The Pinball Show Correspondents - October 25, 2021

The Pinball Show·podcast_episode·10m 26s·analyzed·Oct 26, 2021

Analysis

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TL;DR

Stern Insider Connected retail launch, Rush pin leak, George Gomez new project, American Pinball Legends of Valhalla announced.

Summary

The Pinball Show's October 25, 2021 correspondents update covers Stern's Insider Connected retrofit kit pricing ($199), supply chain constraints limiting consumer availability to Q1 2022, an accidental leak of Godzilla artwork that revealed a Rush pinball machine in development, George Gomez's announcement of a new design project for 2022 (with speculation about Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Back to the Future variants), American Pinball's Legends of Valhalla announcement, Jersey Jack's scorebit achievements rollout including Pirates of the Caribbean updates, IE Pinball's detailed Halloween stream analysis, and Haggis Pinball's manufacturing progress post-Melbourne lockdown.

Key Claims

Stern Insider Connected Retrofit kits officially priced at $199 USD plus shipping
high confidence · Craig Bobby states Stern officially announced this week the MSRP pricing
Supply chain shortages are limiting Insider Connected retrofit kits, with operator/location priority over home collectors; consumer availability pushed to Q1 2022
high confidence · Craig Bobby reports Stern is limiting these retrofit kits due to continued supply chain shortages and delays
A Stern employee accidentally posted Godzilla whitewood pictures on Stern Facebook that revealed a Rush pinball machine in development via side art visible in the background
high confidence · Craig Bobby describes the incident: photo was later photoshopped and reposted by Stern to remove the leak
Rush pinball is speculated to be Stern's next pin arriving at tail end of 2021 based on the accidental leak
medium confidence · Craig Bobby: 'a Rush Music pin should, with a capital S as it's very much still speculation, most likely be Stern's next pin due to arrive at the tail end of 2021'
George Gomez announced he is working on a new design project to be revealed sometime in 2022
high confidence · Craig Bobby reports George Gomez shared this during a Marco Pinball stream live interview
A Back to the Future Super LE pinball machine variant is an early rumor being developed by Gomez and Joe Kamenow for potential 2022 release
low confidence · Craig Bobby frames this as 'a very early rumor is developing' and notes uncertainty: 'still early days on this'
Stern released Godzilla code V.80 for Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models, updatable via Wi-Fi
high confidence · Craig Bobby reports this as factual Stern announcement
American Pinball announced Legends of Valhalla designed by Riot Pinball as the fourth American Pinball title, featuring Norse gods and Viking mythology
high confidence · Kaz reports official announcement this weekend; Deluxe model priced around $8,400

Notable Quotes

“The Chicago Pinball Expo is the world's largest running pinball exposition, and for enthusiasts and manufacturers alike, one of a handful of must-attend pinball events of the year.”
Craig Bobby @ opening — Establishes context for the timing and importance of expo announcements
“But hold on to those Benjamins everyone, as Stern is limiting these retrofit kits due to continued supply chain shortages and delays.”
Craig Bobby @ ~2:30 — Direct communication about supply chain impact on consumer availability
“Eager Stern enthusiasts picked up on the image and did some clever photo sleuthing to discover a tiny sliver of art that could be seen on the adjacent cabinet perfectly matching the top portion of the iconic Rush logo”
Craig Bobby @ ~3:45 — Describes how community detective work uncovered accidental leak of Rush pinball
“Less than 24 hours later and as Pinside was running wild on the news the photo was pulled and then later reposted by Stern having photoshopped out the offending image leak”
Craig Bobby @ ~4:15 — Shows Stern's reactive damage control to community leak discovery
“George Gomez is coming back to design pinball? Well, three guesses as to what this new project is rumored to be.”
Craig Bobby @ ~5:00 — Frames Gomez's return to design as major speculation moment going into Expo
“Legends of Valhalla was officially announced this weekend designed by riot pinball as the fourth american pinball title it's featuring norse gods and viking mythology”
Kaz @ ~7:15 — First formal announcement of new American Pinball title at Expo
“Thanks for your continued patience. Pirates update incoming.”
Jersey Jack (via social media, quoted by Ken Rudberg) @ ~10:30 — Direct confirmation of long-awaited Pirates of the Caribbean code update
“I think pretty much Kelts is at the end of their run and it's full steam ahead with Fathom now that Kelts is over.”

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyCraig BobbypersonGeorge GomezpersonChicago Pinball ExpoeventRush (pinball machine)gameGodzillagame American Pinballcompany Legends of ValhallagameRiot Pinballperson

Signals

?
business_signal: Haggis Pinball transitioning from Kelts production to full production of Fathom after Melbourne lockdown ended; releasing manufacturing process content on Facebook
medium · Dr. John: 'Haggis has been busy releasing multiple Facebook posts showing the manufacturing processes...Kelts is at the end of their run and it's full steam ahead with Fathom now that Kelts is over'
?
community_signal: IE Pinball (Carl D'Angelo) conducted extensive 2-hour stream analysis of Halloween pinball game examining bugs, modes, and technical performance; community discussing alternative shredded soundtrack arrangements
high · Dr. John: 'Carl D'Angelo on the IE Pinball Twitch channel has just done a massive two-hour stream of Halloween to explore the game, the bugs, the modes and even the flipper temperatures'
?
event_signal: 37th annual Chicago Pinball Expo occurring this week as first major face-to-face industry gathering since pandemic began; multiple game announcements and seminars scheduled
high · Craig Bobby: 'the upcoming 37th annual Pinball Expo in Chicago this week...the first time the event has been held face-to-face since the pandemic began...one of a handful of must-attend pinball events of the year'
?
leak_detection: Stern accidentally leaked Rush pinball machine identity through background art in Godzilla whitewood Facebook photo; community performed photo forensics to identify iconic Rush logo on adjacent cabinet's side art
high · Craig Bobby: 'Stern posted some early Godzilla Whitewood pictures...also accidentally captured the side art of a pinball cabinet...perfectly matching the top portion of the iconic Rush logo...photo was pulled and then later reposted by Stern having photoshopped out the offending image leak'

Topics

Insider Connected retrofit kit pricing and supply chain constraintsprimaryRush pinball accidental leak and speculation about Q4 2021 releaseprimaryGeorge Gomez new design project announcement for 2022 (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Back to the Future speculation)primaryAmerican Pinball Legends of Valhalla announcement and Norse mythology themeprimaryJersey Jack scorebit achievements rollout and Pirates of the Caribbean update confirmationprimaryChicago Pinball Expo 37th annual event as industry gathering pointsecondaryHalloween alternative soundtrack and gameplay analysissecondaryHaggis Pinball manufacturing progress and production pipeline transitionssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— Generally optimistic tone about new announcements (Rush leak excitement, Gomez return, American Pinball release, Jersey Jack updates) and industry momentum heading into Expo. Supply chain constraints noted as frustration point but framed as temporary. Tone is enthusiastic about community engagement and manufacturing progress.

Transcript

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The Pinball Network is online. Launching The Pinball Show. It's time for TPN Industry News. Hello and welcome to The Pinball Show's Stern News Update. I'm Craig Bobby. Well, a busy week for Stern as the pinball world heads into the upcoming 37th annual Pinball Expo in Chicago this week. The Chicago Pinball Expo is the world's largest running pinball exposition, and for enthusiasts and manufacturers alike, one of a handful of must-attend pinball events of the year. And no doubt this year will be extra special since it's the first time the event has been held face-to-face since the pandemic began. Be sure to check pinballexpo.com for more information on expo hours, tournaments, seminars, vendor information, virtual events, and so much more. But back to our Stern news, let's start with some new Insider Connected info. As Stern officially announced this week, they are now selling their Insider Connected Retrofit kits at an MSRP of $199 US plus shipping. But hold on to those Benjamins everyone, as Stern is limiting these retrofit kits due to continued supply chain shortages and delays. Meaning most of what is going out is slated for operator and location priority sales. That means that average collector or home buyers looking to update their machines with one of these retro kits is looking at Q1 of 2022 for now, pending further supply chain issues. And what would the Stern news be without further speculation and rumor going into the pinball expo? But this time the hype has been generated it seems by accident by Stern itself It seems an eager marketing or design employee at Stern posted some early Godzilla Whitewood pictures on the Stern Facebook page But in doing so also accidentally captured the side art of a pinball cabinet sitting right next to it Eager Stern enthusiasts picked up on the image and did some clever photo sleuthing to discover a tiny sliver of art that could be seen on the adjacent cabinet perfectly matching the top portion of the iconic Rush logo seen on their first self album cover Less than 24 hours later and as Pinside was running wild on the news the photo was pulled and then later reposted by Stern having photoshopped out the offending image leak But this mistake all added fuel to an already blazing fire that in fact a Rush Music pin should, with a capital S as it's very much still speculation, most likely be Stern's next pin due to arrive at the tail end of 2021. And speaking of stern speculation, George Gomez himself became a hype maker this past week as he appeared on the Marco Pinball stream for a live interview where Gomez shared with viewers that he is also working on a new design project slated to be revealed sometime in 2022. What's that you say? George Gomez is coming back to design pinball? Well, three guesses as to what this new project is rumored to be. Could it be a new Lord of the Rings vault release to satisfy legions of collectors looking for an updated version of the Gomez classic design? Could Gomez be picking up the pieces of an unfinished Steve Ritchie project that was shelved when Ritchie left for Jersey Jack earlier this year? Might this be the much-dreamed-about Harry Potter machine that Potter fans the world over have been clamoring for? No negotiations for that pin are most likely still ongoing. Or with Joe Kamenkow making an appearance on the Super Awesome Pinball Show a few weeks ago, flaunting his new financial backing of the Back to the Future off-Broadway play, could Gomez be working on a new Kamenkow Super L.E. version of the fan-favorite themed Back to the Future pinball machine? Yes, you heard it here first, as a very early rumor is developing the Back to the Future Super LE could be in the works as we speak by Gomez and Kamikau for a 2022 release. Ooh, still early days on this, however, but we shall have to wait and see. And lastly, we round out our Stern news this week with some updated code. Stern posted new code V.80 for the Pro Premium and Limited Edition Godzilla models, which of course can now be updated via that handy Wi-Fi connection that comes pre-installed on all newly built Stern machines with this latest Godzilla release. Well that all for this week Enjoy Expo everyone For the Pinball Show I Craig Bobby Catch you on the flip side hey this is kaz with an update on american pinball legends of valhalla was officially announced this weekend designed by riot pinball as the fourth american pinball title it's featuring norse gods and viking mythology it's a three flipper game with three ramps magnets and much more there's two different models a classic and deluxe the deluxe models being produced first at around $8,400 and the classics will be available at a later date and will ship after all deluxe editions have been shipped for additional info check out American Pinball's Facebook page you can also listen to episode 320 of Pinball Profile with Jeff Teolis he has a discussion with the game's designer and programmer also Jeff is involved in the game and does voice work one of the best things about the reveal is that there was a bunch of bars and arcades that had the game available for play on Saturday. Just as a reminder, American Pinball is having an open house Wednesday, October 27th at 10 a.m. And also, they're going to have games available there to play at Pinball Expo. Don't forget to attend the American Pinball Seminar on Thursday, October 28th at 7 p.m. Hope to see you at Expo this week and get some time on the new game. For the Pinball Show, this is Brian Koster. Hi, this is Ken Rudberg with your Jersey Jack Update. Jersey Jack is continuing to roll out code updates in support of scorebit achievements. This time around, the Wizard of Oz version 7.04. Jersey Jack has said on social media that all games will support achievements soon. So that raises the question, will this include Pirates of the Caribbean, which is a game that has been waiting for an update for a very long time? The answer to that is yes, according to social media. In response to a posted complaint about Pirates of the Caribbean and the not quite completed code, Jersey Jack responded, quote, Thanks for your continued patience. Pirates update incoming. They also said that Pirates of the Caribbean will be part of Scorpit Achievements, which leads me to believe that this release will be in the near future. And in the Jersey Jack Pinball podcast, their newest designer, Mark Seiden, was interviewed by our old friend Ken Cromwell. it's always worth a listen you should check that out for the pinball show this has been ken rudberg hi and welcome to this week shit update with dr john on The Correspondent Show And just in case you were wondering what that little sample was, there is a YouTube clip out promoting a shredded version of the Halloween theme by the very talented Sophie Lloyd out of London that was featured on the Retro Kenko YouTube channel, recommending that Spooky import this soundtrack into their Halloween game as an alternative to the very simple piano version available from the movie soundtrack. If you want to see it, we might provide a link, but if you Google Halloween pinball shredded track on YouTube, you should be able to find it. It's a great alternative and she's a very good guitarist. And another news on the Halloween front. Carl D'Python Anghelo on the IE Pinball Twitch channel has just done a massive two-hour stream of Halloween to explore the game, the bugs, the modes and even the flipper temperatures that the game gets to, to see how the game holds up under his scrutiny. If you want to watch it, go to IEPinball on Twitch and see how he goes. It's interesting to see what he can do to a game when he dissects it with his skills. On the Haggis front, Haggis has been busy releasing multiple Facebook posts showing the manufacturing processes involved in building a pinball machine, everything from die-cutting cabinets, plastics, metal pressings, and the intricacies involved in building a pinball machine. They must have a new media marketing manager to show this, but it's great to see the progress going on in the factory now that the world's longest lockdown city, that being Melbourne, is released from their lockdown. I think pretty much Kelts is at the end of their run and it's full steam ahead with Fathom now that Kelts is over. I'll leave you with a little bit more shredded Halloween and I hope you have a good week. Catch you next time. you