Episode 1116: "Missing in Action"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·15m 44s·analyzed·Jul 25, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.027

TL;DR

Kaneda reviews missing-in-action pinball products amid summer delays and industry challenges.

Summary

Kaneda discusses pinball industry delays and missing products, focusing on Chicago Gaming's Medieval Madness Merlin edition, Stern's unreleased Spike 3 platform, limited Dune sales, and other delayed titles. He expresses frustration with manufacturer communication and production delays while praising Spooky's business model and speculating on market saturation and price collapses for entry-level machines.

Key Claims

Chicago Gaming Company's Medieval Madness Merlin edition was expected in summer but hasn't shipped as of July 25th after six months since reveal.
high confidence · Kaneda, episode timestamp early in product discussion; personal observation of order status
Stern Pinball's Spike 3 platform announcement is imminent, expected August/early September with Star Wars Episodes IV-VI and $500 price increase across all models.
medium confidence · Kaneda, speculation based on industry timing; notes he is 'hearing it' is $500 increase
Stern Dune has shipped fewer than 100 units in four to five months of availability.
medium confidence · Kaneda, estimation; states 'I don't feel like they've even sent out more than 100'
A major distributor has sold only two Predator machines to date.
medium confidence · Kaneda, off-the-record conversation with distributor; anecdotal
Multimorphic has sold over 700 games according to off-the-record information.
low confidence · Kaneda, hearsay ('I heard off the record'); expresses skepticism about claim
Spooky Pinball is closing in on the halfway point of annual production as of late July.
medium confidence · Kaneda, observation based on year-to-date timeline
Stern Pros will collapse to $3,000–$4,000 secondary market price range due to market oversaturation.
medium confidence · Kaneda, opinion/prediction based on market observation; saw Ultraman listed at $3,500
Jersey Jack's next game (Steve Rich-designed) will be a nostalgic theme that Kaneda plans to purchase.
low confidence · Kaneda, speculation based on limited details heard; theme not publicly confirmed

Notable Quotes

“Chicago Gaming Company continues to throw its customers into the mulcher, make you wait forever, have zero communication, and take your money.”
Kaneda @ Early segment — Direct criticism of manufacturer customer service and communication failures; sets tone for episode's 'missing in action' theme
“I fully expect Spike 3...to be sometime in August early September. I expect it to be Star Wars episodes four through six. And I think they need Star Wars to justify the price increase that is coming. I'm hearing it is $500 across every single model.”
Kaneda @ Spike 3 discussion segment — Industry speculation on unreleased platform and pricing; indicates insider rumors about IP and pricing strategy
“Canada gets more people watching my content every week than they've sold of Dune pinball machines. That's not good.”
Kaneda @ Dune discussion segment — Highlights perceived weak launch volume for Stern's Dune; criticism of production scale
“What a great business model. We're going to make as many games as we can make a year. We're going to make one game a year...and every year we can put this much million back into the company, this much money into our pockets and we can stay afloat.”
Kaneda @ Spooky business model discussion — Praise for Spooky's conservative production and sustainable growth strategy vs. competitor overexpansion
“I think all of this is going to work out to his benefit. So for those of you thinking Jack Danger is never going to design a game again, that's not going to be the case. I just think the guy needs a little bit of a break and I understand it.”
Kaneda @ Jack Danger discussion — Insider knowledge of designer's situation and reassurance about his future; suggests work stress led to break
“Stern, you need to get to where these guys are at when it comes to the presentation of pinball.”
Kaneda @ JJP visual presentation discussion — Comparative criticism of Stern's machine aesthetics vs. Jersey Jack Pinball's presentation quality
“We're oversaturated. There's too many games out there and people are out of room.”

Entities

Chicago Gaming CompanycompanyStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanySpooky PinballcompanyMultimorphiccompanyMedieval Madness MerlingameSpike 3product Dunegame

Signals

?
product_launch: Chicago Gaming's Medieval Madness Merlin edition remains unreleased six months after reveal with expected summer 2024 delivery unfulfilled as of July 25.
high · Kaneda: 'it's been like six months since this game was revealed...you have no idea where your game is...it's July 25th'
?
announcement: Stern Pinball Spike 3 platform with Star Wars Episodes IV-VI expected August/early September 2024 with $500 price increase across all models.
medium · Kaneda: 'I fully expect Spike 3...to be sometime in August early September' and 'I'm hearing it is $500 across every single model'
?
product_concern: Stern Dune estimated at fewer than 100 units shipped in 4–5 months; characterized as underwhelming launch volume.
medium · Kaneda: 'I don't feel like they've even sent out more than 100' and comparison to his own podcast viewership
?
machine_intel: Jersey Jack Pinball upcoming game by Steve Rich with nostalgic theme; Kaneda claims insider knowledge and plans to purchase.
low · Kaneda: 'I heard a little bit more about it...it's going to be a game you're going to want...it is something I grew up loving'
$
market_signal: Secondary market collapse predicted for entry-level machines; Stern Pros expected to fall to $3,000–$4,000 range.
medium · Kaneda: 'Stern pros are about to hit the $3,000 to $4,000 range. All of them...There is just going to be a collapsing of what the entry-level price is going to be'

Topics

Manufacturing delays and customer communication failuresprimaryUnreleased platforms and games (Spike 3, Star Wars, Predator, etc.)primaryMarket saturation and secondary market price collapseprimaryProduction volume and sales performance across manufacturersprimaryManufacturer business models and sustainable vs. aggressive expansionsecondaryVisual presentation and aesthetic quality comparisons between manufacturerssecondaryInternet connectivity and location operator integrationsecondaryDesigner burnout and work-life balance (Jack Danger situation)secondary

Sentiment

negative(-0.65)— Kaneda expresses frustration with manufacturer delays, poor communication, and market challenges. Tempered by praise for Spooky's sustainability model and JJP's aesthetics. Episode frames around 'missing in action' theme with critical tone toward industry performance and oversaturation. Mood lightened by personal asides and philosophical reflections on mortality and authenticity.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.047

I am a real American, fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American, fight for what's right, fight for your life. When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside. You gotta take a stand, it don't help to hide I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said Aw, we had to let that intro go a little bit longer in memory of Hulk Hogan. What a difficult week for all of us in Gen X. We lose Theo Huxtable, Ozzy Osbourne, and Hulk Hogan all in one week. Terrible, terrible. I can't tell you when I was a little kid, we watched Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania more than anybody. I feel like Vince McMahon has guided me into adulthood. And nowadays, all that would be canceled, right? Toxic masculinity, wanting to put people in a headlock. How many times I would leg drop my twin brother. It was like what we grew up. It was like what our parents let us watch. You go back and watch it now. like parents would never let their kids watch this stuff. And hey, we all turned out okay. We all got some grit. We all got some thick skin. It's everybody else that needs to grow up with more Hulk Hogan's in the world, more Ozzy Osbourne's, more Theo's, but definitely not more Bill Cosby's. Okay, so what do I want to talk about on this episode of Canada's Pinball Podcast? Well, it's a slow week. It really is. And so the theme of this show, because we're missing some of our Gen X icons is missing in action. What is missing in action right now from the pinball world? Number one, Chicago Gaming Company's Merlin's edition of Medieval Madness. Where is this game? I feel like it's been like six months since this game was revealed. Maybe not that long, But everybody who ordered one was expecting to get this game in the summer. It's July 25th. And you have no idea where your game is. And I don't think you're getting it anytime soon. And once again, Chicago Gaming Company continues to throw its customers into the mulcher, make you wait forever, have zero communication, and take your money. And that's that. And they've made this game three times already. Three times. Why is it so hard to just order the same parts, put the same game together that they've already put together three times? So shame on you, Chicago Gaming Company. You know how I feel about them. I wouldn't buy anything from them. I don't care. I don't care. Even if they made, I don't know, if they made Akira, I probably still would not buy it because I'm so disgusted by how these people leave their customers in the dark. What else is missing in the pinball world? Missing spike three? Where's that? When is Stern Pinball going to pull the bandaid off and actually give us spike three? It is, again, July 25th. The year is half over. And we know this is their next platform move. We know the price increase is coming. And that is probably the number one reason why they're not doing it is they don't want to raise the prices because they know if they did it on King Kong or they did it on any of these other games people are not buying and they don want to hand their customers even more losses but they going to have to do it sooner or later And so I fully expect Spike 3 which is still missing in action to be sometime in August early September I expect it to be Star Wars episodes four through six. And I think they need Star Wars to justify the price increase that is coming. I'm hearing it is $500 across every single model. So pinball is getting more expensive. As people lose more and more money, it's getting more and more expensive. Does that make any sense? Does that really make any sense? No, it does not. What else is missing in the pinball world? Not seeing a lot of Dune unboxings. I think we're gonna get more of them, but it still feels like this game didn't fully come out with volume of product. And so I look forward to seeing more people get it, but it still feels like it's missing, doesn't it? Doesn't it feel like, I don't know, the game's been out for a while. It's been out for four or five months. I don't feel like they've even sent out more than 100. That's not a lot, gang. Think about it. 100 games after four months is two machines per state. Now think about them going overseas as well. And you start to realize not a lot in the world. It's also kind of crazy when you think about it. There's 50 states in America that loves pinball, right? And you can't even sell a thousand units. you can't get 20 people per state to buy your game. Think about that. Isn't that crazy? All you need to sell 1,000 units is 20 people in 50 states and you've got 1,000 units sold. When you break it down like that, doesn't it get like really embarrassing when you have to spend months trying to get 1,000 people to see your vision? Canada gets more people watching my content every week than they've sold of Dune pinball machines. That's not good. That's not good. Look, any game you make, there should be more demand than there is demand for Canada's pinball podcast. I mean, I've set the bar real low, people. If you can't get more attention than me, you're doing something wrong. All right, what else is missing in the pinball world? Predator. It's not out yet. I mean, I keep seeing all these videos on Facebook, but I talked to one of the biggest distros and they only sold two games. And by the time they make Predator, I don't know, man. I think Star Wars is going to be out. I think more and more people are going to be loving their Harry Potters. I saw a picture yesterday of Harry Potter next to Elton John. Beautiful, beautiful. Say what you will, Bond. I'm talking to you, Bond. Say what you will about JJP. But when you see like those two machines at night lit up, It's gorgeous, man. It is gorgeous. Stern, you need to get to where these guys are at when it comes to the presentation of pinball. And so Predator is missing in action. What about Portal? Is anybody even playing Portal? Where are the Portals? So I heard off the record, I heard something like Multimorphic has sold north of 700 games. Do you believe that? Do you believe that there are more than 700 people in the world with a multi-morphic? I go in the club thread, nobody's there. So did like everybody who bought this is not on Pinside? It's not on Facebook? I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I don't buy it. I don't buy it. I don't buy it. I just, I can't, I can't buy it. I can't buy it. Now if he has, cool. and that's like a decent user base, if you will, for every new game. But man, Portal's like $6,000. You do the math. Like let's say even 500, 6,000 times 500 owners. It's not a bad payday for Jerry, but I just don see Portals being unboxed Evil Dead those are making their way out I think Spooky probably closing in on the halfway mark And it makes sense because we're halfway through the year. And what a great business model. We're going to make as many games as we can make a year. We're going to make one game a year. And by the time we're done making this game, the next game gets revealed and we're off again. and every year we can put this much million back into the company, this much money into our pockets and we can stay afloat. We're not going to overexpand. We're not going to overproduce. We're not going to overpromise. What a great, I don't know. I'm going to start to talk like Scooby-Doo right now. That's not even Scooby-Doo. It's like Happy Gilmore and Scooby-Doo. What is wrong with you, Kaneda? I'm a little hungover, to be honest. I went out last night to Tomi Jazz with one of my clients, really hungover. Not feeling great in the head today, but it's a beautiful sunny day. And every day above ground, especially after we just lost some of our heroes, is definitely a good day. What else is happening in the pinball world? What else is missing from pinball? Pinball connectivity? How about the internet and pinball? Where is the internet on almost every single game out there? Jersey Jack's got Wi-Fi, but nothing really. else. Stern's got their little badges that I don't know who cares about those stupid things, but the games aren't really connected. So internet connectivity, are we going to see it? Are we going to see it expand? We've got stuff like pin quest. Neil's working on that. He's helping to connect all the games out there on location. So operators can actually turn pinball into things that reward both the operator and the consumer. So really cool. I'm working with Neil on his video. He needs to do a little work, make it a little bit more exciting, and maybe not put everything into the video. We're not going to sit through four minutes, Neil, but we love what you're doing. All right. What else is going on in the pinball world that's missing? What is missing? Is Jack Danger missing? No. Jack Danger is about to stream. I think he's streaming this weekend. I had a little conversation on the side with Jack. He's doing well. I think all of this is going to work out to his benefit. So for those of you thinking Jack Danger is never going to design a game again, that's not going to be the case. I just think the guy needs a little bit of a break and I understand it. And for those of you out there, when you go home at night and your job comes home with you and it disrupts your family, your peace of mind, you want out like you want out. And I love the fact that Stern Pinball found a solution for Jack, because for a lot of us, and I'm speaking from experience, for a lot of us, when work gets really crappy, there's no way out. We've got bills to pay. We've got mouths to feed. We've got, you know, Gucci clothes to buy. We've got demons to gas up. Like you can't just leave. You can't just walk away and you've got to bite it. And a lot of times you bring that home and when you bring it home, it's not fun. It's never fun. So what else is missing in the pinball world? Oh man, I don't know, man. I think we're missing more nostalgic themes. I just want to say that we are missing nostalgic themes, real nostalgic themes. we need nostalgia now I'm here to tell you right now Steve Ritchie's game it's going to be nostalgic it's going to be a game you're going to want I heard a little bit more about it I heard a little bit more about how they're going to handle the theme I'm getting one I'm 100% getting one I know I say this every once in a while but I guarantee you when Steve Ritchie's next game is revealed I am getting one it is something I grew up loving it is a theme that is uh iconic and I think they're going to handle it the right way. And I'm so excited. I'm excited for all of you because when you see it and when you know what it is, you're going to want one as well. And I think Jersey Jacks got a lot of momentum and I think they going to be going into the next few years with some home runs I think some of the older Jersey Jack games are going to lose a lot of value I do I saw an Ultraman for people $3,500. And I've been saying this for a while. Stern pros are about to hit the $3,000 to $4,000 range. All of them. I mean it. Like all of them. There is just going to be a collapsing of what the entry-level price is going to be in pinball. You're not going to hold anymore at four or five. It's going to be like 3,500 to get games sold. We're oversaturated. There's too many games out there and people are out of room. All right. And talk about out of room. I feel like it's going to be a slow month, but stay with it because then it's going to pick up come August, come end of August. We are going to get a lot. Now I'm going to come up with other show themes. I'm going to try to do interviews again. You know, I'm going to do more stuff about my dream themes. and I want to talk to more of you about things you want to talk about on this show and it's going to be great. I'm absolutely looking so forward to the shows that are going to come on Canada's Pinball Podcast, everybody. Happy Friday. The show's going to be a little bit shorter because I have to do some errands and I have to do some personal family stuff. But everybody, be good. Kiss your loved ones. We lost some icons this week. And remember, remember, life is really short. You can't take any of this stuff with you, any of it. Not your pins, not your cars, not your friends, not your family. This is it. This is it. And we've lost a lot of great people recently, but we got to see what happened at the Coldplay concert. And I have to say this, that Coldplay moment was the greatest 10 seconds in the history of internet content. Because in just that 10 seconds, something happened that was real, right? So much is fake out there in the world, but that was real. like that was a real reaction to getting caught at a real concert by a real front man in front of a real crowd and you were really committing adultery and everybody in the world could look at that 10 seconds and just say yeah we got him we got him and everybody can relate i'm wondering how many office affairs is that going to blow up or is that going to empower people and just don't go to Coldplay. But man, it was fun. And also the world loves to watch these beautiful people that are ugly inside. That is what the world loves to watch. We love to eat the rich. We love to see rich people and we love to get behind the curtain and realize they're just as evil and bad and corrupt as everybody else potentially. Right. That's why White Lotus is popular. All of these shows, If you watch the waterfront, it's all wealthy people who are absolutely broken inside. But don't be that way. Stay strong. Achigo Ichi. Have some values. Do your training. Eat your vitamins. Say your prayers. And be a real American like Hulk Hogan. Later, everybody. Bye. Bye.