Kaneda PSA: "Don't Order Queen Before Gameplay!"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·10m 20s·analyzed·Jul 22, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Kaneda warns against pre-ordering Queen pinball without gameplay footage; criticizes $10,995 pricing as unjustified.

Summary

Kaneda criticizes Pinball Brothers' Queen pinball machine launch, particularly the $10,995 Rhapsody Edition, for taking non-refundable pre-orders without providing gameplay footage or detailed rule information. He argues the game's visual design and feature set do not justify its premium pricing compared to competitors like Guns N' Roses, questions the manufacturer's production capacity and reliability, and urges consumers and dealers to demand gameplay videos before committing deposits.

Key Claims

Queen Pinball Rhapsody Edition is priced at $10,995, only $5 less than Guns N' Roses Limited Edition
high confidence · Kaneda explicitly states pricing comparison during product critique segment
Pinball Brothers does not have a track record of starting production on time
medium confidence · Kaneda asserts this as comparison point to Stern and Jersey Jack, claiming unfulfilled Alien orders as evidence
Queen Rhapsody Edition uses live versions of Queen songs, not studio recordings
high confidence · Kaneda states this directly when discussing audio content and compares unfavorably to Guns N' Roses approach
The game was launched with flyers before HD photos or gameplay footage were available
high confidence · Kaneda explicitly critiques the launch strategy: 'This game was launched by the Pinball Brothers today with these flyers first. It wasn't even launched with like HD photos of the game.'
The Queen game has a basic playfield layout with limited toy complexity
medium confidence · Kaneda observes 'there's not much in it. It looks like a pretty basic layout' after examining the game visually
Distributor pages still have unsold Toy Story Collectors Edition allotments
medium confidence · Kaneda states 'You can go on to distributor pages today and they still sitting on their allotments of Toy Story CE'
Pre-order deposits are non-refundable with no guaranteed timeline for production
high confidence · Kaneda reads directly from distributor website terms: 'There are only estimates on when the games will be produced and timelines cannot be guaranteed'
Queen game was displayed in a Queen pop-up store months before official launch
high confidence · Kaneda references 'the same exact game we saw that was put into that Queen pop-up store months ago'

Notable Quotes

“Do we have gameplay? Have we seen what this gameplay is like? I mean, it is absolutely blowing me away. It's like nobody learns a damn thing.”
Kaneda @ ~0:45 — Core thesis of the episode—frustration with the industry practice of soliciting pre-orders without gameplay demonstration
“You're going to give this company money in which you can never get your money back. And when you give the money, you're being told the game's going to start rolling out in September.”
Kaneda @ ~4:30 — Explicates the risk dynamic for consumers in non-refundable pre-order model
“This game is just an ugly duckling. It's just an ugly duckling.”
Kaneda @ ~5:30 — Direct critique of the game's visual design and aesthetic appeal
“I just don't understand how you could even come to a conclusion that these games are the same price. It's too much, people.”
Kaneda @ ~6:00 — Expresses incredulity at price parity between Queen and Guns N' Roses despite perceived quality disparity
“This is like a $6,000 machine. $7,000 at most. But it looks like a $6,000 machine. And here we are being told that this is an $11,000 game.”
Kaneda @ ~6:30 — States his valuation estimate and frames the pricing as grossly inflated
“Why would anyone in a million years order this game before you see it being played? Why? There is no reason to order today.”
Kaneda @ ~8:45 — Direct call to action against pre-ordering; summarizes his core argument
“If I can't play the game, then a manufacturer better upload a video or have somebody play the game so we have enough information to go on before we're asked to buy these products.”
Kaneda @ ~13:00 — Proposes industry standard/best practice for pre-order transparency
“We can see more gameplay footage of a $60 video game than I can of a $10,000 pinball machine. It's absolutely ridiculous.”

Entities

Kanedaperson Pinball BrotherscompanyQueen (pinball game)gameStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyGuns N' Roses (pinball game)gameAlien (Pinball Brothers game)gameToy Story Collectors Editiongame

Signals

?
product_concern: Kaneda criticizes Queen's art package as 'one of the worst art packages on any music pin ever,' indicating aesthetic quality concerns affecting perceived value at $10,995 price point
high · Kaneda explicitly states: 'The information you have right now is that it's one of the worst art packages on any music pin ever. Okay, so there's that.'
?
product_concern: Concerns about limited toy complexity; game criticized for relying on spinners, pop bumpers, and targets rather than substantive mechanical features justifying premium pricing
high · Kaneda: 'If you count spinners as toys or pop bumpers as toys, people are going to say, no, thank you.'
$
market_signal: Unsold Toy Story Collectors Edition inventory still visible on distributor shelves, signaling weak demand at premium price points and potential market saturation
medium · Kaneda notes: 'You can go on to distributor pages today and they still sitting on their allotments of Toy Story CE. They not sold out.'
$
market_signal: Broad market skepticism about $10,000+ price points for machines without proven production records or exceptional feature sets; Kaneda suggests industry-wide overpricing
medium · Kaneda: 'Pinball can't be this sport anymore, in which almost everything is around or above $10,000.'
?
manufacturing_signal: Serious doubt about Pinball Brothers' ability to produce 1,000 units within stated timeline; questioned production rate and historical delivery delays
high · Kaneda: 'The Pinball Brothers can even make 1 games a year. Like do you know how many games they make a week or a month? No nobody does. But for them to say we going to make a thousand of these...it such wishful thinking.'

Topics

Pre-order and deposit practices in pinball manufacturingprimaryPricing and value perception for premium pinball machinesprimaryGameplay transparency and marketing standardsprimaryPinball Brothers manufacturing capacity and track recordprimaryMusic-themed pinball games and licensingsecondaryDistributor and dealer practices and responsibilitiessecondarySecondary market inventory and demand patternssecondaryIndustry-wide pricing and value alignmentsecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.031

All we hear is Radio Gaga, Radio Cuckoo, Radio Gaga. Seda, Seda, Seda, Seda, Seda, Seda, Seda. You know, I can't believe I'm on Facebook right now and I'm being spammed. I mean it by all of these distributors saying, order now. Queen Pinball, order yours today, right? Order the game. Do we have gameplay? Have we seen what this gameplay is like? I mean, it is absolutely blowing me away. It's like nobody learns a damn thing. Order Queen Pinball. All right, today. What is today's date? Like, what is the significance of July 21st in Queen history? Is there any significance? I don't know. Was this when they played Wembley Stadium? I have no idea. But all of a sudden, they launched like a few flyers. And there's the Champions Edition of Queen is available in Q1 of 2023. So pre-order yours now with an exclamation point. Play the game 14 Queen songs live. And I love like the special game features. It has a red special upper play field with full size flipper. It has Wembley Stadium toy with ball catching magnet, one vision hand drawn art package, break free kickback shoots into orbit. And this is where it gets really funny. Ramps and toys, a fully lit radio replica. Okay. Red special physical ball lock. Is a ball lock a toy? Wembley Stadium physical ball lock. And then it's got all these piano drop targets and stand up targets. Two metal ramps, a jukebox vertical up kicker, a magic saucer, three gate drop targets, one bicycle ride spinner, four base stand up targets. Everybody, a target is not a toy. Now look, I'm just going to say this right now. This game was launched by the Pinball Brothers today with these flyers first. It wasn't even launched with like HD photos of the game. Now they put those up later on their website. And so here we are, here's the game. It's the same exact game we saw that was put into that Queen pop-up store months ago. And everyone's going to say the same thing. This is one of the greatest musical acts of all time. One of the greatest bands. These are some of the greatest songs. Now they're not the studio recordings of the songs. It's like live versions of the songs, which is not as great. And I think we're going to get live footage of the songs. I think they tried to copy Guns and Roses a little bit but I think everyone is really happy that we are not hearing current day Axl Rose sing the songs We getting the studio recordings of the song Here the part that rubs me the wrong way. Here's another example where they put out a game with a flyer. They're not showing you gameplay. You have no idea what the rule set is. You don't have enough information to buy this game. The information you have right now is that it's one of the worst art packages on any music pin ever. Okay, so there's that. We know by looking at the game, there's not much in it. It looks like a pretty basic layout. But here's the part that I'm just so tired of. It's this non-refundable deposits. So once again, we will take your money today and it says the game will be available on the flyer September of 2022. So then you go to the website, you go to order the game and guess what it says on a distributor's website. Additional note, this is a pre-order. This is a non-refundable deposit. There are only estimates on when the games will be produced and timelines cannot be guaranteed. Okay, so let me translate that for you right now. You're going to give this company money in which you can never get your money back. And when you give the money, you're being told the game's going to start rolling out in September. Now, Pinball Brothers is not Stern Pinball. They're not Jersey Jack Pinball. They don't have a track record of starting production on time. Have they built all of the alien orders? And now we're supposed to believe they're going to be able to make a thousand limited editions of this like Rhapsody edition of Queen Pinball. When I saw this, I was like, who's going to fall for this right now? Like, first of all, this game is just an ugly duckling. It's just an ugly duckling. And guess how much this game costs? Are you ready for it? This game with the thousand units of the Queen Rhapsody edition are going to sell for $10,995. That is $5 less than Guns N' Roses Limited Edition. And if you put this game next to GNR, I just don't understand how you could even come to a conclusion that these games are the same price. It's too much, people. I'm just going to say it right now. This show doesn't have to be very long. This is it. Like, I'm sort of done with this. This is like a $6,000 machine. $7,000 at most. But it looks like a $6,000 machine. And here we are being told that this is an $11,000 game. The problem with all of these companies thinking they can charge you this much money for these games, it's a joke. Nobody buying anymore people You can go on to distributor pages today and they still sitting on their allotments of Toy Story CE They not sold out This game not going to sell out And I just like it so weird to me. Now, I don't think this game is going to sell. Like, I think people are smart enough, but I think this practice of non-refundable before you display the gameplay, I'm so tired of it. Here's who I'm talking to right now. All of you dealers and distributors out there, I think all of you out there need to ask these companies, before I list your game for sale, I need gameplay video to show my customers. See, they don't really care because once they have your money, you can't back out. But why would anyone in a million years order this game before you see it being played? Why? There is no reason to order today. And I know that dealers are just doing their job. But to me, this is just another example of just everyone is out of touch. This isn't a $6,000 game anymore where you're willing to just support the pinball brothers. This is an $11,000 pin, which we know they're not going to get on the line in September. And we know there's a reason why they're not showing you gameplay. Because you know how easy it is to show gameplay? to just hook up a tripod and record someone playing the game? Or give the game to someone first and let them play it? I'm literally right now staring at an image of this game next to Guns N' Roses, and it's just laughable. Laughable. How much is in Guns N' Roses, and then you want to charge me the same amount of money? And some people are saying to ship this game costs $995. Pinball can't be this sport anymore, in which almost everything is around or above $10,000. If you're going to ask us for $10,000, then you better hire a good artist. If you're going to ask us for $10,000, you better have toys in the machine that are not spinners. And if you count spinners as toys or pop bumpers as toys, people are going to say, no, thank you. And this whole thing of like, it's limited, it's limited. You're not going to sell a thousand of these, even if it wasn't limited. There is no way you're finding 1,000 buyers for a game at $11,000 if this is what the game looks like. Because also, you're not a company that people have a lot of confidence in. I get that some people are unboxing their Aliens and they're saying, okay, things are okay with my Alien machine. But nobody has confidence if they order their game today, they're going to get their game anytime soon. The Pinball Brothers can even make 1 games a year Like do you know how many games they make a week or a month No nobody does But for them to say we going to make a thousand of these and then also make the champion edition it such wishful thinking. And I just urge all of you out there, wake up, do the smart thing. Do not send in a non-refundable deposit on this game. Wait until production has begun. It'll be easy to get one. distributors will be sitting on it. And I'm telling you right now, they're not even going to make a thousand. They're not. By the time they get to game like number 400, Steve Ritchie's music pin will be out. This is just the way it works. It's so easy to make a flyer. It's so easy to sell a game. It's so much harder to make it. I don't even know why this upsets me. I don't. Maybe it shouldn't because I know most of you don't care. I know that most of you are not buying a game from the pinball brothers this year. I know Kim Mitchell is going to text me right now and say how great is Alien LV is. But I don't even know if he has one. Kim, I'm sorry. How great your fathom is going to be. But here's the thing. It's just rubbing me the wrong way. The way all of these people are just in it together. Are the dealers looking out for you when they do this? Are the manufacturers looking out for you when they do this? We as consumers need to have a very simple Ryan Policky. If I can't play the game, then a manufacturer better upload a video or have somebody play the game so we have enough information to go on before we're asked to buy these products. These aren't like $50 video games, people. And we can see more gameplay footage of a $60 video game than I can of a $10,000 pinball machine. It's absolutely ridiculous. Everybody, thank you for tuning in to Canada Spinball Podcast. This has just been a really short episode because I saw this and it just triggered me. This is inane. Do not pre-order this game later. E-O! E-O! E-O! E-O! E-O! E-O! All right!