claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.037
Eric Meunier reveals GNR pinball design process with unprecedented Slash collaboration and full-length music.
Eric Meunier started working on Guns N' Roses in April 2018 and has been working on it for over two years
high confidence · Eric Meunier stated directly: 'I've been working on it since April of 2018, I think, was my first whitewood drawing.'
Slash was involved in the design process daily, providing input on mechs, rule concepts, and band representation
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'literally every day, him and I would talk, and I would show him the current progress on stuff like, you know, art and video and layout and things like that' and 'he would get back to me within 10 minutes' even while on tour.
The game features 21 full-length Guns N' Roses songs from the Not In This Lifetime concert tour
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'You have 21 songs. They've got a bunch of different albums... The song list was picked by Slash from the Not In This Lifetime tour. This was 21 of the 40 songs that they played during that concert.'
Slash personally called Paul McCartney to secure the rights to 'Live and Let Die' when licensing negotiations with Sony and McCartney's agent failed
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'we were on the call it was me and Jack and Slash on the call... Slash literally says well guys let me call Paul we'll work it out... 15 minutes later we had the song.'
The game includes exclusive instrumental music performed by Slash, Duff, and Richard recorded specifically for pinball mechanics
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'Slash, Duff, and Richard all played riffs and licks and short tunes in the right key at the right tempo for every song in the game so that when you hit a switch or you do something important during Live and Let Die, it's in the right key at the right time.'
The Collector's Edition includes a 60-watt soundbar addition to the base 120-watt sound system (50% extra power)
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'they have, what is it, a 120-watt sound system to begin with, and then the soundbar is an extra 60 watts.'
Jersey Jack Pinball relocated their entire company from New Jersey to Illinois, which delayed the game's reveal
“Every day, him and I would talk, and I would show him the current progress on stuff like, you know, art and video and layout and things like that. It was so cool, man.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Demonstrates Slash's unprecedented level of involvement in the design process compared to typical licensors.
“Slash literally says well guys let me call Paul we'll work it out... 15 minutes later we had the song.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Highlights Slash's personal influence and connections that resolved a major licensing bottleneck for 'Live and Let Die'.
“Pirates is, in my opinion, a perfect game, and I make the games that I want to play. And so in the way that GNR is designed, it's a perfect music game.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Establishes Eric's design philosophy and his confidence that GNR stands as an achievement in music pin design rather than merely competing with Pirates.
“If you don't rock well enough, and this goes back to my college days playing rock band and guitar hero with my college roommates, if you don't play well enough during the song, you're getting booed off stage.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Explains the core game mechanic (Rock Meter) that ties pinball gameplay directly to the concert experience metaphor.
“The Bluetooth headphones, you need to play a JJP game with Bluetooth headphones on. You will hear things that you didn't know were in a game until this point.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Highlights a technical innovation (Bluetooth audio) and reveals the depth of stereo separation and audio design in the game.
“You have to have thick skin. If you don't have thick skin, you cannot be in the pinball industry.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Reflects industry norm of handling both praise and criticism on community forums, particularly Pinside.
“Slash came to us with a playfield sketch. Wow. With concepts for mechs and stuff like that in the game. Who does that? Slash.”
Eric Meunier / Host Christopher Franchi — Demonstrates Slash's unusual hands-on approach to the design, contributing mechanical concepts before development began.
design_philosophy: Eric Meunier emphasizes that pinball mechanics must integrate seamlessly with music timing, tempo, and key signatures. He requested that Slash, Duff, and Richard record 5-10 instrumental licks per song at multiple tempos and keys to match ball speed and switch timing, creating a unified audio-gameplay experience.
high · Eric: 'I got my request, and they obliged. Slash, Duff, and Richard all played riffs and licks and short tunes in the right key at the right tempo for every song in the game so that when you hit a switch or you do something important during Live and Let Die, it's in the right key at the right time.'
licensing_signal: Slash demonstrated unprecedented involvement in pinball design by providing playfield sketches, attending design meetings in person, communicating daily during tour, and contributing original music. This level of artist participation is rare in the industry.
high · Eric: 'Slash came to us with a playfield sketch. With concepts for mechs and stuff like that in the game. Who does that? Slash' and 'literally every day, him and I would talk' and references to Slash responding within 10 minutes while on tour.
product_launch: Jersey Jack Pinball delayed the public reveal of Guns N' Roses until games were manufactured and ready to ship, following a company-wide relocation from New Jersey to Illinois. Manufacturing setup, staff training, and parts coordination were cited as major operational challenges.
high · Eric: 'The problem is we moved our entire company from New Jersey to Illinois. Getting manufacturing set up and running and all parts sent here and training new people and hiring new people and doing all that is an extremely involved operation. So now that we have games in boxes ready to ship, we felt comfortable unveiling the game.'
technology_signal: Guns N' Roses introduces Bluetooth headphone connectivity and Wi-Fi in full-featured form (building on limited Dialed In implementation). Audio board tuning provides clearer mids and better lows than previous JJP games. CE model features optional 60-watt soundbar expanding base 120-watt system to 180 watts total.
groq_whisper · $0.375
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'The problem is we moved our entire company from New Jersey to Illinois. Right. So getting manufacturing set up and running and all parts sent here and training new people and hiring new people and doing all that is an extremely involved operation.'
The Time Song feature (jukebox mode) is planned but not implemented in version 1.0
high confidence · Eric Meunier: 'the time song feature, and I'll be clear here, it's not implemented in 1.0. It's something that we want to add.'
“so I think the music here is represented the way that a musician will appreciate, right? Nice. Pinball people will appreciate it as well, but when a musician steps up to this thing and they hear it and they hear the sound effects and they'll feel it in the way that it's supposed to be felt.”
Eric Meunier @ N/A — Articulates Eric's dual design goal: satisfying both musicians and pinball enthusiasts through authentic music implementation.
high · Eric: 'The Bluetooth connectivity and Wi-Fi connectivity is something that we are proud to present for the first time in full featured form here with Guns N' Roses... The Collector's Edition soundbar adds another 50% extra power to the sound system... 120-watt sound system to begin with, and then the soundbar is an extra 60 watts.'
content_signal: Game includes 21 full-length Guns N' Roses songs from Not In This Lifetime tour plus exclusive original instrumental music recorded by Slash, Duff McKagan, and Richard Fortus specifically for pinball mechanics and sound design.
high · Eric: 'You have 21 full-length songs, you've got new exclusive music for the game from the band, all of the voices from the band and the band's announcer are in the game, and you have exclusive call-outs from the band members.'
gameplay_signal: Core game mechanic uses a 'Rock Meter' that judges player performance during songs. Poor play results in being 'booed off stage,' ending the song and disabling flippers until a new song starts. Inspired by Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Game objective is performing well enough during full-length songs to avoid drain.
high · Eric: 'if you don't rock well enough... you're getting booed off stage... you're going to drain out your ball... the flippers turn off and then you have to go back in and restart a new song.'
code_update: Time Song feature (jukebox mode for time-limited song-based scoring) is planned but not implemented in version 1.0. Designed as an alternative play style for bar/location use, allowing players to score as much as possible within a song's duration rather than building long-term strategies.
high · Eric: 'the time song feature, and I'll be clear here, it's not implemented in 1.0. It's something that we want to add... a jukebox mode to play in a bar or at home.'
licensing_signal: Securing 'Live and Let Die' required navigating dual licensing (publishing rights held by Sony, performance rights by Paul McCartney). Initial negotiations with Sony and McCartney's agent failed before Slash personally contacted Paul McCartney to resolve the issue in 15 minutes.
high · Eric: 'There's two sets of rights for all music. There's publishing rights, and there's all the other licensing rights. So Paul McCartney owned the licensing rights, and Sony Music owns publishing rights... we reached out to Paul McCartney's agent... five times, got nowhere. Sony just told us no.'
machine_intel: Guns N' Roses development began April 2018 and reveal occurred after ~2+ year development cycle. Feature pipeline includes post-launch code updates (Time Song mode) and the game is now shipping in production quantities.
high · Eric: 'I've been working on it since April of 2018' and 'now that we have games in boxes ready to ship, we felt comfortable unveiling the game' and 'the time song feature... it's not implemented in 1.0.'
community_signal: Eric Meunier monitors Pinside game feedback threads but avoids reading general reviews/opinions. He acknowledges industry norm of receiving both praise and criticism, emphasizing need for 'thick skin' as a designer. Focuses energy on podcasts and next game design rather than community sentiment tracking.
high · Eric: 'There are certain threads that I will look at on Pinside, mostly the if the game has an issue thread... people will like the game, people will hate the game. That's just the way that this industry is. You have to have thick skin.'
design_innovation: JJP games feature stereo-separated audio effects that become apparent when using headphones or Bluetooth headphones. Oompa Loompas in Wonka sing left/right channels separately, creating spatial audio experience not present with standard speakers. Guns N' Roses leverages this audio design philosophy.
medium · Eric: 'The Bluetooth headphones, you need to play a JJP game with Bluetooth headphones on. You will hear things that you didn't know were in a game... plug in headphones to your Wonka, and you'll hear... the Oompa Loompas are singing, like, in your head instead of just coming at your face.'