We Are Pinball #24

TL;DR

WAP #24: Patreon growth, X-Men/John Wick code complaints, ABBA failure, Predator rumors, design philosophy critique.

Summary

Key Claims

• X-Men received a new .9 code update with minor refinements to Juggernaut mode, adding more gameplay nuance to an overly easy encounter

  high confidence · Genghis played the code at District 1 arcade and described specific changes: Juggernaut helmet removal mechanic added, making the mode harder than the original four-red-shots completion

• John Wick has stalled at 500-600 plays with no new code updates, contracts feature removed, and leveling system that provides no gameplay benefit

  high confidence · Genghis and Don extensively discuss John Wick's code stagnation, comparing it unfavorably to Dungeons & Dragons' robust feature set

• ABBA has received zero location interest from Swedish distributor despite European positioning

  high confidence · Genghis (representing Jengis distributor) states explicitly: 'We have had exactly zero interest. Like zero, man.' Also mentions American Pinball contacted them asking why they weren't stocking ABBA

• Pinball Brothers is now essentially a one-man operation with the remaining founder and his son managing the web shop

  medium confidence · Genghis states: 'Pinball Brothers is just one guy now. It's Pinball Brother... He's a sweet guy. His son is controlling their web shop now.'

• Rumors indicate Pinball Brothers' next game will be Predator-themed

  medium confidence · Genghis: 'But, yeah, the rumors are saying that the Pinball Brothers are making Predator.' No official confirmation provided

• Alien by Pinball Brothers generated 30,000 views in first day of unboxing video, significantly outperforming typical pinball content (800-3,000 views)

  high confidence · Genghis describes unboxing video: 'This one got like 30,000 first day. It was crazy. So after some time, my brother hit this company up and said, look what Genghis has done through his YouTube channel.'

• Keith Elwin maintains creative direction oversight throughout entire game code development, unlike other designers who hand off after layout design

  medium confidence · Genghis poses question about Keith's involvement: 'Is that the reason that his games are so cool at the release day... Is that the reason?' No definitive confirmation provided

Notable Quotes

• “People are angry. People are thinking, should I sell this game? Should I keep it? New code came out. This is important.”

  Genghis @ ~32:00 — Highlights community concern about X-Men's initial code quality and waiting for updates

• “I feel like an orphan begging for scraps and crumbs here, buddy. But Wason combed some stuff out of his beard and gave us some crumbs, so I appreciate that.”

  Genghis @ ~35:00 — Captures frustration with minimal code updates despite high machine cost

• “We have had exactly zero interest. Like zero, man. Yeah. Yeah. Poor ABBA, Dancing Queen. Who would have forecasted that? Who would have possibly thought that ABBA would come out and not be a smash hit, except for absolutely everybody?”

  Genghis @ ~48:00 — Reveals ABBA's complete market failure, contradicting European positioning strategy

• “You're not building stuff that you like. You're building stuff that other people are gonna like. And you need to talk to other people. You focus groups, man.”

  Don @ ~53:00 — Critique of game design process lacking consumer feedback integration

• “I want all of the toppers. You know, take my $1,400 John Wick hour-class flippy money. Yeah, man.”

  Genghis @ ~70:00 — References John Wick topper accessory criticism, indicates willingness to spend if value delivered

• “I'm level 45 John Wick what do I get for that nothing I get limp I got limp testicles in my sack man that's all I got nothing to do man”

  Genghis @ ~88:00 — Colorful critique of non-functional leveling system in John Wick

• “She's got her fingers in Jaws. She's got her fingers in Dungeons and Dragons. She needs to get her fingers in Wick... She's like the secret sauce, man.”

  Genghis @ ~97:00 — Attributes D&D's strong code to Elizabeth's involvement, suggests she should work on John Wick

• “At these prices, I don't think you're expecting too much. When you pay like $13,000, you need to have some kind of cool experience from the day you unbox a game.”

Entities

Signals

• ?

  business_signal: Pinball Brothers operating as one-man business after significant downsizing; son managing web operations; unclear leadership decision-making

  medium · Genghis: 'Pinball Brothers is just one guy now... He's a sweet guy. His son is controlling their web shop now.'

• ?

  community_signal: We Are Pinball Patreon rapid growth with $600/month in first month; demand for additional benefit tiers and producer-level sponsorships

  high · Don: 'you sent me a screenshot that we got $600, and it was just so cool... we have $5 level, $50 level, and $100 level' and Anthony upgraded to $50/month

• ?

  community_signal: Josh Cox (Velvet Steve, Patreon executive producer) recently purchased Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Evil Dead machines; WAP show credited with inspiring his machine acquisitions

  high · Genghis: 'he uploaded a screenshot picture there that he also ordered Evil Dead now... I'll take credit for that'

• ?

  competitive_signal: Dungeons & Dragons positioned as superior to John Wick in code depth/features, demonstrating contemporary quality expectations at similar price point

  high · Genghis compares D&D's 'shop system, leveling system, unlockable characters' to John Wick's 'limp testicles in my sack man that's all I got'

• ?

  design_philosophy: Keith Elwin contrasted with other Stern designers for maintaining creative oversight throughout entire development cycle, suggesting this approach correlates with stronger launch code

  medium · Genghis poses question: 'Is that the reason that his games are so cool at the release day... when you have movies and you've got someone like James Cameron'