Episode 694: "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Podcast Talent"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·20m 36s·analyzed·Jul 8, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

Kaneda disputes American Pinball's LoV sales claims and calls for industry accountability on delays and pricing.

Summary

Chris Kaneda discusses controversies surrounding American Pinball's claimed 1,000 orders for Legends of Valhalla standard edition (which he disputes based on dealer conversations), criticizes boutique manufacturers for delayed shipments and unfulfilled promises (citing Haggis Pinball's Fathom delays, Weird Al production stalls), and argues for accountability in the pinball industry. He expresses confidence that Stern Pinball's return will dominate the market and criticizes the community for cheerleading overpriced games without critical analysis.

Key Claims

American Pinball did not receive 1,000 orders for Legends of Valhalla standard edition, despite David Fix's claims
high confidence · Chris Kaneda, based on conversations with dealers and distributors who say they haven't sold out of Deluxe editions and haven't even received pricing for standard edition
Haggis Pinball told customers Fathom would ship in 8 weeks but it's been 15 weeks with tickets holders still waiting
high confidence · Chris Kaneda citing Pinside forum posts from people who paid in full
Stern Pinball will dominate the market when they return with new games from Keith Elwin and others
medium confidence · Chris Kaneda's prediction/opinion, not verifiable claim
American Pinball claimed they would have four production lines running simultaneously
high confidence · Chris Kaneda referencing David Fix's public statements at an industry event
Most boutique pinball manufacturers are financially backed by outside industries and not profitable
medium confidence · Chris Kaneda citing examples: Churchill cabinets funds Chicago Gaming, Ametron funds American Pinball, P-Ramp funds Multimorphic, Abbas family funds Jersey Jack
Pat Lawlor's departure from Jersey Jack Pinball will be positive for the company culture
medium confidence · Chris Kaneda's opinion based on his belief about Pat's influence on company vibe
Jersey Jack Pinball will offer Guns N' Roses replacement playfields but timing is unknown
high confidence · Barnyard Ken Cromwell confirmed to Chris Kaneda in a conversation
Toy Story 4 came out and 'underwhelmed' the community
medium confidence · Chris Kaneda's subjective assessment

Notable Quotes

“I don't always get my rumors right. I don't know everything happening in the pinball world...but the one thing I am always is entertaining and informative.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~0:30 — Sets tone for the episode—establishes Kaneda's self-aware brand of speculation-driven commentary
“There are not 1,000 orders for the standard edition of Legends of Valhalla and this is being promoted as news as being accurate as being a fact.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~5:15 — Core claim of the episode; directly challenges American Pinball's marketing narrative
“I will mail him a Twippies Award [if David Fix can prove 1,000 orders exist].”
Chris Kaneda @ ~5:45 — Public challenge to American Pinball leadership with high-stakes wager
“Dealers and distributors...they said Chris, we haven't even gotten in most of our orders for the Deluxe edition. A lot of people are getting impatient and they don't even have all of those games sold.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~7:00 — Primary evidence basis for disputing the 1,000 orders claim
“I'm the bad guy because I am calling this out...it's like you either cheerlead or you're the bad guy.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~10:30 — Articulates tension in pinball community between critical analysis and marketing cheerleading
“When Stern Pinball returns, they are going to return and be at the gates of boutique pinball like Hannibal at the gates and they are going to show everybody how it's done.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~18:45 — Expresses confidence in Stern's competitive dominance and implicit critique of boutique manufacturers
“For $12,000 you can't put inner art blades into the game. I gotta buy that separately.”
Chris Kaneda @ ~16:20 — Criticism of pricing and value proposition of modern premium machines
“This is the only pinball podcast that people would actually pay to listen to...they all know what I said on my show because they're all paying to listen to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast.”

Entities

Chris KanedapersonDavid Fixperson Dennis Nordmanperson Josh Kuglerperson Pat LawlorpersonBarnyard Ken CromwellpersonKeith Elwinperson

Signals

?
product_concern: Haggis Pinball promised Fathom delivery in 8 weeks; 15+ weeks have passed with paying customers still waiting for machines
high · Chris Kaneda citing Pinside forum posts from ticket holders who paid in full and are experiencing delays
$
market_signal: Kaneda argues that truly successful games like Godzilla generate universal excitement from both owners and casual players, while newer boutique titles show limited organic enthusiasm
medium · Contrasts Godzilla's reception with Legends of Valhalla, noting lack of unboxing videos and widespread positive threads despite claimed sales success
?
business_signal: Boutique pinball manufacturers rely on external funding sources: American Pinball (Ametron), Chicago Gaming (Churchill cabinets), Multimorphic (P-Ramp), Jersey Jack (Abbas family); Stern Pinball is claimed as only profitable manufacturer
medium · Chris Kaneda stating these companies are not in the green and depend on outside revenue streams
?
industry_signal: Kaneda alleges coordinated effort by other podcast outlets and Knapp Arcade to publish positive American Pinball stories in response to his critical rumor episode
medium · References three or four Knapp Arcade stories about American Pinball appearing after his critical show, including Josh Kugler's 3D sculpt piece
?
community_signal: Tension in pinball community between critical analysis and marketing cheerleading; creators who question companies are framed as 'the bad guy' or 'cancerous'
high · Kaneda describing being called 'cancerous' for questioning American Pinball's claims and noting pressure to either cheerlead or be antagonistic

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.062

0:00

Oh yes, I'm the great pretender. Pretending that I'm doing well. Sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up. Welcome everybody. Happy Friday. Welcome to the world's number one drama free pinball podcast. There's a reason why we have five Twippies. There's a reason why every year when they ask Who's your favorite pinball podcast? You vote Kaneda. And the reason why is this. I don't always get my rumors right. I don't know everything happening in pinball, but I will try my hardest to find out what's going on in the pinball industry. And sometimes I'm correct. Sometimes I'm wrong. But the one thing I am always is entertaining and informative. Now look, I know there is another podcast out there that really wants the Twippy badly and they always go about it the same way. Let's insult Kaneda. Let's show our cards in July. All the interviews we're gonna do and then let's go get annihilated when voting time happens in like December and January. Are you ready for this drama free episode? So here's the deal. I want to talk a little bit about what happened yesterday and how because I said some rumors about American pinball, all of a sudden there was like this effort happening all around the pinball media space to sort of say how I'm going to debunk Kaneda. So here's the thing. What was I wrong about? And there's two things I want to talk about on this episode of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast as we eagerly await for Stern to release a new game. Please, Stern, can you get us a new game in the next couple of months so we can just move on from Toy Story? Move on from waiting for Haggis Pinball to make more than one game a week? See, without Stern Pinball making new games, we get stuck in these little boutique ruts. And for some reason right now, all of these boutique companies have failed to live up to their promises and now they're making huge hyperbolic statements like the following. That the Legends of Valhalla game, which 500 deluxe editions are being made, okay 500, we are hearing that there is twice as many orders for the classic or standard edition of the game. Now I called BS on this and the reason why I'm calling BS on this is that it is BS. There are not 1,000 orders for the standard edition of Legends of Valhalla and this is being promoted as News as being accurate as being a fact So I went on the record and I said if David fix over at American pinball can prove that there are 1,000 orders for the standard edition of Legends of Valhalla I will mail him a Twippy. Now look, I hope American Pinball's next game with Dennis Norman is a great game. I love Dennis Norman. I think he's one of the most talented designers out there. We also got some debunking of Kaneda that maybe Dennis Norman's next game is not a sequel to Whitewater. And I hope it's not a sequel to Whitewater, cause I don't want a sequel to Whitewater. Would it be cool to make one? Sure. I'm John Papadiuk, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, and I'll see you next week. And there are circles of people who know what's going on and they will never tell you because they have special interests with these companies So for example, if you're an artist working on an American pinball game You're not going to be able to tell people what it is, even though you know what it is So if I say it's the sequel to white water and you know, that's wrong. Great. Tell us we're wrong and we'll start speculating again See speculating about what's happening in the pinball world is fun Welcome to the DELUXE EDITION! We are back at it again! Here we have a very funny introduction! The first part is a fun one! It has always been fun over the last five years to listen to this show and all of us together wonder what is coming from around the corner. Sometimes I am right. Sometimes I am wrong. But I am right when I am saying that there are not 1000 orders of Legends of Valhalla. And the reason why I know I am right and I don't know why David Fix made this up is I have talked to dealers and distributors yesterday. And you know what they all told me? They said Chris, we haven't even got in most of our orders for the DELUXE edition. A lot of people are getting impatient and they don't even have all of those games sold. So while they sold through 500 Legends of Valhalla Deluxe Editions, they did not sell out of them. So why would dealers and distributors who haven even sold all of those games order even more games from them And the other part they haven even priced what the standard edition will be priced at You can even order it from American Pinball So it really strange to me that I put up a rumor show about American Pinball It hits some nerves right It hits some nerves and then all of a sudden there like three or four stories on Knapp Arcade about how great American Pinball is The weirdest one which is Josh Coogler making a 3D sculpt of Octo for Oktoberfest. Josh Coogler got basically let go from American Pinball and now he's trying to sell you a 3D molded sculpt for a game that nobody really wants. I mean the whole thing is just very, very strange. Now look, I will say this. American Pinball, just go do the work. Go make the game that everyone gets excited about. You've never done it yet. Now, look, this is the thing with all of pinball content creation lately. It's like you either cheerlead or you're the bad guy. Like they called me cancerous. This is a cancerous podcast because I am calling BS on the fact that they did not get a thousand orders for Legends of a Hollis standard. You know, the other thing that's happening in the pinball world that nobody wants to bring up and this is why Canadian is the bad guy. So when Damien took people's money and they paid in full for fathom, he told people they would have their games in eight weeks and I am on pin side yesterday. There are serious ticket holders who paid in full and it's been 15 weeks and they still don't have their games. And so what happens in a world in which there is no Kaneda's Pinball Podcast? In which we don't hold these companies accountable? Nobody wants to talk about that. Like where's that news story? How is that not news? A company told people, give me all of the money for the game and I guarantee you, you will have this game in eight weeks. We're not supposed to talk about it. We're supposed to say that's great business practice. We're supposed to say everyone's a marketing genius now and pinball just because they played decently in tournaments. Okay, you see what I'm saying? And look, I hope everybody makes the show they want to make and look this is just where we're at. You know, I mean, the pinball world right now is basically this Toy Story 4 came out. It underwhelmed us. Okay, it did. It didn't come out. It wasn't the game we wanted. We've got John at Jack Bar just trying to convince everybody that you wouldn't even know it doesn't have Toy Story 1 through 3. Okay, John, sure. What are you talking about, bro? How can you play that game and not miss Toy Story 1 through 3? All right, cancer show right now. Oh my God, Kaneda, six Twippy put it in the back. All right, so then we get Toy Story 4. It comes out. It's underwhelming. We do know that Jersey Jack Pinball has another game coming this year. All of these are the key to success. So, we know that. Now, look, I also said on my last show that Jersey Jack Pinball might not be remaking Guns N' Roses playfields. And I got hit up by Ken Cromwell. We had a great conversation and he said, Chris, that's not accurate. I spoke to our guys and we are going to offer the ability to buy a Guns N' Roses replacement playfield, but they don't know when. Now, look, if you go back and remember when Jersey Jack Pinball said to us that they would I'm John Papadiuk, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, and I'll see you next week.

9:24

время ofめ three weeks,ed vocês 5.25 horas,��00000000001,00001,00…,زpra讓'tes vŽ ry 주를 하세요. Jonnepopychr scheme 당연히 도 Gesundinaža요. Gasconight, P webpage sizes You interview Jack, he can't tell you the truth. He absolutely can't tell you the truth. And I know it hurts him that so much of the company was taken from him, but I think what's going to happen now, I do think the future for Jersey Jack is going to be positive because I think Pat Lawler leaving the company is actually going to create a much more positive and good vibes over at Jersey Jack Pinball I firmly believe that I don think Pat was a good influence on the culture and the vibe of Jersey Jack Pinball And I think his departure is a good thing I wish Pat luck in life. He's given us some of the best pinball machines. But I think his tenure over at Jersey Jack Pinball never delivered the magic Jack thought he was going to get. And that's just my opinion about that matter. Okay, so we've got fathoms aren't really shipping. They're making like one a week. We've got Legends of a hollow which is now the most successful game in the history of American Pinball. I don't believe it. We've also got like Weird Al is not really making its way to customers. I mean months have gone by and I think one kit went out or one modular system went out, not the full game, just the modular kit and nobody's asking where is production? Where are the updates? Where is the transparency from these companies? And that's the thing. It's like why is everyone just on the sidelines? I'm not going to cheerlead a game that is $12,000 to $15,000 and doesn't have the movies I love in it. I don't think we should spend $12,000 on a Toy Story LE that doesn't even come with a cheap plastic topper. For $12,000 you can't put inner art blades into the game. I gotta buy that separately for $12,000. And everyone just says, hey, well, that's just it, Kaneda. You have to accept this. You have to cheerlead it. And you have to play the game first before you can have an opinion on it. No, I don't need to drive every car to have an opinion about whether or not I think it's worth the money. You don't go see every movie. You watch a movie trailer and you make up your mind that you that's not the movie for you. And why aren't we allowed to do that in pinball? You're allowed to see a pinball machine, not play it and say, Nope, I don't want it. I don't need to play it. I don't want it. It might not speak to me. Theme wise, it might not have enough in it. I might see it on a stream and say, Hey, the code looks shallow. I'm absolutely allowed to do that. And so are you. And I just think there's this pressure lately. There's like this weird thing happening in pinball, right? Outpinballplicity,istsacrisoft spot, Outpinballsce Great, I'm happy for them, but it's still not the game you know you want. And that's what it's at. You know, I can't wait for Stern to come back because Stern is going to come back. And I mean this, they're going to come back and they are just going to clobber everybody. They are going to clobber everybody. They've had extra time. Think about how scary this is. Keith Elwin has had extra time to do his game. Zombie Eddie has had extra time to work on his art packages. The coding team over at Stern has had extra time to make the games even more flushed out. When Stern Pinball returns, they are going to return and be at the gates of boutique pinball like Hannibal's at the gates and they are going to show everybody how it's done. You're not going to have to wait eight months to get your game. They're not going to lie to you and say, hey, give us your money and in eight weeks you'll have your game and then you don't have your game. They're just going to do what they do best. They are going to reveal a game. This Week in Pinball, Tracee, and I'm telling you this right now, when I hear American Pinball and David Fix get up there and say we're going to have four lines going at American Pinball, this is a joke people. And I don't mean to be negative right now, but I'm going to be a little bit negative. How dare he get up there and say they're going to have four lines going at American Pinball. They haven't even made one. I'm going to be on those four lines at once. What? There's just new demand now for Hot Wheels, Oktoberfest, and Houdini, and you're going to have all of those games going at once? See, I'm just tired of these companies taking victory laps and saying this nonsense, and nobody calls them out. We don't need four lines, American Pinball. You just need one line with one great game. This week's topic for today is what and why pinball is still available? I not sure if you familiar with the term but I highly doubt that we are going to see four lines going at American Pinball Like they going to have half as many lines as Stern Pinball over at AP No it not happening And all of this is just words Words words words words words They just speaking I not seeing anybody really get it done And that just a thing Get it done Shut Kaneda up Like there should be a big sign at every boutique company that just says let shut Kaneda up But Kaneda is not wrong because we not getting it done How many legends of a Hollis have you Today's conclusion Now, if a game is successful, guess what we would see? We would see it being unboxed left and right. We would see people rating it highly on like Pinside's top 100. We would have pages and pages of threads about how great the game is and not just by people who own it, but by people who just play it. See, that's the greatest sign of a masterpiece game. It's not just applauded by the owners who have to justify their purchase. It's applauded by everybody. When you walk up to Godzilla and you play it, it's amazing. You don't have to own it to realize it's amazing. And it gives you that amazing feel in just a matter of minutes. Like it's a home run game. And that's all we really want. We want more games like that. We want games with a few major mechs. We want games that are themes that are fun and campy and entertaining and bring the energy to pinball to life. And I just wish other people in the pinball media would stop pointing their fingers and their arrows at me saying, The problem is so many of these companies are not living up to what they said they would do and nobody calls them out. Nobody even mentions it. It's so strange to me. So go ahead and do your interviews and get everybody on the other shows and cheerlead everything in pinball and I'll be sitting back in my chair having a little whiskey, laughing my ass off as Stern Pinball laps everybody every single year. And Stern Pinball is one of the only companies that actually makes a profit. I don't even want to get into the fact that half of these companies are bankrolled by stuff outside of pinball. They're not actually in the green. And they know that. Churchill cabinets supplying CGC with the money. Ametron's the financial backing of American Pinball. You know, Jerry's not making money off of Multimorphic, he's making money off of P-Rock. Like everything's coming from somewhere else. The Abbas family keeping JJP afloat. I think JJP is finally making money, especially at these prices. They better be. But that's just it. Everybody, do your shows. Do your shows. Interview your people. I'm going to keep doing Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. I'm going to keep calling these companies out. I will give them praise when they deserve it. I will question them when they don't live up to their promises. I will call them out on quality issues. I will praise them when they design mechs that are praiseworthy. But I won't spend $12,000 to $15,000. I don't care how well it shootses and I don't want any of us anymore to do these nonrefundable deposits before we play the game. We all need to show ourselves a little bit more respect and how hard we work for our money and we shouldn't just throw it at these pinball companies blindly. I think a lot of us have woken up to that fact over the last couple years like we can't do it anymore. A these companies are pricing us out of pinball a little bit and we see that the value is not there. To arms and but came back I wasn't tried to some dude Gray to get is want to the retركed can get I mom and I'm just going to throw one bit of shade at the end. This is the only pinball podcast that people would actually pay to listen to. And the thing I love the most is the haters and those people who colluded against me yesterday. They all know what I said on my show because they're all paying to listen to Kaneda and nobody's paying to listen to them. Everybody, thank you for your support, your Twippy votes and tuning in every week to the world's favorite and most entertaining pinball podcast. Later.