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Zach Sharpe & wife Nicole discuss industry news, Stern's secret new game, JJP/CGC timelines, and Spooky's 40-game/week pace.
Stern Factory Friday video briefly showed an unidentified playfield with at least two Subways and a bank of five drop targets
high confidence · Craig Bobby (news correspondent) citing Pinside member 'Diablo Rush' who caught the glimpse
Jersey Jack Pinball does NOT hold the Billy Joel license and has no plans for a Billy Joel themed machine
high confidence · Craig Bobby reporting from sources about squashing rumors
Jersey Jack is planning to start Toy Story 4 Collector's Edition production run by September
high confidence · Craig Bobby citing 'very strong incredible rumors' from sources
Chicago Gaming Company's Cactus Canyon CE/LE with Chopper will ship in approximately 6 weeks from the stream date
high confidence · Ryan White (CGC) stated during Flipping Out Pinball Twitch stream
Spooky Pinball is producing approximately 40 games per week (10 per day)
high confidence · Spooky Pinball team production update during Saturday morning Spooktacular
New Halloween code update will include Expert Mode focusing on young Michael Myers and expanded Judith Meyer shot usage
high confidence · Bug and Luke (Spooky Pinball) during Saturday morning Spooktacular Q&A
Spooky will continue code enhancements for Halloween and Ultraman for the next year despite selling out
high confidence · Bug and Luke confirmation during Spooktacular; Fallsma will continue working on code
Spooky Pinball expects to have all Halloween and Ultraman games completed by end of year, possibly sooner
high confidence · Spooky Pinball team production update during Spooktacular
Stern has no production run or estimates scheduled for 2023 as of the episode recording
high confidence · Zach Sharpe reporting from Stern dealer information
“if we could only tell the stories that we know in pinball and have experienced firsthand people could do a whole show and people's heads would spin with the TV show it's unbelievable”
Zach Sharpe@ 3:07 — Hints at significant unrevealed industry drama and insider knowledge; suggests sensitive information constrains what can be discussed publicly
“the lid sealed tight on this bad boy and you'd think we'd know more since they haven't released anything since January”
Zach Sharpe@ 15:52 — Emphasizes Stern's unusual secrecy around the next Cornerstone title; indicates long gap since last major release
“I kind of feel like it's going to be Venom but that's a rumor what if our guess is right and then we get in trouble”
Nicole Sharpe@ 15:40 — Shows community anxiety about speculation on unreleased games; Nicole speculates Venom as next Stern IP
“they don't they sold out so it's not like they have to continue breathing life into these titles but they did confirm that fallsma is going to continue working on code enhancements for these games for the next year”
Zach Sharpe@ 27:19 — Highlights Spooky's commitment to post-release support; notes it's voluntary despite sell-out status
“I think I like more like the sweet and like I don't know when they're gonna make a girl machine I feel like we need to get like just a real girly machine like The Notebook with Ryan Gosling something sweet”
Nicole Sharpe@ 27:48 — Identifies market gap for female-oriented pinball themes; suggests demographics/theme preferences vary by audience
leak_detection: Unidentified Stern playfield spotted in Factory Friday video showing Star Wars machines; features at least two Subways and bank of five drop targets; described as one of Stern's most secretive releases to date
high · Craig Bobby citing Pinside member 'Diablo Rush' who saw it 15 seconds into the video; described as mystery Playfield with limited identifying features
product_launch: Jersey Jack Toy Story 4 Collector's Edition production confirmed to start September; on track for mid-June release timing
high · Craig Bobby: 'Jersey Jack will be starting their production run of Toy Story 4 Collector's Editions by September this is great news for customers'
product_launch: Chicago Gaming Cactus Canyon LE/CE with Chopper targeting ~6-week shipping window from stream date
high · Ryan White (CGC) on Flipping Out Twitch stream: 'aiming to start shipping these much anticipated versions of the game complete with the chopper in approximately 6 weeks from now'
manufacturing_signal: Spooky Pinball producing approximately 40 machines per week (10 per day); expected to complete all Halloween and Ultraman units by year-end, possibly sooner
high · Spooky Pinball team during Saturday morning Spooktacular: production update indicated 40 games/week rate
code_update: Halloween code update will include new Expert Mode focusing on young Michael Myers with expanded Judith Meyer shot usage and new animations
high · Bug and Luke (Spooky) during Spooktacular Q&A: confirmed next Halloween code update features Expert Mode and shot usage enhancements
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Flippin' Out Pinball recently purchased land and is planning to build a new home/facility on farm property
high confidence · Zach and Nicole discussing their house listing and new property purchase
“we recently purchased some land and we have plans to potentially start all over and build all over again the custom maps growing”
Zach Sharpe@ 22:00 — Signals Flippin' Out Pinball's growth necessitating physical expansion and relocation
“when you walk in and you're watching something on Netflix it's not sweet and loving if anything is a little bit too sweet if you know what I mean”
Zach Sharpe@ 28:02 — Light banter; humanizes hosts but also tangential to pinball content
“I would say that we may see a new spooky pinball machine before the end of the year and I only say that because they said they're going to have all the Halloween and Ultraman games completed by the end of the year”
Zach Sharpe@ 26:07 — Inference-based prediction about upcoming Spooky release based on production schedule
code_update: Spooky Pinball committing to continued code enhancements for Halloween and Ultraman for next year despite both titles being sold out
high · Bug and Luke confirmation; Fallsma will continue coding work; Zach noted this is voluntary support post-sell-out
supply_chain_signal: Multiple topper shipments behind schedule: Avengers (late June/early Aug target now into late Sept), Aces High (Aug/Sept target likely into Sept), Mando/Rush/Godzilla toppers still no production timeline
high · Zach Sharpe: 'Avengers Toppers we have some Avengers Toppers on order and the production schedule said late June early August and we've already passed that' and 'if they're behind on The Avengers I'm guessing well into September for the aces high topper'
product_strategy: Stern production schedule through October/November detailed: Star Wars Pros/Premiums, Led Zeppelin last run late August, future Cornerstones scheduled for late Sept/Oct, Jurassic Park home pins Nov, Elvira premium rumored bumped to 2024
high · Zach Sharpe detailed production run breakdown; notes Elvira premium rumors of November bump but not officially confirmed
business_signal: Flippin' Out Pinball purchased farm land and planning to build new home and expanded business facility; current residence listed for sale; significant growth driving relocation
high · Zach and Nicole discussing listing house on Facebook, purchasing land, planning farm with chickens/goats, building new structure; Nicole notes family of 6 will live in one-bathroom farmhouse during construction
rumor_hype: Community and hosts speculating on next Stern Cornerstone (described as most secretive to date); Nicole speculates Venom, hosts joke about getting in trouble if guess is right; no official hints from Stern
low · Nicole: 'I kind of feel like it's going to be Venom but that's a rumor'; Zach: 'the lid sealed tight on this bad boy'; Craig Bobby: 'so little is actually known...we shall have to wait and see'
rumor_hype: Zach predicts new Spooky Pinball machine announcement before year-end based on production completing Halloween/Ultraman by Dec and Eric Prepke already coding new title at factory
medium · Zach: 'I would say that we may see a new spooky pinball machine before the end of the year' based on 'they're going to have all the Halloween and Ultraman games completed by the end of the year possibly even sooner' and 'Eric prepke was at the factories...already working on code for that new game'
regulatory_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball officially confirmed to NOT hold Billy Joel license and has no plans for Billy Joel themed machine; squashes community rumor
high · Craig Bobby: 'Jersey Jack pinball does not in fact hold the Billy Joel license and has no plans to make a game themed around the Piano Man himself'