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The Pinball Show Ep 108: Bye Buddy, Hope You Find Your Home Team

The Pinball Show·podcast_episode·38m 15s·analyzed·Aug 9, 2022
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

Stern's 18 code updates, Elf license speculation, JJP's mystery designer, and industry production updates.

Summary

The Pinball Show 108 covers major Stern Pinball developments including a record 18 simultaneous code updates introducing Home Team feature for Insider Connected, speculation that Stern has licensed Elf for a future pinball machine based on removed homebrew posts and production audio, JJP's four games in development with a mystery designer replacing Pat Lawlor, American Pinball partnership with Titan Competition for silicone rings, and Multimorphic facing production delays and price increases. The episode also discusses Rush's rising popularity on secondary markets and production timeline for upcoming Stern titles.

Key Claims

  • Stern Pinball released 18 simultaneous code updates for all modern Spike 2 games in a single release, setting a world record

    high confidence · Craig Bobby reporting on The Pinball Show; official Stern announcement

  • Stern Insider Connected has over 43,000 player accounts and over 11,000 connected machines since launch last fall

    high confidence · Seth Davis, Seth Davis, stated during dealer seminar and Insider Podcast

  • Stern Pinball called a distributor/tournament location and demanded removal of Elf homebrew game from tournament and removal of social media posts

    medium confidence · NAP Arcade reporting; Zach Minney citing unconfirmed word from tournament organizers

  • Stern used audio 'Bye, buddy. Hope you find your dad' from Elf film in recent production line video

    high confidence · Zach Minney citing visible/audible evidence from Stern's social media production footage

  • JJP has four games currently in development but only three known designers (Eric Veniere, Mark Seiden, Steve Ritchie) assigned, indicating a mystery fourth designer

    high confidence · Jack Guarnieri interview in Pinball Magazine; host math confirmed by Jack's response

  • Pat Lawlor is not at JJP, is taking time off, and doesn't sound like he's returning to JJP

    high confidence · Jack Guarnieri in recent interview

  • Multimorphic is approximately two months behind on shipment estimates with a 12-month wait for new orders

    high confidence · Gerry Stellenberg email announcement

  • Stern's goal for Insider Connected is to enable head-to-head remote competitions between players across the country/world

    high confidence · Seth Davis answered affirmatively at dealer seminar Q&A; Zach Minney attended

  • Rush Pinball has climbed Pinside 100 rankings above Tales of the Arabian Night, Batman 66, Spider-Man, The Walking Dead, Whitewater, Disney TRON: Legacy, and Simpsons Pinball Party

Notable Quotes

  • “we are constantly working on the online system. Sometimes the updates will be small improvements, and sometimes there'll be amazing leaps forward. Stay tuned. The system plan is huge. We are a small team. Remember, we also work on the games.”

    George Gomez, Stern EVP and Chief Creative Officer @ ~14:00 — Official acknowledgment of Stern's technical roadmap and constraints on Insider Connected development

  • “Bye, buddy. Hope you find your dad. Thanks, Mr. Narwhal.”

    [name withheld pending review] @ ~26:00 — Key evidence cited by Zach Minney suggesting Stern has licensed Elf for a future pinball machine

  • “Son of a nutcracker!”

    Zach Minney @ ~22:00 — Reaction to Stern allegedly having homebrew Elf game removed from tournament and posts deleted

  • “You're very observant, but we're not ready to announce any new designers quite yet.”

    Jack Guarnieri @ ~46:00 — Confirms mystery fourth designer working on JJP game without revealing identity

  • “I think this title works because, more so than being a seasonal film, it's a comedy film. And not only is it a comedy film, it is a comedy film that showcases one of the most beloved comedians of our time, Will Ferrell. I think Will Ferrell pins would sell.”

    Zach Minney @ ~31:00 — Zach's opinion on why Elf would work as a pinball machine theme

  • “The fourth annual Shoopy, I think, is happening here in a couple days over on the YouTube channel of Toho.”

    Zach Minney @ ~39:00 — Reference to upcoming Stern Heads Up Invitational featuring Godzilla

  • “If that doesn't smack you in the face and tell you to wake up, maybe this game is great, then I don't know what will.”

    Zach Minney @ ~53:00 — Zach expressing surprise at Rush's rapid rise on Pinside rankings

  • “It was a weird kind of response. Jack said basically he's not at JJP, he's taking time off, and he doesn't know whether he will retire or not. But it doesn't sound like he's coming back to JJP.”

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyZach MinneypersonCraig BobbypersonSeth DavispersonGeorge GomezpersonJack GuarnieripersonPat LawlorpersonGerry StellenbergpersonBob Knies

Signals

  • ?

    product_launch: Stern released 18 simultaneous code updates for all Spike 2 games, introducing Home Team and Mobile ID features to Insider Connected platform. First Wi-Fi OTA update capability for users.

    high · Official Stern announcement; Seth Davis presentation; 43,000+ accounts and 11,000+ connected machines cited

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Beatles Pinball received new 'Classic Mode' mimicking 1979 Sea Witch rules (no multiballs, no magnets, no center disc action) with separate high score table

    high · Zach Minney reviewed code update details from SternPinball.com

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Stern Pinball suspected to have licensed Elf film for future pinball machine based on: (1) Removal of homebrew Elf game from tournament via distributor, (2) Deletion of social media posts about Elf homebrew, (3) Use of exact Elf film audio 'Bye buddy, Hope you find your dad' in Stern production video

    medium · NAP Arcade reporting; Stern production video audio visible on social media; tournament removal anecdote; film audio in production footage

  • ?

    regulatory_signal: Stern Pinball allegedly contacted tournament distributor demanding removal of Bob Knies' Elf homebrew game and deletion of all social media posts; creator Bob Knies reportedly not notified

    medium · NAP Arcade investigation; secondhand account of tournament organizers; visible deletion of social media posts

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Pat Lawler departed JJP, is on hiatus, unlikely to return to JJP; status of future retirement unclear. Mystery fourth designer added to JJP development roster.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.115

0:00
Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised.
0:11
The Pinball Network is online. Launching, The Pinball Show. Welcome to The Pinball Show. This week's topics include Stern Pinball's home team, a unique and overlooked recent code update, putting syrup on your spaghetti, Stern Pinball production updates and their next cornerstone game reveal. JJP having four games currently in development and a mystery designer. American Pinball making a great decision. Multimorphic trending up and sending a reminder for past due payments. You're going to want to hear this.
0:54
Pinball is a game of skill. For some, it's a passion and a lifestyle. It's time for the Pinball Show. It's pinball with personality. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.
1:07
You gotta have something if you want to be with me. It's your shill of the week. Zach Minney here for the Pinball Show. We're in episode 108, and I have all types of yummy news for you today. The week has been busy for me. It's the majority of our children about to go back to school. I want to thank everybody for all of the support over the last week. I'm not trying to be your hero.
1:33
Because that zero is too cold for me. Been discussed a lot. New Straight Down the Middle video review of Toy Story 4 is now out. Some of you appreciative of the work. Others, well, others are just downright angry of us reviewing pinball machines. So go check that out. It was a fun video to do. the outtakes still have me laughing and my best advice for those of you who are triggered and angered by two best buddies talking about pinball maybe just don't watch it or better yet we've encouraged this for years now using the same categories just submit us your ratings on a recent machine i'll add up the total for you it's not easy it's just it's a lot of fun you may even enjoy yourself oh well screw you buddy i don't want to enjoy myself this is pinball i want to be bitter and angry and accuse you of taking my money being the reason for my unhappiness toy story thor every category is an f you guys need to be more objective some you turds just won't flush quick enough speaking of a bunch of shit i only had one little outburst this last weekend at my house and i think a lot of you can relate to this as well many of you myself as well pride our game rooms or our homes with our big old tv right watching movies is a thing that i enjoy and i recently picked up a my first projector oh so happy about it oh i don't think i'll ever go back sure the blacks aren't as black as a oled or anything like that but it's just size does matter it really does but what i don't understand is whether you're spending 10 000 on a projector or $8,000 on an 80-inch LCD. Who would have thought the most valuable part of that purchase was the LE remote control? I've probably bitched about this before, but all of the technology, all of the splendor, the wonder, is in that beautiful display. But what good is the display without the cheap-ass $2 remote control? TV I've got upstairs, virtually unusable if you don't have that cheap-ass remote control. Yes, it still runs off of double A's, and the lid of which to close the battery compartment has been gone for a year or so. So tape is holding it together, but it's the most ghetto thing ever. We've got this ghetto-ass remote control that still works if it, well, the left action doesn't work very good, but up, down, right works, menu works, right? So you've got this thing that looks like it controls my grandparent's cassette player, and if that thing goes missing, you're screwed. You cannot do a damn thing. And just like phones, they're making these remotes smaller and smaller and smaller. Anybody see the remote? Yes, the TV remote, yes. How cheap would it be to have a feature on the television set that you press and it at least makes the remote beep? We complain about bill of materials for pinball machines. They can't make a remote control that you can find easy? Or maybe serviceable buttons on the monitor so I can at least turn the damn thing on and watch Netflix. I don't understand it. And then I'm like, you know, I'm no boomer. I'll just go online and get the app, the remote control app, and use my damn phone. That's if my phone is charged. Does anybody have the charger? Anybody see that charger?

medium confidence · Zach Minney citing Pinside 100 data

  • Led Zeppelin (Pro)/Premium and Guardians of the Galaxy Pro are the final builds with no plans to produce these models again

    high confidence · Zach Minney citing Stern production information shared with dealers

    • Zach Minney @ ~47:30 — Summary of Pat Lawler's status relative to JJP

    person
    Zach Sharpeperson
    Rebecca Hinsdaleperson
    David Fixperson
    Eric Veniereperson
    Mark Seidenperson
    Steve Ritchieperson
    Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
    Multimorphiccompany
    American Pinballcompany
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Insider Connectedproduct
    Godzillagame
    Elfgame
    Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilaritygame
    Rick and Mortygame
    Pinsideorganization

    high · Jack Guarnieri interview in Pinball Magazine; math by podcast host (3 known designers + 1 unknown = 4 games); Jack confirmed via 'you're very observant' response

  • $

    market_signal: Rick and Morty Bloodsuckers Edition maintaining strong secondary market pricing of $11,000-$12,000 despite general market softening

    high · Zach Minney citing secondary market comp data; recent code updates supporting demand

  • ?

    supply_chain_signal: Multimorphic facing ~2 month shipment delays with additional weeks expected before catching up; 12-month wait time for new orders; price increase announced for orders after August 31, 2022

    high · Gerry Stellenberg official email announcement; secondary market buying activity spike in response

  • ?

    business_signal: American Pinball partnering with Titan Competition to supply silicone rings on all newly produced pinball machines

    high · Zach Minney citing industry news; described as smart PR move

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern announcing Led Zeppelin Pro/Premium and Guardians of the Galaxy Pro as final builds with no plans to produce these models again; supply pressure on dealers to push inventory

    high · Zach Minney citing dealer information; production timeline transitions visible in factory schedule

  • $

    market_signal: Rush Pinball experiencing rapid growth in desirability and sales; climbed Pinside Top 100 rankings above established classics like Batman 66, Spider-Man, The Walking Dead, Whitewater, Tron Legacy, Simpsons Pinball Party

    high · Zach Minney citing Pinside Top 100 data; weekly sales trends

  • ?

    technology_signal: Stern's stated goal for Insider Connected is to enable head-to-head remote competitions between players across the country/world via webcam/streaming; no timeline given

    high · Seth Davis confirmed goal at dealer seminar Q&A attended by Zach Minney

  • ?

    event_signal: Stern Heads Up Invitational format receiving criticism for lack of transparency (contestants include Stern employees but advertised as open invitational), limited personality/animation, repetitive contestant pool, and overall production quality concerns

    medium · Zach Minney's editorial analysis based on multiple podcast discussions and observation of last three events

    • 4:51
    Hey, who's got the phone charger? But just like everything in the world, I download that, open it, and just like the pinballs on the skyscraper of Godzilla, ads just start spewing out going down the drain towards my flippers. Ads? Really? Ads? You get so, on this app, you get so many clicks before you have to see an ad. I have to maximize my clickage just to get the damn TV to work. I just want to watch HBO Max. Email us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com if you feel my pain here. Or if there's something I'm missing. The remote control. So stupid. It's 2022. At this point, couldn't I just be like, hey, TV, watch Hulu?
    5:32
    The TV would be like, Hulu, you for real, bro? Disney Plus, then! I want to watch Light and Magic. What a great show. And speaking of magic, let's kick it over to the magic man himself, Craig Bobby, with the Pinball Show's Top Stories.
    5:59
    Hello and welcome to the Pinball Show's Top Stories. I'm Craig Bobby. Well, lots happening this week on the Pinball Show's news desk as the king of all pinball manufacturers, Stern Pinball, unleashed the monster of all code updates, pushing out a total of 18, yes that's right, 18 simultaneous new code updates, setting what I think is a world record for number of new code updates on a single release. Holy code monster, Batman! The code updates were for all 18 of Stern's modern Spike 2 games running their new Insider Connected online network. It was the first time many users got to experience the added convenience of Wi-Fi code updates for their machines rather than going through the hassles of downloading codes the good old-fashioned way using a computer and USB key, which often caused many users headaches with each and every code update. Zach Mini. The code updates offered two minor yet major improvements to Stern's still evolving online platform. The first being the introduction of the home team feature, which allows users to save their user information as well as up to seven guests on their home machines, preventing the need to have users endlessly pull out their mobile devices to log into the network every single time they go to play or reset a game. Say what? The second is the introduction of Stern's mobile ID, which allows users to conveniently save their Insider Connector IDs on their phone's mobile wallet, allowing for quick and easy access instead of having to log on each time to the Stern Insider Connected webpage. The feature is rolled out as users continue to wait for Stern's upcoming and dedicated Insider app, which will presumably allow users to access the entire online platform through a convenient, easy-access app versus the Stern webpage. And don't think that these latest code updates are just about the online platform. No, most games also receive some code tweaks and bug fixes as well. For example, Avengers Infinity Quest received some welcome bug and scoring fixes, as well as unlocking of a new mini-wizard mode, Gem Mania, only previously available to those owners that had purchased the game's topper. Now, the one caveat is that you do have to be logged in to your Insider Connected account when playing the game to access that mode, but still, a welcome reward to those that have spent the time and money to be on the Insider Connected network, but haven't yet bought the game's topper. Want to know what code changes and updates are available for your specific game? Well, don't delay. Head on over to the SternPinball.com website and look under the Support tab for all Stern's code update details. Wondering just how many Insider Connected accounts there may be out there these days? Well, courtesy of Stern's own Insider Podcast with special guest Seth Davis, Stern's new president, who shared that over 43,000 and counting online accounts have been created since the platform's launch last fall, giving users access to the Insider Connected Network. And Stern's Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer George Gomez could also be found chiming in online this week about the update that, quote, we are constantly working on the online system. Sometimes the updates will be small improvements, and sometimes there'll be amazing leaps forward. Stay tuned. The system plan is huge. We are a small team. Remember, we also work on the games. End quote. Speaking of moving the game of pinball forward Stern is also airing another episode of his very popular heads invitational Invitational this time on the world highest rated pinball machine Godzilla on August the 10th 2022 at 7pm on the official Toho YouTube channel Similar to Stern's last couple of Heads Up Invitational, viewers will get to watch eight local contestants battle it out in a test of ultimate pinball supremacy as they try to win their very own Godzilla pinball machine. And on to a couple of additional news items from one of the many smaller pinball boutique manufacturers. Multimorphics founder Jerry Stellenberg set out an email this past week containing several announcements. Jerry let fans and owners of the P3 platform know that while the company has added some new key team members to its company over the past few months, it was still approximately two months behind on its previously announced shipment estimates. It expects that delay to increase by another couple of weeks before they start to catch up. The approximate wait time for orders placed with the company today has grown to roughly 12 months. Great Scott! Multimorphic also confirmed some upcoming price increases for the company's products, but that prices would remain the same for orders placed before the end of August and for any previously ordered modules. The news sparked a flurry of buy-and-sell action online, as some players, tired of the ongoing wait for their machines, decided to sell their previously placed non-refundable deposits online, while other buyers that were on the buying fence decided to jump into the fray and take advantage of previous buyers selling, knowing that an eventual price increase was just around the corner. In the letter, Jerry also announced the release of a major code update for its latest pinball module, Weird Owls Museum of Natural Hilarity. The Code Update version .9.6.2 includes the game's previously announced You Make Me Mini Wizard mode, Drink from the Firehouse, and an enhanced UHF multiball, as well as major video performance improvements and dozens of feature changes and bug fixes. In addition to the code update, Multimorphic released a new limited edition asset pack for Weird Al that adds LE Translate images to the Backbox image selection menu in the game app and in a forthcoming launcher carousel. So much going on in the world of pinball, but that's all for this week. For the Pinball Show, I'm Craig Bobby. Catch you on the flip side.
    11:52
    Nicely done, CB. Thanks again. Let's jump into these stories right now via the Tesla of pinball podcast segments.
    12:01
    Pinball market trends. You feeling trendy this week, baby? Trending up this week is Stern Pinball's recent announcement and implementation of Home Team on the Insider Connected platform. This past week, I attended a dealer seminar with Stern CEO Seth Davis, presenting all of the new features that they unrolled this week. some outstanding data that he had given us to show the success of what they're doing over at Stern Pinball connectivity-wise. Over 43,000 player accounts, over 11,000 machines have been connected, and over 100,000 worldwide leaderboard plays. That's a whole lot of plays. Mr. Davis said that they're using some feedback that they had received from the community to make changes to Insider Connected. And one of the biggest complaints was that people said logging in at home is kind of a pain. Sucks. So their resolution for that is what they're calling Insider Connected Home Team. It's a feature that while at home, there's no phone or QR code that you need when you're playing your games. That is, you can have eight accounts set up at home, and you simply log in using the system, like a user profile on many electronics that you're used to or video games, right? Or for that matter, the big Lebowski. So that's super cool. Also, not getting a lot of coverage, but mobile ID was added. Mobile ID is basically, you know, your phone has its mobile wallet, whether it's Apple or Android. Mobile ID now saves your information so that you can have it quickly when on location and wanting to scan your QR code. But home team, I've heard nothing but great things this week about installation and utilization of the feature. So nicely done, Stern Pinball. While we were there, though, I thought, a little Q&A at the end. So I thought, hey, sweet Seth, sweet, sweet Davis, SDZ, tell me this, my friend. Is the goal of Stern Pinball in the future to have head-to-head competitions or playing someone across the country, across the world, playing them through this connected device? Is that a goal? His answer was yes. Ultimately, that would be great. It would be phenomenal to be able to play one of your friends or even somebody you hate across the country using this technology. That is the goal. He didn't give any timelines as to when that would roll out, but ultimately that's the goal. Could you picture that? I log in. I'm waiting for my friend to join my game request. And all of a sudden, webcam comes up and my little din-din, Dennis Creasel, in his tighty-whities, ready to play Godzilla at 6 a.m. in the morning. Crazy. That's my little Dennis. I'm not amused. And I actually wear briefs. You know Dennis Creasel don't wear boxers or briefs. Ooh, gift idea for Christmas. Now, I don't know how that's going to work, though, because I know that Scorbit has patents out for a lot of that stuff. I was looking at their patent through the government recently, and they insinuate a webcam feature on scorebit and playing people and very specific instructions on how all of that's going to work competing head-to-head against individuals, even to the point of terminology on what happens when the player signs in, opens up a game, waiting for opponents, that kind of thing. so i don't know if they have a patent on the whole webcam visual thing or the the hard out for streaming if that will get into stern pinball's way on their insider connected i have no clue it'll be interesting to see for anybody that knows more details about that you can email us as well also treating up this week code updates wow all 18 spike 2 titles have been updated with new code now most of them is just the updates for the home team stuff but doing my job here giving you guys the news. I did quickly review all of the different code updates, and there was one that did kind of stick out. There's some cool stuff on like Rush and Godzilla, all the newer stuff, but on the older games, did you guys know that on the new Beatles code update, there's a new mode? It's called Classic Mode. Now, when this mode is chosen before starting a game, it has similar scoring to Sea Witch. 1979 Sea Witch. I thought it was kind of cool. And of course, with that old Sea Witch code, modern features do not function, so no multiballs, no magnet, no center disc action. You're playing the rules of Sea Witch. It's kind of novel. Come on, I like that. It even has a separate high score table for the classic mode. Nicely done, Stern. You didn't need to do that, but you did anyway. And for that reason, you're trending up. What else we got this week? Trending, huh?
    16:24
    Interesting story developing over at NAP Arcade this week regarding the Elf homebrew game and Stern Pinball.
    16:35
    Reading some of this from naparcade.org, said back in March, there was a lot of people that had seen the Elf homebrew game, whether it was at TPF or whether it was online, but an individual by the name of Bob Knies has been creating Elf homebrew pen. He wanted to create his own pinball machine. He was ultimately going to choose between Elf and Tommy Boy. He went with Elf. It's his all-time favorite movie. And that saddens me because Tommy Boy is one of the funniest films of all time. Okay folks, the guy in front of you is Tommy He'll be taking you through my little spiel here Tommy is a Scorpio He likes biking and he's never been laid Maybe he can do that next Please Bob Is that a Niner there? So they took their game to Texas Pinball Festival It was well received, a lot of people liked it A lot of manufacturers and employees from manufacturers Played the game, a lot of people liked it Nap Arcade's saying that Stern Pinball Liked it so much that they asked His permission to take several pictures of the game Pretty cool right? you sit on a throne of lies well this last week bob brought this elf homebrew pinball machine to a local tournament but then all of a sudden the game was mysteriously pulled from said tournament wait a minute nap arcade goes on to say that you know maybe it was a mech that broke or you know a bug that caused it to no not exactly word is that a stern pinball representative called the distributor, the location of which they were having the tournament, and told them to remove the game from the tournament, but to also remove all social media posts about Elf Homebrew Pinball Machine. Son of a nutcracker! Even after all of this, if you go back and look at social media referencing this Elf game, some of those posts are gone as well. Wait, wait a minute. And it sounds like the creator, Bob, didn't know anything about this. So he's not the one removing this stuff. So how and why would this happen? Nap Arcade can think of two reasons why One, maybe if the tournament was officially sanctioned IFPA or circuit event from Stern just wants to protect Any current or future relationships it has With New Line Cinema, the rights holder for this film Or maybe it wasn't a Stern game But then again, you know, there was JGP games There was Chicago Gaming Games Only one came off and it was Elf The other possibility, maybe Stern Pinball has a license To produce an Elf Pinball machine In the future Story indicates that Bob was not contacted from Stern Pinball for, you know, explanation as to why this occurred. But many of us find this very interesting. Another little tidbit that makes it even more juicy is that if you go back on Stern Pinball social media a week or two ago maybe a little bit longer they were showing the production line and showing a game being pushed into a box with an audio call over top of it That audio call-out was the following. Bye, buddy. Hope you find your dad. Thanks, Mr. Narwhal. The plot thickens. I think Stern Pinball has this license. And every time it rains, it rains. I really do. They can get it pulled out of a tournament. They can wipe social media posts about it. They can take pictures of it at the biggest pinball convention of the year. They can use direct audio from the Elf film to advertise their company and other game production media. I think Stern Pinball has the Elf license. We always wonder if a seasonally themed pinball machine would work. We've said before something like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. or Elf are the two that come to mind that would work. Nightmare Before Christmas, maybe. Halloween. Well, Halloween is not that seasonal, more horror-based.
    20:08
    Oktoberfest. I think this title would work. Not because of it being seasonal, no. I think this title works because, more so than being a seasonal film, it's a comedy film. And not only is it a comedy film, It is a comedy film that showcases one of the most beloved comedians of our time, Will Ferrell. I think Will Ferrell pins would sell. That's all I'll say about that. Comment on our social media if you think the Elf would make for a good pinball machine. I do. All of that scrumptious stuff coming from Stern Pinball this week. The hits aren't over yet, but unfortunately trending down this week is the upcoming Stern Heads Up Pinball Invitational 2022 featuring Godzilla. The fourth annual Shoopy, I think, is happening here in a couple days over on the YouTube channel of Toho. And the only reason I'm turning this down is because it's still a head-scratcher for me. I've heard other podcasters being pretty harsh on the announcement of this event and the way it's organized and the way it's presented. So no need for me to do that. But the head scratcher for me is, it seems as if, we're calling this an invitational, but it seems like the contestants, the eight contestants that they pick each time, that's where the head scratcher comes in. Last time they did it, everybody was from Chicago, which, okay. Last time they did it, was there Stern employees that were viable? I think the last couple of times, there was always a Stern employee vying for a free pinball machine. The winner gets a free Godzilla pinball machine. That's a little odd. I also am scratching my head to the point that I'm losing hair here, but I also don't understand, if we're only picking eight individuals for this, why some of the same people over and over and over again? Are they in it until they finally win one? Spread love. All I can think is that this is a production piece for entertainment purposes. They're trying to build their greatest production presentation for the world to see. And you guys know that I'm 100% behind that. I'll trend that damn thing up for the rest of my life. That's what I want in pinball. But some of the things, some of the elements of this are just not there. I don't care if most of the consumers watching this don't know that you have Stern employees, but Zach Sharf's head of marketing. He shouldn't be a contestant, in my opinion. I think Rebecca Hinsdale won last year, and like a week later, she ended up being a Stern employee. There's an interesting angle. Win the competition, win a job. Now that would be, I'd tune in for that. So what I'm saying is if it's being produced as just an entertainment piece, I don't think you need to advertise it as an invitational or an open. Keep it in-house. Produce the hell out of it. Script it. You don't have to try to fool people in what your goals are. We're big boys and big girls. And the other piece for me would be if you're going to try to create a production piece like this for sheer entertainment purposes, you've got to get contestants that are still, we still need more animation. We still need more personality. We still need more shenanigans. The last three I've watched are about 60% of that. We need more. I'm hoping Josh Sharp can do that because we know he's animated. Zach Sharp is a pretty chill guy. I don't see that happening. And I think it's what, is it Andy Bagwell that's been on there four times now? This isn't entertaining, but if you're wanting it for new eyeballs and pinball, you've got to be more bold. And the production piece has to be cleaned up quite a bit more as well. storylines have to be pronounced much more. And I've heard many criticisms about, like, when we do reviews, like, well, if you're not happy with it, do one yourself. And while I kind of agree, I'll take my own advice here. If I really want to see this done in the way that I envision it working, I just do it myself. And I just may. But until then, we have the shoopies. I'm going to trend up Stern Pinball. Geez, no, it's trending up this week as Rush Pinball. It's not that entertaining me bringing up the same games each and every week, but numbers don't lie and I can only report the facts. And it's Rush. The fact is that Rush continues to make this nice incline in exposure, desirability, sales each and every week. Put this into perspective. On the Pinside Top 100, Rush has climbed the charts and now ranks higher than the following.
    24:23
    Tales of the Arabian Nights. Batman 66. Spider-Man, The Walking Dead, Whitewater, Tron Legacy, and Simpsons Pinball Party. If that doesn't smack you in the face and tell you to wake up, maybe this game is great, then I don't know what will. Also turning up is your desire for production updates from the pinball show, and we're going to give that to you right now. This week on the production line at Stern Pinball is Godzilla Pro. It was kind of last week as well, but you're going to see more shipping out this week. I think we get our allotment tomorrow? You'll have some trickling premiums here and there, but for the most part, the majority is Pro. Godzilla's on the line this week. And then we're going to see a transition over the next week or so to Star Wars Pro, then Star Wars Premium. That's going to be toward the end of August. So Godzilla, Godzilla, Godzilla, then Star Wars Pro, and then Star Wars Premium. So likely you'll see next week, if I had to guess, Star Wars Pro, and then the following week, which is the last week of August, Star Wars Premium. September, you're going to see Led Zeppelin Pro in premiums, probably earlier in the month there, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Pro. And as a reminder, Led Zeppelin Pro in premium and Guardians Pro will be the final builds, and they have no intention or plans on producing these models again. That's it. That was the last call. I believe at Flippin' Out Pinball, we still have open spots for Led Zeppelins? Buy, buy, buy! I think. Guardians may be full. Maybe not. Buy, buy, buy! And you all want to know when's the next game come out. That's all I care about.
    25:58
    Well, I don't know. Dealers have not been notified as to a seminar or have not been given any information on the next cornerstone title from Stern Pinball. If I'm using my educated guess, I would say, looking at the past three reveals as data, I would say that we're going to see the next Stern Pinball cornerstone revealed on August 23rd or August 30th. That's the third and fourth Tuesdays respectively. And if I push come to shove, I'm going to go with August 30th. With pro models rolling out of the factory at the end of the first week of September or the beginning of the second week of September. So my guess is a full reveal on August 30th could be the 23rd. And seeing them shortly after. In other pinball news trending down this week, Turner Pinball.
    26:49
    That is all. trending this week is the pinball news pinball magazine interview with jjp founder jack winery i say because it was a lot of the same old we've heard same old stuff some of the things that did pop up i found interesting jack said that there are four games in development right now and one of the hosts got out their abacus and quickly did some bean sliding and said well wait a minute jack if there's four games in development and pat lawler is left then you've got eric veneer Mark Seiden, Steve Ritchie. That's three games. Is there another designer coming? Hmm. And Jack kind of played it off and said, you're very observant, but we're not ready to announce any new designers quite yet. So basically he said, yeah. Somebody's working on stuff. Who is it? I selfishly wanted to be Ken Cromwell.
    27:39
    Who could it be? Is it a current JJP coder that's going to take their shot at design as well? Is it a current designer? with another manufacturer, and they're finalizing details of their agreement. Or maybe it's one of the three designers working on another game? I would guess Eric at that point. I don't know. They did ask about Pat Lawler and whether or not he's retiring or not, and it was a weird kind of response. Jack said basically he's not at JJP, he's taking time off, and he doesn't know whether he will retire or not. But it doesn't sound like he's coming back to JJP. So if he does do other work in pinball, it would have to be with a different company. I don't know which way I'd go on that. Do I think Pat Lawler will come back? Hmm.
    28:25
    I want to say no. Enjoy your retirement, Pat. You've done a ton for this industry, and your beloved games will live on longer than any of us. Training up this week Spooky Pinball Rick and Morty Ooh la la Rick and Morty said I don give a shit about no market softening and in typical Rick and Morty fashion they stiffen up What on earth It trending up this week because looking at comps on the secondary market this damn game is still receiving $11,000 to $12,000 used for Rick and Morty Bloodsuckers Edition. That's quite impressive. It also helps that this week Spooky Pinball announces and releases new code for Rick and Morty. They also released new code for Halloween and Ultraman not too long ago as well. So training up Rick and Morty with spooky pinball. We still have a while, people, before we see the next spooky pinball machine, so a lot more patience there. Also training up American Pinball. Damn it, Dave Fix. You let me down, you make me sad, and totally redeem yourself.
    29:25
    Did you guys see in the news this week, American Pinball partnering up with Titan Competition for silicone rings and all of their newly produced pinball machines? I don't know if that was a Dave Fix decision or not, but damn it, nicely done. I only say that because that's my preferred ring of choice for my pinball machines. I love the Titan Competition rings. They're not a sponsor, so I'm not shilling. But they make good products. Make damn good products down there in Texas. Thanks, Texas. But what a smart idea. That's a good PR move right there. American Pinball putting Titan Competition silicone in all of their newly produced games. This is a story that makes me happy. Next time I see old Fixie, I'm going to twirl his mustache. But it can't all be tickles and puppy dogs.
    30:10
    Trending down this week, Multimorphic. Yeah, I'm sorry. Recent email sent out by Jerry Stellenberg, owner of Multimorphic, talked about it. Wait a minute.
    30:22
    Trending up this week is Multimorphic. I think it's more appropriate that I trend up because this week, Jerry Stellenberg announced in an email that prices were trending up. They're going up. They're increasing prices, and the wait time for a newly ordered product is also going up. So I got to trend it up. You see what I did there? That was cute. Oh, shit. So if you're ordering one of these machines or a module or something, it looks like wait times have increased to a year minimum. They're getting more people employed, so that's good. But prices are going up, and wait times are going up. They did recently announce new Weird Al code with some wizard modes. So that's cool. And I think games are still kind of trickling out here and there, but dems to breaks. And finally, trending down this week is people who don't pay their bills. You sons of bitches out there that don't pay your bills. Right now, I am owed money from another content provider.
    31:19
    A pinball podcaster. So I figured, you know what? If they owe me money, I'm going to call them out on my platform. I'm calling you out, Kaneda. Chris Goulers, you owe me money, bro. Chris has been on a tear lately. He's taking a break from Facebook. He's on a hiatus. He's hiding out for a month, but he's still doing his podcast. Over the last month or so, Chris has used myself and my brand as a topic just about as much as he's been regurgitating the same news over and over, episode after episode, and charging you for it. So I'm just asking for my royalties.
    31:53
    Pay up, marketing genius. I want my name engraved on your Twippy this year as well. Because frankly, without me, Chris, you clearly have nothing to talk about. Without Zach Minney, you've got no news.
    32:11
    Pay your dues. I should at least be getting 5% commission from your Patreon people. The bounty is still out for Dolly Parton pinball. I wanted to do a special thank you to Drew Boivere of the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. He sent me a gift this last week, and he said, Zach, I know you don't have your minty dolly yet. She's coming. Be patient. But in the meantime, I got you a little gift as a placeholder. And it was a really nice commemorative, like a metal plate that had the pinball flyer of Dolly Parton on it. What a great memento. I can hang up in the game room. So, Drew, so trending up this week, my pants for Poor Man Drew. Middle class, Drew. Don't let him fool you. Middle class Drew. Did you see that guy's game room? Come on. Come on, Drew. Welcome to the Middle East, my friend. Feels good here. And as a note, did you guys see on social media this week? Classic play field reproductions, CPR. Stu over there was asking on social media for somebody to lend him a radical play field. Do you know what that means? Oh, it means we're getting close to reproduction play fields for radical. I've been waiting. It's like the final piece. and being able to do a restoration for Radical. It's true. It's coming true. Somebody send him a damn play field. Truth be told, I've been looking for super nice Radical in efforts to do the same thing, to send Stu a play field. I have a dragon fist that my buddy would love to be able to restore, one for himself, one for me, and a couple other buddies, but that's another one. You can't reproduce it if you don't have the nice play fields. He said, my play field on my dragon fist was pretty damn nice, too, and he said, no, it needs to be nicer. Ah, use your markers, Stu. Figure it out. So if anybody has a nice radical play field, please send it to him. And as always, ladies and gentlemen, I am just here to report the facts and to collect my royalties because numbers don't lie, and neither do I, on Pinball Market Trends.
    34:08
    Let's close this sucka down. You can reach me at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com. I also want to point you over to Straight Down the Middle video series. Go and watch Greg and I review Toy Story 4 by Jersey Jack Pinball. and enjoy it for what it is. And if you have issue with it, present your scores. Numbers don't lie. Come on. And I'll point you over to Flippin' Out Pinball. I think the Flippin' Out Pinball vault is opening this week. Thank God. Product showcase this week for Flippin' Out is the Insider Connected Pro and Premium LE Kits. I finally got the Premium LE Kits. Hot damn. I got some of those. They also released the Star Wars and the Batman 66 specialty kits. We have the Star Wars replacement arches in stock. So keep in mind, for those machines, if you want that specialty apron to fit perfectly, you've got to buy the apron, the specialized apron, and you still have to buy that premium LE kit. So you're looking at like, what, $200, $300-something bucks. But we have some of those in stock. Toy Story 4, still taking orders on those. We have some CE spots and LE spots. Mando Pro and Premium in stock. Avengers Pro in stock. Rush Pro in stock. Rush Premium in stock. Guns N' Roses in stock. We also have a pre-owned Guns N' Roses, so hit us up for that. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pros, newly inventoried, pre-owned at Flippin' Out Pinball. Cactus Canyon Remake SE in stock. SE Plus, we still have open spots, so contact us if you want the topper and you're willing to wait a little bit. Alien, we're still taking orders on that. And Queen, Elvira 40th Anniversary, still got number 40 for that big ball out there. Comes with official topper and banner. Deadpool LE plus a topper. Pre-owned. Got it ready to go. Still have that Corvette pre-owned. And for God's sakes, the Pinball 2000 Revenge from Mars in Star Wars Episode 1, I've got marked down like $4,800. Two games. Y'all are nutty. Grab that thing. Still taking pre-orders for some of the toppers that have not been released yet. Godzilla Rush, Mando. We have a lot of accessories in stock for your favorite pinball machines. So check out our website at FlippinOutPinball.com or email me at ZachZACH at flip the letter in out pinball.com. And check out that vault. See what goodies are in there that are not widely available everywhere. TPN last week, Triple Dream Pinball Podcast had an episode including their segment Triple Combo on Godzilla. Dennis Creasel loves that segment. Final round, Pinball Podcast episode 59 with Martin and Jeff. That was some good stuff as well. Jeff was feisty that episode. Go check that out. The Wild Dog Arcade said good riddance to No Fear this last week, so go check out the video on demand of No Fear Gameplay and their final farewell. TPN this week, we've got Beat the Clock Tournament occurring at District 82 on August 10th. Then the next day, we have an 8-Strike Knockout Tournament at District 82. That's the 11th. And then over the weekend, the Summer Pinball Classics at District 82, August 12th through the 14th. I wonder how District 82 feels about the name Wobber Farm and the association. Here's my advice to the team over at District 82. I get shit on a lot. People try to take me out unfairly. They try to say things that simply aren't true. They call me a shill. And at the end of the day, District 82, you're a badass location. Accept that and lean into what the haters are saying. For me, I opened up a new clothing brand called Chill. So it works for me. Embrace it. If you weren't doing something right and you weren't on the minds of many, they would say nothing at all. For Zach Minney, this has been the Pinball Show. Always practice safe pinball. And Chris, you can just 1099 me at the end of the year for the piles of gold that I lend to your show each and every day. Sometimes multiple times a day. Let's be honest. You're welcome. Dennis and I will catch you all next week. What can I say except you're welcome For the tides, the sun, the sky Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome I'm just an ordinary Denny guy Hey, what has two thumbs and pulled up the sky when you were waddling? Yay. Hi, this guy.