"No Star Wars Pinball Machines" | Licensing Decision Means Disappointment For Thousands | Spike 3

Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama·video·17m 4s·analyzed·Sep 1, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

Stern's Star Wars exclusion from Europe damages trust vs. competitors with global reach.

Summary

Gonzo expresses deep disappointment with Stern's decision to exclude Star Wars: Fall of the Empire from European and African markets due to licensing restrictions. He argues this decision undermines customer confidence in Stern, damages relationships with European distributors, and contrasts sharply with competitors like Jersey Jack, Spooky, and Barrels of Fun who prioritize global availability. The licensing restriction raises questions about whether it's a cost issue or a refusal by Disney/Lucasfilm.

Key Claims

Star Wars: Fall of the Empire will not be available in Europe or Africa; available in North America, South America, Australia, and other regions
high confidence · Gonzo has spoken to Stern and Disney; this is the stated policy
The licensing restriction is either because Stern won't pay extra licensing fees or Disney/Lucasfilm won't grant European rights at any cost
medium confidence · Gonzo's interpretation based on conversations with Stern and Disney; not definitively confirmed
Stern's messaging about contacting distributors suggests this is a financial decision, implying they might reconsider if demand numbers are shown
medium confidence · Gonzo's inference from Stern's repeated suggestion to contact distributors (heard 'three times')
Jack Danger at Jersey Jack ensures all global customers receive games simultaneously and feels they are equally important
medium confidence · Gonzo's direct conversation with Jack Danger during his UK visit
David Van Es at Barrels of Fun and Spooky Pinball treat overseas customers as equally important and prioritize global distribution
medium confidence · Gonzo references David's conversation with Enzo and states the Spooky team operates similarly
US pinball machines operate on 60Hz electrical frequency; UK operates on 50Hz, requiring modification to function
high confidence · Gonzo describes technical incompatibility between US and European electrical systems
Stern can remotely disable machines via Insider Connected if they detect region violations
medium confidence · Gonzo's understanding of the system; not officially confirmed but plausible given known remote capabilities
Jersey Jack, Spooky, and Barrels of Fun have never restricted regional availability of major licensed games
medium confidence · Gonzo's observation based on their distribution practices; not explicitly verified across all titles

Notable Quotes

“It's because of that that I'm so annoyed about it... this machine and this title and this IP is what is being used to launch their upgraded pimple machines which are the Spike 3.”
Gonzo @ early in video — Establishes why the Star Wars exclusion is particularly damaging—it's the flagship title for a new platform Gonzo wanted to access
“It makes you feel very much like a secondass citizen in the pinballing world.”
Gonzo @ mid-video — Core emotional impact: regional exclusion creates a sense of being a second-class customer
“I'm very willing to encourage you to get in touch with your distributor to give them an idea. But the more I hear that... the more it makes me think this is a money decision.”
Gonzo @ mid-video — Gonzo interprets Stern's messaging as a signal that reconsideration depends on demonstrated demand, implying cost rather than unavailability
“I want to get this game through Pinball Heaven... I'm going to get technical support... I'm not going to feel like I've had to sneak something into the country.”
Gonzo @ mid-to-late video — Expresses legitimate desire to purchase through official channels; exclusion forces choices he doesn't want to make
“I would not be confident at all that I'd be able to get one of those games.”
Gonzo @ closing statement — Demonstrates lasting damage to customer confidence: future Stern releases will be viewed with suspicion regarding regional availability
“He said, 'All globally, all our customers are important to us.'”
Gonzo, quoting Jack Danger (Jersey Jack Pinball) @ mid-video — Contrast between Jersey Jack's stated philosophy and Stern's actions; reinforces differentiation between manufacturers
“If it was Stern, I would not be confident at all that I'd be able to get one of those games.”
Gonzo @ closing — Final statement encapsulates long-term damage: Stern is now viewed as unreliable for European collectors even on dream titles

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyStar Wars: Fall of the Empiregame Spike 3productDisney / LucasfilmcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Jack DangerpersonSpooky PinballcompanyBarrels of Fun (Dutch Pinball)company

Signals

?
business_signal: Regional exclusion signals Stern treats European market as secondary or lower-priority; creates perception of cost-cutting over customer accommodation
high · Gonzo: 'It makes you feel very much like a secondass citizen in the pinballing world.' Inference from Stern's repeated messaging about contacting distributors suggests willingness to reconsider if demand is proven.
?
business_signal: European pinball distributors (particularly Pinball Heaven) will lose significant revenue due to Star Wars exclusion; may shift to stocking alternative manufacturers' products
medium · Gonzo: 'Our sponsor Pimple Heaven is a is a UK distributor. They're going to miss out quite heavily on this... Medieval Madness would be a big seller. So quite possibly the loss of one cornerstone game might not impact them too badly, but there are there are other distributors across Europe who maybe don't have that.'
~
sentiment_shift: Strong negative sentiment from UK/European pinball community regarding Star Wars exclusion; undermines confidence in Stern as preferred manufacturer for future dream titles
high · Gonzo: 'I wished I wish they hadn't got Star Wars. I wished every anyone else almost I almost anyone else any of the companies that I've mentioned be it Jersey Jack Chicago Gaming Company Spooky Barrels of Fun any of those guys [had] Star Wars.'
?
event_signal: Stern invited Gonzo to factory unveiling despite regional exclusion, creating awkward situation where he cannot enthusiastically promote a game unavailable to his audience
high · Gonzo: 'Stern Stern did reach out for me. Stern sent me an invitation to their unveiling... But what I would say is whilst I was very grateful for the invitation, it's very hard for me to get excited about a game that I can't buy.'

Topics

Regional licensing restrictions and exclusivityprimaryStern Pinball vs. boutique competitors (Jersey Jack, Spooky, Barrels of Fun) customer service philosophyprimarySpike 3 platform launch and inaccessibility to European marketprimaryCustomer confidence and trust damage from regional exclusionprimaryEconomic impact on European distributors (Pinball Heaven)secondaryInsider Connected remote disable capability and region lockingsecondaryBlack market/grey market import risks and technical barrierssecondaryDream themes and manufacturer selectionmentioned

Sentiment

negative(0.15)— Gonzo is genuinely disappointed and frustrated with Stern. While he acknowledges Stern makes excellent games, the Star Wars exclusion creates lasting damage to his trust. He praises competitors (Jersey Jack, Spooky, Barrels of Fun) for their inclusive approach. The tone is professional but emotionally affected—he expresses feeling like a 'second-class citizen' and grumpy about the decision.

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

I wanted to do a video about my disappointment with Stern's latest release, which is Star Wars: Fall of the Empire. Now, the reason I'm disappointed about it is not because of the theme at all. I love the theme. Star Wars is a dream theme. In many respects, it would be a top five dream theme. It's because of that that I'm so annoyed about it. Had it been Pokemon, I probably wouldn't have been that bothered. But there's something else which is this machine and this title and this IP is what is being used to launch their upgraded pimple machines which are the Spike 3. The Spike 3 system. Uh everything with the LCD screen so far has been on Spike 2. This is going to be on Spike 3. So it's a big deal. There's many of us in the pinballing world who have been waiting for Spike 3. And um if you factor in there's also a lot of us have been waiting for what many of us would consider to be the first proper epic uh Star Wars pinball machine. Then this covers both bases on that. Just in case you didn't know, this pinball machine is not going to be available in Europe, which certainly covers where I am um in the UK. Well, actually, it's Europe and Africa. So, it will be available everywhere else. It's going to be available in the States. It's going to be available in North America, South America. Enzo is going to be able to get one in Australia. So, for a lot of you, you're going to think, ah, you know, this this video doesn't matter to me. And do you know what? Maybe it doesn't. It probably doesn't. But we're a UK based um YouTube channel, and I certainly know that there are a lot of people in Europe who are very, very disappointed with this. Now I should probably say at the moment as far as I'm concerned and as far as I've been told the issue is licensing. Now, I've spoken to Stern to try and get some form of explanation and they have corresponded with me and I've also tried to speak to uh Disney who have also corresponded with me. Um, and I'm just but I wouldn't say at this point I I have a definitive answer as to what's happened. But from my understanding, only one of two things has happened here. either because the licenses are regional, Stern haven't got the license to sell these pinball machines in Europe and Africa. Now, that's for one of two reasons. Either they won't pay the extra money for the license or Disney or Lucasfilm won't give them the license at any cost. Now, I know which one of those I I I think it is, but I'm not I I just want to find out a little bit more before I lay the blame firmly and squarely at anybody's door. But this is a a huge disappointment, it has to be said. Now, having spoken to Stern, I asked Stern, "What should we do about this?" and they said you should, and when they say you, they mean anybody that's in Europe, anybody that's looking to buy one of these Star Wars games, you should contact your distributor. And they didn't say put pressure on them, but let them know how much you want this game. I very much got the impression during conversations with Stern that they were looking to get an idea of numbers of how popular this game might be. And I'm very, very willing to do that. I'm very willing to uh encourage you to get in touch with your distributor to to give them an idea. But the more I hear that and I've heard it three times now, the more it makes me think this is a money decision. The more it makes me think actually this is not a case that they can't get the license for Europe at any cost. Actually, it's to do with, well, hold on. if enough distributors let us know that it's popular, maybe we'll pay the extra money and we'll buy that European license. Now, um I've got to say it's I I understand that Europe is not the biggest market for Stern. Um but it does certainly make you feel very much like a secondass citizen in in the pinballing world. And there's there's a huge element of disappointment here, particularly I mean Stern Stern did reach out for me. Stern sent me an invitation to their uh to the unveiling to the uh to the release. They invited me to the uh factory which I'm very very grateful for to go and to go and look at this game and to play this game. But what I would say is whilst I was very grateful for the invitation, it's very hard for me to get excited about a game that I can't buy. It's very difficult for me to think, well, okay, I I'll I'll fly out to the States. I'll go to Chicago. I'll go to Sterns Factory. I'll play this game. And then I'll come back on a video and say to you, "Hey, this game's really good, guys. Uh, unfortunately, you can't have it." Um, I think particularly bearing in mind it's on the new Spike 3 system. Now, what it does bring into to question and will bring into play is that there will be means of getting this game that maybe you can get this game on the black market because quite possibly well highly likely Stern are not going to be allowed to sell this game overseas. If they don't have the license with Disney or Lucasfilm, they're not going to be allowed to do that. So officially, Stern can't sell you the game if you're in Europe. Now, what you might do is try and be crafty. You might try and you might know somebody in the States. They might ship a game over to you. But then, as you know, these games are set up so they can't work in different regions. So, is that a black market? Well, it sort of is. But then you've got a situation where you've got not just Insider Connected, but even before Insider Connected, these games would not work out of region. You've got a whole different conversation in terms of the the voltage of the games. But I mean, I guess that's relatively easy to overcome. But as games become become more complicated, they're going to know that you're doing that. And I don't I don't know the exact specifications this, but as I understand it, the US games work on 50 rotations, and that's not the same as what you get in the UK. So, that's not just not going to work anyway. So, before you can even begin to get one of these games into the UK, you're going to have to you're going to have to patch it. You're going to have to modify it. Now, you're not going to get any any support from Stern to do that because they don't want you to do it. They're not allowed to assist you in that. Also factor in that with Insider Connected, the moment you plug that game into the internet, which you're encouraged to do all the time now, they can switch that game off. So let's say you go to the States, you buy one from a US distributor, you have it freight, air freighted over, you plug it in, Stern can turn it off like that. And and that's just what it looks like from the consumer's point of view. Our sponsor Pimple Heaven is a is a UK distributor. They're going to miss out quite heavily on this. But I mean, although they're possibly not going to be the worst hit because right now you can go and order a Medieval Madness. So Medieval Madness remakes, I think they're Merlin editions. They're now available. You can go and you can go and order one now um from Pinball Heaven. The link's in the description below. So maybe just maybe that's such a popular game that maybe people are going to go and do that. They'll choose to buy something else rather than Star Wars. If you've been told you you can't buy Star Wars or you're going to have to take this risk of getting one from the States and there's no guarantee that you're going to be able to play that game. I think then people start looking for alternatives. Now it might be any number of games, but I I just make the point from Pimple Heaven's point of view that's going to be a big seller. Medieval Madness would be a big seller. So quite possibly the loss of one cornerstone game might not impact them too badly, but there are there are other distributors across Europe who maybe don't have that. So it's certainly this this title being released in this fashion has definitely let down European distributors um European European fans of fans of Stern fans of Star Wars. I had this I had the conversation with with so with Jack with Jack from Jersey Jack. He popped over and came he came and saw us. Jack came to the UK. He always does. He comes to UK to see us whenever he's got a new game coming out. He he makes sure that he makes sure that we get the games at the same time. Um so we don't ever feel that we're sort of lagging behind. And and I said to him, I said to Jack personally, I said, "I appreciate you doing it. Thank you." He said, "No, look," he said, "All globally, all our customers are important to us." He said, "No, I I want I want the game to get out there." Only the other day, actually, you would have heard um David's uh Barrels of Fun speaking to Enzo and he was saying the same thing. It's important for us to get the games out there. The guys at the guys at Spooky are exactly the same. They they don't make you feel if you're overseas you're any less of a customer or any less important. And and I'm quite sure that Stern would say, "Well, hold on. No, no, you guys are important." But it doesn't feel like that at the moment. Um, and I didn't particularly like the announcement that was initially leaked by Canada. Wasn't wasn't his fault. It wasn't his announcement. It was Stern's announcement, which was at present these games are not going to be available to you guys in Europe. Contact your distributor, which I don't why would why would we contact the distributor if we can't get the games? I don't understand that. Well, you can come over and play it. Why? Um, you can come over and play it and basically see what you're missing. I didn't get that bit either. But also what accompanied with it with it was, but don't worry, you you'll be able to buy our next game. Oh, and if you want, you can still go back and buy Kong or you can buy Dungeons and Dragons. Um, yeah. I mean, it's it's it's very different. It's not like going to a restaurant and and and reading the menu and them telling you, "Oh, sorry. We we've we've run out of chicken. We don't have that. You can have something else." Okay, but it's not it's not the biggest deal in the world. This is a big deal. You can't have Star Wars, but you can have something else. You you we'll probably be able to give you Pokémon, and if you want, you could go and have a you know, you can have a Dungeons and Dragons. Well, I want Star Wars. So, the the messaging itself just makes you feel that you're that you're not important as a customer. I think the other thing that it does, it undermines confidence in stern. So, a long time ago, for people that have been watching the channel for a while, we did a a video series, a series, three or four videos, and we did it on dream themes, and it was who do you think of your dream titles, and which company would you like to make them? Now, I I can't I can't remember. I I can't exactly remember what I said, but I I mentioned that one of my dream themes would be um would be the Lost Boys. So, I wanted maybe I can't even remember. Maybe JJP to make the Lost Boys. Maybe I wanted, you know, The Boys, the Amazon series. Maybe I wanted Spooky to make the boys, but one of them Quadrofenia, I wanted maybe CGC to make Quadrofenia, but one of them was Blade. Wesley Snipes Blade. Oh, I just think that would make a a great pinball machine. And I said, I I want I want Stern to make Blade. I think they they'd be the ones that would do the best job with that. Just imagine it flowing. Imagine Elwin making a Blade game just cuz he makes the best shots, right? But what this has done is immediately when this happened, I I wished I wish they hadn't got Star Wars. I wished every anyone else almost I almost anyone else any of the companies that I've mentioned be it Jersey Jack Chicago Gaming Company Spooky Barrels of Fun any of those guys Star Wars because I feel not only will you do it justice but we'll get it they I don't feel that they would do half a license. I I just don't if in fact having spoken to Jack at Jersey Jack on numerous occasions it just wouldn't have happened. Um and I and sometimes it doesn't matter. Sometimes it's okay with Jaws. Jaws was a magnificent game. Jaws is one of my favorite games. This is not anything bad about Stern. Jaws when I eventually get back to doing some more top 50s which are there. Jaws is going to go high on that list. Chief Broady is not on the playfield. Okay, I I can manage that. I can stomach Chief Broady not being on the playfield. What wouldn't have been acceptable as if Stern had said, "Oh, actually Canada can have Jaws. Uh, USA can have Jaws. Brazil can have Jaws. But you you guys over in Europe, you don't you don't get you don't get Jaws. You don't get a Jaws pinball machine." No. This is exactly what's happened here. And I'm very very unhappy about it actually. And it's made me it's made me grumpy of course as you can see um because I wanted this this theme so much and now I've got to go and do if I want it I'm going to have to do unscrupulous things. I don't want to do that. I want to get it through my my channel sponsor. I want to get this game through Pinball Heaven. That's what I want to do. I want to know when it arrives here if something's not right. I'm going to get my my warranty is valid. I'm going to get technical support that I'm not going to feel like I've had to sneak something into the country. It's that I've got a contraband pinball machine. This is no good. And it actually made me think about something because I don't know how how much you can see. Maybe you can see a little bit here. Can John Youssi these things here? as Gandalf. If you're a regular watcher of the channel, you'll know about stuff there. There's Gollum. Cool. He um Shadowman. Um I got loads of that stuff. Got loads of it. I am a Lord of the Rings maniac. I love Lord of the Rings. So I said earlier on that Star Wars was one of my dream themes. Um, I said one of because the dream team is Lord of the Rings. Brilliant. Um, now here's the thing. Would I like another Lord of the Rings? Yeah, I would. I'm still going to keep the one that I've got. I think George Gomez did a tremendous, tremendous game. And not I think Stern did a tremendous game. Stern have made some magnificent pinball machines. But this is where we get to the problem with the confidence. If I heard now, particularly bearing in mind they're on Spike 3 and I would like to play the Spike 3, but not just that. I want to own the Spike 3 because it's not just a play in. It's not like Sterner saying, "Well, you can't own one, but we'll ship a load out to location in the UK. You can play in the arcade." No, no, no. None of that. That's just not happening. But if I heard that Stern were going to re-release Lord of the Rings or likely going to do with Star Wars, make a remake with a maybe obviously a different designer, different shots, a week ago, I would have been excited. I mean, it would have been 10 out of 10 excitement. A new Lord of the Rings pinball machine. Wow. Brilliant. And I would still feel the same way if I heard that a new Lord of the Rings pinball machine was going to be made. But now, and this is where confidence comes in, I would have to be asking the question, who's going to make it? Because if it was Stern, I would not be confident at all that I'd be able to get one of those games. [Music]