Episode 654: "Weird Al Sells Out?"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·20m 27s·analyzed·Mar 2, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Multimorphic sells out 227 Weird Al LE in one day; Kaneda declares licensed themes the path forward.

Summary

Kaneda analyzes Multimorphic's record-breaking sale of 227 Weird Al limited editions in a single day, congratulating Jerry Stelenberg while contextualizing the achievement against Stern's scale. He argues the success validates licensed themes over original IP, predicts manufacturing challenges ahead, and offers strategic advice for Multimorphic's future—though he questions whether casual Weird Al fans truly understand the P3 modular platform they've purchased.

Key Claims

Multimorphic sold 227 Weird Al limited editions in one day, which exceeded their total P3 sales from the previous eight years
high confidence · Kaneda states this as the episode's central fact and congratulates Jerry Stelenberg on the achievement
Stern manufactures more games in three days than Multimorphic has sold in eight years
medium confidence · Kaneda uses this comparison repeatedly to contextualize scale, though no specific production figures provided
Weird Al has sold 20 million albums and has strong crossover appeal in the pinball community
medium confidence · Kaneda cites this as evidence the 227 sales are not surprising given the fanbase size
The Weird Al LE sold for $4,800, more expensive than Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition
high confidence · Kaneda explicitly states the price point and compares to GNR pricing
Licensed themes outsell unlicensed games by three-to-one ratio
low confidence · Kaneda's stated opinion/prediction at episode end; not presented as verified data
Multimorphic can only succeed by focusing on licensed themes going forward
low confidence · Kaneda's opinion/strategic advice; uses strong language ('This is it, Jerry') but framed as prescriptive
Spooky Pinball games are viewed as lazy and unpolished due to user interface issues and gameplay disappointment
medium confidence · Kaneda reports community sentiment and contrasts it with Weird Al's polished state
Stern is not currently shipping new pinball games; Jersey Jack is delayed on Toy Story
medium confidence · Kaneda uses this to position Multimorphic's opportunity window, but specificity on shipping status varies

Notable Quotes

“He sold more in just six months than he did in six years because he made a licensed theme game.”
Kaneda @ mid-episode — Core thesis: licensed IP is the key to Multimorphic's success
“Jerry, you found what works for your platform. Find licensed themes that are a little bit niche. Get the license for them and make games like this.”
Kaneda @ late-episode — Direct strategic advice framed as marketing counsel
“In one day, he moved more P3 platforms and more P3 games than he's done in the last eight years.”
Kaneda @ early-episode — Establishes the record-breaking scale of the Weird Al sale
“I wonder if any like just casual Weird Al fans like saw this and got one and now they like, wait what? Like what is Cosmic Kart Racing?”
Kaneda @ mid-late episode — Raises question about whether buyers understand the P3 modular system
“Stern could fulfill the Weird Al LE orders in three days.”
Kaneda @ mid-episode — Puts manufacturing scale gap in stark perspective
“The hard part begins. Now they have to make these games.”
Kaneda @ early-mid episode — Pivots from celebrating sales to highlighting manufacturing execution challenge
“I said they would never sell the games. I said they would only sell like a handful. I think he learned the lesson that it's worth investing in a good license more than anything.”
Kaneda @ late-episode — Acknowledges his previous skepticism and Multimorphic's course correction

Entities

Jerry StelenbergpersonMultimorphiccompanyWeird Al's Museum of HilaritygameKanedaperson Ben Heckperson David FixpersonStern PinballcompanySpooky Pinballcompany

Signals

?
product_launch: Multimorphic sold all 227 Weird Al LE units in a single day, representing the company's largest sales event in eight years and clearing entire LE inventory in one transaction
high · Kaneda: 'In one day, he moved more P3 platforms and more P3 games than he's done in the last eight years.'
?
manufacturing_signal: Multimorphic faces significant fulfillment challenge with 227 orders; Kaneda speculates 4-5 month ETA and questions weekly production capacity and labor cost efficiency relative to Stern's three-day capability
medium · Kaneda: 'The hard part begins. Now they have to make these games.' and extensive discussion of manufacturing timeline uncertainty
$
market_signal: Kaneda argues licensed themes dramatically outperform unlicensed IP (3:1 ratio claimed) and this sale validates the strategy; predicts Multimorphic must pursue only licensed themes going forward
medium · Kaneda: 'You give me a licensed theme that has a fan base and you are going to outsell any unlicensed game three to one.' and 'Jerry now can only make licensed themes.'
?
product_strategy: Kaneda notes Multimorphic employed traditional pinball industry FOMO tactics (fixed production run of 227, bank wire deposits, limited availability) contradicting its forward-thinking brand narrative
high · Kaneda: 'Jerry has always touted this whole thing as being the future of pinball... But if you really think about it, the stuff that actually made his company successful were the tried and true tactics of the pinball industry.'
~
sentiment_shift: Kaneda explicitly reverses his prior skepticism about Multimorphic's viability, acknowledging the company's learning curve and success with licensed IP

Topics

Licensed vs. Unlicensed IP StrategyprimaryMultimorphic Business Performance & GrowthprimaryManufacturing Execution & Supply Chain ChallengesprimaryP3 Platform Adoption & User Base ExpansionprimaryLimited Edition FOMO & Pricing StrategysecondaryBoutique vs. Major Manufacturer Scale & CompetitionsecondarySpooky Pinball Community Sentiment & Quality IssuessecondaryWeird Al as Pinball Theme & Fanbase Appealsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Kaneda is congratulatory toward Multimorphic's achievement but tempers enthusiasm with realistic concerns about manufacturing execution. Criticism of past strategy and competitive landscape is balanced by acknowledgment of course correction. Negative sentiment toward Spooky Pinball and skepticism about unlicensed IP viability.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.061

We've been spending most our lives living in an Amish paradise. I churned butter once or twice living in an Amish paradise. I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said I... Well, he did it. The crazy SOB did it. Gerry Stellenberg successfully sold 227 limited edition versions of Weird Al's Museum of hilarity. I keep having to get the name right. So I want to just say this. First and foremost, congratulations to Jerry and team over at Multimorphic. I mean, this man has brought this platform around for like eight years. And yesterday he had his greatest sales day ever. In one day, he moved more platforms and more games than he's done in the last eight years. So I do want to congratulate him. earned something in a very successful day. Now we also have to look at it in a little bit of context people. You know, don't forget that Stern makes more games than this in three days. In three days Stern makes more games than Multimorphic has sold in like eight years. But this company is not trying to be Stern. And what Jerry has always needed to do, he always needed to get a user base up and he needs to get The P3s into homes across the world because then his platform Starts to make more sense It makes more sense for developers to start to make kits for the platform if they know Their kit can be sold to hundreds of people right? It's not gonna work if you only have 50 games sold so it is really good news for them It is great momentum for them to get these games sold now Now, was I surprised that a licensed themed game, even though it was Weird Al and it's not my dream theme and you know my reaction to Weird Al was like, what Weird Al? But Weird Al has sold 20 million albums and as I've learned over the past couple of weeks, there are many of you in the pinball world that consider Weird Al to be a dream theme. And so moving 227 Weird Al games all of a sudden doesn't really seem like it's that hard to do, right? When you just think about it, right? This is twice as many games as Ultraman. I mean you gotta start looking at this stuff in context. I would argue that Weird Al has more crossover appeal in pinball than even Rob Zombie, which only 300 Robzombies were made. And in a world in which there are now 1000 LEs of everything, all of a sudden being part of a little club of 227 people starts to feel like a really appealing thing, especially in pinball now, right? I've said this, like this entire industry is oversaturating what it means to be limited, what it means to be exclusive. I do think one of the funny and somewhat ironic things we witnessed yesterday was this. Jerry has always touted this whole thing as being the future of pinball, like looking forward, being innovative, approaching this hobby differently. But if you really think about it, the stuff that actually made his company successful were the tried and true tactics of the pinball industry. C multinational Don't forget to subscribe toxic to Laugh Meat.mp3 I applaud them for this because this is how you do it. You told people we're going to make this many. He created the right amount of FOMO and people walk through the door and hand it over $2,000. It was a bank wire, people. You can't do credit card chargebacks, but we do know that once you get your ETA ship date, if you're not happy with that ETA ship date, they will give you a refund. Now this is a great day for them but here is the thing It is easy to take deposits it easy to take orders from people now the hard part begins now they have to make these games I am super curious as to when Jerry will say game number one of Weird Al your ETA ship date is this and I don mean the kit because it a lot easier just to make the kit Samuel Picasso ieeves, Hai's, Wow! Pierre Dave An, I'm going to be talking about the most fun P3 game to date. It looks like it shootss the best. It's got a theme that people like. It's basically the best game on this platform. And so I would have to imagine that you would buy it. Now at $4,800 bucks going in on the LE is not cheap though. So maybe you went for the standard, but all $227 are sold. Here's the other thing I thought when I heard that it sold out in one day. Jerry now can only make licensed themes. And I mean it when I say this. This is it, Jerry. I hope you learned a lesson yesterday. Nobody wants Cannon Lagoon. Nobody wants Lexi Lightspeed. Nobody wants Cosmic KartRacing. They want licensed themes. You sold more in just six hours than you did in six years because you made a licensed theme game. You can't go backwards now. So this is the turning point. This is the tipping point. He is finally learning what I've been saying and the rest of the industry has shown him all these years. And Ben Heck has been screaming about this forever. It is also the reason why David Fix's AP Strategy will not work. It won't work. If you want to be successful and set your company up for long term pinball success and create a user base and a fan base and a marketplace for your company, you need to make licensed themed games. and it worked. And I'm happy it worked because I've been saying it forever. Jerry put a licensed theme on this platform. Now, is this the license I would have chose? No, but I think they were very realistic with their KPIs. I think 227 was very reflective of a couple things. How popular Weird Al is and how quickly they can make games. That is the big question now. When do you think people will get their games? Here's my guess. If I'm a guessing man, my guess is that Jerry is going to tell people that the first Weird Al's will start to arrive in June. So I think it's going to be about four to five months from now in which people will actually start to get their games. Now, that's just half of the equation because the other part and this is the hardest part. How many can they make a week? Because if you're weird Al number one and they can only make 10 a week, it's going to take a while to get to 227 because the other thing is this is it a lot faster to just make the kits versus making the whole year. I'm not sure, right? Nobody else is doing it this way. Nobody else has like cabinets and the base platform and then the kit. So we shall see how efficient Jerry can be. And the other part, right? And we've seen this with Spooky. This is a numbers game now. Like Jerry needs to decide how much money do I want to invest in talent and how much money do I want to spend on people coming in? Like labor costs. How much money do I want to spend on getting more people With a Closed Caption. I know that doesn't sound very efficient. As I said, Stern would make all of these games, all of them in just three days. I mean, think about how crazy that is. Stern could fulfill the Weird Al Ellie orders in three days. And so we don't know yet what people's ETA will be. We will find out sooner than later. You speculating it might take Jerry a month to figure out what he going to say the ETA is Now do I think people are going to bail on this no I mean Jerry could pretty much tell people six months or eight months because these are weird owl Fans like we know that the majority of the pinball buying community. They're not like p3 fanatics They haven't really bought into Jerry's platform. They haven't you know why I know that because they didn't buy this thing Give them a free gift and send a brochure At derniagroup에서 MCP Floyd應該, M 다� majestic을 받은 pun는 아직 말인게www previously thwe가 그리�wig래 간신하게 계속 안 오고있습니다. Artistry Can 열�omy of the All that's out there kerned in The Pinball Podcast is brought to you by the Pinball Podcast Network. I'm your host enhanter I'm John Papadiuk and today I have two story précered directly reflectory suffice. The first story Clement is this one of AmazingLex'sORT kunnenanieật Network Web. Set up anything. I mean it when I say it. If this game didn't have the screen and if it wasn't inside a P3 cabinet, if it was just a Matt Andrews art package regular pinball machine on wood, I bet you he would sell even more. I mean that's just me. We'll never know. We'll never know but that's just me because it's 13-1. That was the most surprising thing is people spent $13,100 without even blinking. All gone. If you ask me like a year ago, Chris, would Jerry Stelenberg be able to sell 227 Weird Al games for $13,100, a game more expensive than Guns N' Roses collector's Edition? I would have been like, you're nuts. You're nuts, but here we are. But I'm happy he did it. I'm happy they sold. I'm happy people are excited to get their games. I mean, this is what pinball is about. You know, here's a funny thing. Who's going to get games out first? Fathom or Weird Al? Haggis Pinball all of a sudden looks like, man, I feel like Jerry stole a lot of Haggis Pinball's thunder with this game. I do. I feel like, you know, we kind of look at the boutique companies in a separate bucket, right? These are not the big operations. These guys are not trying to sell thousands of games. They're really trying to sell just a few hundred every six months. You know, I feel like Jerry had a very good day. The other thing Jerry's not going to do is I'm going to be smarter with the ETAs. I think he's going to be smarter managing expectations because this is it. Like this is it for Jerry. He finally got people to come through the door. He finally got people to buy into his vision. And yes, it's not a huge amount of games sold. He's not the new George Gomez of the pinball industry, but this is a beginning. He finally has some momentum. He's always needed to get through this door first. He's now got it. And if I'm going to give him some marketing advice, Jerry, you found what works for your platform. Find licensed themes that are a little bit niche. Get the license for them and make games like this. All you need to do, Jerry, all you need to do to be successful is get a licensed theme that can attract between like three to 500 people every new game, right? And it's got to be a theme that like activates these niche sort of like subculture fan bases. And if you can do that, you'll be really successful in getting to your goal because think about it like this. We've now got probably 250 to 300 P3s out there because of Weird Al, maybe more. You then go afteroro Thank you for watching I was wondering yesterday I wonder if anybody bought this and didn realize what they were buying into Like they don realize the modular system of it I wonder if any like just casual weird fans like saw this and got one and now they like wait what heist Like what cosmic Kart racing I don know I don know It doesn really matter The games are sold There's a lot of positive energy coming out of yesterday for this company and I think it's good. And now it's in Jerry's court. To maintain this positive energy and this momentum, it's going to come down to transparency, it's going to come down to honesty about their ability to make these games, and then it's going to come down to, I think the most important thing is this, is the game good? Is the game going to be great? Does the game shoot great? Is it fun? And I've heard from people who have played it that the game shoots great and it's a lot of fun. You know, you think about spooky, it's the opposite. People are not happy with the gameplay. They're not happy Knowles, Spooky Pinball, Canada in the Aces I've never seen since I've been covering this hobby and look at what their years been like it hasn't been good I mean I see spooky now being like we're gonna change the user interface on these games I don't want you to put a game out in the world for an entire year and now you're not happy with the user interface I think people are kinda over it I think people are really disappointed in spooky I think they I see those games as being somewhat lazy and they never should have gone out that unpolished. So Jerry, it looks like this game might be done, right? I don't think Jerry showed this game incomplete. I don't think Jerry's going to ship this game to people with half the code inside it. And so that's exciting. I mean, I hope that's the case. The ball is in his court. But for once, Jerry has the ball for a little bit, right? Stern's not in the new pinball game right now. Jersey Jack Pinball for some reason just can't seem to ever tell us when Toy Story is going Converse, www.ukiuii.com extra cinemas MEL scrunchiXp G Skinnet I think his greatest challenge is going to be fulfilling the orders. I also think he needs to make another topper. That topper is awesome, Jerry. I think you pulled a Jersey Jack mistake. I think you should look at what they did with the Cactus Canyon topper. Just be like, oh yeah, um, there's also a standard plus of Weird Al where you can get the topper because you can make so much money with the topper. You know what's funny about having a topper on a P3? Because are people really going to take the topper off if they put the heist in? I'm going to be so Frankenstein. You can have Lexi Lightsspeed art on one side of the cabinet. You can have Cosmic Cart Racing on the other. You can have a Weird Al Topper and you can have a heist game inside the machine all at once. That's what Kaneda should do. I should get a P3 and see how many different games can I have represented at one time and just confuse people when I take photos standing in front of it. Anyway, I just want to say congratulations to Jerry and team. Look, I've said some like really specifically the containment past scenes результат of Amberünstt klamnky at MickPone, Manager's part of the networking forbiden uw まั ל� NaturalEvvenUrhotStory surprising胡�ahn lets not knob difficult to date, currently has to miseryshed, it is true there not only undelayableImanity not only You're only going to sell like a handful. I think he learned the lesson that it's worth investing in a good license more than anything. We don't want food truck. We don't want dialed in. We don't really want legends of Valhalla. We don't. I don't care what anybody else says. You give me a license theme that has a fan base and you are going to outsell any unlicensed game three to one. ... Thank you for watching. Have a great day. And thank you so much for the support. You can probably hear I'm losing my voice a little bit. It's the end of the day. But I still wanted to get you a show. Later. There's no cops or traffic lights living in an Amish paradise But you'd probably think it bites living in an Amish paradise Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeah!