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The The Pinball Show covers boutique manufacturers, licensing rumors, and contest winners with Greg Bone.
Pinball Adventures expects to assemble and test 13 games in the next two weeks with plans to build 10-30 per month and limit Punny Factory production to 120 units total
high confidence · Craig Bobby news segment, citing direct communication from Andrew McBain of Pinball Adventures
Multimorphic's Weird Al game now has over 2500 call-outs from Weird Al Yankovic and includes new code updates like 'You Make Me Wizard' mode
high confidence · Craig Bobby news segment, citing production updates from Canada's A A Pinball Podcast and NAP Arcade News
Pinball Brothers is shipping approximately 65-70 Alien games per month and has shipped nearly 500 units total, with Queen music pinball confirmed as next title
high confidence · Craig Bobby news segment, citing direct production update from Pinball Brothers
Dutch The Big Lebowski machine wait time is currently just under one year with dozens of cabinets in various production stages on their factory floor
high confidence · Craig Bobby news segment, citing Pinside member svente69 factory tour report and NAP Arcade/Canada's A A Pinball Podcast images
Deep Root Pinball website has posted coded text decoding to 'check back soon for something interesting' suggesting potential revival or troll
medium confidence · Craig Bobby news segment, citing Chris Chandler's observation of Deep Root corporate website update
Stern Pinball recently posted photos with Sonic the Hedgehog at Comic-Con or licensing convention with Seth Davis and owner Gary Stern
high confidence · Zach Sharpe and Greg Bone discussion of social media posts from Stern Pinball
Ryan McQuaid created a Sonic the Hedgehog homebrew pinball game that generated significant player interest, which may influence Stern's licensing decisions
high confidence · Zach Sharpe and Greg Bone discussion of homebrew machine and market demand
Godzilla was originally a desired license for Spooky Pinball before Stern acquired it; Keith Elwin implementation became highly successful and eliminated community criticism
“the number one thing and i've said it before viewer i don't think it's so much the license of sonic i really don't because i don't think people want the movie i don't think they want the cart i don't think they want any of it they want the sega genesis series of games that's what they want”
Zach Sharpe@ 22:40 — Core insight into market demand differentiation between Sonic media versions; identifies specific IP generation players want in pinball context
“see godzilla i mean everybody supposedly whenever stern snatched it out from spooky pinball that license that there was their dream license um everybody was head over here they were angry they're upset this is a shitty move stirring yada yada elwynn creates godzilla and nobody says a word now because it's one of the greatest games ever made”
Greg Bone @ ~56:20 — Historical precedent for how game quality can override licensing acquisition controversy; suggests community sentiment is malleable if execution is excellent
“i think it's going to be even more difficult greg if if they do try to interpret this license into a game if they don't get those very sega aspects of it from that video game series then i think you do see people going back and saying but what if if only it was a ryan mcquaid”
Zach Sharpe@ 25:06 — Identifies unique competitive pressure Stern faces with Sonic: comparison to existing homebrew creates higher execution bar than typical licensed acquisition
“we are hard at work increasing our production capacity to fill the alien orders and i am happy to say that everything points in the right direction after a difficult 2021”
Pinball Brothers@ 16:29 — Indicates successful recovery trajectory for smaller manufacturer after prior financial difficulties; suggests boutique sector stabilization
“it's a good thing that we do not have to rely on pinball for our bread and butter our other company that is quite busy funds all the pinball supply manufacturing and research and development so really no financial pressure at all just fun”
manufacturing_signal: Pinball Adventures, Multimorphic, Pinball Brothers, and Dutch Pinball all reporting significant production scaling or ongoing manufacturing efforts with varying timelines and capacity targets
high · Pinball Adventures planning 10-30/month; Pinball Brothers at 65-70/month; Multimorphic experiencing labor shortages; Dutch Pinball with 1-year wait time and factory floor expansion
announcement: Stern Pinball posted social media photos at Comic-Con/licensing convention with Sonic the Hedgehog, E.T., and potentially other IP characters with CEO and owner present
high · Zach Sharpe witnessed multiple Facebook Stories photos of Stern leadership with licensed characters; Sonic photo described with humorous 'hand placement' detail suggesting informal promotional moment
rumor_hype: Significant community speculation about potential Stern Sonic the Hedgehog pinball game fueled by Comic-Con appearance and comparison to Ryan McQuaid's Sega Genesis-themed homebrew machine
medium · Greg Bone and Zach Sharpe detailed analysis of market demand for Sega Genesis-era Sonic IP specifically, with concerns about comparison to McQuaid's implementation creating higher execution bar
design_philosophy: Host discussion reveals community preferences for Sonic pinball incorporating Sega Genesis game mechanics (loop-de-loop, spinners, fast gameplay) rather than movie/cartoon versions
high · Explicit statement: 'they want the sega genesis series of games that's what they want... it was the sega sonic it wasn't the movie sonic it wasn't any spin-off'
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high confidence · Greg Bone's comparative analysis of licensing outcomes and community sentiment shift
Andrew McBain@ 14:04 — Reveals financial structure differentiating Pinball Adventures from typical startup risk; external revenue funding reduces customer deposit risk
“as some of these companies are just as their monikers suggest meaning as always it's buyer beware and be careful with your deposits or payments up front as the stories of bankrupt pinball startups or those who are unable to deliver on their promises to customers are surprisingly common in the last 10 years”
Craig Bobby @ ~12:30 — Explicit industry warning about boutique manufacturer failure rates; positions context for subsequent coverage with risk disclosure
rumor_hype: Hosts speculate on multiple potential licensing opportunities including E.T., Con Air, Top Gun, and discussion of how 80s/90s IP licensing trends will evolve as retro nostalgia cycles shift
medium · Extended discussion of Con Air as ideal action pinball theme with all-star cast, E.T. as whimsical option, Top Gun/F-14 comparison to Steve Ritchie's prior work
product_concern: Craig Bobby explicitly warns of high failure rates among boutique pinball manufacturers with recent history of bankruptcies and undelivered promises to customers
high · News segment warning: 'stories of bankrupt pinball startups or those who are unable to deliver on their promises to customers are surprisingly common in the last 10 years'
market_signal: Discussion of boutique manufacturer collector appeal based on rarity and limited unit numbers driving demand among enthusiasts seeking machines friends cannot obtain
medium · Craig Bobby: 'would you like to own a machine that none of your other friends have either heard of or can get their hands on while sterns jjps american pinballs or even cgcs or a dime a dozen'
competitive_signal: Analysis of unique competitive dynamic where Stern's potential Sonic game would face direct comparison to Ryan McQuaid's homebrew, creating execution pressure distinct from typical licensing acquisitions
high · Greg Bone: 'spooky didn't have basically a built game... but this is so different because ryan had basically a finished game in a sense so i think that's the hard thing'
sentiment_shift: Historical perspective: Godzilla case study shows how community initially opposed Stern acquiring license from Spooky, but Keith Elwin's execution eliminated criticism retroactively
high · Greg Bone: 'everybody was head over here they were angry they're upset this is a shitty move... elwynn creates godzilla and nobody says a word now because it's one of the greatest games ever made'
product_launch: Multiple boutique manufacturers have games in active production with confirmed near-term timelines: Pinball Adventures Punny Factory (assembly next 2 weeks), Multimorphic Weird Al (code updates ongoing), Pinball Brothers Queen (design tweaks in progress)
high · Craig Bobby news segment providing direct production updates from company representatives with specific metrics and timelines
industry_signal: Emerging pattern showing boutique manufacturers with alternative funding sources (Pinball Adventures' parent company support) have lower customer risk and better long-term sustainability prospects
medium · Pinball Adventures CEO: 'good thing that we do not have to rely on pinball for our bread and butter our other company funds all the pinball supply manufacturing and research'
rumor_hype: Deep Root Pinball website contains encoded cipher decoding to 'check back soon for something interesting' suggesting either revival attempt or ongoing troll from involved parties
low · Craig Bobby: 'could it be true or could someone actually still be trolling the pinball community from inside an sec courtroom well we shall have to wait and see'