Scooby Dooby Doo...Didn't Sell Through

Cary Hardy·video·14m 40s·analyzed·Dec 10, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Spooky's Scooby-Doo didn't sell through launch day despite website traffic issues; trust erosion cited.

Summary

Spooky Pinball's Scooby-Doo release on launch day (10 AM CT) did not sell through, marking the second consecutive non-sellout (after TNA 2.0). The website experienced 3-4 hours of downtime due to traffic, but inventory remained available afterward. Cary Hardy attributes the non-sellout to quality trust issues from previous games (Ultraman, Halloween), pricing ($4,995-$6,995), and possible market fatigue with FOMO-driven releases. He details Q&A session answers covering game features, production timeline (first 30 units mid-late January), and board system improvements.

Key Claims

Scooby-Doo is available in ~1,969 units
high confidence · Cary Hardy directly states inventory number during analysis of why it didn't sell through
Website was down for 3-4 hours during launch
high confidence · Cary Hardy references Facebook status updates showing extended downtime
This is Spooky's second consecutive non-sellout (TNA 2.0 was first)
high confidence · Cary Hardy explicitly states 'this is actually two games in a row now that they haven't sold through'
First 30 units will roll out mid to late January
high confidence · Direct quote from Q&A session answer regarding production timeline
Scooby-Doo features a new in-house board system different from previous Spooky games
high confidence · Q&A answer explicitly states 'this is our brand new board system that we have created in-house'
Quality issues with Halloween and Ultraman contributed to purchase hesitation
medium confidence · Cary Hardy cites evidence from Pinside forums and Facebook but acknowledges some owners report no problems
Scooby-Doo will have WiFi capability updates in the works
high confidence · Q&A answer states 'Wi-Fi updates are in the works'
Scooby-Doo is the heaviest Spooky game to date
high confidence · Q&A answer: 'This is the heaviest spooky game to date'
TNA 2.0 was priced at $9,000 with limited availability
high confidence · Cary Hardy states 'they wanted $9,000 for it' regarding TNA 2.0 release

Notable Quotes

“Humble to say the least. Can't wait for you all to get your hands on this. We will get numbers and everything organized ASAP. Website is finally working 100% now.”
Spooky Pinball (Facebook post)@ 1:41 — Official acknowledgment of website issues; notably lacks 'sold out' language unlike typical Spooky releases
“I'm just the messenger. It's not me. This is just what I've been reading. There are people out there that have evidently had problems with their Halloween or Ultraman.”
Cary Hardy@ 2:54 — Cary carefully disclaiming the quality concerns while acknowledging community sentiment about trust issues
“All games will play the exact same when it comes to mechanics, but the collector's edition and Bloodsucker edition are strictly aesthetic changes.”
Spooky Pinball (Q&A)@ 6:05 — Clarifies pricing tier structure is cosmetic-only, no gameplay advantage
“I'm hoping that FOMO is beginning to die down. That whenever these manufacturers are just trying to get you so excited and to just throw your money away so damn quick.”
Cary Hardy@ 11:08 — Commentary on market trend; suggests non-sellout may reflect shift away from impulse FOMO purchases
“I probably won't be able to play this game until texas pinball festival and if that's what it's going to be so be it i can wait”
Cary Hardy@ 12:39 — Personal stance that patience can replace launch day urgency
“I think going by historical data they were probably in a way expecting it the hype was high the fomo was there for a lot of people but it didn't happen”

Entities

Spooky PinballcompanyCary Hardyperson Scooby-Doogame Halloweengame UltramangameTNA 2.0gameToy Story 4game

Signals

?
business_signal: Website infrastructure unable to handle launch day traffic (3-4 hour downtime), creating friction in sales process despite product desirability
high · Cary Hardy: 'the site was down for three four hours' and 'there's always an issue the website goes down there's some sort of debacle going on' repeating pattern across multiple Spooky releases
?
competitive_signal: Scooby-Doo positioned as 'best [Spooky] package to date' with extensive feature set, yet failed to convert to full sellout, suggesting market saturation or buyer caution
medium · Cary Hardy: 'i will say that aesthetically it's very pleasing' and 'i think overall package this is probably their best to date' despite non-sellout outcome
$
market_signal: Scooby-Doo non-sellout despite ~1,969 unit availability represents shift in market absorption capacity or buyer confidence at current pricing tier
high · First consecutive non-sellout for Spooky in recent history; Cary Hardy notes 'this is actually two games in a row now that they haven't sold through'
?
community_signal: Spooky Pinball coordinating with Jack Danger to schedule gameplay stream for public confidence-building after non-sellout
high · Cary Hardy: 'they are currently talking with jack danger to figure out when they're going to be able to do a stream'
$
market_signal: Scooby-Doo pricing ($4,995-$6,995 depending on tier) competitive against but possibly contributing to non-sellout; some buyers question value despite favorable comparison to Toy Story 4

Topics

Launch Day Sales PerformanceprimaryQuality Trust & Reputation ManagementprimaryWebsite/Infrastructure Issues During ReleaseprimaryFOMO-Driven Market DynamicsprimaryGame Specifications & Technical DetailssecondaryPricing Strategy & Value PerceptionsecondaryProduction Timeline & InventorysecondaryConsumer Behavior & Purchase Decision Factorssecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Cary Hardy is cautiously optimistic about Scooby-Doo's technical quality while critical of Spooky's historical execution and the broader FOMO-driven market. He empathizes with Spooky's non-sellout outcome but frames it as an opportunity to rebuild trust rather than a failure. Underlying frustration with FOMO marketing tactics and pricing structures.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.044

Last night, Spooky Pinball did a one hour long Q&A session on YouTube and Facebook to answer all of your questions regarding any of their games. And today at 10 o'clock central time, everyone flocked to their website to get their very own Scooby-Doo. But did they sell through? what's up guys and welcome back to my channel where i talk and do everything pinball i want to say every time they have released a game and they open up their website it seems there's always an issue the website goes down there's some sort of debacle going on when it comes to the site and the traffic that's going to it but it was like hey you know what maybe they've learned something from every game and this time it'll be different what but evidently not because a lot of you received that message whenever you were trying to purchase your game and i'm sure as excited as a lot of you were and worried that since the website's down are you going to be able to get Scooby-Doo and like all these people are probably getting in you're not gonna be able to get yours i mean the site was down for three four hours going solely what i see their facebook status updates it seems like it was down for multiple hours but even with website problems it didn't matter because evidently they didn't sell through their last facebook post reads as follow wow thank Thank you everyone for another incredible day. Humble to say the least. Can't wait for you all to get your hands on this. We will get numbers and everything organized ASAP. Website is finally working 100% now. Thank you for your patience. Which is honestly a little unusual, but not completely surprising. Because typically when Spooky releases their game to the public to purchase, they sell through. Within mere minutes, sometimes a couple of hours, they post up saying, you know, thank you everyone, sold out. And then the sold out technically means they sold through, meaning that all the distributors have gotten their allotments and stuff like that. That's all lined up. But this is actually two games in a row now that they haven't sold through. Because a few months ago, they released TNA 2.0. They were only making a limited number and they only sold a fraction. Probably because they wanted $9,000 for it, but whatever. Now, why is it they didn't sell through on this game? Well, there's multiple reasons behind that, but I think one of the big things is that there is a lot. Almost 2,000. 1,969 available. Some people have trust issues right now when it comes to Spooky, when it comes to the quality. I'm just the messenger. It's not me. This is just what I've been reading. There are people out there that have evidently had problems with their Halloween or Ultraman. And I'm sure I'll get comments down below. I've seen them on Pinside. I've seen them on Facebook. I have this game and I haven't had a problem with it. Congratulations. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. And the thing is, during their Q&A, they are well aware that they've had problems with particular games in the past. And they are doing their damnedest to learn from those mistakes. so hopefully in the future mainly hopefully for this game they don't have said issues as of right now there are still Scooby-Doo games available through distributors and even their website now by all means I not here to sell you on this game I merely here to inform you Maybe you didn hear the Q so maybe some of the questions and answers that were during that one hour session may be the make or break for you. So what I'm going to do is give you a majority of what was answered in a rapid pace. So hopefully maybe this information will be useful to you. Now, obviously, I didn't get every single question and answer because a lot of the questions that were asked were answered in all of their press release items. And some of the questions were irrelevant, or I felt to be irrelevant. But I felt that these particular questions are things that a lot of potential buyers may want to know. I'm going to edit this to be snappy, so listen up. Does Scooby have an adult mode? Yes, but it's not what you think. Will Scooby-Doo have co-op? At launch, no, but definitely it's in the works. How much do I need to put down for my game? You will be putting down $2,000 for the collector's edition, $1.5 for the bloodsucker edition, and $1,000 for the standard edition. How many balls are in the game? It's a seven ball game. The Mr. Machine can hold five and your apron could potentially hold two on each side. Why did you create a wide body? It's pretty much a standard game when it comes to design, but we made it a wide body because we wanted to put a lot more into the game. Will there be a laugh track on the game? That is currently in the works. What if I order a Bloodsucker Edition or a Standard? Can I purchase, you know, a la carte, all the Collector's Edition items? No. The Collector's Edition items are strictly only for the Collector's Edition. There's been reports of some board issues in the past. Are you using the same board system for Scooby-Doo? No, this is our brand new board system that we have created in-house, and we will be using this board going forward. How many modes are there? There are seven monster modes. Each member of the gang has their own particular mode, as well as some varying mystery modes. So when can we start seeing games rolling out of the factory? The first 30 games should roll out mid to late January, if all goes well. Do the games have backglasses or translights? They are backglass. Will there be any video modes? As of right now, there are no video modes, but it's not entirely out of the question that we may integrate that later on down the road. How different will the gameplay be from the standard edition to the Bloodsucker edition all the way up to the collector's edition? All games will play the exact same when it comes to mechanics, but the collector's edition and Bloodsucker edition are strictly aesthetic changes. What all does the topper do? The topper is merely layered plastics, no motors, no motion. It's going to have RGB lights. You said there is a magnet on the lower portion of the playfield, but where? The magnet on the lower playfield is in the left horseshoe. The ball will be picked up and thrown into a scoop that will launch the ball into the mystery machine for like kidnap modes and stuff like that. So what's the deal with the double out lane on the left side? There are two outlanes on the left, but if you light up rut row, which is what those two lanes spell, then you will get a ball save. What all does the Mystery Machine do? Along with holding the five balls for your Mystery Machine multiball, the headlights do turn off and on. They are RGB and will react to what character is put into the Mystery Machine. Are multiballs stackable? Multiballs are stackable. When it comes to video clips, how much do you have? We have full video clip rights. What happens if I do not make it up that center ramp It seems like it would go straight down the middle Indeed it would but we do have the drop target that would anticipate this particular thing and save your ball What about Wi-Fi capability? Wi-Fi updates are in the works. Is this a heavy game? This is the heaviest spooky game to date. How many songs are in the game? There are at least 11 songs plus. When making the games, which models will be built first, second, and last? We are going to be building all of the collector's editions, followed by the Bloodsucker editions, and then finally the standard editions will be built last. Will Scooby-Doo be at Texas Pinball Festival? Yes, Scooby-Doo games will be at TPF. Are there any online features? There are no online features at this point. Will there be different perks for each character? Yes, each character has their own perks. Will the action button be integrated into the game? Yes, the action button is integrated into gameplay. Will Scrappy-Doo be in this game? No, Scrappy-Doo is not in this game. Will you be able to steal other players' balls that are locked within the apron? Yes, you will be able to steal your opponent's balls within the apron, but this will more than likely be a setting feature. So there you go. That is all the pertinent Q&A information right there in a very short amount of time instead of having to watch the full one hour. Now, some of you have asked me, and I'm sure some of you are wondering, Is Scooby-Doo Where Are You a game that's going to be in my collection? No. If I do, it will not be soon. It's not a theme that particularly speaks to me or my children. Charlotte! Chloe! Come here. Let me show you what this new pinball machine looks like. Can you get over here? Let's see what this thing looks like. What is this called? What is this called? Scooby-Doo! Oh Scooby-Doo where are you? That's a bad guy in the middle That's it Does that game look interesting at all? it looks awesome kind of kind of i'm not really interested i really really like it now honestly i was expecting a better reaction from them but i got little to nothing so what do i think about scooby-doo where are you the pinball machine i will say that aesthetically it's very pleasing i haven't seen what the bloodsucker or the standard edition what they look like they're probably going to look very plain in comparison to the collector's edition and it's one of those things where aesthetically looks great from what little i've seen on gameplay it looks to shoot better than ultraman and halloween it looks like they're definitely going to be nailing the call outs and the music looks to be good i think overall package this is probably their best to date but people got burned and on ultraman and halloween i mean it's evident if you go through the threads i don't recommend you do by all means but there are people that definitely have been burned by spooky and it's something i know that they're not proud of they're not happy about it they know they need to work on certain things so that may also be part of the reason why they didn't sell through they may have to earn their trust back with certain individuals they are currently talking with jack danger to figure out when they're going to be able to do a stream to really show all of us what this game can do I thinking maybe a lot of people were very content with waiting this time around I almost hoping that FOMO is beginning to die down That whenever these manufacturers are just trying to get you so excited and to just throw your money away so damn quick. I'm hoping that people are like, you know what? do i need to get this asap or can i just you know what maybe wait a little bit see what it looks like on public or another person's house or see what a stream looks like do i really need to order this day one is it really gonna make that big of a difference i'm hoping that some of you start realizing no it won't make a big difference do i want spooky to sell all these scooby-doos of course I do want them to sell it but I would much rather them sell it by proving by earning it not just the fact that everyone wants it because it's the new thing I think they've got it priced fine would I love for it to be cheaper obviously who wouldn't but I think the fact that you're getting so much in this game especially when you sit it right next to Toy Story 4 let me kick that dead horse a couple of more times but when you got a game that's almost 50 percent more in cost sitting right next to scooby-doo i think everyone's looking at scooby-doo like yeah i think i should get that i probably won't be able to play this game until texas pinball festival and if that's what it's going to be so be it i can wait i'm just hoping spooky that you bring more than two of the scooby-doo machines with you try to bring as many as you can otherwise it's going to be a very long line i'm definitely curious to see where things go with spooky from here i mean without a doubt they wanted to sell through on day one they might have even kind of anticipated it maybe their website didn't anticipate it but like i think going by historical data they were probably in a way expecting it the hype was high the fomo was there for a lot of people but it didn't happen going forward i'm definitely curious to see how things go with you spooky without a doubt i know you wanted to sell out day one you didn't that's fine i think it'll mean even more in the future if you can earn the trust of the people back. But for all I know, it may not be anything to do with quality. It may be the price. It may be that it's too close to Christmas. So for those of you out there that could have purchased a Scooby-Doo game, but chose not to, I want to know why you didn't. Let me know in the comments section down below. Is it price? Is it quality? Are you still waiting to see more gameplay? Let me know in the comments down below. And on a side note, Was I'm am I the only one that had a crush on Velma? Is that just me? Tell me I'm not the only one.