TEASE TIME

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Apr 11, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

JJP opens Harry Potter pre-orders; Stern and Barrels tease April reveals.

Summary

Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, and Barrels of Fun are teasing upcoming game releases in April 2025. Jersey Jack Pinball has opened pre-orders for Harry Potter Pinball in three editions ($9,999–$15,000) with a heartfelt message from founder Jack Guarnieri emphasizing the game's significance to the community. Stern will reveal King Kong: Myth of Terror Island on April 15, 2025, while Barrels of Fun will announce their second game on April 17, 2025, featuring new standard inclusions like a shaker motor and anti-reflective glass.

Key Claims

Jersey Jack Pinball's Harry Potter Pinball will be available in three editions: Arcade ($9,999), Wizard ($12,000), and Collector's Edition ($15,000)
high confidence · Official pricing announced by JJP distributors; Collector's Edition requires $2,500 deposit, other two require $1,000 deposit
Stern Pinball will reveal King Kong: Myth of Terror Island on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
high confidence · Official announcement by Stern Pinball with teaser video showing playfield feature (gong shot)
Barrels of Fun will announce their second game on Thursday, April 17, 2025
high confidence · Official scheduling by Barrels of Fun; preview shown to Pinball News at factory in March
Barrels of Fun's second game will include shaker motor, anti-reflective glass, and Horizon Lighting interactive playfield perimeter lighting as standard features
high confidence · Official teasing with #INCLUDED! hashtag campaign showing product images
Jersey Jack Pinball has been developing Harry Potter Pinball for years, fighting for the license and staying true to the Wizarding World spirit
high confidence · Jack Guarnieri's official message to the community
American Pinball has their next title ready to launch but currently lacks the capacity to build it
medium confidence · Editorial assessment by Pinball News based on company status
Pinball Brothers are rumored to have Predator in the pipeline to complement their Alien game
low confidence · Speculation by Pinball News; described as 'rumoured'

Notable Quotes

“This is not just a game. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment—for our company, for our community, and for the countless fans around the world who have kept the magic alive.”
Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball founder — Emphasizes the cultural and commercial significance of Harry Potter Pinball to JJP and the broader pinball community
“Bringing Harry Potter to life in pinball form has been an extraordinary journey. We've worked for years behind the scenes—refining every detail, fighting for the license, and staying true to the spirit of the Wizarding World.”
Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball founder — Indicates multi-year development and licensing complexity for the Harry Potter machine
“The pinball community has weathered difficult times lately. We've all felt the uncertainty, the challenges, and the weight of keeping this art form alive. Yet, we continue to support one another, lift each other up, and move forward with love, purpose and positivity.”
Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball founder — Acknowledges recent industry challenges and positions Harry Potter as a unifying moment for the community
“This Harry Potter release is for you. For the kid inside all of us. For the magic we never stopped believing in.”
Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball founder — Emotional appeal positioning Harry Potter as a legacy/passion project rather than purely commercial

Entities

Jersey Jack Pinballcompany Harry PottergameStern PinballcompanyKing Kong: Myth of Terror Islandgame Barrels of Funcompany Jack Guarnieriperson

Signals

?
business_signal: American Pinball has next title ready but lacks manufacturing capacity to build it
medium · Pinball News editorial note: 'American Pinball have their next title ready to launch, but currently appear to lack the capacity to build it'
~
sentiment_shift: Jack Guarnieri acknowledges pinball community has 'weathered difficult times' with 'uncertainty' and 'challenges' but maintains optimistic outlook
high · Direct quote: 'The pinball community has weathered difficult times lately... Yet, we continue to support one another, lift each other up, and move forward with love, purpose and positivity'
?
event_signal: Multiple major game reveals scheduled within 3-day window (April 15-17, 2025), creating concentrated announcement period
high · Stern April 15, Barrels of Fun April 17; Texas Pinball Festival 2025 preceded these announcements
?
licensing_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball spent years 'fighting for the license' and developing Harry Potter Pinball, indicating complex licensing negotiations
high · Jack Guarnieri quote: 'We've worked for years behind the scenes—refining every detail, fighting for the license, and staying true to the spirit of the Wizarding World'
?
announcement: Barrels of Fun schedules April 17, 2025 reveal for second game; teases standard included features via #INCLUDED! campaign
high · Official scheduling announced; shaker motor, anti-reflective glass, and Horizon Lighting system confirmed as standard inclusions

Topics

Jersey Jack Pinball's Harry Potter game announcement and pre-ordersprimaryStern Pinball's King Kong: Myth of Terror Island reveal date and teaserprimaryBarrels of Fun's second game announcement and included features strategyprimaryPinball industry capacity and production challenges across manufacturerssecondaryLicensing complexity and long development timelines for premium pinball gamessecondaryIndustry sentiment and community resilience amid 'difficult times'secondaryUpcoming announcements and reveals from European manufacturersmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Strong positive sentiment driven by excitement around major game announcements (Harry Potter, King Kong) and Jack Guarnieri's emotionally resonant community message. Jack's message acknowledges recent industry challenges but frames them with optimism and unity. Neutral/factual reporting tone from Pinball News balanced against celebratory nature of announcements. Slight concern noted regarding American Pinball's capacity issues and general manufacturing bottlenecks across the industry.

Transcript

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With the coming week seeing at least two new game launches and another poised to launch soon after, Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball and Barrels of Fun have all started teasing their next releases. JERSEY JACK PINBALL Jersey Jack Pinball were first off the blocks with Jack Guarnieri’s confirmation at the Texas Pinball Festival that their upcoming game would be based on the Harry Potter franchise. ![Jack Guarnieri at the Texas Pinball Festival 2025](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/texas-pinball-festival-2025/247-texas-pinball-festival-2025.jpg) Jack Guarnieri at the Texas Pinball Festival 2025 Jack then spoke more about the Harry Potter licence, the planned tiers of game available, the assets they had to work with, and much more in the latest edition of the Pinball News and Pinball Magazine Pinball Industry News PINcast. That was followed by JJP distributors opening up their pre-order lists and confirmation of the three models along with their pricing. ![JJP opens pre-orders for Harry Potter](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/01-tease-time.jpg) JJP opens pre-orders for Harry Potter The prices for the three models is: Arcade Edition – $9,999 Wizard Edition – $12,000 Collector Edition – $15,000 The Collector’s Edition requires a $2,500 deposit to pre-order, while a $1,000 deposit is needed for the other two models. Although the game is available to pre-order, no actual images or features have yet been released. Today, Jersey Jack Pinball published a message from Jack about his company’s new game. ![A message... from Jack](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/02-tease-time.jpg) A message… from Jack | | | --- | | Dear Friends, Collectors, and the Extended Family of Jersey Jack Pinball, We are approaching a moment we’ve dreamed about for a long time—one of the most momentous times in the history of pinball. After years of relentless dedication, love, and hard work, we are beyond proud to announce the upcoming release of Harry Potter Pinball. This is not just a game. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment—for our company, for our community, and for the countless fans around the world who have kept the magic alive. The love, passion, and demand for this title have been unprecedented. Soon, we finally get to share with you something we’ve poured our hearts and souls into. Bringing Harry Potter to life in pinball form has been an extraordinary journey. We’ve worked for years behind the scenes—refining every detail, fighting for the license, and staying true to the spirit of the Wizarding World. We believe the final result will be everything you’ve hoped it would be… and more. But this isn’t just about one game. This is about all of us—our loyal fans, our collectors, our dreamers, our creators. The pinball community has weathered difficult times lately. We’ve all felt the uncertainty, the challenges, and the weight of keeping this art form alive. Yet, we continue to support one another, lift each other up, and move forward with love, purpose and positivity. To our tiny world of pinball that we hold so dear: thank you. Thank you for believing. Thank you for standing by us. And thank you for helping us create a future where passion, imagination, and craftsmanship still matter. This Harry Potter release is for you. For the kid inside all of us. For the magic we never stopped believing in. With heartfelt gratitude and excitement, Jack Guarnieri Founder, Jersey Jack Pinball | | | The reveal date for the Harry Potter game hasn’t been announced but the company will doubtless be keen to get their game into the hands of collectors and operators as soon as possible. STERN PINBALL Meanwhile, Stern Pinball have set Tuesday 15th April, 2025 as the reveal date for their next ‘cornerstone’ game, King Kong: Myth of Terror Island. ![Stern Pinball's next cornerstone release](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/05-tease-time.jpg) Stern Pinball’s next cornerstone release In advance of that date, the company produced a teaser video unveiling the full name for the first time and giving a brief glimpse of one of the playfield features. ![The gong shot, featuring the initials of the design team above](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/06-tease-time.jpg) The above Being a ‘cornerstone’ game, we expect Pro, Premium and Limited Edition variants to be available at launch. Here’s the teaser video in full: VIDEO We’ll bring you full details of King Kong: Myth of Terror Island when it is revealed on Tuesday right here at Pinball News. BARRELS OF FUN Barrels of Fun have scheduled the reveal of their second game – including the title – two days after Stern’s reveal. Game two should be announced on Thursday 17th April, 2025. Pinball News was given a preview of the new game at the Barrels of Fun factory in March, but the the team working it have managed to keep details of the title and playfield features a closely-guarded secret. However, they have been teasing some aspects of what will come with the game, using the hashtag #INCLUDED! to promote the extra value included as standard. Those extras include a new shaker motor, anti-reflective glass, and the company’s new Horizon Lighting interactive playfield perimeter lighting system. ![Barrels of Fun's shaker motor is #INCLUDED!](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/03-tease-time.jpg) Barrels of Fun’s shaker motor is #INCLUDED! ![Infinity anti-reflective glass is also #INCLUDED!](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/tease-time/04-tease-time.jpg) Infinity anti-reflective glass is also #INCLUDED! Barrels of Fun have previously stated their intention to have games available to play and purchase when they are launched, so you can expect to see the game showing up in homes and on location soon after the reveal. As usual, you’ll be able to get all the details about Barrels of Fun’s second game right here at Pinball News. THE OTHERS For the other main pinball makers, Turner Pinball and Multimorphic both released their latest games – Merlin’s Arcade and Portal, respectively – right before the recent Texas Pinball Festival. American Pinball have their next title ready to launch, but currently appear to lack the capacity to build it. Chicago Gaming also announced their Merlin Edition of the Medieval Madness Remake which will keep them busy for some time. Dutch Pinball are now shipping their first ‘Exclusive’ title with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which will also occupy their manufacturing facilities for a while. Likewise, Spooky Pinball have to build all 888 copies of their Evil Dead game which is now officially sold out. European manufacturers Pinball Brothers and Pedretti are likely the next companies to announce their next titles. Pedretti have a number of projects in development, not all of which are Williams/Bally remakes, while Pinball Brothers are rumoured to have Predator in the pipeline to complement their Alien game. To keep up with all the new and upcoming game announcements, make sure you check out the Pinball Industry News PINcast each month. See our PINcast* page for the current and all the previous editions.