# Episode 1061: "King Kong Talk, And Why Alice Won't Hold Value"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-03-10  
**Duration:** 26m 49s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1061-and-124052690

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## Analysis

Kaneda discusses the pinball market landscape, warning against FOMO-driven purchases while analyzing Evil Dead's slower-than-expected sales, Dutch Pinball's Big Lebowski production numbers, and Alice in Wonderland's likelihood of poor value retention due to supply exceeding demand. He speculates extensively on upcoming releases including Barrels of Fun's next title (possibly Goonies), Jersey Jack's Harry Potter, and Stern's King Kong, predicting a major announcement window in late March/April and questioning whether Keith Elwin's King Kong design will achieve the personality and success of Godzilla.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Spooky Pinball has sold over 800 Evil Dead machines since December, but it's not fully sold out due to theme being less appealing than Rick and Morty — _Kaneda stating Spooky has sold 800+ Evil Deads; contrast with Rick and Morty selling 750 in one day_
- [HIGH] Spooky's next game is definitely Beetlejuice and will be a day-one sellout, unlike Evil Dead — _Kaneda explicitly stating 'Their next title is Beetlejuice. It is absolutely 100% going to be Beetlejuice'_
- [HIGH] Dutch Pinball has produced 1,507 Big Lebowski machines over 12 years (~125 per year) — _Kaneda citing official number: 'The total number of Big Lebowski machines... in total 1,507 games'_
- [HIGH] Alice in Wonderland will not hold value because supply exceeds demand, evidenced by unsold pre-order spots at MSRP — _Kaneda: 'There are two pre-order spots available for this game that have been sitting on Pinside for like weeks and nobody's bought it'_
- [HIGH] King Kong's game title is 'Myth of Terror Island' and will not use movie clips from King Kong films — _Kaneda: 'now that we know that the title of this game is Myth of Terror Island, I think it's safe to say that this game is going to be more like Jurassic Park and not like Godzilla'_
- [MEDIUM] Barrels of Fun's next game is likely The Goonies, not Dune, and will be revealed end of month/early next month — _Kaneda speculating: 'I fully expect Goonies now to be Barrels of Fun' and 'he wants to reveal this game, I think, by the end of this month, maybe early next month'_
- [MEDIUM] Stern made a marketing mistake with King Kong by not going for a 1930s art deco aesthetic, instead using Zombie Yeti's colorful bright style — _Kaneda: 'I would have liked them to have gone more of the original Kong movie poster vibe... I think it's going to be Zombie Yeti on this game. And I think it's going to be colorful'_
- [MEDIUM] Both King Kong and Harry Potter could release in April/May with a race between Stern and Jersey Jack — _Kaneda: 'I could see Sam Stern Pinball coming out before Harry Potter... I think both games could be revealed in April and ship in May'_
- [MEDIUM] Keith Elwin games are criticized privately for being too difficult, though public criticism is rare due to his popularity — _Kaneda: 'I hear that from people in private areas of the Internet... because you can't publicly come out and say you're frustrated by a Keith Elwin game'_
- [MEDIUM] Godzilla is the #1 ranked game but features a stationary Kong toy that does nothing, showing low expectations for Stern — _Kaneda: 'the number one game in the world is Godzilla... Godzilla does nothing in the game... It does go to show you how low our expectations are of these companies'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Rarity does not equal collectibility. A beautiful art package pinball machine does not equal collectibility."
> — **Kaneda**, ~12:00
> _Core thesis on what determines collector value in pinball market; directly contradicts common collector assumptions_

> "There are not even 102 people in America who love pinball, who buy pinball, who collect pinball that want this game."
> — **Kaneda**, ~18:30
> _Stark quantification of Alice in Wonderland demand shortage; powerful rhetorical device demonstrating over-production_

> "Spooky Pinball's next title is Beetlejuice. It is absolutely 100% going to be Beetlejuice. And unlike Evil Dead, Beetlejuice will be a day one sellout."
> — **Kaneda**, ~4:30
> _Definitive prediction about Spooky's roadmap and market reception shift based on IP strength_

> "If it was Sam Stern pinball and they made 750 Rick and Mortys and then saw the demand was still very strong, you know what Sam Stern would have done? They would have remade it."
> — **Kaneda**, ~6:00
> _Criticism of Stern's business practices vs. Spooky's integrity; highlights manufacturer ethics divide_

> "Godzilla is the number one game of all time... In toy format, Godzilla does nothing in the game. It does go to show you how low our expectations are of these companies."
> — **Kaneda**, ~36:00
> _Critique of design laziness despite market success; questions quality standards for Stern flagship titles_

> "These are the only games that are holding value. These games are bringing the most enjoyment right now in the pinball world... When you think about Sam Stern Pinball without Keith Elwin, it's almost impossible to even think about Sam Stern Pinball without Keith Elwin."
> — **Kaneda**, ~38:00
> _Acknowledges Keith Elwin as sole driver of Stern's market success and value retention_

> "I think it's going to struggle to have as much personality as Godzilla. And then the other question is, is it going to come out before Harry Potter?"
> — **Kaneda**, ~42:00
> _Expresses doubt about King Kong's viability and suggests competitive pressure between Stern and Jersey Jack_

> "I think between the end of March and the end of April, it's about to get crazy. We might see four new pinball machines, four separate IPs from four different companies."
> — **Kaneda**, ~49:00
> _Prediction of major market announcement concentration; signals potential buyer choice paralysis_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; pinball analyst and commentator with strong opinions on market dynamics and game design |
| Sam Stern | person | CEO of Stern Pinball; frequently criticized by Kaneda for remaking games and manipulating limited editions |
| Keith Elwin | person | Pinball designer at Stern; designer of Godzilla, Jurassic Park, and King Kong; characterized as Stern's only hit maker but criticized for overly difficult games |
| Zombie Yeti | person | Artist at Stern Pinball; expected to create artwork for King Kong; Kaneda criticizes his colorful style as inappropriate for 1930s Kong aesthetic |
| Melvin Williams | person | Designer at Dutch Pinball; credited with designing Alice in Wonderland in a year and saving the company |
| David Fix | person | Associated with Barrels of Fun; planning to reveal upcoming game (possibly Goonies) end of month with media and content creators |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; criticized for remaking games and exploiting limited editions; produces King Kong and Godzilla |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; praised for integrity; has sold 800+ Evil Dead units; next game is Beetlejuice; produces 750-888 unit runs |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer producing Harry Potter game; in competitive race with Stern for April/May release window; known for Avatar Limited Edition |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Netherlands manufacturer; produced 1,507 Big Lebowski machines over 12 years; currently producing Alice in Wonderland; working on Back to the Future |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Pinball manufacturer; preparing to reveal next game (likely Goonies or Dune) by end of month |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Manufacturer producing Predator; announcement expected in April |
| Multimorphic | company | Manufacturer expected to reveal Portal at Texas Pinball Festival |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer expected to announce Medieval Madness remake at Texas Pinball Festival |
| Godzilla | game | Stern pinball game by Keith Elwin; #1 ranked on Pinside; reference point for King Kong comparison; criticized for stationary toy lacking interactivity |
| King Kong | game | Upcoming Stern Pinball game designed by Keith Elwin; game title is 'Myth of Terror Island'; expected April release; no movie clips; won't use 1930s art deco aesthetic |
| Evil Dead | game | Spooky Pinball game; 800+ units sold since December; slower sales than Rick and Morty despite quality; available at TPF |
| Beetlejuice | game | Upcoming Spooky Pinball game; predicted day-one sellout; will ship later in year; expected to perform better than Evil Dead |
| Alice in Wonderland | game | Dutch Pinball game; 500 units produced; shipping end of month; Kaneda predicts poor value retention due to supply exceeding demand; unsold pre-order spots at MSRP |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game; in competitive release race with King Kong; expected April/May reveal and ship |
| Predator | game | Pinball Brothers game; announcement expected in April timeframe |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball show March 20-22; expected Portal, Medieval Madness announcements; no longer the primary show vs. Pinball at the Beach and Pinball Expo |
| Rick and Morty | game | Spooky Pinball game; 750 units sold in one day; Kaneda regrets Spooky capped production; reference point for demand expectations |
| Jurassic Park | game | Keith Elwin design; referenced as gameplay comparison for King Kong; uses iconic theme song to establish immersion |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Market saturation and FOMO dynamics, Collectibility criteria: rarity vs. gameplay quality and demand, Alice in Wonderland value retention concerns, King Kong design challenges and competitive release timing, Spooky vs. Stern business practices and integrity
- **Secondary:** Keith Elwin's dominant role in Stern's success, Game difficulty as design criticism (Keith Elwin games), Art direction and theming execution at Stern

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (-0.15) — Kaneda is generally negative on market trends (oversupply, FOMO, poor value retention) and critical of Stern's practices, but positive about Spooky's integrity and upcoming game releases. He expresses genuine excitement about announcements while cautioning listeners against impulsive purchases. Pessimistic on Alice and King Kong's market prospects; optimistic on Beetlejuice and overall April announcements.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Dutch Pinball produced exactly 1,507 Big Lebowski units over 12 years (~125/year), representing slow recovery from ARA manufacturing crisis (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Dutch Pinball has announced the total number of Big Lebowski machines... in total 1,507 games'
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern and Jersey Jack racing to release King Kong and Harry Potter in April/May; winner-take-most dynamics in luxury durable goods market (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I could see Sam Stern Pinball coming out before Harry Potter... I know Jersey Jack Pinball is aware of that and they are nervous... both companies... know that you're not going to have a lot of people able to buy both'
- **[design_philosophy]** Keith Elwin games criticized privately for excessive difficulty despite public acclaim; 98% of players unable to reach final wizard modes in Godzilla and Jaws (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I hear that from people in private areas of the Internet... a lot of people out there just over time get a little frustrated with how hard Godzilla is... 98% of you won't' reach wizard mode
- **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda criticizes Stern for using uniform colorful/bright art style across all games regardless of theme, missing thematic opportunities (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'Sam Stern doesn't take many risks when it comes to art direction... They're all colorful. They're all cheerful... I wish they would allow the theme to dictate the art looking drastically different if the theme demands it'
- **[event_signal]** Major announcement concentration predicted in late March/early April: Portal (Multimorphic), Medieval Madness (Chicago), Goonies reveal (Barrels), Predator (Pinball Brothers), King Kong/Harry Potter competitive reveal (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think between the end of March and the end of April, it's about to get crazy... four new pinball machines, four separate IPs from four different companies'
- **[market_signal]** Stern's Limited Edition strategy: King Kong priced at $13,600 LE vs. Godzilla's $10,500, indicating consistent MSRP inflation despite market saturation concerns (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Godzilla was also $10,500. And now we're gonna get a $13,600 King Kong Limited Edition'
- **[market_signal]** Alice in Wonderland showing signs of supply exceeding demand: unsold pre-order spots available at MSRP on Pinside for weeks (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'There are two pre-order spots available for this game that have been sitting on Pinside for like weeks and nobody's bought it'
- **[community_signal]** Zombie Yeti confirmed as artist on King Kong; first major art assignment as primary designer suggests potential quality/style risk (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think it's going to be Zombie Yeti on this game. And I think it's going to be colorful. I think it's going to be bright'
- **[product_concern]** King Kong design may lack personality vs. Godzilla; concerns about themed art direction and mechanical impact (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think it's going to struggle to have as much personality as Godzilla... I would have liked them to have gone more of the original Kong movie poster vibe... Sam Stern doesn't take many risks when it comes to art direction'
- **[product_strategy]** Spooky Pinball's production timeline: Evil Dead shipping through March, Beetlejuice production ramping, 11 machines to TPF for sale (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'They have sold enough Evil Deads to get them to December of this year when they will reveal Beetlejuice... they were bringing 11 games that people could buy at the show'
- **[rumor_hype]** Barrels of Fun's next game likely The Goonies (not Dune); Deep Root's Goonies license apparently acquired by another party post-closure (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I fully expect Goonies now to be Barrels of Fun... After Deep Root Pinball imploded, that license has been grabbed by somebody else'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Community perception of Evil Dead cooling due to theme, contrasting with Rick and Morty's immediate sellout despite similar production quality (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Rick and Morty sold 750, I think, in one day... A little interesting that it's still not fully sold out... it's a little bit of a learning for Spooky Pinball... it's the theme'

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## Transcript

 Did it all hang out, but you won't fool the children of the revolution, now you won't fool the children of the revolution, now, now, now. Seda, seda, seda, seda, seda, seda. Ah, happy Monday everybody. Welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. I'm your host, Kaneda, a man who struggles to keep his emotions in check. What's going on in the pinball world this week? Well, we've got some stuff to talk about. Let's talk about King Kong on this episode a little bit. Let's talk about the fact that King Kong is most likely going to be an all-original journey or adventure. It's not going to be based on King Kong movie clips. So that's going to be interesting. How is Stern going to tackle this game? It's going to be a little bit like Jurassic Park and Godzilla had a baby. We know the team working on it is the best team maybe in the history of pinball. So our expectations are very high. We know that TPF is coming in just a couple weeks. Are we going to get any surprises at that show? Remember when TPF was like the show? It doesn't feel that way anymore. We've got pinball at the beach. We've got Expo. We've got MGC. We've got a lot of shows now in the pinball world. I think in general, the entire hobby has oversupplied everything from shows to games to content five, six, seven, eight years ago. There used to be much less of everything, including much less money required to get these pinball machines. So I think we're in a new maybe golden era of pinball. But the golden era is also an era in which there's just so much. And I think there are times, I think many of you probably feel this, it just becomes a little overwhelming. And you know my point of view on all of this, simplify your lives, less is more as we get older, enjoy the machines you have and you won't be chasing all of this new in box FOMO, which is really the biggest depreciating assets in the history of pinball. But let's talk about what's going on in pinball, then we'll talk about King Kong. So some things we haven't really covered off on recently that's in the news. We've got Spooky Pinball has sold over 800 Evil Dead machines. Now, we want to congratulate Spooky Pinball on that update. They're making 888 of these Evil Dead machines, and they've been out since December. So December, January, February, March, three, four months of this game being on the market. A little interesting that it's still not fully sold out. I mean, when you look at everything that's in this game, they really did nail it. Now, the reason it's not sold out is the theme. Rick and Morty sold 750, I think, in one day. And I think it's a little bit of a learning for Spooky Pinball. Now, I'm here to tell you right now, their next title is Beetlejuice. It is 100% going to be Beetlejuice. They have sold enough Evil Deads to get them to December of this year when they will reveal Beetlejuice to the world. And unlike Evil Dead, Beetlejuice will be a day one sellout. The question I have for Spooky is this. They've sort of hit the perfect number of games. Are they only going to make 888 Beetlejuices? One of the things that the team over there regrets the most is saying that we are only going to make 750 Rick and Mortys. And they really did have a lot of meetings where they were thinking about bringing Rick and Morty back. They were actually going to change the design so it's like an all new Rick and Morty game because they have the license and all those assets. But look, they stayed true to their word. And I think a lot of that is the reason why people love spooky pinball. If it was Stern pinball and they made 750 Rick and Mortys and then saw the demand was still very strong, you know what Stern would have done? They would have remade it. They would have called it some anniversary edition. They would have removed some color or added some color or called it some new edition. But that's what Stern Pinball has done to its collector base over the last three years. They've screwed over everybody and they're going to do it again this year when they do a remake of another game that they said they were never making more LEs on. It's most likely, I'm probably going to be wrong, it's most likely going to be The Walking Dead. So Spooky Pinball's got Betelgeuse next and Evil Dead is moving very nicely. And look, one of the things I always say to you is wait and see. And if you waited and you really want an Evil Dead, they still have a few available that they're going to bring the Texas Pinball Festival. And I think they were bringing 11 games that people could buy the show game and then take it home. So once again, you could cut the line and get your game months before people who are waiting who ordered on day one. So congratulations, Spooky Pinball, on selling that many games. Now, speaking of selling that many games, Dutch Pinball has announced the total number of the Big Lebowski games that they have made over 12 freaking years. It's a little more than 100 a year when you think about it per year production schedule that this company is on. Think about the fact that Stern makes 800 a week. So the total number of the Big Lebowski machines, it kind of annoys me that they didn't just cap it at a nice, clean 1,500 games. Then everybody could know what number their game is out of 1,500. Nope. They've made in total 1,507 games. When you think about it, this game's had a crazy existence. It came out like over 10 years ago. It was 8,500. Then we know everything went south with ARA and contract manufacturing. And there was like lies and deceit and manipulation and miscommunication. And then years went on when nothing happened. And they pulled a rabbit out of a hat. They brought the game back. I believe it's $13,500. They had to rob Peter to pay Paul to make the people whole who ordered the game years ago. But in the end, everybody, I mean, everybody will have been made whole. And Dutch Pinball in the history of pinball since I been covering it they the only pinball company that went through something so terrible and turned it around And there are people out there that won forgive Dutch pinball I mean, I know what it's like personally, Kaneda. People that won't forgive you when you turn stuff around. Well, maybe I haven't turned stuff around with my mini meltdowns every single year. That's a guarantee. You know Kaneda is going to do that. You know he's going to rage quit Facebook every once in a while. And you know you're going to come right back because it's still the most entertaining pinball content happening on a weekly. basis. And if I learned my lesson, it wouldn't be as entertaining. So Dutch Pinball turned it around. They made everybody whole. They're making these Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Those games are about to be built this week. I think games are going to go out by the end of the month. That's good. There's a few month delay on this game. It wouldn't be Dutch Pinball without a little bit of a delay, but everyone's going to start to get their Alice machines. Now, when it comes to Alice, I think it's quite clear that there is more supply than demand. And I see people who ordered this game trying to sort of qualify this as being a collectible that's going to hold value. Here's why I don't think Alice is going to hold as strong as people think. And I think people need to wake up to the new reality of pinball and what actually will hold value and what does become a collectible. Rarity does not equal collectibility. A beautiful art package pinball machine does not equal collectibility. What makes something collectible? It needs to be a few things. First and foremost, it needs to be an amazing game. It needs to be something that is satisfying that a lot of people want because that's why people want it. Because the game is so good. It's the reason why when you go on Pinside right now, you don't see any Jaws LEs for sale, maybe one. You don't see any Lord of the Rings LEs for sale. If you find a Tron LE or some of these great games, you're going to see them for sale for much more money. It means the demand to get those games far exceeds what the owners paid for those machines. That's what makes something collectible. That's why Pirates of the Caribbean at Jersey Jack, right? There's only a thousand of them in the world. Now, if the game was a total stinker and a total dog like Godfather, even if there was only a thousand, people wouldn't want it. Like right now, there are not even a thousand people that want Godfather from Jersey Jack. There's not even like 500. So it's not about just being limited. The game has to be good. Now, is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland going to be a good enough game and a satisfying and fun experience to create that level of demand. The problem right now is nobody really knows. So right now, the only thing going for this game is the artwork and the sexiness of it and the limited nature of the game. And a lot of people have played this game. I've played this game from a gameplay standpoint. Yes, it's absolutely not going to stand out from a gameplay standpoint. And then you get to, all right, So the shots are not there. There's not a lot of toys in the game. There's a lot of sculpts. It's very colorful, but there's not a lot of toys in the game. And then you get to the code, right? Is the software going to be good? I mean, everything that was coded during the Zidware period, there was no code to even speak of. Magic Girl is empty. And so how's the code in the game? Again, coming from these modern games that you guys own, you're going to be severely disappointed in how barren the code is going to be next to a modern Stern, a modern Jersey Jack game, a modern spooky game, a modern multi-morphic game. Everything that's coming out in the marketplace is going to have a lot more depth and replay value than Alice. So then it begs the question, do you think 500 of these is too much to create a real collectible item? I do. I would not have made 500. And the reason I know that the supply is already outpacing demand and not a single game has even been made or gone out the door. There are two pre-order spots available for this game that have been sitting on pin side for like weeks and nobody's bought it. Think about that. What is that telegraph? It means that there is nobody in the world who feels like they missed out on getting in Alice. And these spots are for sale at price, like at MSRP. It's $1,500. People want out of their deposit without even making a penny. Now, if you had a Jaws LE and you want to go sell it, you're going to get more than you paid for it. Same thing with Metallica Remastered LE. There's just no more demand. If I was coming out of the gate with DPX and my first game was this out of this game, I would have made $300. I would have made $300. I would have kept it small. I would have seen where the demand was out. And I also would have made $300 because I would have wanted to secure some more secondhand value for the buyers. And I know what people are saying, like, well, on a global level, that's only $500, $200 in Europe and $300 in America. But here's my thing, people. That's not even working. Even though there's only going to be 300 in America. There's not even 302 people that want this game in America. Think about that for a minute. Break that down on its most empirical level. There are not even 302 people in America who love pinball, who buy pinball, who collect pinball that want this game. Because if there were two more people than games coming here, then those two people who missed out when it sold out, I keep hearing people say, it's sold out. Come on. It didn't sell out because nobody's paid in full yet for a single game, all right? It doesn't sell out until people pay in full. And so there's not even two people that feel left out because those spots are still available on pin side. Now, look, I've been looking at this game the same way every single time. I think Melvin pulled off a minor miracle. He made this game in a year. He saved Dutch pinball. You guys realize this. If he didn't have this game ready to go, what would Dutch pinball have on the line right now. Nothing. And they would go out of business and they would never make back to the future. So in my mind, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was an incredible feat by a guy that has helped Dutch Pinball now survive to get to back to the future. So every single person who enjoys Dutch Pinball back to the future can thank Alice Adventures in Wonderland for getting this company there And sometimes in life you got to hit singles and doubles before you hit the home runs And that what I think this is All right what else is going on in the pinball world Well look let talk about King Kong because I put up what I thought was going to be the order by which games were going to come out this year. And it was Portal by Multimorphic at TPF. I think CGC will announce, they will announce, they don't even have to reveal because we've already seen the game. I think they will announce that Medieval Madness is coming back. I think that's going to happen at TPF. Then Alice's are going to go out the door at the end of this month. Then we're going to get the new Barrels of Fun game. I didn't even guess. I mean, it's probably going to be Dune. Everyone's like Dune or G.I. Joe. I kind of hope it's just something else. I kind of hope it is the Goonies. And the reason I say that, if Beetlejuice is next from Spooky Pinball, Then when are they making the Goonies? And we know someone has the Goonies license. They've had it for a couple years now. After Deep Root imploded, that license has been grabbed by somebody else. I fully expect Goonies now to be barrels of fun. And I think barrels of fun has been sandbagging all of us. I think the next game is going to be the Goonies. I think it's going to have a big pirate ship. They might not have access to all of the Goonie characters from the movie, and maybe they can't use audio from all the characters, but you could still make the Goonies without everybody speaking. Maybe it's Josh Brolin who's difficult to get. I don't know how they're going to do it. Look, they made Labyrinth without Jennifer Connelly, and she's the damn protagonist and the main character in the movie. So they know how to make a game without using every single character in it. So will it be the Goonies? I know when I say that, all of you get very excited. When I say Dune, none of you get excited. So I hope it's the Goonies. I know David's looking to invite people down there. I spoke to him. Kaneda is going to get an invite. He wants to reveal this game, I think, by the end of this month, maybe early next month. And he's going to have media, content creators, and dealers and distros come and see the new game. And then he's going to reveal to the world. So all at once, all our content can hit. I think it's really smart. and I can't wait to play the game. I'm kind of tired of speculating on what it's going to be. I just want to see it because after that, then we're going to get the Pinball Brothers Predator. We're going to get JJP's Harry Potter and we're going to get Stern's King Kong. So let's talk about King Kong. And now that we know that the title of this game is the myth of Terror Island, I think it's safe to say that this game is going to be more like Jurassic Park and not like Godzilla. It's clear they're not going to use movie clips from the King Kong movies, but maybe they're going to use old King Kong clips. I think what they're going to do, and I've said this before, I think most of this game is going to be like Jurassic Park meets Godzilla, but without movie clips from the modern films. I think what you're going to get is King Kong on Skull Island or Terror Island. He's found himself on this new island. I don't know. Why isn't it called Skull Island? I don't know. He's on some island and there's going to be a lot of other creatures that King Kong needs to battle, a la Godzilla battling all the monsters in his universe. I think it's going to be very similar to that. I think all the different monsters that King Kong battles will be different regions of the play field. I think you're going to be playing as King Kong, which means if you think about it, there won't be, much like Godzilla, a major mech in the game that is King Kong. Because if you are Kong, why would you be bashing him? And why would you be interacting with him if you are him? I mean, think about Godzilla, right? You're interacting with the building. You're interacting with Mechagodzilla. But Godzilla as himself is just standing there as a stationary toy. He doesn't do anything. He doesn't even breathe fire in the Stern game. It still kills me that Stern made a Godzilla game, which is the number one game of all time. When you think about it, the number one game in the world is Godzilla. And in toy format, Godzilla does nothing in the game. It does go to show you how low our expectations are of these companies. But Godzilla was also $10,500. and now we're gonna get a $13,600 King Kong LE. I think a lot of people, when they saw the X-Men Sentinel, they're like, oh, that would be cool for Godzilla, like a major, major, big mech in the game. Now look, I hope it has that. So I think you're gonna see this like terror island come to life. We know the team on it is the best team in all the pinball. My worry about King Kong is this. Godzilla, from the moment you hit start and those clips and the music, like the Godzilla theme song is iconic. The moment you hit start, it brings you into that Godzilla world instantly and it's amazing. The same thing with Jurassic Park. The moment you hit start and you hear that Jurassic Park theme song, it pulls you into the Jurassic Park world you love instantly. And even though Godzilla's got animations instead of movie clips, you still connect and remember. You remember everything that happened in Jurassic Park. So you're able to make the mental leap to then put yourself into the game and into that environment. I don't know if King Kong has that per se. Like it doesn't have that iconic theme song. You know, they're going to probably go with like this tribal jungle, like heavy on the drums, you know, when the natives of the island are summoning Kong to go fight. I think you're going to get a lot of that. I think the use of a shaker motor as King Kong is like heading towards you and knocking down the trees. That 1970s version of Kong where they tie the girl to the fence and he's just coming and John Youssi the trees falling down. To me, that's the most iconic arrival of King Kong ever. It's absolutely incredible. And they're just chanting like Kong, Kong. And what makes the movie so magical is you don't see the big ape. You know, there's like this suspense of waiting to see him. And I'm wondering if they're gonna be able to create that and translate that into the pinball experience. You know, who knows on the design? The design is gonna be interesting, right? I think with every new Keith Elwin game, we really do wonder what he gonna do next He done a lot He made some of the best shooting games in pinball I think people out there though if there one thing if there one major criticism of Keith Elwin games it they maybe too hard for a lot of you And I hear that from people in private areas of the Internet, you know, because you can't publicly come out and say you're frustrated by a Keith Elwin game. You know, it's just like because he's so popular, You can't even give critiques or criticisms, but I think a lot of people out there just over time get a little frustrated with how hard Godzilla is, and you know you're never going to get to the end. Same with Jaws. You know when they do the final wizard mode in Jaws, none of you are going to be able to get through the other five mini wizard modes and complete all of them or even activate all of them to get to the final wizard mode. Look, and some people out there that are amazing players will, but 98% of you won't. And I think Keith Elwin games, I think some people just want his games to be a little bit easier to get through and see what it's all about. And also, like on a design standpoint, sometimes they're just brutal. Like the flow is amazing and they're super great. You're holding on a little bit to get through the game. But other than that, it's really hard to find anything to complain about with Keith Elwin and Stern Machines. These are the only games that are holding value. These games are bringing the most enjoyment right now in the pinball world. And when you think about Stern Pinball without Keith Elwin, it's almost impossible to even think about Stern Pinball without Keith Elwin. He's their only hit maker right now, and Stern Pinball needs a hit. So there's a lot riding on this game right now. There's a lot. Is there going to be an Empire State Building in the game? The iconic thing. the most iconic King Kong thing in the world is him climbing that Empire State Building here's what I think they're going to do I said it in an earlier podcast I think they're going to have a throwback mode in this game where it's going to be the black and white Kong swatting at the airplanes hanging from fishing tackle I think they're going to create a throwback mode that's going to bring some of the older Kong moments to life but when it comes to this version of the game I don't think you're going to see like the classic Kong movie poster vibe on the cabinet. I think it's going to be Zombietti on this game. And I think it's going to be colorful. I think it's going to be bright. Personally, I would have liked them to have gone more of the original Kong movie poster vibe. I think that when it comes to Stern, same with Godzilla. Like I feel like it was a missed opportunity with Godzilla to pay homage to Godzilla in a way that looked more like those iconic movie posters. Stern doesn't take many risks when it comes to art direction. Their games are all very similar looking because it works, right? It works. They're all colorful. They're all cheerful. They make you want to walk up and play pinball. But I wish they would allow the theme to dictate the art looking drastically different if the theme demands it. And they don't. They don't. They're going to make this thing look very colorful, very bright, big gorilla, shiny white fang teeth. And I can picture him, you know, like with his big hand, throwing a silver, a humongous silver pinball somewhere on the cabinet. I don't know. We'll see how they do it. But I still think Kong is going to be a little bit of a question mark. I do. I think it's going to struggle to have as much personality as Godzilla. And then the other question is, is it going to come out before Harry Potter? Because when I put up my timeline, a lot of people said they think Kong is going to be out before May. And it might come out in April. Now, knowing that Stern needs a hit, knowing that Harry Potter is also going to get a ton of orders, and both these companies, they now know that you're not going to have a lot of people able to buy both. And with these games costing what they cost, whoever comes out first might have the advantage. Remember when Stern came out with like Foo Fighters all of a sudden and they snaked Godfather? Not that you needed a great game to snake Godfather, but they did. So I could see Stern Pinball coming out before Harry Potter. And I know Jersey Jack is aware of that and they are nervous. So I think there's a race to get the games out in April. I think both games could be revealed in April and ship in May. Because remember, both of these companies tend to reveal products. Sometimes they're on the line. Sometimes they are just about to be on the line. And with Stern doing L.E.'s first, when they reveal a game on reveal day, the L.E.'s are usually not on the line. Remember, they used to always have the pros on the line first to get them the operators. They switched that up. Now there is a few week delay between reveal and manufacturing. Jersey Jack did not have Elton John's inboxes on the line. They didn't even have Avatar on the line shipping on the day the game was revealed. So I could see both companies trying to get in front of each other. And then we get to see these games in April, right when Predator is going to get announced, right when Barrels of Fun is about to get announced. So here's the crazy part. I think we might see four new pinball machines, four separate IPs from four different companies in a four-week period of time. I think between the end of March and the end of April, it's about to get crazy. And it's March 10th. that's not a lot of time to wait. And I'm going to keep you entertained, right? You're going to get two to three shows a week and a Saturday morning spectacular. I'm going to make the wait really easy. Everybody, thank you for being a club member. It's about to get really, really exciting in pinball. It's a lot of fun to think about this stuff and to turn off the outside world and all of its negativity, all of its distractions, and think about what world under glass are we going to get that's going to make us want to buy a game even when we told our wives we weren't buying anything more this year. Everybody have a great day. We'll talk to you soon. Wow!

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f9f38bc7-e171-4c93-b215-f167540850bc*