Episode 661: "Something Smells Fishy With Fathom"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·10m 13s·analyzed·Mar 22, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

Kaneda questions Haggis Pinball's credibility after sudden 8-week Fathom ETA and invoice demand despite prior claims of uncertainty.

Summary

Kaneda criticizes Haggis Pinball (Damien/American Pinball) for sending out full-payment invoices with an 8-week delivery promise just 48 hours after publicly stating no ETAs could be given, citing lack of manufacturing proof and repeated missed deadlines. He also questions Weird Al Pinball's single-unit production pace and expresses frustration with boutique company practices, arguing they request money before demonstrating production capability.

Key Claims

Damien stated in a video 48 hours prior that no ETAs could be given on Fathom production, then sent invoices with an 8-week timeline
high confidence · Kaneda, directly observed from the video release and subsequent invoice timing
Haggis Pinball has missed every single deadline previously announced for Fathom
high confidence · Kaneda, from production history discussion
The same Fathom prototype has been displayed for approximately 8 months without evidence of production-level manufacturing
high confidence · Kaneda, observed prototype continuity
Damien originally announced Fathom in May with a two-month delivery promise, which was not met
high confidence · Kaneda, referencing historical announcement
Weird Al Pinball has only completed one game unit despite claims of assembly line operations
medium confidence · Kaneda, citing Jerry Stellenburg's photo evidence of single completed unit
No other major manufacturers (Stern, JJP) have significant announcements, forcing focus onto boutique companies
medium confidence · Kaneda, industry observation
Demanding full payment invoices before proving manufacturing capability is historically a risky practice in boutique pinball
high confidence · Kaneda, pattern analysis from past boutique company failures
Kaneda was previously burned by Spooky with Ultraman and holds negative views on boutique company pre-orders
high confidence · Kaneda, personal experience disclosure

Notable Quotes

“I'm just here to do this show and tell you right now that I think something is fishy at Haggis Pinball.”
Kaneda @ 0:00 — Opening thesis statement that frames the entire critique
“He has already missed every single deadline and now he is sending people a pay in full nonrefundable invoice of a game you have not seen being built in any numbers whatsoever.”
Kaneda @ 2:15 — Core complaint: pattern of deadline failures combined with payment demand without proof
“The most confidence inspiring thing he can do is show us what's going on in the factory. You haven't seen any of it and you're going to pay an invoice?”
Kaneda @ 3:45 — Central demand for transparency before payment
“He probably needs all that money to get the staff in the door. He needs all that money to order the parts and as we know and as we've learned from the years and years and years of watching boutique companies do this, it's a lot harder than he realizes.”
Kaneda @ 4:30 — Acknowledges business necessity while criticizing communication strategy
“People in this hobby are stupid. If you ask me, they're like, oh, everything must be going well because I got an invoice. No, that's the easy part is to ask for people's money.”
Kaneda @ 6:15 — Critical take on buyer psychology and decision-making in boutique pinball
“When Stern takes your money and Stern reveals a game, the game is on the line.”
Kaneda @ 3:00 — Contrast between major manufacturer practice and boutique approach
“I don't like these boutique company rides. I wouldn't get on them. I got burned by Spooky with Ultraman Man, it's just forever wait.”
Kaneda @ 5:30 — Personal disclosure of negative boutique experience and reluctance to participate
“Why is the pattern here with all of these boutique companies? The moment they want to take your money, they give you something that's confidence inspiring.”

Entities

KanedapersonDamienpersonHaggis Pinballcompany American Pinballcompany FathomgameKeltsgameJerry StellenburgpersonWeird Al PinballgameStern Pinballcompany

Signals

?
product_concern: Haggis Pinball sending full-payment invoices with 8-week ETA despite no visible factory operations, consistent prototype display, and previous deadline misses
high · Kaneda documents the 48-hour contradiction between 'no ETA' video and invoice distribution; references 8-month prototype stasis and prior May announcement with unfulfilled 2-month promise
?
supply_chain_signal: No evidence of parts procurement in house; Kaneda repeatedly notes lack of manufacturing line visibility as red flag
high · "We've seen zero proof that they have the parts in house to make the Fathoms. We've seen zero proof they can make more than one prototype of Fathom."
?
industry_signal: Systemic pattern of boutique pinball companies requesting full payment before demonstrating production capability; seen historically as risky practice
high · Kaneda identifies pattern: 'The moment they want to take your money, they give you something that's confidence inspiring' and connects this to industry-wide repeated failures
~
sentiment_shift: Host expressing eroded trust in boutique pre-orders due to repeated cycle failures and lack of transparency
high · Personal disclosure: 'I got burned by Spooky with Ultraman Man' and broader statement 'I don't like these boutique company rides. I wouldn't get on them.'
?
product_launch: Fathom originally promised May announcement with 2-month delivery; now requesting payment with 8-week delivery promise (third iteration of timeline)
high · Kaneda: 'When Damien announced Fathom in May and took your money, He said he would have games on the line in two months. And here we are, history repeating itself all over again.'

Topics

Haggis Pinball / American Pinball Fathom production credibility and timelineprimaryBoutique pinball company practices: invoice timing, transparency, and communicationprimaryManufacturing proof and factory transparency as trust metricprimaryRepeated deadline failures in boutique pinball industryprimaryWeird Al Pinball production pace and assembly line efficiencysecondaryContrast between major manufacturers (Stern, JJP) and boutique company practicessecondaryBuyer psychology and FOMO-driven decision making in boutique pre-orderssecondaryPodcast content strategy: short, focused episodes vs. long-form meanderingmentioned

Sentiment

negative(-0.85)— Strong skepticism and frustration directed at Haggis Pinball and boutique industry practices, tempered slightly by stated hope that Fathom ships successfully and acknowledgment that business necessity may justify payment requests. Kaneda expresses personal negative experience and calls buyer decision-making 'stupid.' Overall tone is accusatory with underlying concern for the community.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.031

Welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast and I'm just here to do this show and tell you right now that I think something is fishy at Haggis Pinball. What do I mean by that? I'm going to tell you right now. Now you're telling me that Damien comes out this weekend just a couple days ago, does a video, doesn't show us any parts, any manufacturing. In fact, he says how difficult it is to make a pinball. and his not gonna give any ETAs on when fathom production or shipping will begin. He said that to all of us on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and now just two days later he is sending out invoices for people to pay their invoices in full to get their fathoms get ready for it in eight weeks. He's now promising games will be on the line in eight weeks. Now here's why this is fishy. If he knew games were gonna be on the line in 8 weeks, why didn't he say so in the video he just did like 2 days ago? And why did he in the video 2 days ago say he was not gonna give any ETAs on the game because they didn't know what it was yet and now he's asking for people's money with an ETA of 8 weeks? Do John Youssi why this is fishy? Do John Youssi why this is weird? Do John Youssi why this hobby is so strange to me? Why would you send money until you've seen that they can manufacture these fathoms? He goes on a video and says how much harder it is to engineer a fathom than a kelts. He hasn't shown us a line of people making any of these fathoms. That's still the same fathom prototype he's had there for like eight months. And he showed you some code. Did John Youssi anybody in the factory? Did John Youssi a line going? I'm here to tell you right now, I hope they get this done. I hope they ship these machines, but this makes me very nervous and this seems very fishy. Why is he sending out invoices if games are not 30 days away? This is not how you're supposed to do it. He has already missed every single deadline and now he is sending people a pay in full nonrefundable invoice of a game you have not seen being built in any numbers whatsoever And how does he know in eight weeks that games are definitely going to be on the line And here's the thing. I hope I am wrong. For those of you out there that think I wake up and I want to see these companies struggle, no I don't. But we've seen Damien do this before. And I mean it when I say it. I'm going to be honest with you guys, the part I will never understand about him is he's once again giving an ETA when he does not know. Do you guys know, like when Stern takes your money and Stern reveals a game, the game is on the line. And we know that the riskiest thing you can do is pay in full for something until you've seen proof they can make this game. We've seen zero proof that they have the parts in house to make the fathoms. We've seen zero proof they can make more than one prototype of Fathom. Making Kelts is not making Fathom. And I don't understand, this is the part I just don't get, explain to me, somebody in comments or just call me up or say something on my Facebook page, explain to me how 48 hours later after he just said he was not going to give an ETA because he didn't know yet, he gives an ETA when he takes more of your money. Do John Youssi the pattern here with all of these boutique companies? The moment they want to take your money, they give you something that's confidence inspiring. But the most confidence inspiring thing he can do is show us what's going on in the factory. You haven't seen any of it and you're going to pay an invoice? I just think this is fishy behavior. I think it's strange. And I hope you guys get your games. I hope they get these games out in two months. and I want to be wrong, but this is not the kind of behavior we should support. I would not be sending in a fully paid invoice until I see the parts. Damien, show us what you got. Do a video tour walking around the factory. Introduce us to the gentlemen or women who will be making these games. He hasn't shown us any of this and he's sending out invoices. Now here's the problem. He probably needs all that money to get the staff in the door. He needs all that money to order the parts and as we know and as we've learned from the years and years and years of watching boutique companies do this, it's a lot harder than he realizes to get all the parts in house to get all the labor set up He never done this before He made just a handful of Keltz machines These machines are harder to make Any date he puts out there seems like it never going to be achieved because they learning as they go And this is my concern is why is he telling people eight weeks Eight weeks So two months from now and these are not just the series ticket holders these are the actual beginning of just mermaid only orders So in two months we are going to see this I hope I'm wrong, but man, how does this not smell fishy? Am I being a jerk? Should I be supporting this? No, I'm just going off of historically when we see companies do this and ask for invoice money before you've seen the line going, that is a really risky proposition. Why can't he show us more of what's going on behind the scenes, everybody? Look, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast is not going to do 2 hours and 15 minute shows. I was giving my friend Travis over at TripleDrain some grief for this. It's like we don't need all these long shows. We don't need so much just back and forth. What we need is more people in the pinball content world actually holding more of these companies accountable and actually saying, hey, like this is not good practice. And on the same day he gave out invoices for Fathoms, Jerry Stellenburg showed us a picture of a Weird Al in a box about to ship to somebody. So I owe Jerry Stellenburg $100. Now, Jerry Stellenburg has game one in a box. But here's the other thing too. Congratulations, Jerry. But where's game two? Where's game three? Again, if you have an assembly line going, shouldn't multiple games be done in a day? And wouldn't it make more of a statement if there were a bunch of Weird Als all built and ready to go? Right? I mean look if you're on these rides and I mean it the only reason I have to dedicate airwaves to haggis and to p3 Multimorphic or multi more big p3 sorry I got it wrong again is that nothing is happening from anybody else nothing is happening from Stern Nothing is happening from JJP. So we are laser focused on these boutique companies that I'll tell you this right now I don't like these boutique company rides. I wouldn't get on them. I got burned by spooky with Ultraman Man, it's just forever wait and then you don't know if your game's gonna even be worth like 80% what you already paid for it. If people think these fathoms are gonna be worth like twice as much money when they come out, no they're not. They probably hold steady they might go up a little bit but these are not machines People were not clamoring to get fathoms before the remake was announced but man oh man and KamAKI Khaitakari Antonin and productive partner Nik Chakyphai Aaronson Shopify BluP ornament FamilyMedio, . leaks from Google.com, author of magazine and blog article. Okay, so, you know, I assume, Randy Penepe is knowing that this we get the entertainment Video making Out of business, 95%. So why is everybody always so ultra confident every time a boutique company sends out an invoice? People in this hobby are pretty stupid. If you ask me, they're like, oh, everything must be going well because I got an invoice. No, that's the easy part is to ask for people's money. And as everybody forgotten that when Damien announced Fathom in May and took your money, He said he would have games on the line in two months. And here we are, history repeating itself all over again. And all I want to know from Damien and Marty and everyone over there, just show us proof that this time it's actually going to happen. Why aren't they showing us more proof before the invoices go out? I did not see on that video this weekend, a man who was ultra confident in giving an ETA on these How is that not fishy? That's all I wanna talk about on this episode. See I can do in 10 minutes, or 8 minutes, or 9 minutes, what other shows will go on for 2 hours about nothing even relevant in the pinball world. Is Kaneda firingshots on the eve of the Twippy when he's gonna kiss babies and shake hands down in Texas? Oh yeah he is, 5 for 5 baby. This is how we do it and this is why you're a member of the Kaneda Club because you don't need to sit through watching paint dry to get someone to actually look at this hobby the right way. Everybody peace out. Kaneda Tuesday. Let's do it. Subtitles by the Amara.org community