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Live pinball discussion covers Stern marketing gaffes, Star Trek announcement, and Dracula speculation.
Stern accidentally posted Transformers photos to the Insider Connected app
high confidence · Jamie mentions this as a known incident that led to awareness of potential Stern website/marketing issues
Star Trek is the next Keith Elwin game after Fallout, coming from Stern
high confidence · Jamie states 'Canada released it on his Saturday morning spectacular yesterday' and confirms 'Stern is the next Keith Elwin game after Fallout is the original Star Wars and Star Trek'
George Gomez stated Niantic was the problem with Pokémon Pinball's Pokédex feature and that Insider Connected is a direct competitor
high confidence · Chat message from 'Aussie' references George Gomez saying 'IC is a direct competitor' and that they need to rename Pokédex to 'Collection'
Stern is using AI-generated images of women as placeholders on their website and product pages
medium confidence · Jamie states 'they're creating these weird AI images with women in it to use as placeholders on the website' and confirms 'when you actually go to the product page it's the same thing'
Stern has staffing issues with people leaving and not being replaced
medium confidence · Kale mentions 'there's a staffing issue there's a lot of people leaving and okay and they're not like hiring people to take their place'
Dracula is an upcoming unannounced Stern Pinball game featuring Victorian Gothic vampire hunter themes
medium confidence · Jamie speculates based on ChatGPT analysis and playfield design patterns: 'I imagine it being uh in like the like a 1800s um like a Victorian like Gothic setting' and mentions designer team (Brian Eddy, possibly Dwight)
Eureka Heights Arcade will receive both Pro and Premium versions of Transformers, with Pro arriving first
high confidence · Jamie confirms 'Eureka Heights is in on the Pro and the Premium. They're going to do the Pro Premium' and will move Pro to other locations once Premium arrives
Jersey Jack Pinball machines have recurring lightboard connectivity issues due to off-the-shelf USB-C connectors lacking serious locking mechanisms
“Are you guys is this how you guys are trying to get clicks now? I reached out to a buddy at Stern that deals on the software side”
Jamie Burchell @ early segment — Highlights Stern's AI-generated imagery marketing blunder and Jamie's attempt to understand the strategy internally
“They could do so much. They could do it like Batman 66. I mean, not the layout, right? But the way it was incorporated so perfectly with all these episodes and all that. They can totally do that with Paramount, don't you think?”
Kale @ Star Trek discussion — Discusses design philosophy for Star Trek, comparing to successful licensed integration in Batman 66
“It's taking so long. This is what I'm worried about... They probably like approved uh licensing for like for them to build a pinball machine and they did a bangup job... But for them to implement the gaming side of it on a mobile device, I bet they've run into issues”
Jamie Burchell @ Pokémon discussion — Articulates the licensing complexity theory later confirmed by George Gomez comment in chat
“George Gomez said Niantic was the problem and said IC is a direct competitor. So, what I was guessing is spot on.”
Jamie Burchell @ Pokémon discussion — Validates speculation about licensing/competitive issues with mobile gaming companies
“I imagine it being uh in like the like a 1800s um like a Victorian like Gothic setting... and I would imagine they want to since they did so well with the RPG elements in Dungeons and Dragons, I think you're going to see those elements here”
Kale @ Dracula speculation — Detailed speculation about unannounced Dracula game design based on recent Stern design patterns
“They use just like offtheshelf USBC connectors for all of their lightboards. And I don't know if it's the vibration... it would cause the lightboards to glitch out”
Kale @ Jersey Jack reliability discussion — Identifies specific technical reliability issue affecting JJP machines in location play
“We don't need any of these things. Tell you the truth. But I am I'm actually excited about this IP... Star Trek has always covered the pinball demographic, no matter what generation it was.”
product_concern: Stern Pinball using AI-generated images of women as placeholders on website and Insider Connected app product pages, indicating lack of proper marketing asset management and professional oversight
high · Jamie confirms seeing and sharing screenshots of AI-generated imagery used in Stern's Facebook ad campaigns and product pages
personnel_signal: Stern Pinball experiencing staffing losses without replacement hires, affecting operational capacity and marketing management
medium · Kale states 'there's a staffing issue there's a lot of people leaving and okay and they're not like hiring people to take their place'
announcement: Star Trek confirmed as next Keith Elwin Stern Pinball game after Fallout, original series theme with expected high-quality IP integration
high · Canada released official announcement on Saturday Morning Spectacular; Jamie and Kale discuss confirmed details
machine_intel: Dracula speculated as upcoming Stern Pinball game with Victorian Gothic vampire hunter theme, likely designed by Brian Eddy and possibly Dwight, drawing design inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons RPG elements
medium · Jamie used ChatGPT analysis to speculate on unlicensed properties; detailed gameplay speculation around location-based play (Romania, London) and character selection mechanics
licensing_signal: Pokémon Pinball Pokédex feature delayed due to licensing conflict between The Pokémon Company/Game Freak and Niantic (Pokémon GO), with Insider Connected creating competitive concerns for IP holders
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medium confidence · Kale details Avatar breakdowns: 'they use just like offtheshelf USBC connectors for all of their lightboards' causing connectivity glitches
Kale @ Star Trek discussion — Pragmatic take on Star Trek's demographic appeal despite industry over-saturation
high · George Gomez confirmed via chat: 'Niantic was the problem and said IC is a direct competitor' and solution is to rename Pokédex feature to 'Collection'
product_concern: Jersey Jack Pinball machines experiencing recurring lightboard connectivity failures due to use of non-locking off-the-shelf USB-C connectors instead of proprietary locking connectors used by competitors
medium · Kale details Avatar Legends failures at Electric Bat: 'they use just like offtheshelf USBC connectors for all of their lightboards' causing glitches and player confusion
business_signal: Eureka Heights Arcade expanding to three locations with multi-tier Stern machine ordering strategy (Pro first, Premium later), indicating successful operator scaling and strong machine demand
high · Jamie states 'they're at three locations now' and confirms Eureka Heights ordering Transformers Pro and Premium with planned relocation strategy
operational_signal: Tier-based machine rollout strategy allowing operators to test Pro versions at primary locations before deploying to secondary locations or upgrading to Premium models
high · Jamie describes Eureka Heights strategy: 'they'll get the Pro first and then when the Pro comes in, they'll move the Pro to some one of their other locations, Eighth Wonder or um'
design_philosophy: Recent Stern games (Dungeons and Dragons, speculated Dracula) incorporating RPG-style character selection and progression mechanics, indicating design philosophy shift toward player agency and stat-based gameplay
medium · Kale speculates on Dracula: 'you'll be able to select different characters' and 'you'll have different areas to play in like like Romania, London' based on D&D's success
community_signal: Jamie and Kale planning controversial art/controversy-focused pinball podcast episode covering historical industry issues and controversies from both recent events and 60-year pinball history
medium · Jamie states: 'we set up a an controversial art pinball podcast and Kale and I just never did it... we cataloged all of controversies from like recent um different things in Sterner and JJP all the way back to like 60 years ago'
content_signal: Jamie experimenting with Riverside streaming platform for live show infrastructure, planning call-in show capabilities via third-party phone apps (Art Bell style)
medium · Jamie and Kale troubleshoot Riverside technical features, discuss adding call-in capability using Roadcaster or third-party call apps for future episodes