Pinball is Hard: What happened to Haggis Pinball?

Cary Hardy·video·12m 7s·analyzed·Feb 27, 2024

Analysis

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TL;DR

Haggis Pinball faces reputation damage from slow order fulfillment despite quality manufacturing.

Summary

Cary Hardy examines Haggis Pinball's struggles following rapid expansion, COVID-19 disruptions, and subsequent supply chain issues. While acknowledging the company's manufacturing quality and legitimate challenges, Hardy criticizes slow fulfillment of paid-in-full Fathom orders and the solicitation of non-refundable Centaur deposits while previous customers await delivery. Hardy declines to publicly blast the company but offers specific advice to Haggis management and buyers regarding transparency, payment timing, and risk mitigation.

Key Claims

35% of Australian businesses closed over the past four years due to COVID-19 lockdowns and red tape
medium confidence · Cary Hardy citing broader economic impact statistics to contextualize Haggis' challenges
Cost of parts and shipping for Haggis increased by over 300% due to COVID-19
medium confidence · Hardy referencing production halt factors affecting Fathom Remake timeline
Damien stated that remainder balance payments are requested typically three weeks before shipping
high confidence · Hardy citing direct statement from Haggis leadership regarding payment and fulfillment timeline
Haggis announced Fathom orders would be fulfilled by end of 2023, but as of early 2024 orders remain unfulfilled
high confidence · Hardy contrasting Damien's stated timeline with observed reality in current period
Some customers paid in full for Fathom games and have been waiting months or over a year without delivery
high confidence · Hardy citing multiple customer complaints and the core issue motivating discussion
Haggis may be using deposits from new games (Centaur) to fund operations and parts procurement for older orders
medium confidence · Hardy citing rumors and interpreting the business model: 'they are living off of money that is supposed to be going on their next game'
Haggis Kelts shipped successfully and customers were satisfied with the initial release
high confidence · Hardy describing the company's successful launch and early reputation
Deep Root is the most prominent example of a company that legitimately scammed customers
medium confidence · Hardy's comparison to Deep Root, based on his firsthand observation of Deep Root's operations

Notable Quotes

“Pinball is hard and this is something that gets spoken quite frequently by those that actually manufacture these games.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:00 — Opening thesis establishing the broader context for Haggis' struggles
“Haggis started small, but they expanded too fast, and that's just my personal opinion on that.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:30 — Hardy's diagnosis of root cause: premature facility expansion relative to production capacity
“The only thing that is growing for Haggis is a bad reputation.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:54 — Succinct statement of Haggis' current market perception trajectory
“To support this change, we will need to further slow down production activities, recapitalize, and refocus our procurement strategies and partner offerings.”
Damien (Haggis Pinball)@ 6:55 — Official communication from Haggis leadership indicating continued financial and operational stress
“My point is, Haggis isn't scamming people. They are legitimately having supply chain issues and just have not been able to fully recover from covid.”
Cary Hardy@ 8:10 — Hardy's distinction between Haggis' situation and fraudulent behavior, defending against calls for public condemnation
“If the paid in full list keeps growing, do not give them your money. Take the loss on your deposit and find a fathom on the secondhand market.”
Cary Hardy@ 10:59 — Concrete risk guidance to prospective buyers based on fulfillment trajectory

Entities

Haggis Pinballcompany Cary HardypersonDamienpersonRobertpersonKeltsgameFathom RemakegameCentaurgame

Signals

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business_signal: Haggis Pinball's business model appears unsustainable, with indication that company may be funding current operations through customer deposits rather than production revenue
medium · Hardy cites rumors: 'they are living off of money that is supposed to be going on their next game. And if this is true, then it's only a matter of time for them to close up shop.'
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business_signal: Haggis facility expansion beyond operational capacity created structural overhead that worsened impact of COVID-19 disruptions
medium · Hardy: 'Haggis started small, but they expanded too fast... it was already too much for their output at the time, but it makes even less sense to have such a large facility with what they are putting out today'
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community_signal: Community members pressuring content creators to publicly condemn Haggis Pinball, while creator maintains measured stance based on distinction between mismanagement and fraud
high · Hardy describes being contacted by two people demanding he 'raise cane' and create a blast video, which he declines to do
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market_signal: Secondary market availability of Fathom machines emerging as customers seek alternatives to waiting for direct fulfillment
medium · Hardy advises deposit holders: 'Take the loss on your deposit and find a fathom on the secondhand market'
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market_signal: Haggis soliciting non-refundable deposits for Centaur while customers with paid-in-full Fathom orders remain unfulfilled for extended periods, raising cash flow sustainability questions

Topics

Supply chain disruption and COVID-19 impact on manufacturingprimaryOrder fulfillment delays and customer satisfactionprimaryHaggis Pinball business model and cash flow sustainabilityprimaryReputation management and accountability in pinball manufacturingprimaryComparison to Deep Root Pinball fraud and consumer protectionsecondaryPre-order and deposit practices in boutique pinball manufacturingsecondaryContent creator responsibility and platform influencesecondaryAustralian business closures and economic hardshipmentioned

Sentiment

negative(-0.72)— Hardy expresses concern and criticism regarding Haggis' operational failures and customer impact, but distinguishes between incompetence/mismanagement and fraudulent intent. Sentiment is critical but not condemning, with acknowledgment of legitimate supply chain challenges. Hardy's measured tone reflects skepticism about Haggis' ability to recover while avoiding the 'blast them publicly' narrative some community members demanded.

Transcript

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Pinball is hard and this is something that gets spoken quite frequently by those that actually manufacture these games. But what could be more difficult than buying parts, putting all these parts together, and shipping them out to customers? I would say doing all of that but in Australia. Haggis started small, but they expanded too fast, and that's just my personal opinion on that. And when I say expanded, I'm talking about purchasing a large facility to manufacture these games. I mean, it was already too much for their output at the time, but it makes even less sense to have such a large facility with what they are putting out today. Yes, they now have room to grow, but the only thing that is growing for Haggis is a bad reputation. For those of you out there that aren't in the know, let me get you caught up. Haggis' first game was Kelts. It's an original theme, and it showed people that they knew how to build a game, and even showed off some of their new playfield protection. Damien actually used a hammer to show off the protection this material provided. I mean, and this showed people that the games that they would be building are durable. Kelts shipped out to people that bought them. Customers were satisfied. Haggis was growing. They were showing off their new facility to give everyone even more confidence in what they will be able to do in the future. Then they decided to announce something no one expected. Fathom Remake. But not just Fathom. They had plans for multiple Bally remakes. I mean, we were getting updates via YouTube and social media quite often at this point. And with what they were showing us, people were excited. The quality looked amazing. The game was a work of art. Things seemed to be going good. Until COVID. Now, COVID affected everything and everyone, but it really affected those in Australia. The types of lockdowns and red tape that was put into place was going to stop Haggis in their tracks. And it did. In fact, Damien said it nearly sank their company. The amount of business closures in Australia over the past four years has been staggering. The business survival rate has dropped drastically. 35% of Australian businesses closed. Now, obviously, smaller businesses are going to be more affected than larger businesses. With the increasing cost of inflation and shipping of raw materials there is no doubt that Haggis was going to be impacted. Fathom production came to a halt and partially in the price of parts and shipping being increased by over 300%. It would seem that COVID has gone by the wayside, but Haggis hasn't been able to fully recover since. They have managed to get more Fathoms out to customers, granted very slowly. This includes asking customers that put in a deposit to pay their remaining balance so their game could be built. Damien stated that the remainder balance is requested typically three weeks before they ship the game. So a certain number of customers paid in full for their Fathom and expected their game to be built and delivered soon. Months pass and there are people wondering where their game is. Then, a few more months pass by, the same people, if not more, are wondering where their game is at. I mean, deposits are one thing, but when you're paid in full, that's something completely different. Haggis then announced their next release, Centaur, which is awesome and the game looks great, but they requested people to put in a deposit for Centaur, a non-refundable deposit, so the red flags start falling. So plain and simply put there are people that were paid in full for their Fathoms and have been waiting for months if not over a year for their game, then they seem to be pushing people to buy their next game or at least putting in a deposit. And we were told by Damien that the money for these deposits was to buy parts for Centaur. We were also told that Fathom orders would be fulfilled by the end of 2023, and he was very confident on that statement. So, here we are a couple of months into 2024. Fathom orders aren't fulfilled, Centaur hasn't started, so the pitchforks and torches come out. Now, again, this is not about deposits. This is in regards to those that paid in full and were expecting their games in a month. I mean, anyone that puts a deposit in on a game like Pulp Fiction, or even those of you that have put a deposit in for their Cactus Canyon LE, know that these things take time. Now, since they seem to be failing on their word, according to a couple of you, and when I say a couple, I legitimately mean two. For whatever reason, these two people are very adamant on wanting to know why I have not done a Haggis video. And chances are, these two people have no skin in the game either. They haven't put a deposit in. They have not purchased a game. They merely just want me to do a video to blast them and to bring them down. So I'm supposed to be raising cane, holding their feet to the fire throwing a fit essentially. And for who? For what? What good does that do? Me creating a video calling them out does nothing essentially. If you think me making a video is going to just all of a sudden make them go, "Oh, Carrie did a video, we better get off our asses and start making these games," then maybe you think I have more pull than I know that I don't. So instead of doing something simple and possibly damaging to Haggis, I reached out to Damien and requested he give an update to the public, or more importantly, to the people that actually have skin in the game. Now, I'm not saying that I'm the reason he sent out the update, but he did email the customers waiting for their game. Now, was this email filled with great news for the buyers? Not really. One of the quotes gets mentioned is, "to support this change, we will need to further slow down production activities, recapitalize, and refocus our procurement strategies and partner offerings." So when you hear that, you probably think, well, that doesn't sound good. But he also mentions, "we are still manufacturing, boxing, and shipping games. That has not changed." So once again, I'm contacted by, oddly enough, the same two people, and I'm supposed to raise hell. Again, why? Look, people in this hobby have short memories, but something people will not forget are the times a company has legitimately screwed over customers. The most prominent one being Deep Root. I guess people expect me to throw a fit due to my actions towards Deep Root. And the main reason why my actions were legitimate was because I was there. I saw and heard everything from Robert at Deep Root. I could see it was a scam. I felt people needed to be warned. But yet over 100 people still put in a deposit for Raza. My point is, Haggis isn't scamming people. They are legitimately having supply chain issues and just have not been able to fully recover from COVID. Haggis has proven that they can build games. They are still making games, and from what I gather from buyers, the quality is damn good too. It's just going to take a long time for you to get your game. Now, earlier I mentioned the word reputation. This industry is quite small. Reputation as a manufacturer means a lot. Many new buyers will ask the veterans about a particular game or company before throwing out their money. And when you get multiple people saying things like, "I paid in full for my game months or even a year ago and have yet to receive it," that definitely going to deter future purchases. So some of you want me to hold Haggis' feet to the fire, and I won't do that just because they're making games very slowly, but I will give out advice to all that are involved. So my advice to Haggis: take care of your customers that have paid in full ASAP, as soon as possible. Start releasing quick videos of you putting games in boxes or even shipping them out the door. I mean, this literally takes 30 seconds and does not require any editing, and the benefits from those are going to be substantial because you are giving potential and current buyers confidence that you are doing something. And for the love of God, only take money whenever you are going to build their game and get it out to them in the allotted time frame that you specify. Judging by our interview, you've specified three to four weeks. My advice to current or potential buyers: to the ones paid in full, keep the community updated on your game or lack thereof. You are the true litmus test. I strongly encourage those of you to join forces and keep the public updated. Start a Pinside thread and moderate it accordingly. To the ones that have put in a deposit on the game with Haggis, be patient. And when a full payment is requested, I would want a guarantee that your game is being built and will be delivered at the time they specify. If the paid in full buyers have a thread going at that time, then I would check on that to see if the paid in full list keeps growing or if they are at least staying on par. If the list of the paid in full list keeps growing, do not give them your money. Take the loss on your deposit and find a Fathom on the secondhand market. There are rumors that they are only staying alive due to the money that has been given to them via the deposits or the paid in full, when it comes to Fathom and Centaur. In a nutshell, they are living off of money that is supposed to be going on their next game. And if this is true, then it's only a matter of time for them to close up shop. At least their money is coming from buyers and not being stolen from the elderly in regards to Deep Root. So why am I not beating down Haggis? Because I don't have to. Their reputation will speak for itself. But it's up to them on what their reputation will be.