Spooky's Corwin "Bug" Emery was on not one, but two YouTube Streams over the past week and he shared lots of interesting information about the company. The first was a Golden State Pinball Festival interview with Bug conducted by the Spinner Is Lit podcast, courtesy of the Marco Pinball YouTube channel. The second was a livestream of an Evil Dead tournament on Bug's Scream N' Stream YouTube channel. Here's my notes: \- Bug dropped strong hints about Spooky's next pinball machine. The interviewers were asking him about the next theme, dropping Goonies quotes like "the answer should be: it never say die" and Bug joked "Why are you asking stuff everybody already knows?" before backtracking and asking the host to edit it out. Not surprisingly, they basically confirmed what we already know, that the next Spooky title is The Goonies. \- The upcoming Goonies layout has only one scoop (versus Beetlejuice's multiple) \- It has extremely few similarities to Beetlejuice in layout \- He references "the stuff we're doing in the next one" when talking about theme integration tricks like sandworms eating balls and meat hooks holding balls — implying the next game will have a similarly novel theme-integrated mech. \- They discussed Beetlejuice's new "Spooky Speak" voice-activated functionality and the future plans for it. Spooky Speak is currently integrated into one mode in the game, Showtime Multiball — say "Beetlejuice" three times to start. Future plans for the feature include Call-your-shot mode...say "left orbit," "right ramp," etc. to light your next shot, operator service menu integration — Bug's most-wanted application, things like a "Fire right flipper" voice commands during tech support work so you don't have to balance a game with your hands full while diving into a coil test. Spooky is working on updating Spooky Speak to be able to interpret different European accents for games that ship overseas. \- Production update. As of the Golden State Pinball Festival (May 15-17) Beetlejuice production was "into the 300s" out of 999. Spooky is now building at around 100 games per month. It took Spooky some time to ramp up to this rate due to internal training and new management at the factory. !Advertisement Ad 2 of 3 \- Spooky's upcoming public appearances: Southern Fried Gameroom Expo in Atlanta (July 2026) and Pinball Expo (Chicago, October) — Spooky will be there walking the floor, but not running a booth this year. \- A new Rob Zombie pin? "The licenser did just recently ask if we wanted to do another Rob Zombie pinball machine. The answer is yes. I would love to do another." Given the original Rob Zombie's Spookshow International is widely considered Spooky's weakest title (and by far my personal least favorite), a redo by the new and improved Spooky could be interesting. There's no guarantee that it will happen but the conversation is active. I personally think that a new Rob Zombie pin is unlikely, Spooky is getting so much bigger themes now. Having said that, they are likely doing a small run of Motörhead in the future, so you never know. \- Evil Dead's lower playfield was almost not in the game. Bug said "For the first probably six months of this game's design, we did not have a lower playfield in this game. Ben kept telling us it doesn't matter if it's a good playfield or bad, but if you don't have one in there, people are going to kill you for it." Ben was right, and Spooky put extra effort into making sure it didn't suck because "we know lower playfields tend to suck." I personally love the lower playfield on Evil Dead. Even cooler is how you get to it, the huge scoop that opens up to take balls to the lower playfield also sometimes has a bank of stand-up targets that pop up. Such a cool mech. An Inside Look at Spooky's Beetlejuice Pinball with Corwin Bug Emery - YouTube Tap to unmute Marco Pinball Marco Pinball Evil Dead Tournament Giveaway Throwdown - YouTube Tap to unmute Evil Dead Tournament Giveaway Throwdown Bug's Scream N' Stream Bug's Scream N' Stream This weekend we also got a new live episode of the JBS Show, featuring Jamie, Cale, Jeff and Serge. They had a super long, fun discussion about everything currently happening in pinball. Cale reiterated that he strongly believes that an unlicensed Dracula-themed game from designer Brian Eddy is real and coming as the first Stern Pinball release of 2027. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today They went on to discuss that the licensor for The Walking Dead is different now than it was when the original games was released in 2014. They said that there is some things in the original game that the new licensor wouldn't have approved. This is why the code for The Walking Dead Remastered initially shipped less complete than it was in the original game. Stern had to rebuild it under new approval constraints. TWD Remastered's code still isn't fully updated yet. Stern is working on adding mini-wizard modes and walker-kill achievements. They also talked about how licensing may be the reason why Stern's Pokémon still does not have achievements or a Pokédex in the code. At one point later in the stream, Serge shared a really interesting analysis of what Stern games have the longest and shortest ball times, based on audits from the games at The Electric Bat arcade (see below). According to this set of data, the hardest Stern (shortest single-player game time) is Black Knight Sword of Rage Pro, followed by James Bond 60th and Stranger Things. The easiest games on the list were Godzilla, King Kong and JAWS. Jamie and Cale go LIVE with special guests Jeff and Serge. - YouTube Tap to unmute The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell Late last week, Jersey Jack pinball dropped another teaser for its upcoming pinball machine, promoting that it is being designed by legendary designer Steve Ritchie. Look for a reveal of that game in early June. On Saturday morning during his weekly live broadcast, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast stated that he has heard that Keith Elwin's next game for Stern Pinball after a rumored Fallout game later this year will be based upon the original Star Trek series - the William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy era. No word on whether it would be based upon the original television show, which ran from 1966 through 1969 or the movies which came out in the late 70s and 80s. I am always skeptical of rumors that I have not personally heard from sources myself, but I figured that I would mention this here anyhow. If this game does get made, it would be the FIFTH Star Trek pin - following Bally's 1979 game, Data East's 1991 Star Trek 25th Anniversary, Williams' 1993 game Star Trek: The Next Generation and Stern's 2013 game based on the new movies (which I personally own and really like). A new Star Trek would however be the first game in the series to have a LCD screen so maybe there is room for another? We'll see... * Last up, I recently came across an interesting YouTube video in which someone attempts to recreate a real physical version of the classic digital pinball video game "Space Cadet," that came pre-installed on Microsoft Windows computers in the late 1990s and early 2000s Space Cadet Pinball in Real Life! - YouTube Tap to unmute Space Cadet Pinball in Real Life! CNCDan CNCDan Posted 12 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Spooky Pinball Update; Which Stern Pinball Game is the Hardest?; Is Another Star Trek Pin Coming? 12 minutes ago Is Grateful Dead Pinball in the Works? First Official Stern Transformers Gameplay Stream 4 days ago Distro Shares Image of Tales of the Arabian Nights Remake; Transformers Pinball Gameplay Videos; Cool Games from Golden State 5 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 88181544-e9da-4815-bb03-c89b6ea3e269*