Episode 950: "Gomez Clarifies Gun-Gate"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·12m 55s·analyzed·May 8, 2024

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Kaneda reveals Lionsgate imposed John Wick gun restrictions; criticizes Stern's launch strategy and pricing.

Summary

Kaneda discusses a conversation with George Gomez about the John Wick pinball gun controversy, revealing that Lionsgate (not Stern) imposed the no-guns-in-artwork restriction. Kaneda criticizes Stern's outdated launch marketing strategy, lack of transparency with content creators, and overpricing of limited editions, arguing these practices have damaged consumer confidence and won't sustain the company long-term.

Key Claims

Lionsgate, not Stern, requested the restriction on guns in John Wick artwork
high confidence · Kaneda citing direct conversation with George Gomez: 'he explained to me that this was Lionsgate asking them not to do this they put a restriction on using guns in the artwork'
George Gomez was surprised by the negative community reaction to the gun restriction
high confidence · Kaneda quoting Gomez: 'I didn't think people would react this badly and this poorly'
Stern's current marketing approach of creating FOMO through secrecy is outdated and ineffective
medium confidence · Kaneda's direct opinion: 'I just don't think they work anymore like this' and 'Those days are over'
Stern will not sell 1,000 John Wick Limited Edition units at $13,000
low confidence · Kaneda's prediction: 'There's no way they're going to sell 1,000 John Wicks at $13,000'
Tim Sexton's voice during the John Wick reveal was unusually high-pitched, described as 'Mickey Mouse' quality
high confidence · Kaneda recounting observation: 'Tim doesn't normally sound like Mickey Mouse. He came in with like this helium octave level voice'
Stern bypassed established pinball content creators in favor of lesser-known YouTubers for John Wick coverage
medium confidence · Kaneda criticizing: 'Mr. Sharp went over to some YouTuber' and 'I've never even heard of this guy. Like, what's going on here?'
Stern has overpriced its products relative to their actual value, which is unsustainable long-term
medium confidence · Kaneda's opinion: 'the real enemy to all of these pinball companies is they've overpriced what the real value of their product is'
If Stern had limited John Wick LE to 500 units instead of 1,000, it would have signaled they were reading the market correctly
low confidence · Kaneda's hypothetical: 'if they announced there's only going to be 500 John Wick LEs, I think everybody would have celebrated that'

Notable Quotes

“This was Lionsgate asking them not to do this they put a restriction on using guns in the artwork”
Kaneda (citing George Gomez) @ early in episode — Clarifies the source of the gun restriction controversy, attributing it to licensing rather than manufacturer choice
“I didn't think people would react this badly and this poorly”
George Gomez (via Kaneda) @ mid-episode — Reveals manufacturer miscalculation of community sentiment
“George, where you been? Like, have you met pinheads? You know, they're gonna react. You know, they're gonna latch on to the one weakness or the Achilles heel of a game.”
Kaneda @ mid-episode — Captures the community's tendency to amplify perceived flaws in expensive products
“This approach doesn't work. And that's why when you have a thing like the launch of John Wick and there's no guns in the artwork, I think you need to communicate that a little bit more up front.”
Kaneda @ mid-episode — Core thesis about the need for transparent, early communication in game launches
“The moment the order banks open up, you need to make sure that everybody has the right amount of information they need before you take their hard-earned money.”
Kaneda @ late episode — Ethical stance on when manufacturers should disclose critical information about products
“The real enemy to all of these pinball companies is they've overpriced what the real value of their product is.”
Kaneda @ late episode — Identifies pricing strategy as the root issue undermining limited edition appeal
“There are hundreds of thousands of pinball machines out in the world. If all these companies went away tomorrow, we would still have enough pinball to satiate every single person on planet Earth that wants to own a pinball machine.”
Kaneda @ late episode — Economic perspective on why manufacturers must maintain consumer goodwill for new machine sales

Entities

Kanedaperson George Gomezperson John WickgameStern PinballcompanyLionsgatecompany Tim Sextonperson

Signals

?
licensing_signal: Lionsgate imposed the restriction on gun imagery in John Wick artwork, which was not part of the initial licensing agreement but was enforced during approvals process
high · George Gomez confirmed to Kaneda: 'we signed the deal when we initially signed the deal to make this game that was not part of the agreement and then you have to deal with the approvals people and they did not want guns in the artwork'
?
product_concern: The absence of gun imagery is perceived by the community as a major compromise for a John Wick-themed game, fueling negative sentiment despite being a licensing requirement rather than a design choice
high · Widespread community reaction to 'Gun Gate' and Kaneda's framing that this compromise is emblematic of the overpricing issue
~
sentiment_shift: Three-year pattern of Stern overpricing, excessive limited editions, and poor communication has eroded consumer confidence and changed the vibe around the company
high · Kaneda: 'Stern has beaten down their fan base over the last like three years with overpriced LEs, way too many LEs, and they don't seem to be cognizant of the vibes that have shifted dramatically around their company'
$
market_signal: Market shows resistance to high-volume (1,000-unit) limited editions at $13,000+ price points; previous instant sellouts no longer guaranteed
medium · Kaneda: 'There's no way they're going to sell 1,000 John Wicks at $13,000. And there's no way people are excited about this price point, about the volume of these games'
?
industry_signal: Disconnect between manufacturer decision-making and community content creator expectations; Stern not engaging established influencers for context and transparency on controversial design decisions

Topics

John Wick gun restriction source and licensingprimaryStern's launch marketing strategy and FOMO tacticsprimaryStern's relationship with pinball content creators and mediaprimaryLimited edition overproduction and pricing sustainabilityprimaryConsumer sentiment shifts toward Stern and expensive machinesprimaryJohn Wick reveal presentation quality and executionsecondaryVoice talent selection for game reveals (Tim Sexton vs. Jack Danger)secondaryCompetitive positioning of Jersey Jack Pinball vs. Sternsecondary

Sentiment

negative(-0.75)— Kaneda is frustrated with Stern's execution across multiple dimensions: lack of transparency, outdated marketing, overpricing, and failure to leverage community influencers. However, sentiment is constructive criticism rather than hostile—he wants the industry to succeed and is rooting for course correction. Positive notes toward George Gomez personally (as an individual who engaged honestly) slightly elevate the score from pure negativity.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.039

all right well i was just chatting with george gomez yes the man over at stern pinball and he has confirmed for me that there will be a plethora of gun-toting john wick scenes all throughout the game he explained to me that this was Lionsgate asking them not to do this they put a restriction on using guns in the artwork and he said to me you know look I'm not going to argue with George Gomez but he said we signed the deal when we initially signed the deal to make this game that was not part of the agreement and then you have to deal with the approvals people and they did not want guns in the artwork it's weird that they wouldn't want that and it's just more about what's happening over at these movie studios and not over at Stern Pinball. And we know Stern has no problem putting guns into games. There were guns in Mandalorian. There were guns in Deadpool. And so they had their hands tied behind their back. And we did what the pinball community does so well. We freak out. We get dramatic. And I think for the most part, a lot of us out there, we're looking for reasons not to buy these expensive games. I mean, let's be honest. We're looking for anything we can latch onto as the reason why we're not going to spend this much money on pinball. And so here's my thing, though, about all of these pinball launches. I just don't think they work anymore like this. And I was saying this to George. I'm like, George, the problem is, is you're not communicating this stuff. You're just dropping it out in the world like it's 2016. 2016 like this is still the old way to launch a game where you're still trying to drive that FOMO and that urgency through the door the moment the game is revealed all of your dealers are spamming us taking orders and we're supposed to make a decision on whether or not we want to pull the trigger no pun intended considering today's conversation but we've got to make up our mind right away and those days are over like you don't have to launch a game like this anymore where like you try to keep the theme a secret. We all knew it was John Wick. I told you it was John Wick a year ago. And now a year later, we get John Wick. And this is the problem when you're still trying to do this old method of FOMO inducing marketing where you're not going to let people know what the next title is, even though you know what the next title is. And the other thing they didn't do is they didn't bring in any of us pinball content media and actually explain to us what the issue was with the artwork in the game. So I'm reacting to this game the same way Kerry Hardy is reacting to this game, the same way Pinside is reacting to this game. Everyone's just reacting with the only information they have. And look it fun to overreact and to become dramatically enraged by decisions like these They don really mean much The rest of the world is looking at us like we a bunch of fools and jackasses Like if I walk down the street in New York City and I'm like, oh man, are you still going to pull the trigger on a $13,000 John Wick? Even though there's no guns in the artwork in the game, they'd be like, what are you even talking about? Like, what are you even saying, man? Like, that's where we're at. But there was one thing Gomez said to me. He's like, I didn't think people would react this badly and this poorly. And I did say to him, George, where you been? Like, have you met pinheads? You know, they're gonna react. You know, they're gonna latch on to the one weakness or the Achilles heel of a game. And they're gonna make a mountain out of a molehill. Especially now, George, I don't really think they're reading the room. Stern has beaten down their fan base over the last like three years with overpriced LEs, way too many LEs, and they don't seem to be cognizant of the vibes that have shifted dramatically around their company. And I think they're living a little bit in their own bubble. I think it would behoove them to maybe talk to some of us who sort of have a better read, I believe, on where people are vibing, like how their customers are feeling. Because trust me, I speak more to Stern customers on a weekly, daily, and monthly basis than they even do. And so do all the other content creators out there. So do the moderators on Pinside. And Stern never, ever, ever seems to even care what our opinions or feedback are on their company. And they're just going to keep doing what they're doing. And that's my point, is that it's outdated now. This approach doesn't work. And that's why when you have a thing like the launch of John Wick and there's no guns in the artwork, I think you need to communicate that a little bit more up front. I also asked about Tim Sexton's voice and even George was like, look, something was going on with the audio. Tim doesn't normally sound like Mickey Mouse. He came in with like this helium octave level voice that just made everybody sort of laugh out loud. And I did say to George, like, maybe you should just have Jack Danger present all of these games. You know, I've heard Tim talk before and he doesn't normally sound like this, but it was funny. On top of the no guns, you have Tim coming in with like this Mickey Mouse high pitched voice like, hey, guys, let me explain to you John Wick pinball. And there's this AI system and it knows how good you're doing. It was just so comical to have that kind of voice coming in on a theme like John Wick, you know, where it's like this dark, gritty, you know, badass hitman movie theme. And then you've got Mickey Mouse selling you the game. And then I know like Mr. Sharp went over to some YouTuber, went over and had like a YouTuber make a video. Who is this guy? Like, how is this the guy that Stern is turning to to make their videos? Like, I played John Wick. Like, I've never even heard of this guy. Like, what's going on here? They not leaning on any of the people in this hobby that have the fan bases and the communities connected to their products And I not saying it going to be me but they should have gone to someone else who got more clout and respect in the pinball world And so this is what happens when you launch a product like this You don't give people enough information. You don't give people enough context. And the problem is, is that the order banks open up. And that's the thing, Stern. The moment the order banks open up, you need to make sure that everybody has the right amount of information they need before you take their hard-earned money. And that's why times have changed because for like six years, Stern could announce any LE and it was an instant sellout and they didn't have to give us more information. They didn't even have to do any work. And I think now that this company is going to experience flatter sales than they've ever experience before. I think at these prices, games are not going to be flying off the shelf. There's no way they're going to sell 1,000 John Wicks at $13,000. And there's no way people are excited about this price point, about the volume of these games. And then you have to spend another $2,000 on a topper. And I think Stern's marketing, I think it would help them out if they would just hit pause for a minute and realize we can't just do this rinse repeat every single launch and have success. That may be some of the stuff that Canada is saying we should think about. Maybe the vibes that are happening around our company and the consumer base that we need to protect, maybe we need to start addressing that. Because the issue in pinball now is all about whether or not these companies are going to be able to maintain consistent buyers of new in box products. Because remember, that's the only reason why we need a factory. It's to make new games. There are hundreds of thousands of pinball machines out in the world. If all these companies went away tomorrow, we would still have enough pinball to satiate every single person on planet Earth that wants to own a pinball machine. And so the only way to keep those factories healthy and keep these companies healthy is if they preserve and protect what makes people want to buy a new in box game and i don't think seth davis cares about that and i don't think the moves stern has made over the last three years have been aimed at protecting and preserving what made new in box pinball days so much fun preserving what made buying an le such a reward and feeling like you got something special, all of that is over now. And that is the big thing. Like that's the Dick White Walker issue in all of pinball right now, right? It's like the real enemy is not the fact that the mechs aren't amazing. The real enemy is not the fact that John Wick is not holding a gun. The real enemy to all of these pinball companies is they've overpriced what the real value of their product is. And it's happening across the board. Once you cross that threshold you really need to check every single box and make sure you deliver something that doesn have any compromises And that is why when we see a compromise like no guns in the hands of John Wick it just is a reminder to all of us that you not getting everything you want And yet these companies are charging more than they've ever charged before. And that is a conversation that not everybody wants to have. I tried to tell George Gomez, if you could give Seth Davis any advice from Canada, it's not going to work. 1,000 LEs at $13,000 is not a sustainable thing. They need to address that. And I think if they did address that, even on this launch, if they announced there's only going to be 500 John Wick LEs, I think everybody would have celebrated that. I think those games probably would have sold out if they did that because it would have shown us that Stern is reading the room and it would have shown us that they want to move this company back into the right direction but they didn't do it if i was jersey jack today i would announce that our next game is only going to have 500 collectors editions i don't care if it's harry potter or top gun whatever it is somebody's got to make a move and i think if it's just going to be rinse and repeat by all these companies and stuff isn't working it's not going to work and the last point i'll make is this you get one chance to make a first impression. They had one chance to launch John Wick in a way that was gonna get people excited and I don't think they did it. And that's on the marketing team and that's on the marketing approach. Trust me, they could have found a way to launch this thing differently. They could have set up a game downtown in New York City where the Continental is and they could have invited people to have a first hands-on experience with the game. Instead, what did they do? They brought a game and they put it in front of windows, which annoys me to begin with, in some random room in California and put it on a guy's stream where none of his audience are the pinball fanatics you and I know. And that's how you create the content of John Wick. I think this approach just doesn't work. And I'm really rooting for Stern and anybody out there for these pinball companies to wake up, read the room and stop with the rinse and repeat. Times have changed and we need to see more transparency from them. They need to let us in a little bit more. The days of like everything's going to be a secret until the day we want your money. And on that day, we're not going to give you enough information. It doesn't work. Everybody, thank you for the support. I love doing these shows. I'm waiting for the baby. I'm really anxious. I want to get this baby out with 10 fingers and 10 toes. And I just want my beautiful wife. She's carried this child for 10 months. That's all we want is this baby out in the world so he can be another person who's not going to buy $13,000 LEs. Have a good night, everybody. They don't quench my thirst