Episode 1185: "Dutch Ditches Melvin on Pokemon Week"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·19m 13s·analyzed·Feb 9, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036

TL;DR

Melvin forced out of Dutch; Pokemon hype incoming; Stern needs design innovation

Summary

Kaneda discusses Melvin Williams' forced departure from Dutch Pinball due to new investor pressure, defending Melvin's accomplishments and predicting his relocation to a U.S. manufacturer. He expresses optimism about Pokemon's market appeal and commercial success despite predicting mediocre gameplay, while criticizing Stern's overpricing and lack of design appeal. He reflects on community culture, positivity, and the importance of constructive engagement in the pinball hobby.

Key Claims

Melvin Williams was forced out of Dutch Pinball by new investors, not voluntary departure
high confidence · Kaneda directly states 'Melvin Williams has been forced out of Dutch Pinball. This was not him leaving the company.' Kaneda claims insider knowledge of Dutch's plan and investor dynamics.
Dutch Pinball planned to make 500 Alice machines in 2025 but fell well short
high confidence · Kaneda: 'The plan was to make 500 Alice games in 2025, and they just came up well short.'
Melvin developed Raza as foam-core and converted it to a working game in under a year
high confidence · Kaneda: 'He took something that was a foam core game and made it a working game in less than a year.'
Melvin is now owner of Raza IP; Dutch Pinball will not manufacture Raza
high confidence · Kaneda: 'He owns Raza. I forgot to mention this. So Dutch Pinball will not be making Raza.'
Dutch Pinball's new plan post-Alice is to rerun Lebowski despite lack of market demand
medium confidence · Kaneda (sourcing unknown): 'The plan is I'm hearing to run more Lebowskis. The demand for Lebowski is over.'
Back to the Future will not release in 2025 due to Dutch's historical execution failures
medium confidence · Kaneda prediction based on pattern: 'Dutch Pinball is still a company that has never, never executed on its plan and on its deadlines.'
Pokemon LE allocation is 750 units and all will sell through to distributors
medium confidence · Kaneda: '750 Pokemon LEs is a no-brainer and also remember it's like sell-through. They're all going to sell through to the distros and the dealers.'
Pokemon toppers fulfillment now Barry's responsibility; will eventually be delivered
medium confidence · Kaneda sourcing 'Melissa': 'For those of you who are waiting on your toppers, that is now Barry's issue. And I'm being told by Melissa, they are going to get everybody their toppers.'

Notable Quotes

“Melvin Williams has been forced out of Dutch Pinball. This was not him leaving the company.”
Kaneda @ ~6:00 — Direct statement of major personnel move and characterization as involuntary departure
“He took something that was a foam core game and made it a working game in less than a year. And we've seen nothing but a hobby filled with charlatans and hacks pretending they know how to get something to market. This man did it.”
Kaneda @ ~7:45 — Defense of Melvin's competence and implicit criticism of other manufacturers' execution
“I think the silver lining here is simply this: This hobby needs more people like Melvin... I think he's going to land somewhere in America. I think he's going to build games here.”
Kaneda @ ~8:20 — Prediction of Melvin's relocation to U.S. manufacturer; identifies market opportunity
“The demand for Lebowski is over. It's up. There's no more demand. And because you can go get a used Lebowski with like no plays on it for a lot cheaper than a new in box Big Lebowski, so I don't know what they think is going to happen if they rerun Lebowski.”
Kaneda @ ~16:30 — Criticism of Dutch's post-Raza strategy as economically flawed
“I don't know what they think they're going to do, but I still just don't understand what the plan is to actually be able to manufacture at least a thousand games a year. That is what Dutch needs to get to. They can't even do 300.”
Kaneda @ ~18:45 — Assessment of Dutch's production capacity constraints and future viability challenges
“I don't think they're going to take many risks. I think it's going to be a lot like Star Wars and not like Godzilla or stuff like Foo Fighters, but it's still going to be Pokemon.”
Kaneda @ ~24:00 — Prediction of Pokemon as safe, proven Stern design approach; comparison to recent titles
“I do think all of these Stern machines are overpriced. You just can't put a Stern next to anything now from Spooky or Barrels next to Jersey Jack and they just look so cheap.”

Entities

Melvin Williamsperson Dutch Pinballcompany Barry Driessenperson PokemongameStern PinballcompanyRazagame

Signals

?
business_signal: Dutch Pinball new investors lack operational expertise in manufacturing; pushing out experienced technical leadership (Melvin) while facing production constraints and execution failures
high · Kaneda: 'These rich investors, do you think they have an idea how to put more mechanical magic into Back to the Future? ...what men with a lot of money don't understand is how to successfully manage a pinball company.'
?
business_signal: Dutch Pinball planning to rerun Lebowski post-Alice despite exhausted market demand; strategy criticized as economically unsound given availability of used units at lower prices
medium · Kaneda (sourcing unspecified): 'The plan is I'm hearing to run more Lebowskis. The demand for Lebowski is over...you can go get a used Lebowski with like no plays on it for a lot cheaper than a new in box Big Lebowski.'
~
sentiment_shift: Pokemon theme divisive within community but predicted to unify around final product if executed well; strong market appeal independent of critical reception due to IP strength
medium · Kaneda: 'Pokemon is a very divisive theme for pinball. It really has divided a lot of the community but a great game will bring everybody together...I think it's going to sell well.'
?
design_philosophy: Stern Pinball games criticized for overpricing, aesthetic shortcomings ('flat plastics'), and lack of visual 'awe and wow' compared to Spooky/Barrels/JJP machines
high · Kaneda: 'I do think all of these Stern machines are overpriced. You just can't put a Stern next to anything now from Spooky or Barrels next to Jersey Jack and they just look so cheap...Too many flat plastics, just not enough awe and wow.'
?

Topics

Personnel and organizational changes at Dutch PinballprimaryPokemon pinball announcement and market expectationsprimaryStern Pinball's design and pricing challenges relative to competitorsprimaryDutch Pinball production capacity and strategic planning failuresprimaryMelvin Williams' talent and relocation prospectsprimaryCommunity culture, positivity, and content moderationsecondaryRecent JJP/Barrels releases and competitive positioningsecondaryTopper fulfillment delays at Dutch Pinballmentioned

Sentiment

mixed(0.35)— Kaneda is deeply critical of Dutch Pinball's execution and investor decision-making, Stern's design/pricing, and broader industry patterns of delay and mismanagement. However, he expresses optimism about Melvin's future prospects, Pokemon's commercial success, and the pinball community's positive culture. He advocates for constructive criticism and community kindness, creating tension between his harsh critique of manufacturers and his advocacy for positivity.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.058

Why can't we be friends? Welcome everybody to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. It is a Monday and we got some news last night about Dutch Pinball X. We got Pokemon around the corner. It's going to be an exciting week in pinball. A lot of change is happening with all of these companies. And every Monday, I sort of like to wake up and think about the week ahead in this beautiful hobby of ours. The Super Bowl was yesterday. I don't know about you. I just found the whole thing so boring to the point that I turned it off after the halftime show and just started watching Traders, which was a lot more fun. Something about where we are culturally just feels like it's the same. The jokes aren't landing. The content isn't really creative. I was turning to Brenda. I'm like, you know, these spots are $10 million. That's just to pay to have the spot run. How funny was it seeing stuff like the Coinbase commercial where they're just trying to use like a lo-fi 80s song and then they end on crypto after like a month of everybody losing their money in crypto? It's just like enough. the good old days are gone of like the what's up you know and the bud bowl and we used to watch these commercials dilly dilly and it used to be a lot of fun and i just feel everything in the world now has a lot less excitement and it's also and as i was saying to brenda i could go on my phone and doom scroll for an hour and see so much better content that is just consumer generated than i'm seeing during these commercials and i think we're all just a little bit exhausted of the world of consumerism. Here's more things you need to buy to be happy. We all know that is not the case as we think about what pinball machines are we going to buy to make ourselves a little bit happier. So let's start with the big news over at Dutch Pinball X. Melvin Williams, you know I'm a friend of Melvin's. Melvin Williams, I'm not going to hold back on how direct I'm going to talk about this. Melvin Williams has been forced out of Dutch Pinball X. This was not him leaving the company. It was not the plan. The plan was to finish the Alice builds, then build 333 Raza machines, and then get to back to the future. But the new investors over at Dutch Pinball, They're not going away, by the way. There's still a Dutch Pinball. There's still work happening to get Back to the Future to market. That company is not going away. They just have new investors, and the investors wanted Melvin out. Now, Melvin was also an investor in Dutch Pinball. He saved this company and invested capital into this company when they were on the brink of disaster. He developed a game in a year to save this company so that they had something to make because all of the demand for Lebowski was over. It's not Melvin that didn't do his job. It really is the Dutch pinball way is they just don't execute according to the plan. The plan was to make 500 Alice games in 2025, and they just came up well short. and so now it's going to get really interesting what they do. I'm going to talk about that in a second, but I just want to say this about Melvin and for those of you who know Melvin and those of you who have talked to him, those of you who understand who he is in our hobby and in our community, I just want to say I think this is good news for Melvin. I think the silver lining here is simply this. This hobby needs more people like Melvin. Like he got it done. He took something that was a foam core game and made it a working game in less than a year. Okay. And we've seen nothing but a hobby filled with charlatans and hacks. Pretend they know how to get something to market. This man did it. You could complain about the layout. You could complain about the code. He took a foam core game in a very truncated development cycle and made it a working sellable product. OK that talent people OK so I think Melvin talents are wasted over there And I think he going to land somewhere in America I think he going to build games here I think he going to avoid the tariffs And I think any American company and I looking at companies like Barrels of Fun companies like American Pinball, especially American Pinball, they really could use a Melvin. And companies like Jersey Jack Pinball, who wouldn't want another mechanical engineer that knows what he's doing to join the team? And it's more than just that. He's just a really awesome dude and he gets it. He really does get it. And he's the kind of guy you would want on your team. He's got the right attitude. He's intelligent. He speaks articulately about the company and the hobby. And so I'm looking forward to seeing where Melvin lands in the U.S. pinball scene. I think he's kind of done with being over there, dealing with all the stresses of making games overseas, dealing with the tariffs, dealing with somebody else needing to execute when he put everything on the table that was ready to go and then they dropped the ball on him. Okay, so Melvin, you know I love you. It's all going to be all right. You're going to land somewhere much better and I think the future is bright. So a few other things. For those of you who are waiting on your toppers, that is now Barry's issue. And I'm being told by Melissa, they are going to get everybody their toppers. When is still the question, but that is still going to happen. The next move from Dutch is going to get interesting because here's the plan now that the RASs are not going to go on the line. And these investors, I know they have a boatload of money, but what men with a lot of money don't understand is how to successfully manage a pinball company. We've seen that time and time again. What they also won't like is losing a lot of money every single month. A game is not on the line. So once the Alice's are done, here's the plan. And I think it's a little idiotic. The plan is I'm hearing to run more Lebowski's. The demand for Lebowski is over. It's up. There's no more demand. And because you can go get a used Lebowski with like no plays on it for a lot cheaper than a new in box, the big Lebowski. So I don't know what they think is going to happen if they rerun Lebowski. I think the only way to drum up some interest in more Lebowski's would be maybe to change the artwork on the cabinet or something. But then that'll just piss off everybody that has an old Lebowski. So I just don't know what's going to happen. I still don't think Back to the Future comes out this year. I've been saying it for a while. And the only reason I'm saying that is Dutch Pinball is still a company that has never, never executed on its plan and on its deadlines. So why would that change now? Now, Back to the Future will come out one day. It will. So I'm not worried about that. I hope they nail it. The early sort of feedback I've been getting on the game is that it needs more mechanical magic. And this is what's so sad to me about Melvin leaving this company is I know Melvin could have helped make Back to the Future much better. Instead, they're sending him packing. Okay, so these rich investors, do you think they have an idea how to put more mechanical magic into Back to the Future? And I think they're going to realize real fast what happens in this hobby. I don't know what they think they're going to do, but I still just don't understand what the plan is to actually be able to manufacture at least a thousand games a year. That is what Dutch needs to get to. They can't even do 300 and they're going to make back to the future. It's just going to be silly. People are going to preorder this game and have to wait for years because remember that if you have an Alice, that means you get to be first online to get back to the future. Okay, so about like 350 to 400 people are going to have Alice games. And so then what? That means anyone who sees Back to the Future on the day they reveal it is at the back of that line. And that's going to take them a full year to make 400 Back to the Futures at the pace they go. So yeah, and I know that most of you don't care. You're like, Dutch Pinball, what? Talk about Pokemon, Canada. I will talk about Pokemon now. Pokemon is going to be the story of the week. And you know what I did this weekend? And it was amazing. I said to myself, you know what? I haven't even seen a Pokemon cartoon ever. And Killian's been running around with his Charizard stuffed animal for months. Thank you, Mike at Automated. That's where I got it from. And so I said I going to sit Killian down and just play Pokemon And it was amazing Within 30 seconds this kid eyes light up and he like Pokemon And he going crazy He like daddy when this Charizard come in go to the episode where Charizard comes in. So I did. I went to episode number like 43, prehistoric times where they fall down and this little Pokemon turns into Charizard. And it's like this funny moment and he's going crazy. And then I asked Killian, hey, Killian, how would you like a Pokemon pinball machine? He's like, yeah, daddy. Yeah. I'll tell you this right now. This is why this game is going to sell. Anyone who has even an ounce of Pokemon fandom in them is going to be super excited to see this game. They're going to definitely want to play it and they're maybe going to want to own it. And for those of you out there that just want to fill your game rooms with games that people who visit want to play, I think Pokemon is going to be up there. The theme song, Pikachu, the colorful nature of it. Yes, I'm not expecting George Gomez to crush it on the gameplay. I don't think they're going to take many risks. I think it's going to be a lot like Star Wars and not like Godzilla or stuff like Foo Fighters, but it's still going to be Pokemon. now that all being said I don't know about whether or not the LEs are going to go up but I do know they're going to sell out like 750 Pokemon LEs is a no-brainer and also remember it's like sell through they're all going to sell through to the distros and the dealers and I think people have already been calling around and being told that there's none available so the FOMO is real it's going to happen around this game. And I think it's good. I love it when there's FOMO. I love it when there's sellouts. I love it when people are excited about new pinball, especially in this world. As I was saying earlier, we just need more stuff to get excited about. We need more stuff that brings us together, that doesn't divide us on everything. And Pokemon is a very divisive theme for pinball. it really has divided a lot of the community but a great game will bring everybody together and so I just hope it's a great fun game I do think all of these stern machines are overpriced you just can't put a stern next to anything now from spooky or barrels next to JJP and they just look so cheap I mean that's the number one job to be done over at stern I don't know why they just can't make their platform look better. Too many flat plastics, just not enough awe and wow in their platform. And they need to work on that. And I hope they get there. It's just not there. And Spike 3 has been very, very underwhelming. Okay. And so Pinball at the Beach has come and gone. People have jumped on Beetlejuice and had a really good time. People jumped on Winchester and had a really good time. And so a lot of people now are just waiting to get these two titles. I would say, you know, Harry Potter, Winchester, and Beetlejuice have been the three games that have excited people the most in pinball. Stern hasn't had a real game that's really, really excited people since Jaws. And that was a while ago. That's about a couple years ago. And so will Stern reclaim some of our excitement? Will they inject some more awe and amazement in the world of pinball? I think they're going to do it. I think it's going to be Transformers. And I think Fallout is going to surprise people. And I think Pokemon on a pinball level is going to be kind of mediocre. But I think it's going to sell well. And I think that's going to trigger a lot of people's anger. But man, if we can't like warm up to tiny little Pikachu firing lightning bolts, I think all of us need to sort of let go of the things that are upsetting us on a daily basis. You know, and I was dealing a lot with that yesterday, even in my personal family, people fighting about the halftime show and this and I'm just like what's happened I mean yeah is it the music I would have played during the Super Bowl halftime show no but did it upset me no like I'm just tired of everything becoming if you're not into what I'm into I hate you and if I don't know what you're into instead of seeing if I can get into it I'm just immediately gonna say it sucks and cancel it and cancel you. If you don't vote for who I voted for, I hate you. If you don't live where I want you to live, I don't like you. If you don't drive a car that I consider to be a man's car, I think you're a sissy. Like when did the world become this way? And if we keep living this way, and I don mean we have to accept everything and everybody I still think common sense is the most important thing I think we given way too much attention to so many marginalized people and issues We made culture revolve around all the kids that used to spend high school inside the locker, you know, like, no, I mean, there's still just like weirdos out there and we don't have to like bend over to make culture overly accepting for all the weirdos. If you want to be weird, be weird, but don't tell me that everybody has to accept it. Once you start putting like litter boxes in high schools because kids say they identify as being a cat, it's ridiculous. And that's what some school districts have done. It's just stupid. This is like not even political. It's just moronic behavior. But I just want to get back to a place and I don't think it's going to happen, but I'm going to try to do it for my children. I think we just need to get back to a place where we can look at stuff and we can analyze stuff and we can critique stuff without making it overly personal. It's something I want to work on with my show here. I can still slam a pinball machine. You know me, I'm not going to get soft, but I definitely want to like take stuff in and think about it before I make an analysis, you know, immediately attack something. And that's just something that everybody who makes content definitely needs to work on. And it is a work in progress. And I just want to say this. I read a great book. It's called Contagious about the kinds of content people want. And it would surprise you to know that positive content is actually engaged with more, gets more clicks and gets more views. So this notion that people think Canada has built this pinball following and this pinball community by being toxic and negative, that was the narrative that people like Andrew Highway wanted you to believe, people like Robert Mueller, some of the haters on Pinside. The truth is, this is, and I'm glad you're here, this is, I believe, the most positive community in all of pinball. This is a place where everybody is comfortable to share their opinions. The moment there are personal attacks on the Patreon chat, you are out. You are not allowed back. I have a very, very zero tolerance for that. When people come on my Facebook page and try to slam me or get really nasty, they get blocked. I don't care. It's my house, my rules. It's a very positive community. And we all have a great time talking about pinball, speculating about what's around the corner, and just getting into this nerdy, geeky hobby that most of the world doesn't understand and would think we are nuts for spending this much money on a single pinball machine. So a lot to happen this week. I think we're going to see Pokemon tomorrow. I have a feeling it's going to leak before the media day on Wednesday. But this is going to be a very, very active week in pinball. So look for a lot of content from Kaneda. I think Melvin's going to land in the U.S. Now, is he going to make Raza when he goes somewhere? I don't know. He owns Raza. I forgot to mention this. So Dutch Pinball will not be making Raza. So Raza is owned by Melvin. And so I don't know. For those of you who are excited for Raza, I hate to break it to you. the J-pop game that can never get made, may now never get made. And there's just too much happening in pinball that is getting executed that it does feel silly to look to the past. I don't think American pinball should look to the past. I think everybody should be looking down the road and making amazing pinball. I know it's going to come from JJP. I know Barrels has some exciting stuff. Spooky definitely has some exciting stuff. Stern's got some exciting stuff. So the future is bright. So let's be a little bit kinder to each other and let's enjoy what we've built. The best, most positive community in all of pinball. Canada out. Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Thank you.