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Episode 707: "Two Pinball Mysteries"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·22m 58s·analyzed·Aug 14, 2022
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036

TL;DR

Kaneda investigates Haggis Pinball and Pinball Brothers mysteries while predicting Venom GOTY.

Summary

Kaneda discusses two major pinball mysteries: the lack of communication and unboxing evidence from Haggis Pinball regarding their Fathom Revisited production, and Pinball Brothers' concerning silence on gameplay footage for Queen Pinball despite taking deposits. He also covers his sale of Toy Story 4, confirmation of Jersey Jack's upcoming Godfather game, predictions about Venom winning game of the year, and critiques of current manufacturing trends and pricing.

Key Claims

  • Haggis Pinball's website is down with no email responses, and very few Fathom Revisited unboxings have been documented despite months of production claims

    high confidence · Kaneda directly observed the website status and searched for unboxing evidence; hosts community inquiry to determine total units built

  • Pinball Brothers announced Queen Pinball, took non-refundable deposits, and have not shown any gameplay footage despite having the game for over a month

    high confidence · Kaneda reviewed Pinside threads and observed the lack of footage, calling this an 'amateur move' and 'humongous red flag'

  • Jersey Jack Pinball is making The Godfather as their next game designed by Eric Minier

    high confidence · Kaneda states he received 'pretty much confirmation' directly from someone at Jersey Jack Pinball

  • Kaneda sold his Toy Story 4 Premium for $14,000 and predicts prices will slide to $12,500 by Texas Pinball Festival

    high confidence · Personal transaction; Kaneda directly states he has the deposit

  • Stern's Venom will win Game of the Year 2022 if it features Brian Eddy design, cool toys, and high-quality artwork

    medium confidence · Kaneda's prediction based on current game landscape; notes it's a wide-open year with no clear masterpiece yet

  • Queen Pinball has only 10-page Pinside thread compared to 47 pages for fictional Trailer Park Boys and 500+ for defunct Deeproot, indicating lack of community interest

    high confidence · Kaneda directly reviewed and compared Pinside thread lengths

  • Rick and Morty has significant flipper and ramp-shooting inconsistencies despite excellent code and artwork

    medium confidence · Kaneda speaks from personal experience owning the game; notes flipper reliability issues

  • Spooky Pinball's location in Benton, Wisconsin makes it difficult to attract talent, contributing to incomplete game launches

    medium confidence · Kaneda's opinion/analysis based on industry observation; mentions Ben Heck's hour-and-a-half commute

Notable Quotes

  • “There is just so much good pinball in the world that we are truly living in the golden age of pinball.”

    Kaneda@ 3:06 — Core theme: Kaneda argues collectors should appreciate existing collections rather than chase new releases

  • “If new pinball machines stopped coming out, it would be a lot less fun to follow the hobby and almost all pinball content creators and podcasts would cease to be relevant. I would turn this show off if there wasn't new games coming out.”

    Kaneda@ 4:13 — Self-aware contradiction: acknowledges his own incentive structure depends on new game announcements despite arguing for collection appreciation

  • “Why is it that the Pinball Brothers revealed, announced, and took money on Queen Pinball almost a month ago, and they still have yet to show any gameplay footage of a game? This is a really amateur move.”

    Kaneda@ 6:10 — Direct criticism of Pinball Brothers' business practices; frames lack of transparency as red flag

  • “I think they're not showing the game for a reason. And I think it's a really bad business practice to take people's money on this game in some sort of good faith deal that it's going to be amazing.”

    Kaneda@ 7:07 — Speculative but pointed criticism suggesting potential quality issues with Queen Pinball

  • “The thread on pin side about Queen Pinball doesn't even have 10 pages to it. Meanwhile, that thread about Great Witch John trying to make trailer park boys with John Norris has like 47 pages attached to it.”

    Kaneda@ 8:29 — Quantitative evidence of community disinterest in Queen despite being from iconic band

  • “I think Venom comes out and it's Brian Eddy and it's got cool toys and zombieddy artwork I think it's going to win. You know when you think about pinball I think all of us have one wish that each year there's at least one masterpiece game.”

    Kaneda — GOTY prediction and statement on industry's struggle to produce consistent masterpieces

Entities

KanedapersonStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyHaggis PinballcompanyPinball BrotherscompanySpooky PinballcompanyEric Minierperson

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Haggis Pinball website down with non-responsive email support; cryptic production status of Fathom Revisited with minimal documented shipments

    high · Kaneda directly verified website is down and searched for unboxing evidence; calls for community-sourced estimates of total units built as of Aug 14

  • ?

    product_concern: Pinball Brothers taking non-refundable deposits for Queen Pinball without releasing gameplay footage, flagged as 'humongous red flag' indicating potential quality issues

    high · Over 1 month since announcement; zero gameplay footage despite being announced and paid; Kaneda compares unfavorably to other unannounced titles with higher community engagement

  • ?

    announcement: The Godfather confirmed as next Jersey Jack Pinball title designed by Eric Minier, following Toy Story 4

    high · Kaneda states 'pretty much confirmation' received directly from JJP employee; notes unusual one-two punch of Toy Story 4 to Godfather

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Jersey Jack Pinball losing community confidence due to Toy Story 4 overpricing and perceived value gap

    high · Kaneda sold his machine, predicts price decline; network discussions about sustainable demand concerns; comparison to No Good Gophers playfield quality at 1/4 the price

  • $

    market_signal: Toy Story 4 secondary market experiencing downward price pressure; Kaneda predicts $12.5k by Texas Pinball Festival from $14k asking price

    medium · Kaneda's personal sale transaction and prediction; notes distributors holding Rush and Mandalorian premiums with no traction

Topics

Haggis Pinball communication and Fathom Revisited production transparencyprimaryPinball Brothers Queen Pinball: lack of gameplay footage and business practicesprimaryJersey Jack Pinball's Godfather announcement and theme concernsprimaryToy Story 4 secondary market pricing and value propositionprimaryStern Pinball Venom as 2022 Game of the Year predictionprimaryPinball pricing ($12k-$15k) justified only by masterpiece-quality gamesprimaryCommunity engagement patterns during new game droughtssecondaryRick and Morty mechanical design flaws despite excellent codesecondarySpooky Pinball location constraints and talent retention issuessecondaryUnannounced future themes: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Avatar, The Matrix, Back to the Futuresecondary

Sentiment

mixed(-0.15)— Kaneda expresses frustration with current manufacturing practices, pricing, and transparency while maintaining optimism about the hobby's depth and future titles. Critical of Haggis, Pinball Brothers, and JJP's recent decisions, but hopeful about Venom and the broader ecosystem. Personal tone is warm and reflective rather than angry.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.069

0:00
She's the kind of girl who'll make you wanna go faster now. She's the kind of girl who'll make you steal your child. She's the kind of girl, she's in the hero of the rafter now. There's a crowd helping out down the night. Welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast everybody. I'm your host. It's a Sunday morning and I'm here before Monday giving a show to you. I'll tell you why. Because tomorrow is my baby girl's birthday, Brenda's birthday, and everything tomorrow is tailored to restoring my beautiful wife's energy. I love her so much and I can't wait for tomorrow to happen and that's why I'm doing the show today for all of you.
0:44
Now, what do I want to talk about on this episode of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast? Well, clearly the Venom rumors were wrong. We didn't get a teaser. We didn't get anything. Now the way Stern normally does it is this. They drop a teaser on a Friday and then normally we have the dealer call on a Monday or Tuesday and that's normally how they roll a game out. I think Tuesday is the day of the week in which we always get the reveal from Stern. Now, will we get a teaser on Monday and a dealer notice? I don't know. I don't know when this game is coming out. Your guess is as good as mine, but it is going to be venom.
1:22
Now, I've noticed something that's happening in the pinball world while we wait. And this is a really good thing. And I was reading Pinside and I was noticing this more and more. You know what happens when there aren't any new games? You know what happens when there's no boutique companies who can get their acts together? You know what happens when you go months and months and months with like nothing brand new to throw your money at and you know what happens when Jersey Jack Pinball whiffs with Toy Story 4. Here's what starts to happen on pin side. I've noticed this. The club threads are so active.
1:56
@ 14:07

  • “If Rick and Morty with all of that artwork and all of those call outs imagine if that game shot as well as a game like Rush or a game like Godzilla. If there were 750 Rick and Morty pinball machines that actually shot well this would be one of the most sought after pinball machines ever. It's such a shame.”

    Kaneda@ 18:51 — Technical critique of Rick and Morty's mechanical design undermining excellent theme integration and code

  • “I heard a rumor, and this is just a rumor, that Charlie and company over there, they realized they made a mistake when they said only 750 and they were actually contemplating making another Rick and Morty, But redesigning it a little bit better.”

    Kaneda@ 19:29 — Unverified rumor about potential Rick and Morty redesign/re-release at Spooky Pinball

  • “I know people want stuff like Back to the Future, The Matrix, Avatar. Stuff is coming. Stuff is coming. Is it going to be Steve Richie's Billy Joel? Is it going to be Bruce Springsteen? Someone said it's the other artist from New Jersey.”

    Kaneda@ 20:28 — Speculation about unannounced future themes including Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Matrix/Avatar, cryptically referencing 'artist from New Jersey'

  • “Now that they're $12,000 to $15,000, it's such an easy pass for most of us. But don't get me wrong, if Back to the Future came out and it was loaded, you would be throwing $15,000 at Stern for a super elite.”

    Kaneda@ 21:50 — Positioning on pricing: argues consumers will pay premium for truly excellent games but current products don't justify cost

    • Brian Eddy
    person
    Chuckperson
    Ben Heckperson
    Eric P.person
    Toy Story 4game
    The Godfathergame
    Venomgame
    Rick and Mortygame
    Queen Pinballgame
    Fathom Revisitedgame
    Godzillagame
    Rushgame
    Pinsideorganization
    Texas Pinball Festivalevent
    Coin Taker Tailgating Partyevent
    Brendaperson
    Zach Sharpeperson
    Marty Robbinsperson
  • ?

    competitive_signal: 2022 pinball GOTY field wide open; Kaneda predicts Venom will win if well-executed with Brian Eddy design and quality toys/artwork

    medium · Kaneda assesses current contenders (Rush, Toy Story 4, Legends of Valhalla, Cactus Canyon) as insufficient; argues 2022 has produced no clear masterpiece yet

  • ?

    product_concern: Rick and Morty suffers from chronic flipper inconsistency and ramp-shooting reliability issues despite excellent code and theme integration

    high · Kaneda speaks from personal ownership experience; describes right flipper dying, flickering, inconsistent ramp access; argues game would be most sought after if shot as well as Rush or Godzilla

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Unverified rumor that Spooky Pinball may develop redesigned Rick and Morty despite 750-unit limit, if original design was acknowledged as mistake

    low · Kaneda explicitly frames as rumor; 'heard' from unspecified source; acknowledges practical complications with existing 750 owners

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: Spooky Pinball's Benton, Wisconsin location limiting talent attraction and retention; contributing to incomplete game launches (Halloween, Ultraman)

    medium · Kaneda's analysis of Ben Heck's 1.5-hour commute and contractor status; notes Chuck requires on-site work; links location constraint to animation/code quality issues

  • ?

    community_signal: Queen Pinball (iconic band IP) generating minimal Pinside engagement (10-page thread) vs. 47 pages for fictional Trailer Park Boys and 500+ for defunct Deeproot

    high · Kaneda directly compared Pinside thread lengths; attributes low interest to lack of gameplay footage and perceived delivery risk from unfamiliar manufacturer

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Pinball market prices ($12k-$15k) only justifiable for 'masterpiece' games with complete content, excellent art, and deep code on day one; most current releases don't merit premium pricing

    high · Kaneda argues consumers should pressure manufacturers to deliver masterpieces; contrasts Back to the Future (hypothetical) vs. Toy Story 4 as example of justified vs. unjustified premium pricing

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Speculation about upcoming pinball themes including Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Back to the Future, The Matrix, Avatar, with cryptic reference to 'other artist from New Jersey'

    low · Kaneda lists public wishlists and speculation; cryptic reference suggests potential New Jersey-based artist (possibly Springsteen-related or similar regional artist)

    • Everybody starts playing and talking about what's in their collection more than speculating on what's around the corner. And I think this is a really good thing. I think it's a healthy thing because As I do think in this hobby, it's really important sometimes to just stop trying to predict what's around the corner, look at the stuff you have, play the stuff you have, enjoy the stuff you have, and here's the best part, connect with the other owners of these machines and you will have a really great time in this hobby.
    2:31
    I've been saying this for years, people, like we don't need more pinball. I know it's fun to speculate on what's around the corner, but there are so many great pinball machines out there. Games that have deep enough code, games that have satisfying enough shots, games that are based on great themes, games that have great artwork, games that if you own just a handful of them, you could have an entire lifetime of great pinball experiences. Now that's not what they want you to hear over at the dealer and distributor network. It's not what the manufacturers want you to feel, but the truth is just that.
    3:06
    There is just so much good pinball in the world that we are truly living in the golden age of pinball. You could go get great games from the Bally Williams era. There are amazing games from Stern Pinball. Jersey Jack Pinball has got some really good games. They do. They have some really good games. I think people are starting to appreciate now some of the older Jersey Jack titles because I think they're looking at stuff like Toy Story and saying, wow, maybe we were a little too harsh on games like The Hobbit, which had much better theme integration than Toy Story.
    3:38
    Now, I would argue that no matter how much code is in The Hobbit, I'm still not a huge fan of the layout of The Hobbit. You know, Big Lebowski is a great game. People are getting enjoyment out of Alien. And let's talk about the CGC titles that are available, right? Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars. Who would have thought we would get those games remade even better than they were back in the day? So it's a really great time to be in pinball. And I think this sort of gap in new in box games has forced a lot of people to just reevaluate their stuff, their collection and learn how to love it again.
    4:11
    And that's a good thing, right? I will say this. If new pinball machines stopped coming out, it would be a lot less fun to follow the hobby and almost all pinball content creators and podcasts would cease to be relevant. I would turn this show off if there wasn't new games coming out. I just wouldn't want to do a podcast about the same games over and over and over again. So it is exciting for me to look at what's going on in the hobby and to give you my opinions about pinball. So what is going on in the hobby this week? Well, here's a really weird thing and I don't know what's going on over there.
    4:42
    But if you go to Haggis Pinball's website, it's down. Like it's absolutely down. Like it's not up. And someone in the thread indicated they sent an email and they got a bounce back. Look, I don't think Haggis Pinball's gone away. They might just be doing some work on their web page. But you know, when you're in this situation as they're in where they're not shipping many games, and there's zero communication, and then you go to their website and it's down. I mean, I know there's a lot of nervous people out there with deposits with Damien. And we still don't know on this date, like August 14, how many fathoms they've built. I've been in the thread. I see some owners are getting
    5:21
    I've seen their games who are air freighting them and these are the series ticket holders, but I still have no clue how many total games they've built. I have not seen 20 unboxings. I have not seen even 10 unboxings. So let's just have you guys guess. Send me an email at kanedapinball at gmail and let me know how many fathoms you think they built in total to date I would love it if Marty Robbins who works at the company who has his own podcast could actually go on his own show and just update people
    5:57
    Hey, everybody, we know it's been slower than expected, but we've built this many fathoms to date. Why is this all the mystery? Now, speaking of mysteries, another mysterious thing is also quite strange. Why is it that the Pinball Brothers revealed, announced, and took money on Queen Pinball almost a month ago, I think more than a month ago, and they still have yet to show any gameplay footage of a game? Have we ever seen this before? A game has been announced, revealed, and deposits that are non-refundable have been taken on
    6:29
    the game, and they will not show you the game. Now, at what point do we start calling a spade a spade with this game? Now, look, I don't know if the game's good or not. I'm going to go play it at the coin taker tailgating party maybe in mid-September or September 24th. Why are the pinball brothers doing this? This is a really amateur move. And if you're trying to get into the goodwill of the community, how can you take people's money and not show them the game if the game is ready? Now, if the game's not ready to be shown, then you should not have revealed the game and you should not have taken people's money.
    7:05
    I don't know any other way to look at this. Now, I do look at this as a humongous red flag because I think they're not showing the game for a reason. And I think it's a really bad business practice to take people's money on this game in some sort of good faith deal that it's going to be amazing. Because who's coding this game? This is not a company that has a track record of incredibly coded games. What we know about the game so far is we've seen how it looks, the artwork looks really dated, the inserts are terrible.
    7:39
    I haven't even started making fun of the inserts in this game in which the text and the insert cutout doesn't even sync up with the artwork above it at all. I'm not even going to go into that. You know me. I can really go down a rabbit hole of inserts being incorrectly cut. Hello Hedge Multiball. By the way, I got my Hedge Multiball slides in the other day. People, they're amazing. If you haven't been to kanedapinballmerch.com, go check it out. I've also got a lot of fun non-refundable Kaneda gear that I put up last week, so check that out. I also want to let you guys know I made a thicker version of the t-shirt, so if you
    8:12
    don't like the tri-blend, which is much more comfortable, I made a little bit thicker tee, which will show the logo a little better, and it's also a little bit cheaper, so I'm going to pass those savings on to you. But back to Queen Pinball. This is one of the most successful bands of all time. And just think about it like this. The thread on pin side about Queen Pinball doesn't even have 10 pages to it. Meanwhile, that thread about Great Witch John trying to make trailer park boys with John Norris has like 47 pages attached to it.
    8:44
    Let alone deeproot pinball who didn't ship a single game has a 500 thread thing going on pin side. There's like no interest whatsoever in Queen Pinball. That's just crazy to me that one of the most iconic bands of all time with a humongous following has absolutely no fanfare attached to its pinball game. I think this whole thing is going to be dicey. I think the reason why people are not excited about this pin right now is most people are smart and they realize like if I put my deposit down now, I don't think I'm going to get my
    9:16
    game anytime soon. If they actually start rolling these games out and people start unboxing them, then I think you'll see people get more interested in the game. Now we know the game has just live concert footage of Queen and it's the audio from that live concert. Now some people out there are like, whoa, that's not as good as the studio versions. I just want to say stop there. Some of the Queen live performances are absolutely incredible. So I think you're going to be happy because Queen was a band that sounded just as good,
    9:47
    If not better live than they did in the studio. I actually would argue that Queen almost sounds better live because the crowd is so into it and Freddie really fed off of the energy of the crowd during those live shows. So I think if that's the case and they have live footage, I think it's going to work really well. But I just don't think there's any faith in the pinball brothers in terms of ETA and the communication from them is not really great. And then holding back gameplay footage is a huge red flag. I'm also here to tell you that it looks like Kaneda is officially out on Toy Story 4.
    10:20
    I was able to find a buyer for my game at $14,000. It took a few weeks, but I have the deposit and so they're going to get a $1,000 rebate on Toy Story Collector's Edition. You know, I gotta be honest, now that I have the deposit, I still don't think that was a good buy. I think we're gonna see the CE slide all the way to 12.5 by Texas Pinball Festival. I also got pretty much confirmation, and I mean this when I say this because this came from someone directly at Jersey Jack Pinball, that they are making Godfather.
    10:52
    That the Godfather is the next game from Eric Minier and it's a really strange one-two punch from Toy Story 4 to Godfather. Now what's funny about all of this is like they might as well just make Godfather 3 only. Jersey Jack should just go all in on making just the last installment of a series and make the one that nobody really wants. But we shall see because if anyone can turn the ship around, it's Eric Menyer. But I also am super super worried about the theme I just don know how the Godfather translates well into pinball You know the Sopranos pinball machine was fun and a lot of people enjoyed it but the Sopranos to me is more like Goodfellas
    11:34
    It has a lot more humor, a lot more energy in it. It's not as slow. It's not as dramatic. And the characters in it, I don't know, they're just something about the Godfather that's very, very slow and very, very un-pinball-like. I don't know. We'll see what Eric can do with it. What kind of mechs are going to be in it? What kind of toys? Are they going to be packing these games? Because that's going to be the big thing. You know, everybody do me a favor. Everybody do me a favor. I know on like a couple episodes ago, I was gushing about no good gophers. Just do me a favor. Do me this. Everybody.
    12:06
    Google image search, no good gophers, and look at the underneath of the playfield, and then go look at the underneath of the playfield on Toy Story 4. That's it. That's where this whole thing ends. That's where this conversation of price begins and ends. No Good Gophers was a game that cost less than $3,000. Look it under the playfield and you're gonna tell me 12 to 15k for Toy Story. And you know, look, I've been hearing all the other podcasters out there and it's funny to me because this is why, like, the network, it's like the pinball network just can't come to grips with how overpriced this game is.
    12:43
    And I feel bad. I feel bad for Zach. I feel bad for distributors. There's no way they're going to move this product consistently. There's no way this product is going to have sustainable demand. And a lot of these distributors are sitting on a lot of Rush and Mandalorian premiums right now. And it's a really interesting time in the hobby because, yes, while you have a game like Godzilla where the demand is sky high, the rest of the product out there, it's not flying out the door the way people think. We shall see when we get Godfather. Will it come at the end of the year if Toy Story sales dry up pretty quickly? Let's wait and see.
    13:17
    Here's my prediction. I think the next game from Stern Pinball, I think it's going to be Venom. I think the next game from Stern Pinball takes game of the year. I just do. I think it's going to take game of the year. I've never seen in any time I've been covering this hobby such a wide open year when it comes to one simple question. What is the greatest game that came out in 2022? I don't think anything that's come out to date is going to win. Let's say you got Rush from Stern, you've got Toy Story 4, and you've got Legends of Valhalla, and you've got maybe Cactus Canyon remake.
    13:54
    That's it. Spooky's games were last year, they were not this year. If you put all those games on a table and you say what's the greatest pinball machine of the year? Now right now I think Rush would take it but I don't think Rush is going to take it. I think if Venom comes out and it's Brian Eddy and it's got cool toys and zombieddy artwork I think it's going to win. You know when you think about pinball I think all of us have one wish that each year there's at least one masterpiece game. When you think about the fact that there's like eight or
    14:24
    The fact that we can't get just one masterpiece a year is a little bit worrisome. I think we got a masterpiece in Godzilla. I think we got a masterpiece in Guns and Roses. You know, some might argue Jurassic Park was one, but I would argue Jurassic Park is not a masterpiece because the art package on it isn't that great. And when I say masterpiece, I mean a game you would look at and not really change anything.
    14:55
    Now there are those who would change the Godzilla artwork. The art on that is much better than the art on Jurassic Park. The other thing is this is sometimes in the year a game is released, its masterpiece status is not recognized. And that's a huge part of pinball. I mean, I've learned this. I mean, remember like the year Deadpool came out? There wasn't much fanfare around it. Now it's considered to be a masterpiece by some of you. Same thing with Stranger Things. You know, pinball is a really interesting hobby because you could sleep on a title and
    15:26
    you could fall out of love with it on year one and then a year later they might do stuff to the code that wakes the game up and then has everybody saying how great it is. I mean, I think Willy Wonka was another game that went from being really mediocre to a much better game when they tackled the code. And this is what Toy Story fans are hoping for. They're hoping that this game will also wake up more down the road. And I don't think it is though. I don't think it is. I think they purposely made this game to be much simpler, much easier to get through because
    16:00
    it'd be weird to go the other way. Imagine, have we ever seen a game where they made it harder because it was too easy? It's usually the other way around. Like the game is way too difficult. Nobody's seeing the fun stuff. So they make it easier, a la Willy Wonka. But a game like Toy Story, if you have it out there and everyone's getting to all the wizard modes and seeing all the game in just a couple months, what are you going to do to change that? You know, there's another game out there that gets sort of like crucified a little bit for seeing so much of the game if you just play it for like a few weeks, and that is Rick
    16:32
    and Morty. Now, I just saw on Pinside that Rick and Morty has new code updates getting into the game, which give new dimensions for the players. I was in the club thread yesterday and it's nice to see that Eric P, he coded Rick and Morty, he is back at Spooky Pinball. And if there's one thing Spooky Pinball needs, it's to get their coding department up to snuff because the code on Halloween and Ultraman, not there. Now will Eric tackle those two games? See I don't really think so. I think Spooky Pinball at this point doesn't really care.
    17:03
    I mean they got all of the money for those 1750 games people are committed to them and And so why would they bother going back to those games when that ship has sailed Those ships have sailed I think all hands are on deck to make sure Scooby Doo and the next game from spooky pinball has everything in it that people want on day one. They can't launch a game again and have it so incomplete. The main issue with spooky pinball is nobody wants to live in Benton, Wisconsin.
    17:33
    And that's the problem. Like they need to figure out a way to get talented people who sit in other parts of the world to be part of the spooky pinball design family. And Chuck wants everybody there. And that's why you're getting piss poor animations in Halloween. And it's why some of the other talent has left spooky pinball. I mean, I heard like Ben Heck drives an hour and a half to get to spooky pinball. I mean, that's a long trek every day if you're going in there to work. But also Ben reminded me that he is just a contractor.
    18:04
    He is not an official employee over at Spooky Pinball. But this next game for Spooky is going to be a kind of a make or break game. And I hope it puts them back on the map because I think they had a lot of great momentum with Rick and Morty. And I think they lost all of that momentum with these past two games. You know, I was thinking about Rick and Morty because I had one and I sold it and I love the call outs. I love the code and I don't think there's any way to make up the way the game shoots. And there was also issues with the flippers. They were inconsistent. They would sort of sometimes like the right flipper would die down. Sometimes it would flicker. Sometimes I could hit that steep ramp. Sometimes I couldn't. The upper right flipper shots were just atrocious. I don't care how well you dial them in. It just never felt smooth.
    18:51
    And so like I was just thinking imagine if Rick and Morty with all of that artwork and all of those call outs imagine if that game shot as well as a game like Rush or a game like Godzilla. If there were 750 Rick and Morty pinball machines that actually shot well this would be one of the most sought after pinball machines ever. It's such a shame. You know, I think someone should do this. I think someone should redesign Rick and Morty and use all the code and all the switches and all the stuff like that and put it in a better designed game.
    19:29
    I heard a rumor, and this is just a rumor, that Charlie and company over there, they realized they made a mistake when they said only 750 and they were actually contemplating making another Rick and Morty, But redesigning it a little bit better. Wow. Can't do it though. Like what would you do with the 750 original buyers? Just doesn't it just doesn't shoot well. I don't care what anybody says. I mean, I've shot a lot of pinball machines to know that that game is just not there in the shot department. All right. You know, well, look, the wait continues. And I want to say this as the wait continues. I think each and every one of you should take more breaks from pin side. Spend more time with your family over the summer. Don't spend so much time.
    20:13
    I'm seeing all the dumb arguing on pin side. I think this is a great hobby. I think there's so many great people in it and I think we're going to get a lot of good games. I know people want stuff like Back to the Future, The Matrix, Avatar. Stuff is coming. Is it going to be Steve Richie's Billy Joel? Is it going to be Bruce Springsteen? Someone said it's the other artist from New Jersey. So we shall see. There's a lot coming in pinball. There's a lot happening in the world. There's a lot happening with each of us personally. But this is a fun escape.
    20:43
    I will say this. Pinball is an escape. Every single pinball machine is a toy. Pinball is fun to play. Every pinball machine is fun to play. But I don't think you should own most pinball machines. And I don't think most pinball machines are worth the money. And that's the discussion I love to have. Because I think each and every one of us should be pressuring these companies to deliver masterpieces at these prices. Why would you want it any other way? Why? I'm not doing it.
    21:21
    I know a lot of my followers are not doing it. And I think everyone's learning a lesson with Toy Story. You gotta get it right. Because if you don't get it right and you ask for this much money, then all of us will just be content playing these games on location and at pinball shows. And that's the way pinball was originally meant to be. Because way back in the day, you had to be super rich if you wanted to put $3,000 to $4,000 amusement devices in your home. And now that they're $12,000 to $15,000, it's such an easy pass for most of us.
    21:55
    But don't get me wrong, if Back to the Future came out and it was loaded, you would be throwing $15,000 at Stern for a super elite. If Toy Story was Toy Story 1 through 3 and it was loaded like dialed in, we would be I'm not the price that's fully off. It's the values not there. Everybody thank you for tuning in to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. I truly appreciate the support. I will be back on Facebook when Stern's next game is revealed. I don't see any reason to turn my Facebook back on until that happens.
    22:28
    I just deactivated my accounts to take a little bit of a break. Nothing has happened. I'm just spending time with my family and I'm enjoying having my Saturday mornings back. But don't think I'm gone for good. I will be back everybody. We'll talk to you soon. Kaneda out.