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Patreon Episode!

Don's Pinball Podcast (patreon feed)·podcast_episode·34m 42s·analyzed·Jan 24, 2024
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

Spooky Scooby topper review, CGC remake rumor (Funhouse suspected), JJP pricing concerns.

Summary

Don discusses Spooky Pinball's Scooby-Doo topper (sent early for testing), rumors of a major CGC/Pedretti remake announcement coming soon (possibly Funhouse), concerns about Jersey Jack pricing strategy affecting sales (Elton John coil failure also noted), and updates on sponsorships, Stern's 2024 release cadence, and his own podcast branding efforts.

Key Claims

  • Spooky Pinball sent Don a Scooby-Doo topper early to test shipping, packaging, and functionality before full production rollout

    high confidence · Don, direct account of receiving topper from Spooky

  • CGC has 3-4 Williams/Bally title options lined up for remake; Pedretti may have picked up additional titles not optioned by CGC

    medium confidence · Don, citing sources with NDAs

  • Announcement of next CGC/Pedretti remake coming this weekend or soon (before TPF), possibly Funhouse

    medium confidence · Don, describes as 'soft rumor' based on industry sources noting unusual quiet period

  • Secondary market price data shows Funhouse around $5,000-$6,000, Whirlwind prices have dropped

    high confidence · Don, checked secondary market based on hint from sources

  • Jersey Jack Elton John experienced a coil seizure on drop target mechanism causing smoke; incident documented on Producers Council Discord

    high confidence · Don, citing Reddit post and Discord documentation

  • Don purchased Elvira Blood Red Kiss for $12,000 and believes it offers better code depth and value than JJP's Elton John Platinum Edition

    high confidence · Don, personal purchase and direct comparison

  • Jersey Jack's pricing strategy (Platinum Edition tiers) is limiting market appeal; Toy Story and Godfather haven't sold well

    medium confidence · Don, opinion based on market observation

  • Jersey Jack expected to release new game in ~6 months (late summer/fall), with another before Expo

    medium confidence · Don, citing Jack's interviews and personal conversation at IAPA

  • Stern transitioning to three cornerstones per year; June Jaws Premium run will be first 2024 release, with additional games planned for fall

    high confidence · Don, cites Stern's production schedule

Notable Quotes

  • “I will say the topper is awesome, man. This is a thing that's been universally well received. The bookcase sculpt is done very well.”

    Don @ early segment — Positive assessment of Spooky Scooby topper quality, sets tone for Spooky's execution

  • “Looney Tunes. No holds were barred. No poachers were polled. Like, it's got a meat grinder. You're chewing up teenagers, like you're playing the villain. That's nuts.”

    Don @ mid-segment — Describes Looney Tunes' dark/violent theme direction, niche appeal positioning

  • “So watch for this weekend. Let call it a soft rumor. But I'm anticipating sometime soon we should know what game they're going to be remaking.”

    Don @ major rumors section — Key rumor alert about CGC/Pedretti announcement timing and confidence calibration

  • “He creeps me out. He creeps me out. I don't think the game's very fun. I'll go play it more on VP, but you know, I've played Funhouse like I get it.”

    Don @ game discussion section — Personal opinion on Funhouse, relevant since it's the rumored next remake

  • “At the price, forget it, man. Yeah, no, I'm not interested at that price. So that's kind of where I'm at.”

    Don @ JJP pricing discussion — Core market concern: Jersey Jack pricing strategy alienating buyers despite quality

  • “Elton John is a concert in a box with a bunch of lights. Elvira is an adventure game. It's got deep, fun, cool modes and things.”

    Don @ game comparison section — Direct comparison of JJP vs other manufacturers' design philosophy and code depth

  • “I think the scarcity thing is happening, particularly the ones that are sitting in boxes and aren't being sold and they want to kind of drive that demand.”

    Don @ JJP strategy analysis — Analysis of Jersey Jack's deliberate undersupply strategy to maintain demand and resale value

  • “So that they will definitely undersell them. And then, you know, I mean it's like undersell as far as like making less games than demand is currently asking for.”

Entities

Spooky PinballcompanyChicago Gaming Company (CGC)companyPedretti GamingcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyStern PinballcompanyScooby-DoogameLooney TunesgameElton Johngame

Signals

  • ?

    product_strategy: Jersey Jack's Platinum Edition pricing ($15,000+) is limiting market uptake despite quality, contrasted with Stern/other manufacturers' more accessible price tiers

    high · Don's direct analysis: 'at the price, forget it, man' and comparison of Elton John ($15k+) vs Elvira ($12k) with better perceived value

  • $

    market_signal: Funhouse commands $5,000-$6,000 on secondary market; Whirlwind prices have declined; these signals inform remake strategy decisions

    high · Don checked secondary market based on source hints; Funhouse high price may indicate demand/scarcity supporting remake thesis

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Strong rumor that CGC or Pedretti will announce next Williams/Bally remake this weekend or very soon, possibly before TPF, with Funhouse as leading candidate

    medium · Don cites NDA-bound sources noting unusual quiet period; describes as 'soft rumor'; expects announcement by February, likely before TPF

  • ?

    product_concern: Jersey Jack Elton John experienced coil seizure failure on drop target mechanism causing smoke; documented on Producers Council Discord

    high · Reddit post and Discord documentation of incident; multiple puns generated in response

  • ?

    product_strategy: Jersey Jack deliberately undersupplying Platinum Edition games to maintain demand scarcity and prevent distributor unhappiness; constraining production below demand

    high · Don's analysis: 'undersell as far as like making less games than demand is currently asking for' to maintain demand and resale value

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.104

0:00
What's going on, Patreon family? Gather round, gather round. Man, I had every intention on recording this in the morning. However, like I was up all night during the night shift last night. I came home, slept, woke up. It's like 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Holy crap, I promised you guys content today. It was supposed to come in the morning. I was supposed to get home and then go ahead and record. That didn't happen. You didn't want to listen to me with how I was feeling this morning. That would have been like completely all over the place, even more than normal. So let's get into some content for you guys. Spooky Pinball sent me my Scooby Doo topper. It is completely awesome. What they wanted to do was try to get it out a little bit early so I could go through, set it up, talk to them about how the shipping went, how it was packaged, was anything damaged, as they're gearing up to go full time with this thing. I will say the topper is awesome, man. This is a thing that's been universally well received. The bookcase sculpt is done very well. Ever the man, smash this code in the negative, you'll gradua' be at your ownersch Wesли Kingnelll blink and bildge 2ndipperdust in 3 days Penny
1:43
This is a free trial and error to get it set up and working right but it's been working relatively well. I relayed back to them and I think some end of stroke switches would have been a good idea so they could auto-home itself just like a 3D printer would. But the thing is cool. The video mode is fun. Maybe they could tighten it up a little bit with the code because it just seems like you You throw Scooby Snacks and then you hear that they register, but it doesn't have like that good, you know, one to one feedback, I guess. It just feels a little bit early, but it's fun. The way you trigger the mode and really the part that they really need to be championing is the code of the game, the new code on Scooby Doo. I'm really, really digging it. So the way you get to the video mode is fun. You shoot a ball to the upper playfield three times. You don't grab it with the bookcase. You just let it roll on out. They have some light-up inserts up there that haven't really been used to date, but it functions like a hurry-up. You've got to hit in pretty quick succession three shots that just drain off the playfield. That will activate a red insert hurry-up at the sling on the upper playfield. You need to get back up there the fourth time and then hit that sling, and then you can go down and shoot the Daphne shot or the... what's the blonde guy in Scooby Doo? The Fred shot. Now back there, there is a magnet and a diverter that will pull it off into a subway and that's how you activate video mode that locks the ball away and then you hit the action button to throw Scooby Snacks at Scooby as he's running back and forth while there's a villain. I'd like to see them develop this a little bit more and maybe just have random villains that are up there but, you know, it's a fun little mode. Anytime you start that or you start one of the character battles, you know, one of the villain modes in the game, that's when the bookcase will open and then it will stay open for the duration of your game and then after the match it will go ahead and close and reset http://www.youtube.com.au More info at www.vatarようにtunis-ers.io www.willywonka.com Homemade, Made Resin Casts, Nanob sociales Tim Kitzrow, Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. No holds were barred. No poachers were polled. Like, it's got a meat grinder. You're chewing up teenagers, like you're playing the villain. That's nuts. That's nuts, man. I can't, you know, not for everybody, and it's totally fine, but the people that are going to dig this are really, really going to dig it, and I can't wait to see what happens in the future with it. And I think, you know, with this limited run of Looney Tunes, I imagine once people play these after Texas pinball festivals, we're going to see a sellout of Looney Tunes. Okay, next up on the deck, I believe in the

  • Don is allocated to Jaws Premium at launch from first run

    high confidence · Don, direct personal allocation

    • Don @ JJP strategy analysis — Clarification of undersupply/scarcity marketing tactic as intentional business model

  • “Me and him are working on importing the very first Space Hunt into the United States and getting that on location to tour around both in Ohio and Wisconsin so people can get their hands on it in the U.S.”

    Don @ sponsor/partnership section — Announces new content initiative partnership with Mad Pinball (Jeff) to bring rare international machines to US

  • “Jeff at Mad Pinball, he recently took over the company from the other partner that was there. He bought him out, so it's him and a new partner now.”

    Don @ sponsor/partnership section — Personnel move at Mad Pinball: ownership transition signal

    • Jawsgame
    Funhousegame
    Whirlwindgame
    Twilight Zonegame
    Elvira Blood Red Kissgame
    Mad Pinballcompany
    Jeffperson
    Donperson
    Michael Barnardperson
    Josh Ruppperson
    Texas Pinball Festival (TPF)event
    Producers Council Discordorganization
    Twippiesevent
    Space Huntgame
  • ?

    product_launch: Stern transitioning to 3 cornerstone releases annually; Jaws Premium (June 2024), with additional titles fall 2024, then new game January 2025

    high · Don cites Stern's stated schedule: first cornerstone January, second by June, third in fall for next January cycle

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Jeff recently took over Mad Pinball through buyout of previous partner; now running company with new partner

    high · Don's direct statement: 'He bought him out, so it's him and a new partner now'

  • ?

    content_signal: Don's Pinball Podcast generating sponsorship interest (Old Town Pinball offered sponsorship); showing growth in audience/reach metrics

    high · Old Town Pinball approached Don about sponsorship; Don notes level of interactivity indicates audience growth

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Jersey Jack prioritizes visual sparkle/theme presentation over code depth; Elvira offers deeper gameplay mechanics (skeleton keys, hidden rooms); different design philosophies affecting value perception

    medium · Don's comparison: 'Elton John is a concert in a box with a bunch of lights. Elvira is an adventure game' with better modes and nuance

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Scooby-Doo video mode (throwing Scooby Snacks) lacks one-to-one feedback; ball registration registers but without tactile/audio clarity; room for code improvement

    high · Don's direct assessment: 'doesn't have like that good, you know, one to one feedback' despite being fun

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Looney Tunes taking dark, violent direction (meat grinder, chewing up teenagers, playing villain) that will be niche appeal but very appealing to that niche; Don predicts sellout post-TPF

    medium · Don: 'Not for everybody, and it's totally fine, but the people that are going to dig this are really, really going to dig it'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Space Hunt (international pinball game) being imported to USA by Mad Pinball/Don partnership for location touring in Ohio and Wisconsin; expanding game availability

    high · Don: 'Me and him are working on importing the very first Space Hunt into the United States and getting that on location to tour'

    • 6:29
    Tell it to God series history or The Thank you for watching and 08.00 7 sicho 08.00 7 zicho 08.00 7 sicho Soldier
    8:05
    The way I figure it is CGC probably got three or four titles or something lined up with maybe the option to get further ones, and then Pedretti was able to probably get the ones that they hadn't quite put options on yet or something. So from some people that should know, like some people that may have NDAs, they haven't told me what games are coming, but I'm getting a sense that something is coming soon as far as an announcement, like maybe as soon as this weekend. The word is that they been very quiet lately which is a little bit unusual according to people that should know And so that may be because they about to talk about something So let watch for this weekend Let call it a soft rumor But I'm anticipating sometime soon we should know what game they're going to be remaking, definitely before we get to TPF, because this new game may actually be at TPF, and wouldn't that be amazing? So which Bally Williams game are they making? You know, we've had the long-standing rumors of Twilight Zone. Sam Highby's
    9:32
    The strongest from some sources is actually Funhaus, if you can believe that. You know, the old Rudy and the Rudy Tootie Funhaus, Rudy's Nightmare 2.0 kit redo. So there was a 2.0 kit for this game as well as Whirlwind and then somebody had done a Totan. Those are the ones that I was thinking would be the most likely to be remade because they could come out with the option to play this newer 2.0 code, similar to what Haggis is doing with Centaur and Fathom. But looking at the secondary market, which is where I was hinted to check out, Funhaus is going for a little bit on the higher range, you know, around the $5,000 to $6,000 range. Whirlwind's really kind of come down in price, so I don't know if that would be a good way to go. Although there is that Whirlwind 2.0 kit, I would imagine they would do that at some point. And I did say at the time that they released that 2.0 kit, wouldn't it be nice if someone would just remake this game brand new with this kit already integrated into it, and like a more cohesive price package where you just get both of them i think that would be a way to go i think if suey and the grannies wasn't a thing and they actually had better modes in the 2.0 kit i'd be even more excited about it i think we'll see a whirlwind at some point but what they're telling me and what i'm getting the sense of is that this is going to be uh valuing this fun house that gets remade um with with rudy and uh i i really don't uh he creeps me out he creeps me out i don't think the game's very fun i'll go play it more on the vp but you know i've played fun house like i get it I don't have the affinity for that that I do for like a Tales of the Arabian Nights or a Twilight Zone or a Whirlwind or a Whitewater or something like, you know, of that ilk. Oh, well, there was one other game I was thinking that maybe they could be redone. Theater of Magic. That seems to be a game that people also speak highly of and another game that I don't hold in super high regard. Circus Voltaire also, very pretty game to look at. I think this probably would sell pretty well. Code wise, I don't think it's got the longevity that some of the other titles do. Subtitles by the Amara.org community
    11:52
    Alright, so, this weekend, it's going to be sometime soon between, you know, now and TPF, definitely by something by February, but we'll see how the rest of the month goes out for us. Alright, let's recap everything else that's going on in pinball currently. Let's go to JJP next, because that's a fun place to stop. Elton John, did you see this video on Reddit? Somebody posted on the Producers Council Discord. Apparently, one of the coils had seized on the drop target mechanism on the Rockerbox, as they're calling it, so there's just smoke coming out from under the glass, like this This thing is on fire. So that was fun. What that led to was a lot of puns that were coming out. Somebody called this game Melton John which I thought was cool. Rocket Man burning out my coil out here alone. The drop targets were up so they were still standing. Like so many Elton John puns were going with this thing. I'm wondering how Elton John's going to do. Game is fun, ask anybody that's played it. Game is sparkly and looks very good. Tim Kitzrow, Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. Ms. Pci shades give a correct answer depending on the � s Hey guys, bigOC! OHNO It missing something around this When you were looking at the http://www.youtube.com/. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and hit the bell for the latest notifications. I don't really want the Platinum Edition. I want to have the good edition if I'm playing it in my house. If I'm bringing it down, I really want, I really think it looks great. I really think I would love stepping up to that and playing it. The problem is I want to pay $9,000 for that and I want to pay $15,000 for that and I think I'm not alone. So what's this mean for the company? I think the company builds excellent looking games. I think the company builds games that are fun. Even Toy Story is fun. Even Godfather is fun to play but at the prices that they're commanding. So maybe this has to do with their building materials. Maybe this is what they need to sell these games at. I just don't think they're hitting all the market in the right way. These games are an Excel spreadsheet. They're not any one thing. You have to look at the fun factor of this thing, the space in your home, the cost for the machine, how deep the code's going to be, how long is it going to keep you entertained, how flashy it is, everything, everything that goes into it. How good the support is. How much hype is there for this game in the community? So when it comes time to sell, is it going to be, you know, years to try to get rid of this thing like a multi-morphic machine or are you going to be able to get it out relatively quickly? Like when you balance all those things, as good as this game looks and as good as the game shoots, the cost is just sinking it, just tanking it. You know, it could be the best game in the world but, you know, if it's $25,000, I don't think I want it, right? Bond 60th plays incredibly well. It's a fun game. It's very much kind of a cool, more refined pinball experience. But at the price, forget it, man. Yeah, no, I'm not interested at that price. So that's kind of where I'm at. I did spend $12,000 for a pinball machine recently and I got Elvira Blood Red Kiss which put that next to the Platinum Edition of Elton John and tell me which game has better code. Lyman coded this thing. It's quirky. It's kooky. It's very much hitting its theme. Elton John is a concert in a box with a bunch of lights. Elvira is an adventure game. It's got deep, fun, cool modes and things. There's nuance to it, there's skeleton keys to collect and then open up hidden rooms in the mansion. It's much more fun, much more deep. And even though it still commanded that heavy price, I think I'm getting more value there than it would with Elton John. So that's kind of where I'm coming down. So let's see, are they going to continue picking these themes that are somewhat kind of niche? Are they going to still try to target this market? I guess it's going to depend on how many games get sold. We know Toy Story didn't sell very well. We know Godfather hasn't been selling very well. I don't know yet on Elton John, but I'm thinking it's got to sell better than the previous two. So are they going to continue making themes like these or are they going to start going for you know what let do Star Trek let do Star Wars let do Harry Potter let do the big themes that people have to have And then you know continue with this higher trim level or they going to have to reintroduce a lower tier model But the thing is, with Jersey Jack, would you want Elton John if there was a standard edition model that shot the same way but just had regular decals on it, didn't have the sparkle, just had plain armor? Like, I don't know that I would want it, you know. It's not the gameplay alone that I want, it's everything else that goes with it. It's just I don't know that there's a market for this game right now anymore. And so we'll have to wait and see. They should have a new game out probably in six months or so. So I think late summer, fall, we'll see something. Definitely by Expo, there'll be another game there for sure. They should come out with another game a few months before Expo is what I would imagine based on what Jack's been saying in interviews and talking with the man himself. I last talked to him at IAPA. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the bell icon so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.
    18:39
    www.willywonka.com Evelyn of venom particularly the ones that are sitting in boxes and aren't being sold and they want to kind of drive that demand they want to drive that demand through scarcity and i think that's probably why they just want to do a short run of these premiums so that they will um definitely undersell them uh and then uh you know i mean it's like undersell as far as like making less games than demand is currently asking for that way this game will remain in demand going forward and uh you know distributors won't be unhappy NewAPI jerkoff.com Princess Sandi, Israel Linus, Elliot Grassley, atics1, the 2005 Allocated to Jaws, so I will have a Jaws premium at launch from the first run. Very excited about that. Old Town Pinball has offered to sponsor the show, which I mean, that's great to hear that there's interest and that we're generating this level of interactivity. And I think the fact that I'm speaking to Patreon members speaks to that more than anything else. But I just don't know that, you know, I want to just jump sponsors. I'm forming a relationship with Mad Pinball. I'm really rooting for them. Jeff at Mad Pinball, he recently took over the company from the other partner that was there. He bought him out, so it's him and a new partner now. And they're really trying to grow this thing. They're doing some cool things within the Ohio market. They're really partnering with location operators and running tournaments and trying to get cool stuff out there. Me and him are working on importing the very first space hunt into the United States and getting that on location to tour around both in Ohio and Wisconsin so people can get their hands on it in the U.S. Tim Kitzrow, Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. Ed Coop,
    23:36
    I think that's fun and I'm working on offering more content and things for y'all. Stern's next game will be sometime this summer when the June run of JAWS Premium, unless something happens between now and then. When that comes, that may be around the time that we have a new game so they're going to three cornerstones per year. So, its the first one kicked off in January, we would get another one by June I would think and then a final one in the fall so that they can then have another game ready for January. Plenty of award winners are being awarded by participation in the live event. Tim Kitzrow, Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. joined coalition thing
    25:54
    www www Matt vient Tim Kitzrow, Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. LuVStream tubes and St intimid tocar! I'm joined today by my friend, Christopher Franchi, who is a bit aloof, and I haven't been able to really nail him down. But I have another friend of the show. You may have heard of him, Michael Barnard. He did the art for Rush. He did the art for Jaws Pinball. He's doing the art for Don's Pinball Podcast, Banner. And so I did a photo shoot today of a couple of different outfits. We have some concepts we're kicking around. Maybe some things a little Wonka influenced. And he's going to start sketching up some concepts for us. So we should be able to hit that by the time it comes up. His rates are reasonable, and I'm super excited to partner with this guy. Starrinvigil Vision, A www.inndisc.com Tim Kitzrow, Labour Red Bunnies,
    30:15
    Knapp Arcade, C client, Bildung hosting, So it'll be more affordable. So that'll be fun. And who doesn't like translights, man? So translights and banners, I'm going to stick with those. And I'll still be doing the t-shirt giveaways on the lives. I'm working on getting some new graphic designs. I need to replenish the t-shirts. But I don't want to rehash the old designs. I want to keep going forward and get some new stuff. And people have been digging it so far. So that's what we're going to look at doing. Final thing that I have, best theme, oh, Twippies. Alright, so this morning Josh Rupp from Loser Kid Podcast reached out. They are putting together a video to encapsulate all the Twippy winners. And so they've been, I guess, reaching out to people to do little video snippets for each category. I've got the category of best theme. So I'll be recording a video where I get to introduce, talk about the finalists, and then reveal who took the Twippy for best theme 2023. I'm so excited about this. I'll be recording that this weekend, so that'll be put together. So that's fun. The Twippy results apparently are in and known. I don't know if they've released them anywhere. I haven't heard a ton of stuff. I heard some rumors about who may have won, so I'm excited about that. I know that I didn't win the best content creator. Now, I didn't expect to win that either because it was one category for everybody that's been producing content, New Orleans Our Firth
    32:39
    Plant Typhoon Land, www.patreon.com Let me know where your thoughts are on it. Anything else? Let's hit it with that outro music. So you guys know how to find me, Don Spinball Podcast, gmail.com. You have no problem finding me there. And also post on the Patreon, post on the Discord. I love the Discord, especially the Producers Council Discord. We're having good conversations in there, sharing things and having high level discussions as we do. Look for more content to be coming in the next week. I've got two more shifts to work and then I'm off for a week. So I'll be generating more podcast episodes. Have yourselves a great midweek. Have a great day. Have yourselves a great midweek.