# Episode 663: "Crazy Rumors Galore"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2022-03-30  
**Duration:** 27m 14s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-663-64442296

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## Analysis

Kaneda discusses major pinball industry rumors for 2022, including Stern's shift from Venom to Jaws, Jersey Jack's contractual obligations to release Toy Story and The Godfather, speculation about Stern acquiring the He-Man license from American Pinball, Christopher Franchi working across multiple manufacturers, and concerns about Haggis Pinball financial viability after production delays.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball will release Jaws in August 2022, designed by Keith Elwin with Randy Martinez artwork — _Kaneda, speculation based on rumor; explicitly framed as rumor, not confirmed fact_
- [MEDIUM] Jersey Jack Pinball is contractually obligated to release two games in 2022: Toy Story (tied to Buzz Lightyear movie launch in June) and The Godfather (tied to 50th anniversary) — _Kaneda, reasoning from licensing and movie release dates; speculative inference_
- [MEDIUM] Eric Meunier is designing The Godfather game for Jersey Jack Pinball, focusing on fast flow and shooting mechanics, with Christopher Franchi on art — _Kaneda, rumor; explicitly stated as heard information_
- [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball has a history of missing contractual deadlines (Hobbit, Toy Story 4) — _Kaneda, stating documented history; refers to known public issues_
- [LOW] Stern Pinball acquired the He-Man Masters of the Universe license, possibly from American Pinball after Michael Grant transferred to Stern — _Kaneda, explicitly frames as speculation ('I am making up all of this')_
- [MEDIUM] Jack Danger will design He-Man Masters of the Universe for Stern Pinball as a cornerstone 2023 title — _Kaneda, reasoning from Danger's prior statements about He-Man; personal prediction_
- [MEDIUM] American Pinball's Dennis Nordman original IP game will feature art by Christopher Franchi — _Kaneda, rumor; stated as heard information_
- [HIGH] Christopher Franchi is simultaneously working on art for games at American Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, and Jersey Jack Pinball — _Kaneda, citing announcement at TPF and Franchi's involvement; factual observation_
- [MEDIUM] Haggis Pinball will begin shipping Fathom games in April 2022, with production capacity of 5-10 units at a time — _Kaneda, quoting customer email from Damien; secondhand update_
- [MEDIUM] Haggis Pinball financial model is at risk due to production delays and cost overruns, threatening long-term viability — _Kaneda, personal analysis and opinion; explicitly distinguishing from claims that they won't ship_

### Notable Quotes

> "Stern Pinball is making a new game, fully coded for the most part, fully featured game, every four months. Stern gives you a new game. Every four months. Jersey Jack Pinball in two years usually gives you only one title."
> — **Kaneda**, early in episode
> _Directly contrasts production capacity and release cadence between two major manufacturers, highlighting structural business difference_

> "History has shown us that they have often missed their contractual obligations. Jersey Jack Pinball was supposed to get The Hobbit out, contractually obligated to get it out with The Hobbit movies. He didn't hit that deadline."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Establishes track record of JJP missing license-tied deadlines, context for skepticism about 2022 commitments_

> "If they don't jam a bunch of amazing toys into Toy Story, I think we have our answer on where this company is going moving forward."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Frames Toy Story game as test of JJP's design philosophy (mechanical complexity vs. simplification)_

> "I think this is Eric hearing the feedback from a lot of people that his games don't shoot as well as other people's games and I think he wants to answer back with this Godfather game."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Suggests competitive response to criticism of Eric Meunier's prior games_

> "I think you're going to get your games, but this company's big Achilles heel is this. If they've lost money on all of this, then he's not charging enough for Fathom to keep this company viable."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Distinguishes operational concern (delayed delivery) from financial concern (unsustainable margins)_

> "I absolutely never said they were not gonna get games out. I've said the following. I think they're gonna get the fathoms built. And I think the cost for each one they build is gonna be so much greater than they anticipated that this company financially is going to struggle."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Clarification of Kaneda's prior position on Haggis to address listener expectations_

> "There's never been an example of a pinball boutique company that went quiet and then everything was just roses when they resurfaced."
> — **Kaneda**, late-episode
> _Industry pattern observation; warns against Haggis going silent_

> "Art is a competitive advantage. And why would you want your artist helping a competitor sell their product? It just makes no sense."
> — **Kaneda**, mid-episode
> _Questions business logic of Christopher Franchi working across competing manufacturers simultaneously_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; pinball industry commentator and rumor analyst; second-place finisher (30%+) in Twippies Favorite Pinball Podcast category |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; rumored to be releasing Jaws in August 2022; reportedly acquired He-Man Masters of the Universe license; releases new game every 4 months |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer with history of missing contractual deadlines; rumored to release Toy Story and The Godfather in 2022; produces one game per ~2 years |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer pursuing original IP strategy; rumored to have lost He-Man license to Stern; upcoming Dennis Nordman original IP game with Franchi art |
| Keith Elwin | person | Pinball designer; rumored to be designing Stern's Jaws; known for high-quality game design |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer; working on Jersey Jack's Toy Story game; discussed in context of design philosophy (mechanical magic vs. simplification) |
| Eric Meunier | person | Pinball game designer at Jersey Jack Pinball; rumored to be designing The Godfather for 2022 fall release; feedback suggests his prior games don't shoot as well |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Pinball artist; working on art for Eric Meunier's Godfather game (JJP), Dennis Nordman game (American Pinball), and Ben Heck's game (Chicago Gaming); unusual multi-company arrangement |
| Jack Danger | person | Stern Pinball designer; Kaneda predicts he will design He-Man Masters of the Universe; has previously expressed interest in He-Man theme |
| [name withheld pending review] | person | Transitioned from American Pinball to Stern Pinball; speculated to have facilitated He-Man license deal to Stern |
| Dennis Nordman | person | Designer working with American Pinball on original IP game; theme/subject of game unknown |
| Damien | person | Owner/leader of Haggis Pinball; provides customer updates via email; shipped Fathom games beginning April 2022 |
| Randy Martinez | person | Pinball artwork artist; rumored to be doing artwork for Stern's Jaws |
| Jody Dankberg | person | Executive at Stern Pinball with strong industry relationships with studios and licensors |
| Ben Heck | person | Designer at Chicago Gaming Company; working with Christopher Franchi on game art |
| Toy Story | game | Upcoming Jersey Jack Pinball game tied to Buzz Lightyear movie launch (June 2022); rumored to be based on Toy Story 4 rather than entire franchise; contractual obligation; designed by Pat Lawlor |
| The Godfather | game | Rumored Jersey Jack Pinball game by Eric Meunier; tied to 50th anniversary; expected fall 2022 release; focuses on fast flow and shooting mechanics |
| Jaws | game | Rumored Stern Pinball game for August 2022 release; designed by Keith Elwin with Randy Martinez artwork |
| He-Man Masters of the Universe | game | Rumored Stern Pinball game; license allegedly lost by American Pinball; expected designer Jack Danger; cornerstone title for early 2023 |
| Fathom | game | Haggis Pinball remake game; production delays; beginning shipments April 2022; financial viability concerns due to cost overruns |
| Texas Pinball Festival (TPF) | event | Major pinball convention where Kaneda observed limited Jersey Jack machine availability and heard JJP seminar about licensing strategy |
| Pintastic | event | Pinball convention in Boston, end of June; Kaneda expects Toy Story reveal around this time |
| Haggis Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; producing Fathom remake; concerns about financial viability and production delays |
| Zach | person | Host of 'Pinball Show'; finished second in Twippies Favorite Pinball Podcast voting with unspecified percentage |

### Signals

- **[rumor_hype]** Multiple rumored 2022 releases creating anticipation: Stern's Jaws, Jersey Jack's Toy Story and Godfather, American Pinball's Dennis Nordman game, and Haggis's Fathom shipments (confidence: high) — Entire episode structured around 2022 rumor speculation; described as 'very exciting' year
- **[business_signal]** Stark contrast in release cadence: Stern produces new game every 4 months vs. Jersey Jack one game per 2 years, indicating structural competitive disadvantage for JJP (confidence: high) — Kaneda explicitly quantifies: 'Stern gives you a new game. Every four months. Jersey Jack Pinball in two years usually gives you only one title.'
- **[licensing_signal]** Disney and other licensors enforcing contractual deadlines on Jersey Jack Pinball, but JJP history shows repeated failures to meet movie-tie deadlines (confidence: high) — Documented JJP missed Hobbit movie deadline, Toy Story 4 deadline years ago, leading to Willy Wonka reskin
- **[personnel_signal]** Michael Grant transitioned from American Pinball to Stern Pinball; Kaneda speculates this facilitated Stern acquiring He-Man license from American Pinball (confidence: low) — Kaneda explicitly states 'I am making up all of this' but offers plausible mechanism for license loss
- **[market_signal]** American Pinball pursuing original IP strategy (Dennis Nordman game, implied Legends of Valhalla/Hot Wheels underperformance) vs. licensed themes (Jaws, Toy Story, Godfather) from established manufacturers (confidence: high) — Kaneda argues: 'American Pinball's strategy of original IP games going up against licensed themes...I think this is a crazy strategy that isn't going to work out'
- **[design_philosophy]** Tension in design philosophy: Pat Lawlor favoring simplicity/accessibility vs. community desire for mechanical magic and interactive features; Toy Story as test case (confidence: medium) — Kaneda worries Lawlor 'stripped everything out' and concerns about Willy Wonka's lack of mechanical features; frames Toy Story as 'crossroads' for JJP direction
- **[manufacturing_signal]** Haggis Pinball facing significant cost overruns on Fathom production despite delays, creating unsustainable financial model for future games (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I think the cost for each one they build is gonna be so much greater than they anticipated that this company financially is going to struggle'
- **[content_signal]** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast won Twippies Favorite category (30%+ votes), beating Zach Sharpe's Pinball Show (second) and third-place finisher; podcast community engagement metric (confidence: high) — Kaneda announces award results and audience response; Franchi's show noted as potentially not returning
- **[competitive_signal]** Eric Meunier reportedly designing Godfather specifically to address criticism that his prior games don't shoot/play well; competitive response to other designers (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I think Eric hearing the feedback from a lot of people that his games don't shoot as well...I think he wants to answer back'
- **[product_concern]** Jersey Jack Pinball historically fails to deliver comprehensive licensed IP implementations; rumors of Toy Story 4-only focus raise concerns about thematic breadth (confidence: high) — Kaneda documents Pirates of Caribbean missing Jack Sparrow/Depp humor; Willy Wonka missing musical elements; notes JJP claim to 'get everything' contradicted by history
- **[industry_signal]** Unprecedented situation of Christopher Franchi simultaneously working on art for three competing manufacturers raises questions about artist exclusivity norms in pinball (confidence: high) — Kaneda questions business logic: 'why would you want your artist helping a competitor sell their product? It just makes no sense.' Contrasts with artist-company relationships at Stern
- **[supply_chain_signal]** Stern's supply chain issues causing them to release games with delays; once resolved, will give Stern competitive advantage in filling demand from licensed titles (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'once Stern gets the supply issues figured out...it's going to be really hard to compete with like a Keith Elwin Jaws versus an original IP'

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## Transcript

 All the rumors are true, yeah. With your heart that is true, yeah. Say da say da say da say da say da say da say da say da Ah, welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. I'm your host Kaneda. What is Kaneda doing? Two shows in two days, he must be feeling better. On this episode let's talk about the rumors. And I love rumors. I love talking about what we think is going to happen in the pinball world. It's going to be a very exciting 2022 in pinball. Now one thing that is not a rumor, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, The Facebook Live of Kaneda was voted the second most popular pinball stream in the world during this year's Twippies. Now thank you each and every one of you who voted for it. I love doing my Facebook Lives. I love it. There's no editing. I just hit go, record. I beg for stars and we talk about pinball. We don't even stream pinball. I think that's the most amazing part about it and we have almost 2,000 people who are checking out Facebook Live of Kaneda. If you're not there, you should get there. Okay, you are not here to listen to me congratulate myself. I do it enough. Let's talk about the rumors of 2022 that we know. Now, the first rumor has to do with Stern Pinball. We don't need to guess when Stern's next game is coming out. They've already told us it will be out in August of 2022. They were taking a break. It was going to be comic book edition of Venom. That was going to come out in April, but they shelved it. Now the rumor is that venom is now not going to be the next game. That they might move venom back. And so the rumor I'm hearing in August we are going to get Jaws from Stern Pinball. Jaws the big shark, right? Not Jaws as a codename for James Bond. So we shall see if that rumor comes true. I think Jaws is going to be a Keith Elwin pin and I think it's going to have Randy Martinez on artwork. But Jaws I hear is definitely coming from Stern Pinball. So that's rumor number one. The next rumors have to do with Jersey Jack Pinball. Now this is a company that when you look at the history of Jersey Jack Pinball, every year this company promises they're going to get two games out a year. It always seems to be like the North Star for this company. Like eventually we will have to get to a point where we can sell more than one game a year. Now the sad thing about Jersey Jack Pinball is the demand is there. Like they could sell more Wizard of Oz games and Hobbits and Dialed-ins and Wonkas and Guns and Roses. Like they have demand for their product. They can't make it. I was just at Texas Pinball Festival. The only Jersey Jack machine that was there in the entire show was one title, Guns and Roses. And unfortunately, JJP's history has been this. Like they have a game and they make that game for like over a year. Usually two years they make the game. And they just can't seem to reveal, announce, and make the follow-up game with any sort of consistency, with any cadence. Remember, Stern Pinball is making a new game, fully coded for the most part, fully featured game, every four months. Stern gives you a new game. Every four months. Jersey Jack Pinball in two years usually gives you only one title. This is the big difference between these two companies. But here's the rumor I'm hearing that Jersey Jack Pinball is contractually obligated to send out two games this year. And here's why I think they are contractually obligated to get two games out. I think you've got Toy Story. I bet the Toy Story game is contractually obligated to be out by the time the Buzz Lightyear movie comes out in June. That movie is coming out, I believe, June 17th. So I fully expect to see the Toy Story Pinball Machine revealed right around the Buzz Lightyear movie. I also expect Toy Story to be at Pintastic up in Boston, which is going to be the end of June. So that to me feels like that's them fulfilling their contractual obligation to Disney to get this machine out right around that movie launch. And it makes perfect sense. What will the next game be, right? If that's number one, then what's JJP number two? It seems just crazy if they're gonna wait to June that they're gonna have another game out in the fall. Like I can't even believe I'm saying this but you know what I think it is. I think it's Eric Minier's next game. I heard the game has been done for a while. I heard they're playing it at JJP for a while. I hear the game is supposed to be fast and have a lot of flow. I think this is Eric hearing the feedback from a lot of people that his games don't shoot as well as other people's games and I think he wants to answer back with this Godfather game. Yes, I think it is the Godfather. I also think it's probably part of the contractual obligation that we will get this Godfather pinball machine out during the 50th anniversary of Godfather. So I think that's part of it, right? It's like we need to get these two titles out and we're obligated to doing it. And also the rumor was that Christopher Franchi would be working on the art package with Eric Meunier's next game. I still think Franchi is working on this game. I still think it's Godfather and I think it's gonna happen sometime in the fall. But here's the big like caveat with all of this. Even though Jersey Jack Pinball is contractually obligated to get these games out, history has shown us that they have often missed their contractual obligations. Remember Jack was supposed to get The Hobbit out, contractually obligated to get it out with The Hobbit movies. He didn't hit that deadline. They were supposed to get Toy Story out when Toy Story 4 came out in the movie theaters. That was years ago. They contractually did not hit that deadline and that's why Disney said, uh-uh, if you can't get the game out by now, we're not gonna release the game. And that is why they reskin Toy Story into Willy Wonka. Like all this is pretty well documented by the people who are behind the scenes. Now, here's another rumor I'm hearing that is actually making me nervous. The rumor is is that Toy Story is going to be based on the fourth Toy Story movie, not the entire franchise. I hope I was right, let's see if there is anything wrong now that I can help with. Person sitting right next to me and If I left out Jean-æ Merry, grandma, Mario which I gradually introduced him , share a photo with dim collab sooner, giveokol statistically , Drippi, Istandee nel and ,ise這樣子 fälltadelvolle And Byemittle colu, we're taking a short sneak peak, A review of papers as I talk about my expertise Subtitles by the Amara.org community The most of the characters that we love in the toy story franchise are introduced in that first movie. Yes, they do have a lot of fun introducing new characters throughout the franchise, but Toy Story 1 is really the one you want. It's really the iconic go-to version of the film. And the fourth one I'm worried about because if you remember the storyline Sne sentex ripe Pere, bo pepper too Obviously. N yanenta dileare Knapp Arcade and the So that could be really interesting if Pat Lawler puts his Funhaus mech back into a Toy story game that actually eats the ball and interacts with the ball This could be sort of like Pat Lawler's follow-up to Funhaus since most of this movie takes place at a carnival But I still really hope it's more of the first movie and they really bring the characters of Rex and Mr Potato Head and the Green Army men and the aliens with the claw. I want all of that. That's what I want I want Buzz Lightyear, Infinity and Beyond, and the Etch A Sketch, and RC the Car, like those are the iconic Toy Story characters we know the best. But the reason why the rumor that it's Toy Story 4 is that when Pat was making this game, he was making it to launch it with the fourth movie. So that's the part that makes me think that the rumor that Jersey Jack's Toy Story game is based on the fourth movie could be true. The problem now is this. That movie came out years ago. They missed the deadline years ago. So it's not timely anymore. It'd be like making a matrix pinball machine and only basing it on the last matrix movie. It's not what people want. I really hope they don't do this. Did you see the JJP seminar at TPF? Jack said something in the seminar that was very interesting. He said something like, when we go after a license, we get everything with that license. And I'm like, what? How did Jack even come to that conclusion? I mean, if Jersey Jack is famous for anything when it comes to licensing a property, it's what they don't get with the license. I mean, look at Pirates of the Caribbean. There's like absolutely nothing from those movies that we loved in the game. Like no Jack Sparrow, no Johnny Depp, none of the humor, none of the humor is in Pirates of the Caribbean. And then you look at like Willy Wonka. Where are all the musicals? Where's the song? Where's the singing? Where's the dancing? Where's everything Willy Wonka is Subtitles by the Amara.org community In summary, like I said, we have a poor sales power, just like the prayingipeordableř Luk., thethaľś產urmřčmt , thefbacks issued by thelabline- gustado handshakes4ural FighterLink1 that 기준옷cool,2ỏäť kidneysケיńł notebook에야ěkå Always keep track of how your price changes I really do hope so. I think this is a real crossroads for Jersey Jack Pinball. I do. I think people are going to look at this next Jersey Jack game and they're going to know which direction is this company going in. Are they stripping the bomb down? Are they trying to simplify their games? Are they going to rely on light shows and LEDs more than mechanical magic? We all want the mechanical magic. I'm worried. I really am worried. You look at a game like Willy Wonka, like where's the magical mechs in that game? Where? Like where's the stuff? Like the movie itself has all of these different rooms in the chocolate factory with all of this interesting stuff going on. And then you play the game and look there's like a screen, there's a magnet, there's a gobstopper hole, but that's it. There isn't much in that game that makes you go wow, like that's a magical mech. Like I'm seeing something turn on that is like really interesting. I hope it is called Toy Story. This is going to be the one. If they don't jam a bunch of amazing toys into Toy Story, I think we have our answer on where this company is going moving forward. And I really, fingers crossed, I hope this is Pat Lawler's swan song. I hope it's loaded. I'm worried. I think Pat is the guy that was stripping everything out. I think his dream is to have a pin on location that's played everywhere and I think he's more concerned with like simplicity than he is with magic but we shall see. Alright, what else is going on in the pinball rumor mill? American Pinball. There is a rumor that they have the license for He-Man Masters of the Universe and they lost it to Stern Pinball. Now how could that happen? How could you lose a license? Like, oh, where'd you put the license? Is it in the drawer? Is it in the closet? No, I think here's what happened. I think Michael Grant was working over at AP and I think he was maybe in talks to get this license for American Pinball and I think Michael Grant went over to Stern Pinball because maybe, just maybe, they were in talks and maybe he went over to Stern with this license and got Stern the deal instead of American Pinball. I am making up all of this but that is my speculation because he jumped ship from AP and went over to Stern. It could just be simply like they were shopping around different pinball manufacturers and we know that Jody Dankberg is not stupid. Jody Dankberg knows everybody. Stern Pinball has relationships with every single studio. So maybe what happened was they were talking to Mattel and maybe AP was like had a few conversations and then all of a sudden, you know, maybe Jody knows someone over at Mattel. Maybe Jarrett who knows a lot of people over at Mattel. Rick Arroyo shuts, Lynn Because we know that Stern Pinball also has a track record of just catching Pinball also has a track record of just catching when that someone talking with a license right They caught when that spooky pinball was talking about Toho Godzilla and then they went in afterwards and they took it Now, everyone right now is very thankful that Stern Pinball made Godzilla and spooky pinball did not get that license because we have arguably maybe the best Stern machine of all time in Godzilla because of Keith Elwin. Imagine if like Chuck and Bug made Godzilla what that game would be like. It would probably be the Halloween game just reskinned into Godzilla in some weird way, right? That's kind of what they're doing lately. But so that is the rumor and here's the thing I think that Stern is going to make He-Man Masters of the Universe and there is someone in the Stern sort of designer pool that is a big fan of this property. His name is Jack Danger. Jack Danger has mentioned on many occasions that he thinks He-Man would be a great theme for pinball. So I fully expect Jack Danger to make He-Man Masters of the Universe. It will be a cornerstone title for Stern Pinball in 2023. I don't think we're gonna see it this year. I think we see it early next year. So put Kaneda down. I'm a betting man. Put me down for Jack Danger making He-Man Masters of the Universe. The other thing we know is this, is that American Pinball has two new games coming. And the next game is their Dennis Nordman game. It's an original IP game. I am also hearing, I know this is crazy to say it, that Christopher Franchi is doing the artwork for the Dennis Nordman game and that he's very excited for everybody to see the art package on this original IP Dennis Nordman game. Now if you ask me what it is, I don't really know. I mean, how do I conjure up an original IP game? Is it a sequel to Whitewater? Well, that's what he was doing over at Deep Root. Is it something with curvaceous women on it? That's something that I know Franchi would be excited about. I have no idea what it is. I do know this. I think American Pinball's strategy of original IP games going up against licensed themes like Toy Story and Godfather and and jaws and James Bond. I think this is a crazy strategy that isn't going to work out in the end. It's just not going to work out. We know that you need a licensed theme to really drive consistent sales. And once Stern gets the supply issues figured out and they start making tons and tons and tons of premiums and pros and they catch up on their orders, it's going to be really hard to compete with like a Keith Elwin Jaws versus an original IP Dennis Norwood. The only way they can compete, the only way they can be successful is if the games are loaded. Now, once again, look at American Pinball. They've been another company that have been pulling stuff out of the games. They pulled stuff out. Houdini and Oktoberfest were packed. And then look at Hot Wheels. Look at Legends of Valhalla. Arguably two games with very little in them. The You can find us on Facebook at www.kurolamb Sherannness эт, ERI TOUNG-Nertog Teacher egoonp가지고oryoogap entrepreneurial Lim Ts audiences anything a-watch? Social Media Z sinloway3 Manager perk Aquí is a gift. 5 7 8 10 I think they're misguided by the sales of Legends of Valhalla. I think it came out when there was no inventory and they're a little bit delusional thinking it's going to work. Now the other rumor I'm hearing is that Riot Pinball is going to make another game for American Pinball. Now that begs the question, is it going to be Wrath of Olympus or will it be an all new title? I think I speak for all of us when I say the following, please make it an all original The title and also please work with a different artist. I know Scott does the artwork. He did the artwork for love. He did the artwork for wooly, but he needs to not do the art packages on these games. I get it. You're an artist, but your art isn't good enough for an eighty seven hundred or more game. We need better art. Now, something weird happened at TPF. Christopher Franchi was announced by David Fix as being a member of American Pinball. So Christopher Franchi is making a game with American Pinball, which I think is Dennis Nordman's game. I know for a fact that Christopher Franchi is also working on Ben Heck's game over at CGC, and he might also be working on Eric Minier's game over at JJP. Now, I don't think this is really going to work out. Franchi is incredibly talented, but he has a very specific style. And we haven't seen this before. Like, point another artist that in one year has worked on three separate companies games one year like art is very very visual it is very specific and it actually becomes the visual identity of your company it's one thing if David Thiel wants to work on sound packages for everybody that doesn't really matter right you just want the best sound in your game but when you put a company games next to each other there should be some similarity in how they look and so it going to be very interesting if we see Franchi Art on three different companies Like there a reason why Stern is in bed with Zombietti right Every time Zombietti does a game, it's with Stern. The only games we've seen Franchi do are with Stern. So we haven't seen this before. I'm not sure it's going to work out. We'll see how it works out. But look, I want to see Franchi's art on more pinball, but I think someone needs to sign If something was on the record and state to go with the somebody дом 519 Dance shit down the bicycles taking away 500 arrested chair infantry, de facto rector withники, CNC4255ky sy everytime the groundbreakingoston сосie Contribute your Pinball and and then you give the other to maybe someone else. But I absolutely don't know if you can have them working on your competitors products. Like it's really weird because as we know in Pinball, art is a competitive advantage. And why would you want your artist helping a competitor sell their product? It just makes no sense. But this is going to be a very important game for American Pinball. If this game doesn't hit, I think AP might be in a little bit of trouble. I really do. I think they're going to have to eventually get a license theme in the hopper, all right? Now, what else is going on in pinball? We got an update from Haggis Pinball. Let me read it to you, you know, because all these Haggis updates are one-off emails to customers. Damien just can't communicate with all of us at once, but this is how he wants to do it. It goes, received an update from Damien last night. He stated the first group of fathoms will be finishing up being put together in the next week or so. Then we'll move into final testing. We should start We should start seeing a few games ship in April. Just remember that this is not Stern and you will not see a giant row of fathoms on a line. Not sure how many Haggis can build at a time but I would guess 5-10. Alright, so here's the deal. We should start seeing a few games in April. Guess what? It's April Friday. And it's April 1st on Friday. April Fool's Day. So look, for the record I just want to clarify once again my positioning on Haggis because I think everyone is always like, I can't wait till Kaneda's wrong. I never said they wouldn't ship fathoms. You can't find the sound clip where I said that. I absolutely never said they were not gonna get games out. I've said the following. I think they're gonna get the fathoms built. And I think the cost for each one they build is gonna be so much greater than they anticipated that this company financially is going to struggle. And I don't see how you go 10 months delayed and don't take a bath on every single fathom you make. That's what I've said. I'm not rooting against them. I want everyone to get their games. I haven't been a fan of their communication. And I think going silent the way he did after he said January would be when production began, the fact that they went silent is not a good sign. And I think for those of you out there who love to root for boutique pinball companies, that's fine. I love to root for boutique pinball companies as well. What I don't like are missed deadlines and when companies go quiet. It's always been a red flag. There's never been an example of a pinball boutique company that went quiet and then everything was just roses when they resurfaced. Okay? Again, I think you're going to get your games, but this company's big Achilles heel is this. If they've lost money on all of this, then he's not charging enough for Fathom to keep this company viable. He then needs to charge more for the next Onsteam enough to fall outczyć the its to take down the USA won't move, but are one big God swine they will be they scary that is He not period for available nation담ple FARAC AND PARTICIPIAL PRO aromatic Translied Text alone's person is Noge. Danny Manzino on— Whose office is he walking into and getting advice from? Pinball designing is not easy. It's not. And to make a great pinball machine, you have to learn from someone. You have to be taught some stuff. You're never going to learn it just because you had money and you bought a lot of games and you played a lot of pinball. That's not what makes a great pinball designer. And I think that's just my belief on all of this is there is a period in which you need to graduate. You know, Jack Danger's also new, right? You put Jack and Marty in the same boat. Okay, fine. Danger can go down the hallway and go knock on George Gomez door and Keith Elwin's door and learn from people who know it so very well. Whose door is Marty knocking on to help with design? Damien and the guys who did Kelts? And that's my point. It's like this company doesn't really have what I think is like a really sound strategy to be super profitable over the years. I mean, their strategy seems to be to remake old games. That's fine. And look how hard it's been. It's been this hard to currently beingグ Taroko to be an important of the We have a ton of Halloweens and Ultramans on the line. We saw a ton of Rick and Mortys when they were building them. So Damien didn't need all that space if all he's going to do is put together five games a week. You know, this is just my observation. I could be right. I could be wrong. I hope you get your fathoms. It's not personal. I just want people to get their games. All right, everybody. This has been Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. Thank you again for all of your votes. We won Favorite Pinball Podcast with 30% plus of the votes. Congratulations to Zach and the Pinball Show who finished second and super awesome Pinball Show finished third. But so I guess the show's not coming back as Franchi said if he won he'd come back. So we'll see what happens. I hope he comes back. I really do. I think Franchi does a great show. I think it should just be like one hour on Monday and then do an hour interview on Friday. Just break it up a little bit and then we're all golden. Everybody have a great day. I'll talk to you soon. Fortnite Untitled

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: fffd66f8-0284-418b-89d8-960172692757*