Episode 693: "A Few Rumors To Chew On"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·15m 1s·analyzed·Jul 6, 2022

Analysis

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TL;DR

Kaneda shares unverified rumors about personnel moves and upcoming games across major pinball manufacturers.

Summary

Kaneda discusses unverified rumors about personnel changes and game development across American Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, and other manufacturers. Key claims include: Joe Balser's departure from American Pinball over the cancelled Austin Powers game, Dennis Nordman's next game being a Whitewater sequel with Christopher Franchi on art, Pat Lawlor's departure from Jersey Jack, and Eric Meunier's contractually-obligated 2022 release potentially being The Godfather. Structural issues at American Pinball (5 games/day capacity, lack of skilled labor) and Jersey Jack's decision to scrap Guns N' Roses replacement playfield offerings are also discussed.

Key Claims

Joe Balser left American Pinball after they cancelled his Austin Powers licensed game and reassigned him to support Dennis Nordman's title
low confidence · Kaneda explicitly frames this as rumor/speculation, not firsthand information
Dennis Nordman's next game is a Whitewater sequel with Christopher Franchi on the art package
medium confidence · Kaneda deduces this from production announcements (sequel + 'packed' + Franchi involvement) and visual comparison to Deep Root's Yukon Yeti whitewood; presented as educated speculation
Pat Lawlor is no longer officially with Jersey Jack Pinball
low confidence · Stated as rumor without attribution or verification
Jersey Jack is reconsidering (or has scrapped) the offer to provide replacement playfields for Guns N' Roses at cost
low confidence · Kaneda notes he was told last week they were looking into it, but now hearing they may cancel; speculates the reason is art rework complexity
Eric Meunier's next game at Jersey Jack is contractually obligated to ship in 2022 and is likely The Godfather
low confidence · Source cited but unnamed; Kaneda acknowledges theme mismatch and weirdness as evidence for Godfather identification
American Pinball has build capacity of approximately 5 games per day but lacks sufficient skilled labor to sustain 8-hour production
medium confidence · Kaneda cites photos at American Pinball and Knapp Arcade as evidence; frames as sourced rumor
Josh Kugler departed American Pinball (no details provided on reason, presented as fact later confirmed by lack of news)
medium confidence · Announced earlier in episode as a rumor to explain; later cited as confirmed by his absence from public communications
Legends of Valhalla launch was a disaster due to insufficient parts and high order backlog (200 Legends, 100-125 Hot Wheels, 75 Houdini)
low confidence · Presented as rumor; specific order numbers are cited as evidence but sourcing unclear

Notable Quotes

“Kaneda's Pinball Podcast has always been about saying stuff that the manufacturers don't want you to know.”
Kaneda @ ~2:30 — Establishes the podcast's ethos and justifies discussing unverified rumors; signals willingness to trade access for content veracity
“Joe Balser should have made sure that he picked the right theme and the right game with the right artwork. Patrick hired Ryan. He knew that Sonic the Hedgehog license was already taken and did it as a PR stunt.”
Kaneda @ ~5:00 — Suggests internal dissension at American Pinball over game selection and licensing strategy; criticizes management decisions
“So Dennis's next game is a sequel and going to have great art and be packed. Well we know Christopher Franchi is working on the art package. So which game is it?”
Kaneda @ ~6:45 — Demonstrates Kaneda's deduction method: combining rumored attributes with known personnel assignments to identify unrevealed title
“The only thing is these kinds of themes only appeal to the older pinball demographic. The new people don't care. Like they don't even know what Whitewater is.”
Kaneda @ ~9:15 — Market concern: original IP vs. licensed IP appeal to different demographics; questions viability of unlicensed sequel strategy
“I know that means they're gonna have to cut into some of their profits, but you can't just trickle out games this slowly because if you get hundreds of orders of like the Whitewater sequel, you can't make this week in there pinball.”
Kaneda @ ~10:30 — Industry-wide manufacturing crisis: skilled labor shortage is critical bottleneck across boutique manufacturers
“And if they cut bait on that offer I think that going to upset a lot of people. And you best believe that Kaneda is not going to let up on this because a lot of us have playfields with issues.”
Kaneda @ ~14:00 — Personal stake in Jersey Jack accountability; signals community backlash potential if playfield replacement promise is broken
“The theme integration is just weird. The theme isn't really a pinball theme. The assets don't make sense and the game is just weird.”

Entities

KanedapersonJoe BalserpersonDennis Nordmanperson Christopher Franchiperson Josh Kuglerperson Eric Meunierperson

Signals

?
personnel_signal: Joe Balser and Josh Kugler departures from American Pinball; rumored cause for Balser is cancellation of Austin Powers game and reassignment to support Dennis Nordman
low · Kaneda frames as rumor/speculation with no direct confirmation; absence of public statements from either party or American Pinball
?
product_strategy: Austin Powers pinball game cancelled at American Pinball; license deal fell through before completion
low · 'something happened with the license and the deal' — no details on cause or timeline provided
?
product_launch: Dennis Nordman's next game rumored to be Whitewater sequel with Christopher Franchi on art, described as 'packed' and positioned for American Pinball release
medium · Kaneda deduces from combination of: (1) 'sequel' and 'packed' description from unnamed source, (2) Franchi's known involvement in art, (3) visual comparison to Deep Root's Yukon Yeti whitewood, (4) Whitewater being Nordman's most 'in there in it' classic game
?
manufacturing_signal: American Pinball production capacity approximately 5 games per day; unable to sustain 8-hour production due to skilled labor shortage
medium · Kaneda cites photos at American Pinball and Knapp Arcade; identifies skilled labor shortage as endemic across Multimorphic, Heighway, and other boutiques
?
product_concern: American Pinball unable to fulfill backlog orders (200 Legends of Valhalla, 100-125 Hot Wheels, 75 Houdini) due to parts shortage; Legends of Valhalla launch 'disaster'
low · Order numbers cited but sourcing unclear; 'disaster' characterization is editorial

Topics

Personnel departures and internal strife at American PinballprimaryDennis Nordman's rumored Whitewater 2 sequelprimaryJersey Jack Pinball game delays and playfield quality issuesprimaryEric Meunier's next game (speculated to be The Godfather)primaryManufacturing capacity and skilled labor shortage across boutique manufacturersprimaryProduct backlog crisis at American PinballsecondaryLicensed IP cancellation and its ripple effectssecondaryInformation control and leak management by manufacturerssecondary

Sentiment

negative(-0.65)— Kaneda is critical of American Pinball's execution ('all talk'), expresses frustration with Jersey Jack's potential playfield replacement broken promise, questions viability of original IP strategy, and emphasizes industry-wide manufacturing crisis. However, interest in rumor discussion and belief in emerging products provides some neutral/speculative tone. No strong enthusiasm for any announced products.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.045

The Welcome everybody to Kinead's Pinball Podcast. Yup, you got two shows in two days. So next time you think about cancelling your subscription, remember who gives you the most pinball content. So first and foremost, there's a really good interview with Ryan McQuaid and David Fix over at the super awesome pinball show. So if you haven't heard it yet, go listen to it. Lots of great information. Christmas in Which we will do because no one will come on Canadian spinball podcast because none of the manufacturers want to step into this ring. I'm going to tell you some rumors that I am hearing are some of the stories behind the stories because when someone does a podcast, they won't tell you the real, real truth about what went on behind the scenes. Now, this is all sort of rumor and speculation because I haven't heard this stuff firsthand, nor was I a fly on the wall at these companies, but I'm going to tell you why Josh Coogler I'm hearing is no longer at American Pinball. I'm going to give you a little bit of a rumor I'm hearing about Joe Balcer and what happened to him at the end of American Pinball. I'm also going to tell you what I'm hearing Dennis Nordman's next game is based on, okay? I don't know the exact title, but I think we can figure it out together. Also some rumors over at Jersey Jack Pinball about Eric's next game, about Pat Lawler, about where JJP is going. I love doing these shows because this is the stuff that's really exciting to me because nobody wants to have these conversations because when you do this you don't get the interviews. But I'd rather get this stuff and Kaneda's Pinball Podcast has always been about saying stuff that the manufacturers don't want you to know. So here's where I want to start. So here's what I'm hearing happen to Joe Balcer again. Again, these are all rumors and speculation that Joe Balcer was working on a license themed game over at American Pinball and the game was packed and the license would have been a smash hit for AP. But then something happened with the license and the deal and so they asked Joe to stop working on that game and to support Dennis Nordman's game. Now again, this is all rumor. Like, I don't know if Dennis Nordman needs help from Joe Balcer, but I'm hearing that That is the reason why Joe Balcer was like nope and they sort of parted ways. A source is telling me that Balser had a shooting whitewood and it was his best work. Awesome sculpts and mechs and great shots. So he was pissed at being scrubbed and being second fiddle to Norman and this is what led them to letting Joe Balcer go. Now poor Joe Balcer when you think about it. I mean when he came on board over at American Pinball they made him sort of second fiddle to John Popadiuk. We had a fix John Papadiuk's who do you need so I can imagine how he would be upset but look Joe Balcer had his shot he had his shot he got to make the game he wanted to make and his suggestion was oktoberfest so as much as Joe might be pissed off you can't blame american pinball for not handing over the reins to Joe Balcer after oktoberfest if you ask me Joe Balcer should have made sure that he picked the right theme and the right game with the right artwork vontade Patrick hired Ryan He knew that the sonic license was already taken and did it as a PR stunt which also might have upset some of the people at American Pinball The Legends of Valhalla launch I hearing was a bit of a disaster because they didn have enough parts to make 100 games And they also had orders for 200 Hot Wheels a hundred to 125 Houdini and 75 Cares. Winner. szer neighbour LeU or leo. stop The game is a sequel to his greatest hit and is going to be packed and have a great Art package and animation. So here's the thing people. So Dennis Nordman's next game is a sequel and going to have great art and be packed. Well we know Christopher Franchi is working on the art package. So which game is it? So let's see what Dennis Nordman's games were and how many were produced. So rapid fire 5000 produced. Special force 2750. Party animal 2250. Blackwater 3000. Elvira and the party monsters 4000. Dr. Dude, Partyzone, Whitewater, Demolition Man, Indianapolis, Scared Stiff, Pirates, Wheel of Fortune,Wolnelly,Lexi,Lightspeed,Primus, and then Elvira's House of Horrors. This Week in Pinball, Franchi), Franchi, Tanyo Klyce, tilt pendulum or tilt mechanismaign. The game is a follow-up to Whitewater. Whitewater is an amazing world under glass. If done right, it could be really cool. But you heard it here. This is going to be most likely the follow to Whitewater If you go look at the Yukon Yeti game that Deeproot was selling to people like the Whitewood of it it looks like Whitewater 2 I mean it got the same ramps the same upper playfield It like that game in just modern form So you heard it here on Kaneda Pinball Podcast and nobody will give me any credit for saying this rumor but that the rumor It makes total sense to do that because if you going to make a game with Dennis Nordman and you want to do something with an original IP you The only thing is these kinds of themes only appeal to the older pinball demographic. The new people don't care. Like they don't even know what whitewater is. They didn't play these games growing up as much as people think. And so you're not going to nearly get as many buyers as like Venom or a game like James Bond or a game with any licensed theme. But look if American pinball can make a packed sequel to whitewater, I think that could be an interesting game to put into the marketplace right now. I'm also hearing that the build capacity, are you ready for this? Because if you look at the photos over at American Pinball and there's some on Knapp's Arcade, the build capacity is about five games a day. But they still don't have parts to build the rest of their Legends of Valhalla orders. The problem I'm hearing over at American Pinball is they just don't have enough skilled people to keep the line going for eight hours a day. But hopefully they're turning a corner because I think skilled laborers are something that's hurting everybody. It's not just American Pinball. It's also hurting Multimorphic. It's obviously hurting Haggis Pinball. For all of these boutique companies, getting skilled workers on the line has been a huge, huge issue. And I think that's the number one job to be done with all these boutiques over the next six months. They've gotta hire people. And I know that means they're gonna have to cut into some of their profits, but you can't just trickle out games this slowly because if you get hundreds of orders of like the Whitewater sequel, you can't make This week in snitching music, on the The game was on Toy Story for way too long and I'm hearing it really did upset the management over at JJP that they waited forever for this game. I'm also hearing that they knew this game wasn't gonna like be the smash hit Toy Story game everybody wanted but they saw the pinball market and knew if you just put a lot of beautiful lights in a box it's gonna sell in this crazy marketplace. But Pat Lawler is no longer officially with Jersey Jack Pinball and Lawler's I'm hearing that Jersey Jack Pinball is not going to offer replacement playfields for Guns N' Roses. They knew that the playfield issues wouldn't affect sales of Guns N' Roses or Toy Story, so they've scrapped the idea to offer us replacement playfields at cost. This is just a rumor When I talked to Ken last week he said he was looking into this but Jersey Jack said they would offer us replacement playfields And if they cut bait on that offer I think that going to upset a lot of people And you best believe that Canada is not going to let up on this because a lot of us have playfields with issues And we were told we would be able to buy a replacement And I think the reason why they going to scrap it is if you look at Toy Story They removed the art from around the post areas and added washers So I bet they don want to redo the art package on GNR and remove that art near the post but that probably what they going to need to do to ensure that the new playfields don pool and chip So do the work Why can they just do the work We spend so much money on these games I want my replacement collector edition playfield Alright, and my source also is someone who spent a lot of time on Eric's next game which is contractually obligated to be out in 2022. So you're hearing it here. This game is coming out in 2022. My source would not confirm what the title is but Godfather seems like the best bet. It is less packed than his other games but still has a lot in it and it has a really neat mech. Much better shots and no The theme integration is just weird. The theme isn't really a pinball theme. The assets don't make sense and the game is just weird. Okay, so this makes me believe that it is Godfather because that is the weirdest theme to turn into pinball. And I also will say this, the rumor I'm hearing is that Eric's following game is a complete mystery. And JerseyJackpinball is really trying to clamp down on all of the leaks because this company has been plagued by nothing but people knowing what's coming before they even want you to know it. So I think they're gonna do a better job of keeping everything secret the way Stern does. Well, we kinda know Stern's titles too. So that's just it, you know, a few rumors to share with all of you guys. I love doing this show. I don't have to do like 30 minute shows or hour long shows. I can just give you what I'm hearing and what's happening behind the scenes and all this seems to hold up. All of this seems like it has some truth to it. Josh Coogler leaves. We never hear anything from him. We haven't seen Legends of a Hollas being unboxed. We know they have to go back and make the old orders of the older games, you know, but there's a real drive to get Dennis Nordman's game out the door. And if Dennis Nordman was working on this game at Deep Root for like a couple years or a year, why not do it? So that's the thing. I think we're gonna see Dennis Nordman as a Whitewater sequel. The other thing that's crazy is this. It's like we've never seen Jersey Jack release two games in a year. So if Godfather comes out this year, what is that gonna do to Toy Story orders and Toy Story builds? I don't know. It's a really interesting second half of the year if you ask me. All of these companies with the recession happening with the pinball prices going through the roof. But I think the biggest failure at American Pinball, they need to get all of these legends of Valhalla's two customers because who's going to want to own one when Whitewater 2 comes out at the same price. That's got more in it. That's a better game. You know, and Kugler is right. If they release Dennis Nordman's game, everyone's going to cancel Houdini, Oktoberfest and Hot Wheels. I don't even know what Ryan McQuaid is working on, but American Pinball just needs to get their stuff together. I mean, every time I hear them talk, it's all talk, all talk, all talk. They need to show us they can make a great game. We haven't seen it yet. Everybody have a great day. I'll talk to you soon. http://www.glo arrival-t힉y Türkiye's년다이티-19 permanent uy worked out in 3. alimentos.c flakes. displ磁 BigQuery