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Spooky’s Beetlejuice Pinball | A Love Letter to Tim Burton's Masterpiece

LoserKid YouTube·video·1h 12m·analyzed·Nov 14, 2025
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.035

TL;DR

Spooky's Beetlejuice Pinball reveal: limited 1,079-unit run with innovative design, motorized sandworm, Danny Elfman soundtrack, and near-complete movie asset integration.

Summary

LoserKid Pinball podcast episode 181 features Bug (Spooky Pinball designer) discussing the reveal of Beetlejuice Pinball, a limited-edition collector's game (1,079 units total) based on the 1988 Tim Burton film. The conversation covers game design philosophy, mechanical features like the motorized sandworm and Beetlesnake topper, rule set depth, production timeline, and pre-release sales that sold out before the official reveal. Bug emphasizes quality over quantity, innovative shot design, and heavy use of original movie assets including all major actors' likenesses and nearly all footage from the film.

Key Claims

  • Beetlejuice Pinball sold out pre-reveal in 9-15 minutes, with only ~70 units available for direct Spooky website sales on launch day

    high confidence · Bug states 'pretty much all that's left on sales day itself... is the 70 games that we have to sell directly on our website'

  • The game uses virtually every frame of footage from the 1988 Beetlejuice film across modes and sequences

    high confidence · Bug: 'we're utilizing pretty much every single frame that there is in the whole movie's runtime. there's basically not a scene that isn't going to be utilized'

  • Bug led the playfield design as his first lead design role on a Spooky game, with Luke handling other 'hard work parts'

    high confidence · Bug: 'this is uh the first game that I got to take on more of like the lead design role'

  • Spooky's website will crash on sales day; they're using 10 phones and multiple employees as backup

    medium confidence · Bug and hosts acknowledge the inevitability: 'That website is going to die' and Bug proposes old-school radio-style phone lines as contingency

  • Evil Dead topper sold over 800 units out of 888 games produced

    high confidence · Bug: 'we sold like well over 800 of those toppers out of 888 evil tents'

  • Production will begin slowly in December with mass release starting around January, matching Evil Dead's timeline

    high confidence · Bug: 'we'll start building them slowly in December, but you won't see us start to like mass release them until around January'

  • The game includes a novel subway platform beneath the sandworm with targets on a different level below the playfield

    high confidence · Bug claims this may be an industry first: 'you shoot off a platform down into another at something' with targets beneath the sandworm

  • Quality suffered when Spooky scaled to 1,700+ units/year (Halloween + Ultraman), but current team skill allows scaling without quality loss

    high confidence · Bug: 'Quality really suffered when we tried to do that many games in a year... I think we could scale up to that again now and quality would be fine'

Notable Quotes

  • “I just started the game cuz I said his name three times... On home play mode, it is listening to you and if you say it three times, he comes to life.”

    Bug@ 13:59 — Reveals 'Spooky Speak' voice recognition technology that activates Beetlejuice modes when spoken aloud; represents AI/smart home integration in pinball

  • “People want things to eat the ball. Whether the theme calls for it or not... We didn't even know how we were going to do it at all. Like we had no idea if we could pull that off anyway.”

    Bug@ 17:23 — Explains design philosophy behind sandworm mechanism; notes industry trend toward ball-eating toys despite technical difficulty

  • “We're really actually care about protecting the game's value for our customers because we know how important that is to them and feeling confident in buying new and boxed pinball from us.”

    Bug@ 24:26 — Articulates intentional scarcity strategy: limited production to protect secondary market value and customer confidence in collector's items

  • “I think the demand is there. I think it protects customer value. I'm confident I can build the living daylights out of them every single day to the highest quality possible.”

    Bug@ 25:21 — Defends production ceiling decision balancing demand, quality, manufacturing capacity, and market value protection

  • “Me and Spooky Luke are probably two of the most impatient people in pinball... we are so horribly impatient.”

    Bug@ 26:10 — Explains earlier-than-planned reveal; suggests Spooky leadership drives aggressive timelines despite stated production windows

Entities

BugpersonJosh RPpersonScott LarsonpersonSpooky PinballcompanyBeetlejuice PinballgameSpooky LukepersonLukeperson

Signals

  • ?

    product_launch: Beetlejuice Pinball officially revealed November 10, 2025; production capped at 1,079 units (999 standard + 80 show games); pre-orders sold out in 9-15 minutes; only ~70 units available for direct website sales on launch day

    high · Bug confirms near-complete sellout before reveal; intentional production ceiling to protect secondary market value and customer confidence

  • ?

    product_strategy: Spooky intentionally limited Beetlejuice production despite demand to protect collector value and maintain customer confidence in buying new games at premium prices

    high · Bug: 'We really actually care about protecting the game's value for our customers... if we had an unlimited amount of these, it would make people a lot more gunshy because the game's potentially going to lose quite a bit of value'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Bug's design approach prioritizes thematic consistency with Tim Burton aesthetic: every playfield element must be 'unique and quirky' and tied to property; shots layered at variable distances to match Danny Elfman music tempo

    high · Bug: 'nothing could be plain, nothing could be just a standard simple functional thing. Everything had to have something unique and quirky about it' and 'staggered feel' to shot depths matching Elfman score

  • ?

    design_innovation: Potential industry innovation: subway platform beneath motorized sandworm toy with targets on different playfield level; allows ball shooting into space beneath raised mechanism

    high · Bug claims novelty: 'I'm hoping this is a first because I've been telling people it is... I don't think anybody's ever done something like that'

  • ?

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:07
[music] Thanks for tuning in to the Loser Kid Pinball podcast. We're on a very special [music] episode today for those keeping track. Episode 181. With me, my co- captain >> Scott Larson
0:17
Scott Larson
0:17
Scott Larson >> and I am Josh RP and today is such a
0:20
and I am Josh RP and today is such a
0:20
and I am Josh RP and today is such a cool day because it is reveal day. Beetlejuice has just shown. If you want to get on the waiting list, who are you calling, Scott? uh call Zach and Nicole Mini of Flipping Out Pinball uh sell all things spooky. I actually just had a great uh a great experience with them because I did just receive my Medieval Madness and I actually bought a game that I wasn't really planning on using and I was trying to figure out what to do with it and I asked and they were interested. So they actually shipped out the the Medieval Madness in on a crate with a box. I took that box out and I put my box in and I shipped it right back to them. And so there's lots of options out there if you're looking for a new game, used game, if you're looking at possibly trading in, uh, there are options for you. So, is that going to mini flipping out pinball? Legit Josh knows I am such a pinball hoarder because I lit I legit hate selling games. >> This is going to change my pinball

“After like 13 years of being a company, we're starting to get kind of good at it.”

Bug@ 16:34 — Self-deprecating comment on Spooky's experience; marks 13-year tenure as a manufacturer

  • “I love lock stealing. I think it's necessary and I think people should do it more often and I like when friends fight.”

    Bug@ 28:06 — Reveals creative tension with programmer team over lock-stealing mechanics; Designer prefers feature, programmers currently disable it

  • “Three out of my top five favorite movies are Tim Burton movies... I'm one of the world's biggest Tim Burton fans.”

    Bug@ 8:02 — Reveals personal passion driving game design; context for thematic authenticity and design priorities

  • “Nothing could be plain, nothing could be just a standard simple functional thing. Everything had to have something unique and quirky about it.”

    Bug@ 8:34 — Core design philosophy: every playfield element required thematic/mechanical uniqueness in service of Burton aesthetic

  • “I don't think anybody's ever done something like that where you shoot off a platform down into another at something.”

    Bug@ 19:07 — Claims potential industry innovation: multi-level playfield targeting beneath the sandworm mechanism

    • Frankie
    person
    Zach Sharpeperson
    Nicole Miniperson
    Flipping Out Pinballcompany
    Gary Tunliffperson
    DJperson
    Mattperson
    Evil Dead Pinballgame
    Scooby-Doo Pinballgame
    Halloween Pinballgame
    Ultraman Pinballgame
    Tim Burtonperson
    Warner Brotherscompany
    LoserKid Pinballorganization
    Medieval Madnessgame
    Guardians of the Galaxy Pinballgame
    Funhouse Pinballgame

    design_innovation: Game features 'Spooky Speak' voice recognition technology integrated into home play mode; saying 'Beetlejuice' three times audibly triggers game start and activates Beetlejuice modes

    high · Bug accidentally triggered mode by speaking during interview: 'On home play mode, it is listening to you and if you say it three times, he comes to life'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Beetlejuice pinball integrates voice-activated AI functionality (Spooky Speak); represents expansion of smart home/IoT integration in modern pinball design

    medium · Voice recognition activates modes; technology appears to have sensitivity thresholds for false triggering

  • ?

    collector_signal: Beetlejuice pre-orders sold out 9-15 minutes before official reveal, despite $9,999 MSRP and boutique status; indicates extreme FOMO-driven demand among collectors

    high · Hosts and Bug reference pre-reveal sellout; Bug notes distribution network took unauthorized pre-orders before Spooky's official reveal date

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: Spooky's 1,079-unit production cap reflects manufacturing capacity limits in Benton, Wisconsin facility; scaling to 1,700+ units/year previously degraded quality; current team skill allows potential rescaling without quality loss

    high · Bug: 'in Benton, Wisconsin, there's there's only so much we can do... Quality really suffered when we tried to do that many games in a year'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Spooky prepared for inevitable website crash on Beetlejuice launch day by implementing 10-phone line backup system staffed by multiple employees; historical pattern of website failures on sales days

    high · Bug acknowledges inevitable crash and describes old-school radio-station-style phone queue system as workaround

  • ?

    licensing_signal: All major Beetlejuice actors required to approve their likenesses and how used in game; Frankie's art direction quality facilitated rapid approvals; extensive use of original movie footage (nearly complete) required studio coordination

    high · Bug: 'all those actors do have to approve uh their likeness being the game' and 'Franchie on art makes that an absolute dream'

  • ?

    product_concern: Sandworm ball-eating mechanism reported to have high consistency and reliability; contradicts industry pattern of spotty performance in similar mouth-eating toys (Demogorgan, etc.)

    high · Bug: 'This thing gobbles balls all day long. Like it is really fantastic... I am honestly shocked how well it turned out... sometimes spotty... we could make that go to something else instead'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Community sentiment shows strong enthusiasm for limited-edition boutique releases at premium pricing ($9,999); FOMO-driven pre-order sellout suggests collector market willing to pay boutique rates for thematic quality

    high · Pre-reveal sellout despite $9,999 MSRP and 1,079-unit cap; hosts celebrate reveal day with costume coordination and enthusiasm

    • 1:18
    This is going to change my pinball
    1:18
    This is going to change my pinball buying habits. >> Yeah. I can't believe you put a new
    1:20
    Yeah. I can't believe you put a new
    1:20
    Yeah. I can't believe you put a new inbox. Guardians of the Galaxy is what you ship back cuz you never opened it. Okay. I had it for four years and it just I'm sorry. It just never connected with me. It never connected. Sorry. >> Well, you got to open the box first to
    1:32
    Well, you got to open the box first to
    1:32
    Well, you got to open the box first to figure out if it connects with you or not. >> I did play it. I did play it. I just
    1:36
    I did play it. I did play it. I just
    1:36
    I did play it. I did play it. I just didn't love the game. It's okay. Sorry. I'm a ter I am a terrible pin owner. Okay. >> And if you want that $500 off of the
    1:45
    And if you want that $500 off of the
    1:45
    And if you want that $500 off of the funhouse, doesn't matter if it's LE or the classic, hit them up with the code loser kid when you check out at fliout.com. All right. We've got the evil genius with us. I know he goes by Bug, but he has grown into a monster. I don't think we can call him Bug anymore. And after seeing the insanity that is this trailer that Beetlejuice is just taking a life of its own, selling out before it's even been shown, today is almost like a day of celebration and and I it's just some days we hold our breath to see the new stuff and it's just I'm I'm stoked. Uh Bug, welcome on the show. Welcome back. What is it? Third, fourth time. It's just it's great to always have Young Man. Yeah, thanks for having me on again, guys. And yeah, like third, fourth time. I don't know. I just love that it's kind of a yearly thing. Come on here, hang out, talk some stuff. We spend more time talking before and after these interviews than we do during the usual interview just about random things. >> Well, we we did wear spooky costumes
    2:36
    Well, we we did wear spooky costumes
    2:36
    Well, we we did wear spooky costumes today. Uh we asked for shirts a while ago. >> See, Josh and I are wearing our spooky
    2:41
    See, Josh and I are wearing our spooky
    2:41
    See, Josh and I are wearing our spooky shells, and I have a I have a hat that your dad sent me back in the day. So, uh >> Oh my goodness.
    2:46
    Oh my goodness.
    2:46
    Oh my goodness. >> I'm all spookied out here.
    2:48
    I'm all spookied out here.
    2:48
    I'm all spookied out here. >> You managed to retain hats for that
    2:50
    You managed to retain hats for that
    2:50
    You managed to retain hats for that long. I swear I can't I can't hold on to a hat for more than like a year before it just gets destroyed or vanishes or something. >> Yeah, I I I have so many because uh
    2:59
    Yeah, I I I have so many because uh
    2:59
    Yeah, I I I have so many because uh because I'm bald and what happens is when you don't have hair on top that you have to protect your cranium from the sun. But yeah, I go through these, but I I legit have like 50 hats and so I rotate through so many hats. It's uh so my hats actually stay pretty good. But yeah, I I kept my spooky hat in honor of interviewing you guys. Well, it's a good day for a spooky hat. >> It It's fantastic, man. This game. Holy
    3:24
    It It's fantastic, man. This game. Holy
    3:24
    It It's fantastic, man. This game. Holy crap. Like, there's just Okay, Josh, don't bury the lead. Okay, so what is the new le What is the new game coming out, Bug? >> Uh, right. Sorry. When When is it coming
    3:34
    Uh, right. Sorry. When When is it coming
    3:34
    Uh, right. Sorry. When When is it coming out? >> What What is the new game? Come on.
    3:37
    What What is the new game? Come on.
    3:37
    What What is the new game? Come on. Introduce the game. Sell the game to us. Come on. >> He's still celebrating the the wreck of
    3:42
    He's still celebrating the the wreck of
    3:42
    He's still celebrating the the wreck of the the wreck of Fitzgerald right now. >> At time of recording, it's November 10.
    3:46
    At time of recording, it's November 10.
    3:46
    At time of recording, it's November 10. My brain's on Wreck of Edmond Fitzgerald, not on Beetleju. [laughter]
    3:54
    Do you want me to introduce it?
    3:54
    Do you want me to introduce it? >> No. So, uh, it's our our latest greatest
    3:56
    No. So, uh, it's our our latest greatest
    3:56
    No. So, uh, it's our our latest greatest game, Beetlejuice Pinball, the Collector's Edition. We still there's only one edition. We still call it the Collector's Edition for some reason. I don't know why we do that, but we're >> we're married to it. So, it's the
    4:05
    we're married to it. So, it's the
    4:06
    we're married to it. So, it's the Collector's Edition. Beetlejuice, our latest game. Uh, uh, pretty poorly kept secret. Seemed like pretty much everybody knew [laughter] for a long time that this was coming. I think they knew that that we were going to do Beetlejuice next before we knew that we were doing it next. And uh yeah, it's here. It's beautiful. It's loaded with all the assets. It's uh plays really fast, flowy, and smooth. And it's it's a fun freaking game. I'm excited to talk about it today. >> Excuse me. You say all the assets. So,
    4:29
    Excuse me. You say all the assets. So,
    4:30
    Excuse me. You say all the assets. So, you mean everything from the be the first Beetlejuice movie? >> Those two movies.
    4:34
    Those two movies.
    4:34
    Those two movies. >> What What we got here? What we got here?
    4:35
    What What we got here? What we got here?
    4:35
    What What we got here? What we got here? >> So So Beetlejuice Pinball is all based
    4:37
    So So Beetlejuice Pinball is all based
    4:37
    So So Beetlejuice Pinball is all based in the the first movie, the 1988 film. Uh, so funny cool thing was, um, you know, didn't it seem like for like 15 years in a row on Facebook, people would just be posting like, "Oh, Beetlejuice 2 is coming." And it was just fake. And then you'd see it again next year, like, "Oh, Tim Burton's rumored to do a sequel." And it was fake. And it just never happened. And uh, I started seeing more rumors online and I was like, "Yeah, I'm not believing that." And then Warner Brothers emailed me and they were like, "Just so you know, there is a sequel coming. we're going to have a meeting to talk about it and like let you in on a little bit of what's going on in that movie and whatnot. So, I got to be a part of this cool like Zoom meeting where they were showing off concepts of the second movie long before uh any of that stuff was out there on the internet and uh being spoken about. So, that was a really cool experience. Um we still ended up just using all just the first movie uh for everything. But I thought that second movie was fun. I saw it in theaters. A lot of people did it. Made a ton of money. But uh it was a really cool movie. So yeah, but this game's all movie one. >> Awesome.
    5:36
    Awesome.
    5:36
    Awesome. >> So one of the challenges that you can
    5:37
    So one of the challenges that you can
    5:38
    So one of the challenges that you can have with especially legacy movies that came out years ago, sometimes it can be hard to get all the assets, including, you know, all of the all the main all the main actors and actresses that are in this like they're still live and they're still around. So, was it challenging to make sure that you can get everybody on board so you can do the the pinball machine that includes everything that you love about the movie? Yeah. So, I mean, we're pretty well known and regarded at this point for making sure that we get as many of the assets as humanly possible. And uh when it comes to to footage and audio uh in this movie, we we really are utilizing pretty much every single frame that there is in the whole movie's runtime. uh there's basically not a scene that isn't going to be utilized in some sort of mode or uh sequence of events uh in some form or another. And uh yeah, a lot of really really big name actors and whatnot uh in this game. Uh but we're fortunate enough that um having Franchie on art because all those actors do have to approve uh their likeness being the game just yelled at me. [laughter]
    6:53
    All the actors do have to approve uh you know the artwork in the game and how we're utilizing that stuff. But uh Franchie on art makes that an absolute dream. Uh I think every actor in Hollywood, whether they know Franchie exists or not, loves his artwork because whenever they see it, they just go, "Yep, looks good." >> Yeah. And I think the other great part
    7:10
    Yeah. And I think the other great part
    7:10
    Yeah. And I think the other great part about Franchie, too, is he already has like an inn with WB and stuff like that. He's done a bunch of Batman stuff and so >> I mean he he does make you look really
    7:18
    I mean he he does make you look really
    7:18
    I mean he he does make you look really really good and that I I still say this man. You guys were brilliant to lock him down and convince him to sell his soul to you guys. I saw the contract. >> Uh it's pretty it's pretty awesome. I
    7:28
    Uh it's pretty it's pretty awesome. I
    7:28
    Uh it's pretty it's pretty awesome. I want to talk about the design theory and the shots on this because it seems like >> the design theory is a little different
    7:35
    the design theory is a little different
    7:35
    the design theory is a little different than what we see from most pinball machines. And I like that a lot of the shots um it's not just one one way in. like it seems like there's multiple ways to attack this game. Can you kind of go through the the brain process of that? >> Absolutely. So, uh this is uh the first
    7:49
    Absolutely. So, uh this is uh the first
    7:49
    Absolutely. So, uh this is uh the first game that I got to take on more of like the lead design role. Uh Spooky Luke trusted me uh with uh my love of this property. I'm I'm the one of the world's biggest Tim Burton fans. Like three out of my top five favorite movies are Tim Burton movies. Uh so I I really had a particular taking to wanting to do the layout on this one. And uh I'm very grateful that he he let me uh kind of take over on that. When I say that he still did all the actual like hard work parts, I just got to say what I wanted for the shots and what I wanted to see. Um but I what was really important to me is that it being the first Tim Burton theme and Beetlejuice, uh nothing could be plain, nothing could be just a standard simple functional thing. Everything had to have something unique and quirky about it, whether that's multiple entrances or being tied to something physical that interacts with how you're shooting it. And on top of that, too, uh the depth. I didn't want it to be just an outright fan of like the the arch that you would normally have of the shots. I wanted the if your shots are going like left to right, this one to be closer, then this one further back, then this one's somewhere in the middle, then further back again, then closer. I wanted to have that kind of staggered feel to it. And uh also being a standard body helps make the game a lot faster as well. So the game really plays along with that Danny Elfman sound to the music. like your ball is going to be flowing around at that really fast fun tempo of the main theme and interacting with shots in weird curving bending ways that just it it sells the entire experience of the Beetlejuice property in the way that I I really wanted it to. >> A lot of these shots are like you said,
    9:37
    A lot of these shots are like you said,
    9:37
    A lot of these shots are like you said, they're in like that that lower 2/3. Um, I do like that the upper that that left orbit to it's almost like a figure eight and even the flipper is like its own shot too. Um, >> I just Where did some of that concept
    9:51
    I just Where did some of that concept
    9:51
    I just Where did some of that concept come from where you're like, you know what, I want I want them to decide whether they lift up the flip flipper and it goes in a scoop or they can use the flipper to start locking balls and and kind of explain that area a little bit too. >> Yeah. So, we we had the whole waiting
    10:03
    Yeah. So, we we had the whole waiting
    10:03
    Yeah. So, we we had the whole waiting room area uh set aside up there. The oddly enough for a guy I so I don't typically like pop bumpers. I don't use them very often. And for some reason in this game the pop bumpers is one of the first things I plop down cuz uh I love the feeling of like a scoop shot that is kind of tucked in the back corner and you can hit it right along this rail that's up close in the front and then it skips in between all the pop bumpers across this open space and lands into that scoop. Uh, and that was one of the first shots that we we laid out on the game with the pops there shooting through that spinner up to that scoop and we kind of designated that to become the waiting room area. So then we started saying like, okay, I love sectioned off portions of playfields. Uh, so like TNA, I love that you have the nuclear reactor and that feels like its own area. Now in that game, it takes up like a majority of the real estate. I didn't want to commit to it quite that hard because I I realized that's not too realistic for the rest of the goals we had for the layout. But in that upper area, it would be really fun to have its own special waiting room spot. And then like you mentioned, like, oh, how did you get the the shot behind the flipper? So, when we were doing that cool figure eight shot where you shoot the left orbit, it goes up past that flipper around back behind the couch, bumps out to the flipper, uh, one of the Luke has a little bit slower reaction time when he plays. I'm just going to throw him under the bus. Uh, he kept holding his flipper up when he would, uh, shoot the left orbit. So the ball would go up and hit the backside of the flipper and it would that that would be like a fail when we were doing the whitewood. We were like, well, we could make that go to something else instead. So we decided if you opened it up, it would also feed the back side of this lost soul scoop that we had in the front side uh towards the front of the layout. So it's a cool way to introduce it back from up there. And then on top of that, when you're shooting around in the loops, the ball gets caught in the pop bumpers and things like that and that flipper is held up. There's so many cool occasions where it just pops under there and gives you a nice controlled feed back to that main flipper. >> So, I'm talking a million miles per hour
    12:01
    So, I'm talking a million miles per hour
    12:01
    So, I'm talking a million miles per hour tonight. I'm excited. >> You're fine. You're heavily caffeinated.
    12:04
    You're fine. You're heavily caffeinated.
    12:04
    You're fine. You're heavily caffeinated. We're good. Uh, okay. So, I'm I'm coming up. I'm approaching the game. Walk me through the game play, the rule set, like what am I doing in this game and how do I progress? Yeah. So, we have a a variety of different modes that start in different places. I always like in our games when you have modes that start in more places than just one scoop shot because that's kind of always feels a little uninspired. So, uh we have what is the Beetlejuice modes. We have the Juno modes. We have your sandworm battles. And of course, we have all your multiballs as well. So, your Beetlejuice modes are primarily based around the things that Beetlejuice is involved with. So, uh some of the names of those would be, you know, as seen on TV where he's doing the the rodeo sequence, uh grave dig where you're digging him up uh out of his graveyard. Uh the the wedding sequence as a mode as well. And then there's also others uh where he's a little bit less involved like, you know, the seance uh when Oo is is bringing the maintenance back to life and kind of turning them into lost souls. uh later in the movie. So, for those uh you obviously you say Beetlejuice three times to start those. So, you're going to hit your purple shots and then you shoot over to that Beetlejuice mechanism uh where he's hiding behind the tombstone. So, you shoot up there. Uh we stop the ball in that orbit, catch it, Beetlejuice pops down with a magnet. He picks the ball up and then he shoots it through the tombstone down a habit trail back to your flipper. And that's how we start. Millennium. So, I just started the game cuz I said his name three times [laughter] here. Just give me a second.
    13:54
    My bad, guys.
    13:54
    My bad, guys. >> Wait, are you serious? On home play
    13:56
    Wait, are you serious? On home play
    13:56
    Wait, are you serious? On home play mode, it is listening to you and if you say it three times, he comes to life. >> Yeah, I just started a game because I I
    14:03
    Yeah, I just started a game because I I
    14:03
    Yeah, I just started a game because I I was saying Beetlejuice so much. >> Does it have to be so many times in a
    14:07
    Does it have to be so many times in a
    14:07
    Does it have to be so many times in a row? Like is there so many seconds apart? Like if you if you say it three times within like so often or or is it just you have it on and all a sudden your kids say it like three times throughout the day and all of a sudden it kicks on? >> I must have said it enough times close
    14:20
    I must have said it enough times close
    14:20
    I must have said it enough times close together [laughter] that it heard me. I didn't think uh I'm pretty far away from I don't know if people could see it or not, but I'm pretty far away from the game. I'm surprised it was catching all that. [laughter] >> Wow.
    14:31
    Wow.
    14:31
    Wow. >> You're surprising yourself tonight.
    14:33
    You're surprising yourself tonight.
    14:33
    You're surprising yourself tonight. >> Yeah, that's cool.
    14:35
    Yeah, that's cool.
    14:35
    Yeah, that's cool. Well, the other cool part, too, is while you and I were talking uh and preparing to record, uh there was a moment there too where there's a fly zipping around. You're like, "Hold on, I got to go fly swap this because if I don't, it will drive us nuts for a little while." So, >> yeah, we need to change that. That'll be
    14:51
    yeah, we need to change that. That'll be
    14:51
    yeah, we need to change that. That'll be changed before people get this game in their homes. But yeah, >> so cool.
    14:56
    so cool.
    14:56
    so cool. >> We're doing fun stuff. We're just
    14:58
    We're doing fun stuff. We're just
    14:58
    We're doing fun stuff. We're just hanging out and having a good time like pretty much all the time over here. [laughter] So, who wanted to do this game the most? Because I know that Franchie has been banging this drum forever. >> Yeah. Uh, me and Franchie. I mean, for
    15:12
    Yeah. Uh, me and Franchie. I mean, for
    15:12
    Yeah. Uh, me and Franchie. I mean, for sure. Like, it was a no-brainer across the board um at Spooky, but Franchie Franchie and I share, like I said, a tremendous love for Tim Burton in general. Both of our favorite, my favorite movie and his favorite movie is Ed Wood, like of all time. Uh, so we we've always really bonded over that as well as like a lot of his other projects and whatnot. And of course, he had the translate floating around, so it was just obviously like we knew it would look absolutely beautiful. Uh, great working relationship with Warner Brothers over the last few years here doing a Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes. Uh, and now this. So, stars aligned absolutely perfectly. Just made the most sense in the world to to be doing this next. And I'm happy we did this once we became as capable and skilled as we've become. um just in the sense of like everybody we've worked with at Spooky has we has been around the block like they've worked on a lot of titles and they've really honed in their their talents. I mean this is Franchie's ninth maybe 10th art package. I think it's his ninth art package. You know Spooky Luke's and I's like fifth game design. Uh Spooky DJ the programmer on it. He did all of Scooby-Doo as well as designed the warden system that we've been using on all our games since Scooby-Doo. Matt from Back Alley, you know, worked on pretty much all of our games. Uh, and the list goes on and on. Like, everybody's had a lot of practice. You know, I keep joking with people. Yeah. After like 13 years of being a company, we're starting to get kind of good at it. >> Hey, what? 13's your lucky number, I
    16:40
    Hey, what? 13's your lucky number, I
    16:40
    Hey, what? 13's your lucky number, I guess. >> Late than never. [laughter]
    16:43
    Late than never. [laughter]
    16:43
    Late than never. [laughter] >> So, one feature that you cannot miss on
    16:47
    So, one feature that you cannot miss on
    16:47
    So, one feature that you cannot miss on this game is the sandworm. What made you guys decide that like sandworm is the bash toy? This is the upfront. This is the This is the eye-catching moment for a Beetlejuice game. >> We uh there there's kind of a thing in
    17:01
    We uh there there's kind of a thing in
    17:02
    We uh there there's kind of a thing in pinball. I don't know if people have noticed it. Uh people want things to eat the ball. Uh whether the theme calls for it or not. [laughter] They're like, "Something better eat a ball in this game." And uh yeah, pretty pretty stinking early on we were like, "Yeah, we're going to make a Sammy a ball. There's no way we're not going to do that." We we didn't even know how we were going to do it at all. Like we had no idea if we could pull that off anyway. And uh we we were just committed to it no matter what. And I am honestly shocked how uh well it turned out as far as like you know shooting into mouths like you say like the demogorgan and like Stranger Things like sometimes it can be pretty spotty. It could be pretty tough to like get that to work consistently and like some designers have even shied away from doing it in cases because it's just like sometimes the juice just is not worth the squeeze trying to do that. This thing gobbles balls all day long. Like it is really fantastic. Like the sandworm the motion on it is so cool because we can move him every direction up, down, left, right. Uh so we have him doing all sorts of fun things besides eating the ball. Like we have him dancing to the Deo song and other music that plays in the game. And when you hit him, he like moves up and down. Like it looks like he got just punched in the noggin and he's like bouncing up and down and left and right and uh just really overall impressed with how that whole mechanism turned out. I'm shocked at the the team's capabilities there. >> It looks so good. And then you've also
    18:28
    It looks so good. And then you've also
    18:28
    It looks so good. And then you've also utilized the space underneath the sandworm. So yeah, is there anything special going on down there or is it just pretty much a spot to catch the ball? So, I I I'm hoping this is a first because I've been telling people it is. Um, so basically, uh, in the back of the subway, so if the sandworm is up, uh, and you shoot underneath him, uh, it is a subway underneath him that catches the ball. We put two targets at the back of that subway. So, when you shoot underneath him and the ball falls in there, you're actually shooting at targets that is on a different level beneath the playfield. I don't know if anybody's ever done that. I don't think anybody's ever done something like that where you shoot off a platform down into another at something, but it just it would really suck if the when the sandworm was up. I mean, why would you even shoot in that direction if there was nothing you could be hitting or whatever. So, it it just made a lot of sense to try and put something down there too uh to to shoot for and go for so you can keep doing damage and having different effects on him during the the multiple battles that we have in the game. Now, one thing you also have is you have a giant spooky topper on this. >> Oh, yeah.
    19:38
    Oh, yeah.
    19:38
    Oh, yeah. >> So, tell me about the topper.
    19:40
    So, tell me about the topper.
    19:40
    So, tell me about the topper. >> Oh, yeah. We're we're getting known for
    19:42
    Oh, yeah. We're we're getting known for
    19:42
    Oh, yeah. We're we're getting known for these toppers. Uh, so Gary Tunliff, my favorite British person to work with. Uh, he did the Evil Dead topper, which was the just most ridiculously successful thing uh ever for I couldn't I couldn't believe it. Uh we sold like well over 800 of those toppers out of 888 evil tents which is just mindboggling. I never would have guessed that. >> That's impressive. That is awesome. So,
    20:05
    That's impressive. That is awesome. So,
    20:05
    That's impressive. That is awesome. So, automatically as soon as that thing started going off, we were like, "Yeah, we're bringing him back to do some more." And we had him work on the Beetlesnake topper. And, uh, the reason being is because we we didn't find a way. I wanted a Beetlesnake mech in the game really bad, but anything we came up with, it was like we already have the sandworm. Like, they're two snaky wormy like things. I don't It would be kind of too much to have like two mechanisms like that in there. So, it made a lot of sense for us to work the snake into the topper. Um, and oh my gosh, the paint job is absolutely insane. Like his eyes are just absolutely mesmerizing to to stare into. When I first sent it in to Warner Brothers, my rep there was like, "Are you guys sure you could paint all these like hundreds of these? Cuz this thing is like insanely detailed." And uh, yeah, fortunately for me, we work with one of the most talented freaking people in the the horror special makeup effects industry cuz yeah, that that thing is just absolutely gorgeous. And then, of course, we also have uh the tail lighting up as well as the eyeballs. The eye almost have a cool like blinking effect to it. Like actually looks like it's blinking at you and then head moving side to side. So he's really creepy and cool and uh I'm I'm hoping people take to him as much as they took to Cheryl. So uh yeah, exceptionally happy with how Gary did on that. Here's how impressive the topper is. Um, my wife is not a huge fan of pinball, so you don't have to worry about her running off and telling anyone. But we watch the video together. Uh, and she, um, we're watching the video and you've got it interspersed between the topper and the actual footage of the movie. And she goes, "That's really cool. They could get the lips to move like that." [laughter] I was like, "Sure." her like I was going to >> Yeah, I was going to tell her it's the
    21:45
    Yeah, I was going to tell her it's the
    21:45
    Yeah, I was going to tell her it's the movie, but it's impressive enough that the it's such a perfect replica of the movie that people then my wife's like, "Oh, like wow." Like that looks really really realistic. I'm like, "Yeah. Yeah, it does." >> Yep. That's all us, honey. [laughter]
    22:01
    Yep. That's all us, honey. [laughter]
    22:01
    Yep. That's all us, honey. [laughter] That's
    22:06
    Oh, but no, I agree with you. I think I
    22:06
    Oh, but no, I agree with you. I think I think Evil Dead like raised the bar and this is definitely up there. This is This is really really cool. Does it just articulate back and forth or does it go up and down? How does it work? >> Uh articulates back and forth. Eyes
    22:18
    Uh articulates back and forth. Eyes
    22:18
    Uh articulates back and forth. Eyes glow, tail glows. Um uh really cool like rattling effect on that too, like like with with a flasher and it blinking and the sounds going off. And then of course it's all RGB lit. So like the back lighting behind it. It looks like he's like on stage in an 80s hair metal concert sometimes because like the lighting is going up behind his hair and it's all like frizzy and looking cool. Uh yeah. And then as well as like the spooky speaking being integrated into that as well. >> So now one thing that may be
    22:46
    So now one thing that may be
    22:46
    So now one thing that may be controversial is you guys sold out about these like you they're all spoken for, right? Is that is that what I'm understanding? >> Yeah. Yeah. So like right now pretty
    22:56
    Yeah. Yeah. So like right now pretty
    22:56
    Yeah. Yeah. So like right now pretty much uh all that's left on on sales day itself uh you know Friday um is the 70 I think it's 70 games that we have to sell directly on our website. >> Okay.
    23:09
    Okay.
    23:09
    Okay. >> And that website is going to burn. It is
    23:13
    And that website is going to burn. It is
    23:13
    And that website is going to burn. It is going to crash so fast. That website has absolutely I used to get mad. I would like defend it. People would be like, "Oh, Spooky's website's going to crash on sales day." And I'd be like, "No, it's not." like typing all angry in the comments like, "No, it's not. It's gonna hold up because like we upgraded it again." And then it always crashed anyway. And I was always like, "Dang it." And uh this year it it it holds no chance. I'm just gonna acknowledge it [laughter] right away. I'm admitting defeat before it even happens. That website is going to die. Which is why we have like 10 telephones and uh I bring in a bunch of employees and you call the spooky pinball phone number and it sends it to to one of the phones. They just the calls start flooding in and we're going to do everything we can to handle those 70 games. >> Wow. Do it old school. Go radio station
    23:57
    Wow. Do it old school. Go radio station
    23:57
    Wow. Do it old school. Go radio station style. Huh? Caller number 10 gets a behead. Get it. >> I [laughter] know.
    24:01
    I [laughter] know.
    24:01
    I [laughter] know. >> Okay. Okay. So, this kind of begs the
    24:04
    Okay. Okay. So, this kind of begs the
    24:04
    Okay. Okay. So, this kind of begs the question like are you do do you wish you had made more? Like what what was the what was the philosophy on limiting it to this amount? because this seems like it's been it's been a big hit for you even already while you are announcing it. >> I think we did the perfect amount. I
    24:20
    I think we did the perfect amount. I
    24:20
    I think we did the perfect amount. I really do. Uh for for a multitude of reasons. We've really actually care about protecting the game's value for our customers because we know how important that is to them and feeling confident in buying new and boxed pinball uh from us. you know, if we had an unlimited amount of these, we know that it would make people a lot more gunshy because the game's potentially going to lose quite a bit of value. Um, so that's really important as well as uh just manufacturing capabilities. Uh, we have a lot of games uh to build in a year and the you know, in Benton, Wisconsin, there's there's only so much we can do. Like we've scaled up to doing more units than this. You know, Halloween pinball was 1,200 units with Ultram Man alongside that, another 500. Uh, quality really suffered when we tried to do that many games in a year. I think we could scale up to that again now and quality would be fine just because of the skill set that we have and the better designs that we do. But I I think we're at the right amount. I think the demand is there. I think it protects customer value. I'm confident I can build the living daylights out of them every single day to the highest quality possible. um something we proved with Evil Dead being the most notable QC game to come out of Spooky Pinball. Um so just a multitude of reasons why we feel confident in the numbers that we chose. >> Well, and I got to applaud you on that
    25:39
    Well, and I got to applaud you on that
    25:39
    Well, and I got to applaud you on that too, right? cuz I mean at the end of the day it's it is you know some people are like well there's so much money left on the table they could have had but it's like if you guys are looking to do quality and meet a window cuz I mean usually we have this conversation in December and part of me was wondering if because of the preemptive release uh of one of your distributors saying hey I'm taking pre-orders now. I didn't know if you guys showing it now is because of that or if it's you're just ready to start doing this. Um >> bro we've been ready for months.
    26:07
    bro we've been ready for months.
    26:07
    bro we've been ready for months. [laughter] We're so f me and Spooky Luke are probably two of the most impatient people in pinball. Like hands down. Like we'll we'll be like, "Okay, we're going to release it in December." So anyway, you got that trailer ready for mid November. How's the flyer material coming for early November? Like it just keeps moving up because we are so horribly impatient. Um and uh you know, we also used to be a more a bit more weary of like uh you know, so like I still have quite a few Evil Deads to build uh as as the year wraps up here. Um, in years past there was still people questioning like, "Oh, can Spooky get these built? Will they get these built? How long is it going to take?" I I think people know now that like, yeah, we're going to get all of the games built in the time frame that we always pretty much get them built in. So, even if there is a little extra time before they start shipping out the door consistently, people understand and know that we're what we're doing and they have confidence that we're going to get them their game and everything. So, uh, feeling good about that. But, um, yeah, Luke and I are just like really excited and sometimes jump the gun on things, but it's all cool. >> So, so I didn't catch it. So, are you
    27:16
    So, so I didn't catch it. So, are you
    27:16
    So, so I didn't catch it. So, are you plan production for January like you usually do? >> Yeah. Yeah. So, we'll we'll start
    27:21
    Yeah. Yeah. So, we'll we'll start
    27:21
    Yeah. Yeah. So, we'll we'll start building them slowly uh in December, but you won't see us start to like mass release them until around January, which is exactly the same schedule we did for Evil Dead. Last year we released Evil Dead uh just a week later than what we're doing right now. >> Perfect.
    27:36
    Perfect.
    27:36
    Perfect. >> There are a couple features in this game
    27:38
    There are a couple features in this game
    27:38
    There are a couple features in this game that I want to point out. One, you have an interesting position for a magnet that's actually below the flipper straight down the middle. And also, you have a physical ball lock on the couch. So, so I want you to talk about those two things. And the question that a lot of people have is, are you going to have lock stealing? Oh yeah, the programmers are fighting me on that right now because I love lock stealing. I think it's necessary and I think people should do it more often and I like when friends fight. Um [laughter] but uh right now the programmers have it so that it keeps track of the locks and it doesn't steal. I think I'm going to make them make that a setting because I'm vicious. Um but otherwise, yeah, we got >> you turn it on and off. I mean that I
    28:22
    you turn it on and off. I mean that I
    28:22
    you turn it on and off. I mean that I think I think it's a fun thing especially if you're playing competitive with your friends and not maybe a tournament setting not so much but >> our our games have so many settings now
    28:31
    our our games have so many settings now
    28:31
    our our games have so many settings now like if you look through the settings on a Looney Tunes in the menu the customization of the rules that you can do for your game is ridicul I still I find things in there that I didn't even know we did and I'm like wow that is awesome. I'm never touching any of this but wow that's really great. Uh but then yeah we also got the magnet between the flippers. Uh, so Beetlejuice tells you to use the force and then you throw it up and uh back into gameplay. It's really cool. No, uh, we we had that in there way before [laughter] we saw the Star Wars thing. Uh, I I ripped it off from Alice Cooper mostly because uh, my dad ripped that off for me because I always told him uh, when I designed Friday the 13th pinball someday, which I would tell him all the time when I was at 14, I want to have a magnet between the flippers that uh, throws the ball into play. And then he designed Alice Cooper and he was like I saw him put a magnet there. I was like, "Hey, dude. What's that?" He was like, "That's going in the game, sucker." So now I get my chance to put it in one of my games and get back at him. >> That's awesome.
    29:29
    That's awesome.
    29:30
    That's awesome. So, one other thing too that um I feel like the video doesn't show super well, but we were discussing this is the barn actually dumps the ball in the out lane and the mag c magnet can catch it and throw it back in. Kind of explain that process and how that barn works as well. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, essentially, um, Luke and I are always kind of bad at, uh, figuring out how we want to launch the ball into the, like we will design the whole game and then figure out the shooter lane in a lot of cases. And, uh, you know, that remained true here. And we got to the shooter lane and we were trying to figure out where we wanted it to go. And I kept looking at it like looping around right towards the out lane. And I was like, man, it would be really awesome if we just drained the ball immediately on people. So, they were so confused and like, what what just happened? Like, this game's so stupid. Why did it just drain immediately? And then we catch the ball with the magnet between the flippers and throw it back into gameplay because in the movie, the movie literally starts with Adam and Barbara dying immediately. Like they they go to town, they get in the car, they drive back, they fall off the bridge and die. So, we theme the shooter area around the bridge. So, there is a diverter in the right out lane that lifts up and down. And when it's down, uh, the right out lane's just closed, completely closed, and the ball just flows right through it and to your flipper. And if you were to drain out the right out lane, it would just catch it, feed it to your flipper. But we can also raise that diverter and have it just be wide open. So when you're doing your skill shot, there is an option there's a chance in the timing that you'll hit it on the bridge out section where it will drain immediately right out the right out lane and then get caught by the magnet and throw it back into play just like that because they die and then they get brought back as ghosts right after. So it's like that specific theme integration that I'm really obsessed with when we do these things uh that it just made all the sense in the world in that area for us. >> Absolutely brilliant. I love it.
    31:29
    Absolutely brilliant. I love it.
    31:29
    Absolutely brilliant. I love it. [laughter] >> So, is that the only time it's used or
    31:32
    So, is that the only time it's used or
    31:32
    So, is that the only time it's used or are there ways of activating it like during game play is like a ball save or is it one of those where the ball's draining out and you have to hit the button to save it? So, yeah. Uh the the save in between the flippers is uh tied to the action button. So, you have a magnet save there. So, if it drains out either of your outlanes or is coming down the center, you can hit that and it will grab onto that ball and then throw it back into play. Um, so you use that and then you have to do a lot of things to qualify that save for yourself again. Uh, if you want to do it like more than once a ball. Uh, my gameplay video shows that off really well because I drain out the left out lane early on and I I catch it with that. So, it's a it's a really fun thing to utilize the action button. I love using additional buttons for for cool things in the game. So, we use the action button in quite a few fun ways uh, in this one that I think are really cool. So, >> so one thing that Scott had brought up
    32:22
    so one thing that Scott had brought up
    32:22
    so one thing that Scott had brought up earlier was the couch. And one thing I wanted to ask on it is how do you load this couch? Is there does it like is it the right ramp? Is it there's like a trap door or something? >> So we we do something. We're calling it
    32:33
    So we we do something. We're calling it
    32:33
    So we we do something. We're calling it ramp seception. Um so there's the right ramp. It's a 180 ramp and it is the smoothest, fastest, butteriest ramp of all time. My god, it it feels so good when you crush that thing. Uh so when you're in the waiting room area, there's a knock 123 insert on that upper flipper. That loop that we were talking about. It's right by the couch. When you knock, that right ramp raises up and there is another ramp right underneath that ramp. So, it raises up and you shoot another ramp that goes up uh feeds a habit trail that goes all the way across the back of the game, loops around and dumps it into the couch. So, our right ramp is two ramps. So, it's a lift ramp with two ramps. Uh what I like about that is like like we keep improving upon older stuff that we did. It's like an Evil Dead. We had our first ever lift ramp. We'd never done a lift ramp before. And when it opens, you shoot into it and it's a scoop and we used it for mode starts and things like that. And that's okay. Like that's kind of fun, but it's way cooler to lift a ramp up and you shoot another ramp underneath it that feeds a ball lock. That that's just objectively cooler and fun. >> So next time because you guys got Warner
    33:44
    So next time because you guys got Warner
    33:44
    So next time because you guys got Warner Brothers and Legendary, you're going to have to do into Inception and you're going to have to do a ramp to ramp to ramp. >> Yeah.
    33:51
    Yeah.
    33:51
    Yeah. >> Inception. Yes. Yes. It's already It's
    33:53
    Inception. Yes. Yes. It's already It's
    33:53
    Inception. Yes. Yes. It's already It's already foretold. It's happening. >> Well, a triple ramp. You can't triple
    33:57
    Well, a triple ramp. You can't triple
    33:57
    Well, a triple ramp. You can't triple ramp a double ramp. Can't triple ramp. >> Really good. Like there's
    34:01
    Really good. Like there's
    34:02
    Really good. Like there's there's there's not many ideas I can have anymore that he can't make onto these layouts. He's getting really damn good. >> Yeah, this this game is insane. Like
    34:10
    Yeah, this this game is insane. Like
    34:10
    Yeah, this this game is insane. Like just looking at this, you guys have just Yeah, you've killed it. >> Now, tell me the the one thing that I
    34:16
    Now, tell me the the one thing that I
    34:16
    Now, tell me the the one thing that I really have appreciated what Spooky Games have done is thematic integration. Now, th this is really perfect up your alley because Tim Burton's style. It's it's whimsical. It's a little bit like a carnival diarama thing and it feels that way when obviously with the Back Alley Creations, uh Matt has been able to to bring that and miniaturize it. What what I like about what you have done is a lot of times a lot of times companies try to incorporate that with like a flat plastic or or or something that is you know yes it's a picture and it does help out because to be to be fair their their bill of materials is going to be spent elsewhere >> but you guys have decided to spend this
    35:04
    but you guys have decided to spend this
    35:04
    but you guys have decided to spend this on on everything and it it it really does bring you into the game when You have physically molded assets in there versus having like a flat plastic standup. >> Well, they've they've they've brought
    35:19
    Well, they've they've they've brought
    35:19
    Well, they've they've they've brought Dante's Inferno, the strip club into [laughter] the game. I mean, come on now. That's Yeah. >> Yeah.
    35:25
    Yeah.
    35:25
    Yeah. >> Funny story about that Dante's Inferno
    35:27
    Funny story about that Dante's Inferno
    35:27
    Funny story about that Dante's Inferno thing. We added that um like at the very tail end of everything. The game was pretty much done. Like we'd submitted it like, "Hey, this is the final product." And they were like, "Yep, looks great." And then because we've gotten so much better at working ahead on these things and having our projects done further and further out, we got done and then ended up adding just a whole bunch of new features. We were like, "What if we sculpted it? What if we turned it into a roulette wheel? What if we changed the color of that whole area and the powder coat?" And like it just kept going and going and we just kept adding more and more stuff to this. Um, yeah, Beetlejuice has a record number of sculpts in a spooky game. It's It's the most injection molded pieces uh that we've ever done in a game. Don't ask me the number because I forgot. But uh I know that's true. [laughter] Just Just trust me. >> We'll go Dr. Evil. 1 million sculpture.
    36:18
    We'll go Dr. Evil. 1 million sculpture.
    36:18
    We'll go Dr. Evil. 1 million sculpture. >> Okay. But that
    36:19
    Okay. But that
    36:19
    Okay. But that >> the motto in Evil Dead was f the boom.
    36:21
    the motto in Evil Dead was f the boom.
    36:22
    the motto in Evil Dead was f the boom. Yeah. That that was the model in Evil Dead. And uh it turns out we're still effing the boom. >> Yeah. You're you're still crushing it on
    36:30
    Yeah. You're you're still crushing it on
    36:30
    Yeah. You're you're still crushing it on exceeding your bill of material. But now it does show that you actually have put forth some plan on this because each I if people are familiar with the with manufacturing process when you do an injection mold you actually have to build the form and engineer it and so it it takes a lot more planning to get that going than it is just to screen print a plastic thing and put it up there. So, the fact that you are you are actually budgeting for I I'm just I'm glancing because I I'm watching the trailer as as we keep talking and I'm I'm seeing at least five injection molded things at least. And when you look at that, that is an individual form. That's a cost that helps out. But it does when you walk into an arcade or your home, you you're going to notice that because getting back I I have I have Wizard of Oz. So, I'm looking over here. Wizard of Oz. So, how how many years old is Wizard of Oz? It's over 15 years old. >> Yeah.
    37:32
    Yeah.
    37:32
    Yeah. >> Jeez, don't say that.
    37:33
    Jeez, don't say that.
    37:34
    Jeez, don't say that. >> That kind of dating, right? Okay. But
    37:35
    That kind of dating, right? Okay. But
    37:35
    That kind of dating, right? Okay. But when you look at it, that's the first thing that people see. They see that they went they really went all in on the the physical sculpts underneath there. And so when you think about that, a lot of the other games that I'm looking around, you do notice a big difference when there is a sculpt there versus a versus a plastic thing. And when you're thinking of Tim Burton, you really are thinking of uh I don't know of a better way of saying it, but kind of like a a a garage sale of eclectic misfit parts. >> Yeah, that's really how Tim Burton comes
    38:13
    Yeah, that's really how Tim Burton comes
    38:13
    Yeah, that's really how Tim Burton comes across. But it I don't think it would make the same statement if you had a picture versus actually, you know, the sculpts. >> Well, it's even down to like the
    38:23
    Well, it's even down to like the
    38:23
    Well, it's even down to like the lighting. Like, you know how much cooler the lighting is on a physical sculpted feature versus a flat plastic. The way it shapes around it and cast shadows into the rest of the game, like it it just automatically adds so much more depth and everything. And like you said, uh, with it being Tim Burton, like obviously his worlds love miniatures. They love, uh, stop motion animation characters and features. Like it just takes something out of that theme that perfectly makes sense. >> Yeah.
    38:56
    Yeah.
    38:56
    Yeah. >> I I I Josh, I I'll give it to you in one
    38:58
    I I I Josh, I I'll give it to you in one
    38:58
    I I I Josh, I I'll give it to you in one second. I just want to follow up on one question. So the lighting, how did you do the lighting? because we see other manufacturers are doing, you know, kind of like a rope light up and down, but you seem to have been able to accomplish more by avoiding that. >> Well, not only that, does but the the
    39:15
    Well, not only that, does but the the
    39:15
    Well, not only that, does but the the the speaker panel too, does that light up as well? >> The speaker So, uh the the speaker
    39:21
    The speaker So, uh the the speaker
    39:21
    The speaker So, uh the the speaker grills do. Yeah. So, like our our speaker cutouts with the grills on it, those those light up. What we added in this game, and we're actually going to uh I think we're going to be adding this to Evil Dead as well as like a mod. Um, so we we added apron lighting uh a few years ago, which was great. That added a ton of atmosphere and cool effects to the playfield, but we've also added it to the backboard now because uh one of the complaints uh with Evil Dead was that it was pretty dark in the back corner. And uh so we were looking into it and making sure and Franchie gets on the phone and yells at me approximately four times a week about our games being too freaking dark. So we wanted to make sure we didn't screw that up [laughter] in this game. So we added another light strip to the backboard. We've got it in the apron. And on top of that, um, when you add a boatload of GIS, uh, Spooky DJ as well has really perfected, uh, timing light shows to music. So when the Danny Elfman theme is playing that boom boom boom, the lights are timed with that perfectly. So whole game looks freaking cool. So, one thing that you brought up that I felt like we kind of skipped over. Um, I don't blame, forgive my ignorance, but I don't remember there being like a giant carnival wheel in the movie and even in some of the code in the video that you showed, there's like carnival games. So, is that all is that all added in because you guys are doing it or is is there something in the movie that I'm I'm just spacing? So, it's from the the Showtime sequence of the movie when he says it's showtime and uh he comes out and uh he he comes out saying test right up step tap test your strength. I messed that up. Step right up. Test your strength. And uh he rolls his arms. He comes out like this big weird circus character and he rolls his arms out in these giant hammers and he smash uh the the two guests they have there. He smashes like the test your strength bells and they get thrown through the ceiling. So, uh, and then he's got all these like dangly things hanging off of his hat at that time, too. So, that whole carnival section and theme, uh, we we utilize that in the Showtime multiball in this game uh, quite a bit. So, that's where that comes from. >> Gotcha. Okay. Because, as I said,
    41:28
    Gotcha. Okay. Because, as I said,
    41:28
    Gotcha. Okay. Because, as I said, there's a lot of original animation there. And then I I just didn't remember where the wheel had come from. I was like, it was cool to incorporate like a mystery theme will wheel. I assume that's like your mystery award, right? Uh, so the the mystery award uh Oh, you're thinking of the video mode. I apologize. Uh, are you talking about like the the cannon shooting? >> The cannon shooting. Yeah, the cannon
    41:47
    The cannon shooting. Yeah, the cannon
    41:47
    The cannon shooting. Yeah, the cannon shooting. And then it shows like the wheels spinning and then like if I remember part of it, there's a part of it that says like you die or something like that, you know. >> Oh, so that's the roulette wheel. That's
    41:56
    Oh, so that's the roulette wheel. That's
    41:56
    Oh, so that's the roulette wheel. That's that's themed around the Dante's Inferno room uh on the left ramp side cuz like you know, >> strip club.
    42:01
    strip club.
    42:01
    strip club. >> Yeah. Gambling casino type. Yeah. Yeah.
    42:05
    Yeah. Gambling casino type. Yeah. Yeah.
    42:05
    Yeah. Gambling casino type. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] Beetlejuice activities. >> Cool. So, I mean, it was just all kind
    42:11
    Cool. So, I mean, it was just all kind
    42:11
    Cool. So, I mean, it was just all kind of it it all incorporated well because that's what it is in the movie. >> Yeah.
    42:16
    Yeah.
    42:16
    Yeah. >> So,
    42:16
    So,
    42:16
    So, >> yeah.
    42:17
    yeah.
    42:17
    yeah. >> Cool. Um, one thing I think that's
    42:19
    Cool. Um, one thing I think that's
    42:19
    Cool. Um, one thing I think that's really cool that you guys are doing with this release that I don't think any other pinball company's ever done before, you've went old school GameStop and you're doing a midnight release of Beetlejuice. Uh, where did this concept come from? And I mean, why are you doing it? Uh we are doing it because Don's pinball podcast bullied us into doing it. [laughter] >> Don,
    42:42
    Don,
    42:42
    Don, >> he uh he is persistent. No, he he he
    42:45
    he uh he is persistent. No, he he he
    42:45
    he uh he is persistent. No, he he he cooked up that whole thing. He made it uh he really took the reigns on that one and ran with it. And I'm very happy he did for those who So Don Pimble podcast bought my dad's house uh in Benton, Wisconsin. And uh so he lives here now. Um they're like still getting moved in and whatnot, but uh he he lives in Benton now. and he was joking that he really wanted to throw like a midnight party and they're going to light torches and walk from his house to the spooky pinball factory and we're going to open the door and everybody's going to get to play the game and put their deposit down ahead of everybody else at midnight. Um, which I was very against at the start. I was like, "No way, Jose. That sounds like a lot of work and really hard. We have a whole game to launch and stuff." And then we we talked about it a lot more and um I'm very happy that uh he got his way on that because I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Uh we're going to get the whole shop floor cleared out and uh yeah, it's going to be really cool. I'm happy that Don uh he he's really cool. He has a lot of really creative fun ideas and his he's a very energetic guy. Like his energy and enthusiasm is just intoxicating and uh it makes you want to get off the couch and be a part of the fun for sure. So we're we're very lucky to have him around. >> Yeah, it's awesome. Don's Don's great,
    43:57
    Yeah, it's awesome. Don's Don's great,
    43:57
    Yeah, it's awesome. Don's Don's great, man. We had him on. It's been a couple years when he first was breaking. >> Well, I've actually c The funny thing is
    44:02
    Well, I've actually c The funny thing is
    44:02
    Well, I've actually c The funny thing is I actually So, I wasn't going to say anything, but I did know about him buying your house. Buying your dad's house. >> Yeah.
    44:09
    Yeah.
    44:09
    Yeah. >> Because I I randomly called him and I
    44:11
    Because I I randomly called him and I
    44:11
    Because I I randomly called him and I was just checking in with him because >> Don and I I we're both we're both
    44:16
    Don and I I we're both we're both
    44:16
    Don and I I we're both we're both physicians, but we do slightly different things. Uh but, you know, just checking in just seeing how he's doing. And he's like, "Yeah, I just went down. And I checked out a a place in Benton. And and it really never clicked for a second. I was like, Benton, Benton. It's like, you know where that is? I'm like, yeah. Like I I do because my my sister lives in Apple, Wisconsin. So by Tom. Um and I'm like, yeah. And I know I've heard Benton, but it took me a second to figure like to make the connections. He's like, "Yeah, there's a house that has a downstairs that's already like wired for pinball." And I'm like, "Oh, okay. That's really cool." He's like, "Yeah, it's it's Charlie's house." like, "Oh, oh, that that Benton." Yeah. So, [laughter] that's fun to have him involved. I mean, Don Don is a force unto himself. It It's It's amazing what he's been able to He He and I may have similar jobs, but we have definitely different energy levels. I'll I'll put it that way. >> Yeah. Yeah. He's unique. We love him. We
    45:13
    Yeah. Yeah. He's unique. We love him. We
    45:13
    Yeah. Yeah. He's unique. We love him. We love having him around. >> Yeah. it it's uh it's great that he's
    45:17
    Yeah. it it's uh it's great that he's
    45:17
    Yeah. it it's uh it's great that he's been able to incorporate uh you you you guys have been able to find a mutual goal uh for what you're doing. So that's that's pretty awesome. So I'm going to ask you other things. So now Tim Burton, it's it's not necessarily spooky, but it is definitely >> if it fits with with
    45:38
    if it fits with with
    45:38
    if it fits with with thinking. So, uh, any other any other Tim Burton ones that you you're interested in doing? Because I know that my wife would love to have a Pee-Wee Herman. And that's a that was actually Tim Burton's uh, first movie, I believe, with Danny Elfman. >> No, I mean, I think the obvious next
    45:55
    No, I mean, I think the obvious next
    45:55
    No, I mean, I think the obvious next step is that we go Sweeney Todd. I think that's the one that clearly >> Yeah. Okay. I can see that one.
    46:00
    Yeah. Okay. I can see that one.
    46:00
    Yeah. Okay. I can see that one. >> I think it makes the most sense. Uh,
    46:01
    I think it makes the most sense. Uh,
    46:01
    I think it makes the most sense. Uh, yeah. No, I genuinely there's a lot of Tim Burton movies I would love to do. Peewee Nightmare, Mars Attacks, Sleepy Hollow. >> Um, I wish we could do I wish I could
    46:13
    Um, I wish we could do I wish I could
    46:13
    Um, I wish we could do I wish I could find a way to make Ed Wood work because like I said, that's my favorite movie uh of all time. And Sweeney Todd's another one of my favorite movies of all time. It would make a killer game. I don't care what anybody says. >> That is that is that is a gory movie.
    46:24
    That is that is that is a gory movie.
    46:24
    That is that is that is a gory movie. [laughter] There's a lot of blood in it. >> Oh my god. But the mechanism of like the
    46:28
    Oh my god. But the mechanism of like the
    46:28
    Oh my god. But the mechanism of like the chair would fold back and drop the ball down into the basement. You'd be making meat pies, dude. It would be a killer game. I'm gonna get people on this. People are going to agree with me someday, I swear. [laughter] But as far as interest goes, yeah, I would make I would make most of Tim Burton's movies [laughter] into a pinball machine if I could. I I just need his phone number so we can talk about it. >> I'll convince him.
    46:50
    I'll convince him.
    46:50
    I'll convince him. >> I I'm betting that he's like Clint
    46:51
    I I'm betting that he's like Clint
    46:51
    I I'm betting that he's like Clint Tarantino where you probably have to do it like old school, like a a Pony Express or a telegraph or or a letter or a postcard. an old school postcard. That seems like on brand for how you'd be able to contact him. Doesn't he live in England, too? Like you'd probably have to like use a Zeppelin to get over there. >> I'm not even I'm not sure where he
    47:10
    I'm not even I'm not sure where he
    47:10
    I'm not even I'm not sure where he lives. I know John Carpenter has a Halloween and it's he loves the heck out of that game. It's constantly in like all his photos and promo stuff that he does. So, I would love it if Tim got a a game into his house. I think that'd be great. I think he would want us to do Nightmare Before Christmas if he if he saw that. So you you've been talking about like you got to be queued in on the development of like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. So the question is is like how long is this game actually been cooking then there for at Spooky? >> Quite a while. I always suck at
    47:42
    Quite a while. I always suck at
    47:42
    Quite a while. I always suck at answering these questions because it's really hard to remember like when you signed the contract because like we a lot of times you start working on stuff before the contract's even signed in most cases if you really want to get a jump on it and you just accept the fact that you might throw out everything you're working on in a handful of months. Um years though, definitely years. We're we're getting pushed out further and further. I mean, I I think in the office up to my left here, there's like five white woods going on with licenses attached to them. Uh, so it it's tough for me to say exactly how long, but um we're getting good at uh getting these things developed further out and uh a lot more finished and refined to our liking before they come to market. >> Okay. So, since you have since you bring
    48:28
    Okay. So, since you have since you bring
    48:28
    Okay. So, since you have since you bring up whitewoods, let's let's talk about this whitewood. And there are there are different ways that games can be developed. You can have a white wood, you can have a few options and then you can get a theme and you can fit the theme to whatever whitewood you have. Or I the opposite is hey we have this theme. What do we want to do with this theme? And you you engineer the whitewood around that. How did this one evolve? Uh originally, so what we normally do is we all get into an office together and uh stand around a blank board and start screwing in ball guides and ramps and uh uh just seeing what we like, what's working for us. Uh the way it went with this one was I like I knew it was going to be Beetlejuice. I took a blank translate home and a whole bunch of Sharpies and markers and I doodled on it for a whole weekend. spent like hours and hours staring at it, drinking coffee, and then uh came in on Monday, threw all of that out, and we just did what we normally did anyway, and stood around a white wood screwing things in together and and working on it that way because that's what works infinitely better. Um, a big part of the reason of that is is Spooky Luke's uh metal fabricating. So, like he is able to just draw a ball guide or a ramp uh in his AutoCAD and then go ahead and take that over to the metal laser, cut it out, bend it, and screw it into the playfield in under 30 minutes. So, when I say, "Can we try this?" He says, "Okay." And he walks over, he sits down, he does that. He brings it over. We screw it in. We try it. I don't like it that way. Can we tweak it this way? Okay. Walks over, cuts it out, tweaks it, brings it over. And we just do that for countless hours and days uh until we're getting really happy with what we're going for. And uh like I said, because we knew this one was Beetlejuice from the start, uh that really helped because we just it's always better to know the theme before you start a layout and it it does work better typically that way. So yeah, just another great process hanging out with him and and drawing up the layout and whatnot. Like I said, fortunately I got to have a bit more of my way on this one. >> So, one thing I don't feel like we've
    50:43
    So, one thing I don't feel like we've
    50:43
    So, one thing I don't feel like we've fully just hit, we've talked about a couple times here, but we just haven't hit it head on. Something that is a first in pinball is the spooky speak. >> Yeah.
    50:54
    Yeah.
    50:54
    Yeah. >> Where did this concept come from? How
    50:56
    Where did this concept come from? How
    50:56
    Where did this concept come from? How does it work with the game? Just this is insane. I I got to know more about it. >> So, yeah, spooky speak. Uh to to be
    51:04
    So, yeah, spooky speak. Uh to to be
    51:04
    So, yeah, spooky speak. Uh to to be completely honest, the way it originally came about was uh when when the rumors were out there that Spooky Pinball might be doing Beetlejuice, uh Canada was out there saying if you don't have the game turn on when you say Beetlejuice, Beetleju, Beetlejuice, you shouldn't be designing pinball. And for months, we were like, that's extremely difficult. There's no way that's going to happen. Uh oh well. And uh we just kept our heads down and kept working. And then we we kept talking about it more and more thinking about various technologies and we were like, you know what, like it we could probably find a way to like have a sequence in the game where you could do that. Uh because I like you have to turn the power switch on to get power to the freaking game. Like like you can't speak that into existence. So when you turn the switch on, we were like, "Okay, well we could do like a cool screen that says my name three times and you have to say it and then the game will turn on And then we were talking about like, okay, well, if you can say that, like, what else can you say to the game? Like, if if it has the ability to identify Beetlejuice three times, it should have the ability to do other things. And like, well, if we can have it hear that, who's to say we can't have light shows play after you say that? Sound effects or movie clips or make the mechanisms move? And the the idea just kept snowballing and snowballing until eventually we had a a a document pages and pages long of all the things that we wanted to do with Spooky Speak and uh including the name Spooky Speak. Uh patent pending by the way. Other companies keep your filthy nets off it. Um [laughter] I don't want to be seeing no stern static or [laughter] jersey jabber. I don't want to see any >> Jersey jabber. That one's good.
    52:44
    Jersey jabber. That one's good.
    52:44
    Jersey jabber. That one's good. >> Yeah. [laughter]
    52:46
    Yeah. [laughter]
    52:46
    Yeah. [laughter] >> By the way, you just gave you just gave
    52:48
    By the way, you just gave you just gave
    52:48
    By the way, you just gave you just gave Chris a huge dopamine hit. Just just so you know that. >> Yeah. [laughter]
    52:55
    Yeah. So, uh I mean, credit is where
    52:55
    Yeah. So, uh I mean, credit is where credit's due. I mean, we it steered us in the path of going down the road for Spooky Speaks. So, which is great because uh if if people don't like it, I'll just blame it on him. [laughter] >> Perfect. Love it. The fulfill plan.
    53:09
    Perfect. Love it. The fulfill plan.
    53:09
    Perfect. Love it. The fulfill plan. >> So, what what else can you do with
    53:10
    So, what what else can you do with
    53:10
    So, what what else can you do with Spooky Speak, though? Like, is is it integrated into the game? like you can activate stuff as you're playing. >> Yeah. So, we we've uh I'll be fully
    53:18
    Yeah. So, we we've uh I'll be fully
    53:18
    Yeah. So, we we've uh I'll be fully honest, we've only been like integrating Spooky Speak over the last few recent months. Like, this is very new uh recent technology for us. So, a as of uh in the gameplay video, as people will see. Um we do have it integrated into elements of the game play now. Uh so, like in the Showtime multiball sequence, you're going to say Beetlejuice three times to the game. uh for it to start that multiball sequence. We are exploring other ways that we can use it. I don't really want to give away too much yet because I don't fully know what is going to be possible in the gameplay elements, but at least outside of gameplay, there's still so many cool things that we can do. And uh including like I would love to get it to where you can utilize it in the menu because I've had countless times I've had both hands on either side of a playfield and I'm working on something. How nice would it be if you could tell the game to go to this menu and start to fire or test this thing while your hands are occupied? Like that would be incredible. So, we're we're still exploring all of the capabilities that Spooky Speak has. I'm very confident we'll get it integrated in gameplay in a lot more cool ways, but we what we have here now at the start, I think is really entertaining and awesome. And just the fact that you can talk to a game alone is going to be great. You know, a Walt Wood video on uh YouTube, I loved it. He says something like, "I've been talking to games my whole life and they never said anything back before. Now they're going to talk back at me." And I was just like, "Damn, that's a cool way of looking at it." Like, and uh I I love the idea too of like if you bring your kids in and they don't know because this has never been done before. Nobody's had a game that you could talk to. Bring your kids in and you say something to the game and it does something back, they're going to lose their mind. They're going to think that's the coolest thing. That might be like a core memory for them. I know for me as a kid it would have been, you know, growing up around pinball and my love for it and all the things that stuck out to me from it as a kid. So, I think it's gonna be great. I think a lot of people are going to really love it. >> How cool would it be to shoot it into
    55:15
    How cool would it be to shoot it into
    55:15
    How cool would it be to shoot it into the scoop or shoot it into a spot where it stops the ball in your final wizard mode and you have to say the thing, you know, either send Beetlejuice back. >> You know what I'm saying? Like there's
    55:26
    You know what I'm saying? Like there's
    55:26
    You know what I'm saying? Like there's always that moment, right? We always wrap those moments around the final wizard mode. It would just be cool to be like, you finally completed it and you get to say it to the game to make it happen. >> Yeah, but you can't reserve it just for
    55:36
    Yeah, but you can't reserve it just for
    55:36
    Yeah, but you can't reserve it just for that. And that that's only like 5% of the players who are going to get there. >> I get that. But it is part of the game.
    55:41
    I get that. But it is part of the game.
    55:41
    I get that. But it is part of the game. Like it obviously there's more you can add to it, but like to to be able to do that, it's it's just something cool, you know? >> I I think he needs to harass you. I I
    55:50
    I I think he needs to harass you. I I
    55:50
    I I think he needs to harass you. I I think that's what it he needs to you need to be able to find a trigger voice to mock him and he has to have a trigger, you know, uh, you know, a hundred things that he can say to you to to mock you back. >> Well, speaking of that, is there is I
    56:04
    Well, speaking of that, is there is I
    56:04
    Well, speaking of that, is there is I know you've got audio clips from the movie and stuff like that, but is there any original call outs as well from any of the cast members? >> No. So, yeah, unable to get like the
    56:13
    No. So, yeah, unable to get like the
    56:13
    No. So, yeah, unable to get like the original cast members in this one. They're just they're they're too grade A of like >> Right.
    56:19
    Right.
    56:20
    Right. It'd be too costly. Yeah, it'd be too >> Kat's just a little busy, I think.
    56:23
    Kat's just a little busy, I think.
    56:23
    Kat's just a little busy, I think. [laughter] Um, but uh we we do have original call outs uh in the game uh as like an original character uh like a spirit guide voice that will be guiding you through things. Um we actually have this defaulted to off on the game because it doesn't need it. Uh you'll see in the gameplay video that I play that like the the direction of the things coming from him. Uh it just doesn't need it. like we utilize the movies call outs and assets in such a way and the light shows and the sequences that we're walking you through it aok okay without it and it's been uh it's worked really great for us and I think a lot of people will be really surprised like when they play it just how easy like how much it does walk you through it without that stuff so it's there if people want it because you know people might want that but uh ultimately like it's better off without it in this case >> honestly is there anything we've missed
    57:15
    honestly is there anything we've missed
    57:15
    honestly is there anything we've missed bug because I mean this game has just it looks like it's got so many great Easter eggs and stuff. Is there something you're just like, "Guys, this you've got to know this about Beetlejuice, man. It's there's so many things." Uh elements like the now serving sign, you know, being uh baked into the backboard back there, like the the numbers counting. That was actually uh Spooky DJ started designing the marquee Beetlejuice sign and the now serving sign before we even knew we had the license. Uh, so he was getting those boards drawn up. So there there was no question in the layout that those were going in because he already made the freaking LED boards and everything before we had the license. Uh, so like that's a really cool way to tie into rules as well of like you're given a number and you have to hit things to get that counter to count up to that number and then go meet with Juno, your case worker, uh, on that. So like that's another cool element of it. But yeah, I mean just a really fast, fun, bouncy game. Every shot does a million different things. Uh, our best mechanisms yet to date. Our best music in the game. Oh, there's there's what I have to talk about. I knew I'd find it if I kept rambling. Uh, Deo. So, we have the Harry Bellafonte Deo song from the movie. The sequence where they all get possessed and taken over. They're doing the dance. And, uh, >> it much like Insanity mode in uh, Evil
    58:38
    it much like Insanity mode in uh, Evil
    58:38
    it much like Insanity mode in uh, Evil Dead. Basically, you're going to hit shots in this mode and then those areas and elements of the playfield are going to get taken over and start dancing in time with the music. So, you hit the sandworm, now he's dancing with the music. The Beetlejuice mech, now he's dancing with the music. The couch dances with the music. Uh, but on top of that, the flippers get possessed too, and they start flipping in beat to various points of the song. And uh in the gameplay video, I because I don't speak in it, I tried to like show that the flippers were flipping themselves. I like stuck my hands out in front of the camera to show you that they were like randomly flipping. And uh it's so hilarious watching people play it and then all of a sudden those get taken over and they're like, "Wait, what?" And it like confuses them like in the way in the movie that they get confused and they look confused while they're doing all the dances and everything. And uh it makes for a lot of really funny moments while you're playing it along with the really catchy awesome song. I mean, everybody absolutely loves that song. So, super happy we were able to get it and give another extremely memorable pinball moment. Uh, in that you you guys have definitely created pinball moments over these last few years. Um, just like with Texas Chainsaw Massacre, drinking the blood out of the LEDs. >> I mean, Evil Dead, Insanity Mode, I
    59:55
    I mean, Evil Dead, Insanity Mode, I
    59:56
    I mean, Evil Dead, Insanity Mode, I mean, it's just >> game after game. I think Scott hit it on
    59:59
    game after game. I think Scott hit it on
    59:59
    game after game. I think Scott hit it on the head, man. You guys have definitely taken theme integration to the next level and I've got to applaud you for that because I think it really shows in the product and what people are looking for. >> So, so one other aspect of these games
    60:09
    So, so one other aspect of these games
    60:09
    So, so one other aspect of these games that you have you have brought you did a similar thing in in Scooby-Doo where you had the different wire forms and you powder coated them. So, this is just one more detail that you guys brought into it that it feels very Timberttony, feels very carnivalally, and it feels like it's just one more thing to say, "Hey, we're Spooky. We are really trying to invest in you guys noticing our games." And so, like, and that's an extra expense. So, tell me about doing that. >> Yeah, we every single game we still just
    60:43
    Yeah, we every single game we still just
    60:43
    Yeah, we every single game we still just managed to find a couple more things to add to it. You know, originally we uh we did have all the habit trails as purple. They were all the same purple color. And uh it was around the time we were adding in the Dante Inferno Room left ramp and that was all very red. We were like, "Well, we can't have a purple habit trail coming off this red area, so we're going to change that to red." And then we're like, "Okay, well, there's just just one random habit trail that's a different color. Let's change another one." And we took the Beetlejuice habit trail where he he shoots it out of the tombstone down that way. We're like, "Well, that would make sense to make that green cuz, you know, he's got the green hair and everything." And then uh yeah, boom. just immediately changed the whole look of the playfield. It it made it look a lot more finished uh right away. But, you know, like I said, just random things that we find every game to keep adding to the speaker grills. So, we've always done custom cut speaker grills. I think it's kind of an underrated thing on our our speaker panels that people don't notice as much. Like, you know, in Halloween, we did the Jacko'Lantern cutout in the speaker grills and Evil Dead, it's Ash with a chainsaw. And uh on this one we did the sandworm, but instead of just cutting out that shape and powder coating the speaker grill, we cut out the shape and powder coat it, but we also do a sandworm artwork on top of that as well. So there's a custom plastic now included with that custom cut metal powder coated speaker grill. So keep finding more ways to add things, change things, and uh make everything look prettier. And like I said, f the boom. Well, and you talk a lot about you're doing the cut of the speaker grills and stuff like that. How much of this are you actually doing inhouse when it comes? >> Most of it.
    62:14
    Most of it.
    62:14
    Most of it. >> Most of it.
    62:14
    Most of it.
    62:14
    Most of it. >> Most of it.
    62:15
    Most of it.
    62:15
    Most of it. >> Yeah, most of it. That's why we That's
    62:18
    Yeah, most of it. That's why we That's
    62:18
    Yeah, most of it. That's why we That's the answer to a lot of questions that [clears throat] Spooky Pinball is. How do they do this? Why do they do that? It's because we do it in house. >> So like your wire forms and everything
    62:25
    So like your wire forms and everything
    62:25
    So like your wire forms and everything in the everything really. >> Yeah. Yep.
    62:29
    Yeah. Yep.
    62:29
    Yeah. Yep. >> Outside of me, like you're not wiring
    62:30
    Outside of me, like you're not wiring
    62:30
    Outside of me, like you're not wiring your own coils, right? You're not winding. >> No, no, no. Like we get those from like
    62:33
    No, no, no. Like we get those from like
    62:34
    No, no, no. Like we get those from like pinball life and whatnot. So like Pinball Life is our our largest supplier outside of what the things that we do in house. But yeah, like our powder coat is done a block away from us. Our wire forms are made in house. You know, our metal is done in house. We print everything in house. We do as much of it in house as humanly possible. It's proven to be extremely effective for us. That all came about like the COVID time when there was one singular thing that held us up for a month and a half during COVID and it was getting the boards in. So, we made sure our next game we did our own boards in house because we weren't dealing with that ever again. >> So, you even make your own boards, too?
    63:11
    So, you even make your own boards, too?
    63:11
    So, you even make your own boards, too? >> Yep. The warden system is designed by
    63:13
    Yep. The warden system is designed by
    63:13
    Yep. The warden system is designed by Spooky Pinball and Maiden House. >> Holy crap.
    63:16
    Holy crap.
    63:16
    Holy crap. >> Yeah, dude. [laughter]
    63:20
    We work really hard. I swear
    63:20
    We work really hard. I swear >> that that's very very hard. That's
    63:23
    that that's very very hard. That's
    63:23
    that that's very very hard. That's impressive. That is super impressive. That's actually the thing I wanted to uh bring up because a lot of games have, you know, you'll see that hey, this is running on this system. This is running on this system. And so tell me about Spooky's programming language. Uh and is it who is making your board set? And uh and tell me about does it change with each game or is this like a consistent one that you've had for a few games now? So we Spooky DJ who is the programmer on Scooby-Doo and Beetlejuice. Uh he designed the Warden system for for Spooky Pinball. It's our system on uh he introduced that with Scooby-Doo pinball and we have used it in every single game since then. There have been a lot of revisions to the the Warden system, but overall it is the same board set that we have been using for how many games ago was Scooby-Doo? It feels like 20 I guess like four or something games ago. three three or four games ago. Uh so it's our own system. We use it in house. Designed it in house. I couldn't tell you anything about uh the programming side of it. Uh C I don't know. C# and Unity. That's spooky pinball. That's I know a lot about how to find code bugs and tell them how to to change stuff, but I don't know the first thing about actually programming or like hardware design on that stuff. So >> amazing. I I did not know that about you
    64:45
    amazing. I I did not know that about you
    64:45
    amazing. I I did not know that about you guys. That is super awesome. And that's I guess that also attributes to why you guys have you like we talked about this last time with Evil Dead uh with quality control and you've already spoke about like how it's went up. You can you can do that because it's all in house now, you know? >> Yeah. And that's another thing that
    65:02
    Yeah. And that's another thing that
    65:02
    Yeah. And that's another thing that speaks to like our quality like like we're aware of the things that sucked for a long time. Like we're we're aware of what people don't like. We stay very in tune with what the community is saying and feeling about us at all times. And uh swapping board set to new board to different system between a bunch of different games is just a mess. It's a disaster. It's horrible for your QC. It's it's expensive. It's it's confusing for customers because every single spooky game they were working on like if you were routing them is completely different than the last one. Like that just sucks. It's horrible to deal with. So having our own in-house was like a huge step forward in the right direction for our quality control. So, you'll probably be on the warden system for quite some time moving forward because of those issues. >> Plan on it forever. [laughter] Yeah,
    65:50
    Plan on it forever. [laughter] Yeah,
    65:50
    Plan on it forever. [laughter] Yeah, >> that's awesome. Yeah,
    65:51
    that's awesome. Yeah,
    65:52
    that's awesome. Yeah, >> and you you're right that is good
    65:53
    and you you're right that is good
    65:53
    and you you're right that is good because that you can get a little more consistency on the programming and to to keep the bugs down. So, that's obviously you don't want spooky bug to go down, but the the bugs so to speak. >> So, so what do you do for your older
    66:05
    So, so what do you do for your older
    66:05
    So, so what do you do for your older games then? So, like for Alice Cooper or anything like that if you need a new if someone needs a new board for it? >> Yeah. So, like you know the older games
    66:12
    Yeah. So, like you know the older games
    66:12
    Yeah. So, like you know the older games that like have the PROC system and whatnot, you know, we still service those. I think we still have like quite a big stash of like those boards sitting around, but otherwise like those are pretty accessible for other things. Uh if it's a really old game, like somebody's got a dominoes and the board goes bad. You know, our tech support team is pretty awesome. Uh our lead guy, AJ on it, he's been with us since like Rob Zombie pinball. So, pretty much anything people send in, he's has been successful at getting fixed and sent back out to them. Uh, [clears throat] so we're still servicing the old games. I mean, we we we still, you know, people call in for like issues on AMH and whatnot. We get them taken care of because AMH is our baby. We got to make sure that thing lives for the tens of thousands of plays that all of those have on them somehow by now. >> Yeah. Bug, is there is there a
    66:58
    Yeah. Bug, is there is there a
    66:58
    Yeah. Bug, is there is there a concluding thought that you that you want to share about your experience uh, you know, with this? This this seems like a great game and I like the theme that it is something that is a little more accessible than something over-the-top blood. So, I I do like the Beetlejuice option and being able to have something that my family can appreciate and enjoy. >> Exactly. I I think Beetlejuice Pinball
    67:23
    Exactly. I I think Beetlejuice Pinball
    67:23
    Exactly. I I think Beetlejuice Pinball is spooky pinball at its most capable and accessible that we've ever been. I it's it's a title and a theme that the most amount of people will know and love and can safely put in their home from us compared to some other titles we've done. And it's also a game with uh the absolute best of everyone involves involved uh capabilities for the design, the manufacturing every single step of the way. It is it is us at our absolute best. Um there was a ton of pressure following Evil Dead. Uh we had no idea how much of a success that game was going to be. And um we could have been really scared going into this game launch knowing that like oh those are some big shoes to fill. We're really worried about that. And uh you know speaking to you know usually in our game launches it goes teaser trailer on Thursday full game trailer Friday sales are open. We put the teaser trailer out for this weeks ago because we weren't worried, you know, like in the time in between with the hype building up and everything, we weren't worried. We're confident that it's going to live up to the expectations and the hype that everybody has for it. Uh because we know it's a really great game and people are going to really like it and we are all insanely proud and honored and humbled uh to be doing something like this. I still feel like any day somebody's going to knock on the door and come in and be like, "Dude, you're not a real pinball like person. Get out of here." Like, you don't know what you're doing. This isn't real. Come on. You thought this was happening to you? No way. Like I I I always feel like we're, you know, pinch me and we'll wake up sort of deal. So, it's been it's been really awesome. We're really proud of it. Uh I'm excited to get building it. Um the employees are all excited to get building it, too. Everybody's got a lot of hype around it, you know, even from that aspect. And uh it's going to be a cool year. It's going to be a really fun year. We're having the best time that we have literally ever had at Spooky Pinball. Like period. This is the most fun we've ever had. So >> it's awesome. I do actually It brings up
    69:29
    it's awesome. I do actually It brings up
    69:29
    it's awesome. I do actually It brings up one more question. Speaking of familyfriendly, you know, Beetlejuice obviously says some swears in the movie. >> Yeah.
    69:34
    Yeah.
    69:34
    Yeah. >> Can Can you Is that going to be s Can
    69:36
    Can Can you Is that going to be s Can
    69:36
    Can Can you Is that going to be s Can you censor that? Is that an option? >> Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
    69:40
    Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
    69:40
    Yeah. Yeah, definitely. >> Easy enough, man. Bug, I really
    69:42
    Easy enough, man. Bug, I really
    69:42
    Easy enough, man. Bug, I really appreciate you coming on. It's always great having you on. I I I like this yearly thing that we've set up now. >> Yeah, that's great. [laughter]
    69:49
    Yeah, that's great. [laughter]
    69:49
    Yeah, that's great. [laughter] >> It's awesome. So, um if anyone if you
    69:51
    It's awesome. So, um if anyone if you
    69:51
    It's awesome. So, um if anyone if you want anyone to get a hold of you, what's the best way to get a hold of you? >> Yeah. Uh if you open the coin door
    69:56
    Yeah. Uh if you open the coin door
    69:56
    Yeah. Uh if you open the coin door inside your spooky machine, because I know you have one, except for these two, but if [laughter] you open the coin spooky machine, there's a phone number and an email in there. Uh you can call those are for your service departments. Otherwise, uh there's the main shop phone number. I can't remember what it is. 815541 0054. Is that the main one? Maybe that's the service one. I don't know. >> Sure. Yeah, that's a good question.
    70:18
    Sure. Yeah, that's a good question.
    70:18
    Sure. Yeah, that's a good question. >> Otherwise, uh Morgan SpookyPinball.com
    70:20
    Otherwise, uh Morgan SpookyPinball.com
    70:20
    Otherwise, uh Morgan SpookyPinball.com or squirrelspookpypinball.com is great for your general questions. Uh if you have a really cool license that you want me to sign and make a thousand units of, email bugs spookyball.com and I'll I'll consider it. Um [laughter] otherwise, just general questions. You can always hit me up bugsball.com. I live stream on YouTube every week, Thursday, 700 p.m. Central, Bug Screaming Stream. Uh, I just did five code update streams in a row for the month of October. That was really fun. >> Dang. Nice.
    70:48
    Dang. Nice.
    70:48
    Dang. Nice. >> I'm not sure what I'm doing this week. I
    70:49
    I'm not sure what I'm doing this week. I
    70:49
    I'm not sure what I'm doing this week. I guess this this will come out after it's already over. But, um, so yeah, that's uh that's us. Spooky Luke at spooky pinball.com. You can always throw your questions or anger his way. He he's pretty good at fielding all things that there is under the sun at this point from people. So, but yeah, otherwise our Discord channel too. Check out our Discord. We're in there. We just got 400 members in there today. Um, nice. >> Just people talking, chat, and having
    71:16
    Just people talking, chat, and having
    71:16
    Just people talking, chat, and having fun. We we meme out pretty hard in there. We make a lot of [laughter] >> that. We have the most fun just hanging
    71:22
    that. We have the most fun just hanging
    71:22
    that. We have the most fun just hanging out in our Discord talking stuff with people. So, yeah. >> Nice. I have to I have to add that. I
    71:26
    Nice. I have to I have to add that. I
    71:26
    Nice. I have to I have to add that. I didn't realize you guys had a Discord. >> Yeah, I didn't. It's super great in
    71:29
    Yeah, I didn't. It's super great in
    71:29
    Yeah, I didn't. It's super great in there. It's a fun time. >> That's awesome. If you want to get a
    71:33
    That's awesome. If you want to get a
    71:33
    That's awesome. If you want to get a hold of us, we are loseridpinballodcast@gmail.com, [music] loserkidpinball for all the socials and all that jazz. get some serball swag. Uh we just dropped a brand new shirt uh of the loser kid American flag. So I I go check it out. See what you think. Uh I'm pretty stoked about it. Uh it may have drawn some inspirations from somewhere else. If you know what I'm talking about. If you know, you know. Um like I said, if you want if you flipping out, if you want that 500 bucks, you could do that. Also, if you're looking to get like a portal or a P3,000 bucks as well, hit us up for that. Other than that, Scott, give us our last words. >> You know what? I did look it up. So
    72:09
    You know what? I did look it up. So
    72:09
    You know what? I did look it up. So Spooky, if you want to give them a call, it's 8155410054.
    72:18
    That's 815 5410054. And seriously, get on the phone. Try to get those last 70 Beetlejuice. >> Yeah.