# Episode 765: "New Pulp Fiction Details"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2023-01-31  
**Duration:** 23m 6s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-765-new-78016422

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## Analysis

Kaneda reports exclusive details about Chicago Gaming Company's Pulp Fiction pinball machine, revealing it will be designed by Mark Ritchie, feature a single ramp (contrary to earlier street-level rumors), and be released under Raw Thrills branding. He discusses the competitive 2023 pinball market with 8-10 upcoming titles vying for limited consumer spending, expresses skepticism about Jersey Jack's Godfather theme choice and marketing strategy, and warns against FOMO-driven pre-orders in an economic downturn.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction is being designed by Mark Ritchie — _Kaneda citing 'one of my best sources in all of pinball'_
- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction will have a single ramp, not be a street-level only game — _Kaneda: 'this is a Kaneda exclusive, that Pulp Fiction is going to have a single ramp in the game'_
- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction will be released as the first ever pinball machine from Raw Thrills — _Kaneda exclusive claim about Raw Thrills entry into pinball_
- [MEDIUM] Christopher Franchi is working on five machines in 2023 — _Kaneda reporting Franchi's statement, though artist for Pulp Fiction uncertain_
- [MEDIUM] Godfather from Jersey Jack Pinball will be announced by February 20th with game already on production line — _Kaneda rumor: 'the rumor I've been hearing is that we are going to see Eric Menier's Godfather on February 20th'_
- [MEDIUM] Toy Story 4 sales have been lukewarm since month one, boxes sitting at distributors — _Kaneda: 'I'm looking at pictures of distributors and you could see the boxes of Toy Story games just sitting there'_
- [MEDIUM] Pat Lawler forced Eric Menear to remove subway system from Guns and Roses playfield — _Kaneda citing firsthand accounts from Jersey Jack Pinball staff during that era_
- [MEDIUM] American Pinball's new game will be space/tank themed with unique folding tank cabinet — _Kaneda: 'We know the cabinet is going to be very unique. I think the cabinet, when it folds down, is going to look like a tank'_
- [MEDIUM] 5+ major new pinball machines possible at Texas Pinball Festival (TPF) end of March — _Kaneda listing: Pulp Fiction, Venom, Godfather, Scooby-Doo, Galactic Space/Tank Force_
- [MEDIUM] Pinball pricing has doubled gradually from $5-6k to $10-15k and market will correct via secondary market discounting — _Kaneda's market analysis on pricing trends and FOMO buying_

### Notable Quotes

> "I am hearing that Pulp Fiction is going to be a Mark Ritchie game... Mark Ritchie who made Indiana Jones, Mark Ritchie who made Kingpin Pinball"
> — **Kaneda**, ~3:30
> _Major exclusive reveal about Pulp Fiction designer; confirms Mark Ritchie involvement_

> "Pulp Fiction will be released to the world as the first ever pinball machine from a company known as Raw Thrills"
> — **Kaneda**, ~5:00
> _Raw Thrills' official entry into pinball manufacturing; establishes new brand involvement_

> "There is nothing in modern pinball that can even come close to the world under glass that we used to get in the mid-90s from Bally Williams"
> — **Kaneda**, ~10:45
> _Critique of modern engineering vs. 1990s mechanical depth; reflects broader design philosophy debate_

> "Pat Lawler put them through hell. It was a cultural nightmare working with the guy... he yanks out stuff from games"
> — **Kaneda**, ~16:30
> _Allegations about Pat Lawler's impact on game design decisions and workplace culture at Jersey Jack_

> "When Jersey Jack moves beyond the Pat Lawler era of pinball, it will be for the better"
> — **Kaneda**, ~14:50
> _Commentary on transition at Jersey Jack post-Lawler; optimism for design freedom_

> "If your game doesn't have the right theme at the right price with the right magic in it, it's going to be dead on arrival"
> — **Kaneda**, ~20:30
> _Assessment of brutal 2023 market competition; emphasizes theme/price/design as survival factors_

> "Every single game that comes out over the next couple of months, you're going to be able to get that game for below sticker price if you just wait"
> — **Kaneda**, ~40:45
> _Strong market signal about secondary market pricing and anti-FOMO advice_

> "There are going to be winners and there are going to be losers... Some of these boutique companies are not going to be able to survive if they don't get at least like 500 or 1,000 games sold"
> — **Kaneda**, ~19:15
> _Industry consolidation warning; signals financial stress for smaller manufacturers_

> "I really do question the marketing strategy of Jack Guarneri... Jack Guarneri's decision on which themes made it out the door"
> — **Kaneda**, ~25:00
> _Criticism of Jersey Jack leadership decisions on theme selection; Godfather as risky choice_

> "The day of like buy everything now before even playing it are over. They are dead."
> — **Kaneda**, ~42:30
> _Market behavior shift away from pre-order FOMO; signals maturation of purchasing discipline_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Mark Ritchie | person | Pinball designer; designer of Pulp Fiction for Chicago Gaming Company; known for Indiana Jones and Kingpin |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; claims to run the #1 pinball podcast; provides industry rumors and speculation; banned from Pinside, started podcast 7 years prior |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer of Pulp Fiction; owned/operated by Churchill Cabinets which funds pinball as side operation; years behind schedule |
| Raw Thrills | company | Arcade/game company entering pinball market; Pulp Fiction announced as their first pinball machine; Josh Sharp involved |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer; releasing Godfather as game #8; historical conflicts with Pat Lawler; operating under Steve Ritchie post-Lawler era |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Pinball artist; working on five machines in 2023; denies being artist on Pulp Fiction; expected on multiple 2023 releases |
| Eric Menear | person | Jersey Jack designer; designed Godfather and Guns and Roses; had design elements removed by Pat Lawler per Kaneda |
| Pat Lawler | person | Jersey Jack leadership (now departed); removed design elements from games; forced Menear to remove subway system from Guns and Roses; controversial workplace culture |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Jersey Jack Pinball leadership; brother of Mark Ritchie; described as angry at Stern; wants to prove capabilities beyond Star Wars/Led Zeppelin |
| Jack Guarneri | person | Jersey Jack Pinball marketing/leadership; makes theme selection decisions; criticized by Kaneda for Godfather choice |
| Josh Sharp | person | Raw Thrills executive; involved in Raw Thrills pinball entry |
| Pulp Fiction | game | Chicago Gaming Company pinball machine; designed by Mark Ritchie; will have single ramp; releasing as Raw Thrills brand |
| Godfather | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game #8; designed by Eric Menear; rumored February 20 announcement; controversial theme choice; described as risky |
| Toy Story 4 | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; released June/July; lukewarm sales for 7+ months; boxes sitting at distributors |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Spooky Pinball release; looked good on stream; playable at Texas Pinball Festival; community skeptical about pre-ordering |
| Venom | game | Stern Pinball March release; expected at Texas Pinball Festival; Kaneda predicts LE reduced from 1000 to 500 units |
| American Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; new space/tank-themed game by Dennis Nordman and Christopher Franchi; unique folding tank cabinet; seeking major moment at TPF |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Scooby-Doo; track record requires 50 plays before purchase decision per Kaneda |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer; Venom March release; Kaneda views as competition driver for Jersey Jack and others |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball event end of March; expected venue for announcements of Godfather, American Pinball new title, Scooby-Doo play, Venom release |
| Dennis Nordman | person | American Pinball designer; designing new space/tank-themed game with Christopher Franchi |
| Guns and Roses | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; had subway system removed by Pat Lawler; had drop bank target removed; serves as example of design compromise |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Jersey Jack Pinball title; Pat Lawler removed triple spinning map according to Kaneda |
| Kaneda's Pinball Podcast | organization | Host's show; claims #1 pinball podcast status; has Patreon 'Canada Club'; goal to reach 600 subscribers by TPF |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pulp Fiction game design and production, 2023 pinball market competition and saturation, Jersey Jack Pinball's Godfather theme risk and marketing decisions, Raw Thrills entry into pinball manufacturing
- **Secondary:** Pat Lawler's influence and departure from Jersey Jack, FOMO-driven pre-ordering and market pricing corrections, Modern vs. 1990s pinball mechanical engineering and creativity, Texas Pinball Festival announcements and game releases

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.45) — Kaneda is excited about Pulp Fiction details and market activity, but pessimistic about market viability, pricing sustainability, boutique manufacturer survival, and Jersey Jack's Godfather choice. He's optimistic about post-Lawler Jersey Jack and the competitive pressure on Stern, but cautious about FOMO and consumer overspending.

### Signals

- **[machine_intel]** Mark Ritchie confirmed as Pulp Fiction designer by insider source (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I am hearing that Pulp Fiction is going to be a Mark Ritchie game' from 'one of my best sources in all of pinball'
- **[machine_intel]** Pulp Fiction will include single ramp, contrary to earlier street-level only rumors (confidence: high) — Kaneda exclusive: 'Pulp Fiction is going to have a single ramp in the game. So it's not going to be just a street level game'
- **[machine_intel]** Pulp Fiction released as Raw Thrills' first pinball machine entry (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Pulp Fiction will come to us, will be released to the world as the first ever pinball machine from a company known as Raw Thrills'
- **[announcement]** Jersey Jack Godfather game #8 rumored for February 20 announcement with production line status (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'the rumor I've been hearing is that we are going to see Eric Menier's Godfather on February 20th. The game is already on the line'
- **[product_concern]** Toy Story 4 sales lukewarm since month one with inventory stalling at distributors (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Toy Story 4 sales are dead... pictures of distributors... boxes of Toy Story games just sitting there'
- **[market_signal]** 8-10 new games competing for limited consumer spending in early 2023; winnowing expected for boutique brands (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'we're talking about almost eight, nine, or 10 new games... boutique companies are not going to be able to survive if they don't get at least 500 or 1,000 games sold'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Critique of modern pinball engineering vs. 1990s Bally/Williams depth; LCD screens reducing playfield creativity (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'There is nothing in modern pinball... that can come close to... mid-90s from Bally Williams... LCD screen has taken away a lot of the creativity'
- **[industry_signal]** Pat Lawler's departure from Jersey Jack; allegations of harsh workplace culture and forced design compromises on games (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Pat Lawler put them through hell... cultural nightmare... forced Eric to yank out the subway system from Guns and Roses'
- **[business_signal]** Raw Thrills officially entering pinball market; manufacturing partnership with Chicago Gaming Company likely (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Raw Thrills wants to get into the pinball game... might be manufactured inside the walls of Chicago Gaming Company'
- **[product_strategy]** Secondary market discounting expected on new releases; FOMO-driven pre-ordering phase ending; $500-$1000+ discounts anticipated (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'you're going to be able to get that game for below sticker price if you just wait... people buy Scooby-Doo for like 500 bucks less, a thousand less'
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival (end of March) expected to host 5+ major game announcements/releases including Godfather, American Pinball new title, Scooby-Doo debut, Venom release (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think we're going to see Godfather end of February... I think we're going to see the game at TPF... American Pinball announce their new title at TPF... Venom released by TPF'
- **[design_innovation]** American Pinball's new space/tank game features unique folding tank cabinet design; manufacturing complexity TBD (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'the cabinet is going to be very unique... when it folds down, is going to look like a tank. I'm curious to see how they pull that off'

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## Transcript

 I never get tired of putting it down and I never know when I come around what I'm gonna find. Oh, welcome everybody to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. What is Kaneda doing? It's the end of the month, no prizes, no giveaways, just giving you the pinball news, rumors, and speculation you want to hear. Okay, so here's what we're going to do on this episode. I've got some new information on Pulp Fiction. And for those of you who are new to the Canada Club, thank you and welcome to the club. I think you're gonna have a great time. So here's how it works in the world of pinball rumors. And the way you can get the truth in this hobby is you oftentimes just report something, right? I hear a lot of rumors, a lot of swirl, and whatever I know, I'm gonna tell you in real time. I don't hold back. I don't try to just share it with my friends. I'm not about that. I'm always about giving each and every one of you every bit of decent information I have. And so when I talked about Pulp Fiction and how it's coming out real soon and how it's going to be a CGC game and it's going to be a single level game, you know, that's been the rumor for a very long time. Now, also, this game has been in design and R&D for a very long time. So here's what I'm here to tell you right now that I'm hearing from one of my best sources in all of pinball. I am hearing that Pulp Fiction is going to be a Mark Ritchie game. Now, Mark Ritchie, the brother of Steve Ritchie, Mark Ritchie who made Indiana Jones, Mark Ritchie who made Kingpin Pinball, Mark Ritchie has been working on this game. He's also working on other games over at Chicago Gaming Company. Now look, I have no idea how Chicago Gaming Company even like maps out a release schedule. This company is always years behind schedule and they don't really need the pinball. Churchill Cabinets makes so much money that the pinball operation is just a side gig that they get around to every few years. So Pulp Fiction, Mark Ritchie. Now that's not the exclusive news. That's not the stuff you're going to see on Naps Arcade or not see on Naps Arcade. Here's the stuff that's brand new that nobody knows about. I am hearing from a very reliable source that Pulp Fiction is going to have a single ramp in the game. So it's not going to be just a street level game. There will be a ramp inside of Pulp Fiction. I'm also here to tell you, again, this is a Kaneda exclusive, that Pulp Fiction will come to us, will be released to the world as the first ever pinball machine from a company known as Raw Thrills. Okay. Now look, Raw Thrills, we know Mr. Josh Sharpe is over there. We know they have a strong tie to pinball. We know Raw Thrills wants to get into the pinball game. All right. So here's the other question though, and I still don't know this. Who's making these games? So this might be a Raw Thrills game, and then it might be manufactured inside the walls of Chicago Gaming Company. I don't know about that yet, but now you know, people, this game is not going to be a single-level game. There will be a ramp. Now, this is an interesting question I have for each and every one of you, because as we've been moaning and groaning about this, like James Bond's 60th, how can you sell a street-level game for $20,000? How can Beatles Diamond be worth $25,000 if there's no ramps in the game? And I think it's a very interesting debate. I'm not going to have this full debate right now, but how important is it to have a ramp or ramps in a pinball machine, right? I think we look at a single level game and we're like, there's no way this game can be worth $10,000. There are no ramps in the game. But then it begs the question, how much is a ramp even worth, right? It's not like ramps demand a lot of bomb in a game. It's not like a lot of resources or engineering have to go into making ramps or wire forms. I mean, that's pretty cheap stuff to put into a game. But for some reason, right, this community, when we think about the value of a pinball machine, if that pinball lifts up off of the wood, we want to see that stuff. It makes a game more multidimensional. And I think that's where the real value is, is you can do a lot more with the machine if you have ramps, if you have multiple levels of gameplay. And I think from just an experiential standpoint, if you go single level in pinball, it also makes it feel dated and old. It's just the way it is, people, because for so many years, pinball didn't have like ramps in the machines. It didn't have like upper playfields and lower playfields. And then we progress the hobby. We got more innovative. We got more creative. And then we got the Bally Williams that showed us, oh my gosh, like pinball could actually be this incredible 3D world under glass with multiple levels of gameplay, with amazing magical mechanisms. And we still have yet to this day, and I mean it when I say it, we still have yet in 2023 ever made a single game that on an engineering level and world under glass, there is nothing in modern pinball. And I mean it, not even Wizard of Oz, not even Pirates of the Caribbean. There is nothing in modern pinball that can even come close to the world under glass that we used to get in the mid-90s from Bally Williams. And I get it, those games had shallow code. But man when you stand over some of those 1990 machines and you see everything that was in them put an Addams Family next to Toy Story 4 and then let have a conversation about where engineering Marvel took place right Where creativity was happening. And I would even argue that Addams Family has better code than Toy Story 4. So we really haven't come that far. I think a lot of people think the LCD screen was this real leap forward in pinball. I would argue the LCD screen has taken away a lot of the creativity that used to go onto the playfield. Because nowadays, they'll just rely on the screen itself to create the environment or the scene or the mode where they used to put that stuff physically on the game itself. So there we have it. Pulp Fiction, it's going to have a ramp. Who is the artist? I don't know. I heard rumors it was Christopher Franchi, but he said it was not him. And so I'm going to take him at his word. What's interesting about Franchi is he said he's working on five machines that are going to blow us away. Five. Like, how can that even be possible? 2023 might be the year where almost every single game by every manufacturer that's not Stern Pinball might feature the artwork of Christopher Franchi. I think we're going to see his art on Godfather. We're going to see his art on this Galactic Space Tank Force David Fix Mustache Jurassic Park game that comes out sometime in March. We're going to see his artwork maybe on Pulp Fiction. We also might see his artwork on another game from Chicago Gaming Company. I'm not sure. I mean, look, I'll tell you this, though. The stuff he's working on, he's very excited about it all. So I'm excited that he's excited. And I love Franchi artwork. I can't wait to see his stuff back on a pinball machine. So let's talk about where we think pinball is going to go as we head into February, right? It's the end of the month and we are heading into February, March. And you know me, I think the next two months are going to be very, very active in the world of pinball. No more excuses, no more giveaways, no more prizes, no more delays. We are going to get new pinball machines coming to us very, very soon. We all know that Toy Story 4 sales are dead. I'm looking at pictures of distributors and you could see the boxes of Toy Story games just sitting there. Nobody is calling up distributors to order $15,000 or $12,000 Toy Stories. They need to move on to their next game. And the rumor I've been hearing is that we are going to see Eric Meunier's Godfather on February 20th. The game is already on the line, I am hearing. Look, we shall see. And here's the great part. If I get this rumor wrong, and people want to say, Canada's only right 10% of the time. If I get this rumor wrong, guess who loses? Jersey Jack Pinball. It's no skin off my back. They should have had this next game out already. Remember, Toy Story came out the end of June or early July. It's been out for a long time. Let's count the months. Let's count the months. July, August, September, October, November, December, January. Seven months this game has been out. It has been lukewarm sales since like month one. There is no way they're going to sell all 1,000 CEs. There's no way they're going to make all 1,000 CEs. So they need to move on to the next game. And look, I firmly believe when Jersey Jack moves beyond the Pat Lawler error of pinball, it will be for the better. And trust me, I've heard so many stories from so many men who you respect. Pat Lawler put them through hell. It was a cultural nightmare working with the guy. Now he's gone, and I think you're going to see Eric Meunier unshackled. I think you're going to see the other designers have more fun, and I think you're going to see Jersey Jack Pinball realize that they made a mistake listening to Pat Lawler's direction. Pat Lawler wanted to yank stuff out of games. You want me to give you a little bit of a story of what was in Canada episode 500 that was all about why the company moved to Chicago. That was all about Pat Lawler. I'll give you one quick story. Pat Lawler walks into the room and sees Eric Meunier's Guns and Roses. And he throws a hissy fit. He gets really mad. And he's like, you're not putting all this stuff into the game. And he yanks out. He forces Eric to yank out the subway system from Guns and Roses. And when you look at the Whitewood, you can see how that subway system would have been really interesting in that game. If you look at the whitewood of Guns and Roses, you know the backstage area? That was like a scoop. The ball went in there and then went through a subway system and fed it to the flippers. Imagine how much different that game would play. There also was a drop bank target that was in front of the scoop where the keyboard is, straight up the middle, which would have changed the gameplay dramatically. So I think, you know, when you look at what Pat Lawler wanted to do, he wanted to yank stuff out of Eric's game. You know who also took out the triple spinning map from Pirates of the Caribbean? Yours truly, Mr. Pat Lawler. And look, these stories all happened. I spoke to the people who were over at Jersey Jack Pinball when these decisions were made. Those gentlemen are no longer there. Pat Lawler is no longer there. This is a new era for Jersey Jack Pinball. Now, that being said, I still think Pat Lawler probably had his thumb down on Eric Meunier's Godfather, so I don't think we're going to see a completely unshackled Jersey Jack Pinball until the following game. And so we know Steve Ritchie wants to make a statement. You know what I love about Jersey Jack Pinball moving forward That Steve Ritchie is mad at Stern Pinball Have you ever heard Steve Ritchie talk about Stern He really pissed off He wants to prove that he can do much more than games like Star Wars and Led Zeppelin. And look, nobody changes the world unless they are angry, unless they have a point to prove. You know who changed the pinball podcasting world? Yours truly, Kaneda. You know why I did it? Because I was angry. They banned me from Pinside. And I decided to start a podcast. Seven years later, the rest is history. The number one pinball podcast in the world. I think we might even win a Twippy from behind the paywall. And look, when that happens and I put those cargo shorts on, we're all going to be raising some champagne and toasting together because it's all because of you that we even have a chance. All right. So here's the thing, man. I think that we're going to see Godfather end of February. I think we're going to see the game at TPF. I think we're also going to see American Pinball announce their new title at TPF. I think this is it. I think they want to have a moment. If you think about it, American Pinball has never had a moment in the history of the company where they marched into a show with a game they were super proud about. They never were able to truly pull the curtain off a game and have like a thunderous round of applause. It did not happen with Houdini. It did not happen with Oktoberfest. It did not happen with Hot Wheels. So I think this game, this Dennis Nordman, Christopher Franchi game, this is going to be the game that shows us what American pinball is capable of. We know it is a game that is based on tanks in space or something like that. We know the cabinet is going to be very unique. I think the cabinet, when it folds down, is going to look like a tank. I'm curious to see how they pull that off, if that's going to be a manufacturing nightmare for them. We know that American Pinball is moving forward. And when I did my survey, what game are you most excited to see? This game was up there with Scooby-Doo, Jaws, and Indiana Jones. So not only are we going to get the new JJP No. 8, we're also going to get American Pinball's new game. We're also going to get to play Scooby-Doo for the first time at Texas Pinball Festival. And we are also going to get Stern Pinball's Venom released by TPF. Because remember, TPF is the end of March. And Stern's Venom comes out in March. Now, let's count that right now. How many new pinball machines are possibly coming to TPF? And I didn't even add Pulp Fiction. So let's imagine it's Pulp Fiction, Venom, Godfather, Scooby-Doo, Galactic Space or Tank Force. I mean, that's five freaking games, people. Five brand new games that are vying for our money, not to mention James Bond sales need to still keep going on and on and on as they improve the code. And that's not even taking into account like Multimorphic wants to sell you a game. Dutch Pinball is going to want to sell you a game. We've got Puny Factory that wants to sell you games. We've got Spinal Tap. We've got Queen Pinball, right? I mean, we're talking about almost eight, nine, or 10 new games that are going to be vying for your money sometime in early 2023. We are also in a global recession. So here's what's going to happen, people. And we all know this. There are going to be winners and there are going to be losers. It is very competitive. If your game doesn't have the right theme at the right price with the right magic in it, it's going to be dead on arrival. Some of these boutique companies are not going to be able to survive if they don't get at least like 500 or 1,000 games sold. Now, the games that I think are most at risk are the following games. I think Queen Pinball from Pinball Brothers does not look, in my mind, like it's going to be a hugely successful game for them. I think Venom will do fine. It's a Stern game, but I do not think Venom will sell a thousand LEs at $13,000. So I fully expect Stern to knock down the LE number to 500 with Venom. I think Godfather is a huge gamble for Jersey Jack Pinball. I mean, every time we do a survey, Godfather comes up with like three to four percent of people are excited about this theme. So this game is a ginormous risk for Jersey Jack Pinball because what makes me nervous, like let's just say hypothetically this game is a whiff and people don't gravitate towards it, then what do they do? Like this company can't quickly pivot and put more Pirates on the line or other titles. Like they need to make sure because they only come out with one game every 18 months. Jersey Jack Pinball needs to make sure that every game is a hit. I know I'm not very popular over there, but I really do question the marketing strategy of Jack Guarnieri. It has been Jack Guarnieri's decision on which themes made it out the door. And he sort of copied what worked at Stern. He saw how well Lord of the Rings sold, so he did Hobbit. Then the Hobbit movies were underwhelming. He said that Pat Lawler had five ideas for a pinball machine and Jack stopped Pat at game number one, which was dialed in. Why would you do that, Jack? You know, I don't understand. You know Jersey Jack knows how to do it with games like Wizard of Oz and Guns and Roses We shall see Because when I think about Godfather I feel like Jack did market research at diners in New Jersey along the Jersey Shore If he opened it up to a broader audience and asked people, what do you want to see? I highly doubt Godfather would be something he would have selected. And we shall see. I think everyone is hoping this game might be a decoy, that it's not Godfather. We're going to know in just a couple of months, people, what Jersey Jack number eight is. And don't get me wrong. I know they don't like me. I'm rooting for Jersey Jack. We need Jersey Jack pinball to give us incredible machines. The more they push the envelope, the more we're going to get from Stern and everybody else. This is what we want. We all should be rooting for great games because it'll just give us better value and better bang for the buck as these companies compete for our hard-earned money. It is our livelihoods at stake. I love it when salespeople try to tell us it's their livelihood that we're attacking. No, you're a salesperson. It is our livelihood that makes us go into work every day to spend an inordinate amount of money on a thing you really don't need another of. So as a community, we should be locking our arms together and saying we want the most, right? We want the most magic for the money. Okay, so I want to talk real quickly about Scooby-Doo, and then we're going to end this episode of Canada's Pinball Podcast. So look, Scooby-Doo has been looking really good on the stream. I haven't played it. I don't know if the game is great or not. I want to respond to some people who have been saying to me, like, I'm going too soft on spooky pinball, that I'm congratulating them prematurely on this game. And I just want to remind everybody this. I am not buying a Scooby-Doo pinball machine. I would not have ordered one yet because I think it's too early to order this game. I think Spooky's track record would require anybody now to have to play the game, to put 50 plays on the game. Think about it for a minute. You should spend 50 bucks to make sure you really want to own this game before committing to $10,000. And that has been my approach all year. I need to wait and see I really want to own a game. When you adopt that approach, let me tell you what happens. It's very liberating. I don't feel any FOMO anymore. I'll tell you this. I feel no FOMO. I don't. I don't care what is shown in February and March. I am not buying a game on day one anymore. It would have to check so many boxes and move me in such an emotional way for me to buy a game before playing it. Every single game that comes out over the next couple of months, you're going to be able to get that game. And trust me when I say this, you're going to be able to get that game for below sticker price if you just wait. And I mean it. We're going to start to see people buy Scooby-Doo for like 500 bucks less, a thousand less right away because they're making so many of them. And still, there's a good portion of this community that is throwing non-refundable deposits at each of these orders. And a lot of these gentlemen don't really want to spend another eight grand to get the game. They weren't really thinking straight. You know, I don't know about you. We're about to go through rough times. I mean, Maybe all the economists are wrong. Maybe all of the clients I work with who are afraid about the economy this year, maybe everybody's wrong. And the only people that are right are pinball distributors and manufacturers that think they can keep raising the price on these games as if we're not going to pause, wait and see and make sure the game actually delivers, you know, a $10,000 to $15,000 experience. Pinball is no longer cheap and cheerful, people. we used to drop like five to six thousand dollars move the game on for five hundred dollar loss and that was it now you're spending twice as much and it happened gradually until it didn't happen gradually and i think everyone's gonna wake up a little bit and realize if you just wait and see you will liberate yourself it doesn't mean you have to stop buying new in box it doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying pinball it just means the day of like buy everything now before even playing it are over. They are dead. Trust me. Nobody living by that mantra is having a good time anymore in pinball. Everybody, thank you so much for being a member of the Canada Club. You're going to get your tiny little bill this month. I hope you stay on the journey. We always lose a few people at the end of the month, but trust me, the next couple of months, this show is going to be bonkers as we talk about everything happening in pinball. Thank you so much for the support and I actually think we can get to 600 club members by TPF that was my new goal for Twippy number six we would be able to get up on stage and say we have 600 subscribers to the Canada Club more subscribers than every single pinball podcasters patreon combined that is what hashtag winning looks like and it's all because of all of you thank you so much we'll be back soon For all of my life, over there saying girls are cussed like a knife. Boy, it's no good. Well, I finally found what I'm looking for. But if they give a chance, I'll end it for sure. Surely I would. Baby, how can I come? Now it's up to you.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 91a02536-738c-4518-b097-8f6b5df5e277*