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Spooky Evil Dead production update; Stern Star Wars media day preview; operator economics debate.
Evil Dead production is at 500 units shipped with 24 machines per week output targeting 888 total units by December
high confidence · Bug (Spooky Pinball) directly stated production numbers and weekly pace during livestream
Evil Dead is the first Spooky game manufactured 100% in the new factory rather than split between old and new facilities
high confidence · Don and Bug discussed manufacturing efficiency gains from consolidated facility
Stern Star Wars media day is scheduled for September 10, with likely trailer release on Monday September 8
medium confidence · Don predicted based on King Kong release pattern (4-day advance trailer before media day)
Community sentiment on Star Wars is mixed, with some players expressing fatigue with the theme
medium confidence · Don observed declining hype thread activity and expressed surprise at lack of interest from community members
Big Bang Bar remaster will produce 250 units and is likely being made by Spooky Pinball (not Chicago Gaming)
medium confidence · Don speculated manufacturer identity based on industry patterns; 250-unit production number mentioned
Modern pinball game economics make location operation unviable at $1 play price with $10,000 game cost and 25-30% venue splits
high confidence · Don and Hilton discussed operator payback timelines; historical comparison to 1992 Adams Family ($3K cost, $1K monthly earnings)
Evil Dead has paid for itself nearly 6 months into its shipping cycle (since February 2025)
medium confidence · Hilton from IO Arcade reported earnings trajectory on location game
Star Trek: The Next Generation influenced later Stern designs including ramp mechanics seen in Elton John
medium confidence · Don observed shot layout similarities between games; acknowledged speculation but drew design parallels
“24 games a week, 100 a month. You're at 500. So 600 in September, 700 in November. I forgot October. Let's give 800 to October. 88 miles an hour in December. New game.”
Don@ 5:55 — Calculates Evil Dead production trajectory based on Bug's weekly output rate
“I think I short sold it. I think I sold it high. Like hoping that it's going to go down in price so I can pick it up again and make a little bit of margin there.”
Don@ 6:34 — Reveals personal collecting strategy treating pinball secondary market like stock trading
“Everything's recycled, man. There's a ton of Elton John in Star Trek the Next Generation.”
Don@ 11:04 — Observes design lineage and influences across Stern titles
“Pinball operating is not a business. It's a hobby. And we do it because love of pinball.”
Don (paraphrasing community consensus)@ 21:40 — Summarizes shift in location operator economics and motivation
“I think that's why people are coming around now. Like, let's take another look at Spooky. Um, people are texting me now. The hype is really building.”
Don@ 33:15 — Notes growing community perception shift toward Spooky Pinball quality and code
“The way you have eight switches, they're all wired in series going to the back box. These huge boards. And you know, you can put a Raspberry Pi in the back of a machine now and run a whole game off of that and a couple of daughter boards.”
Don@ 23:48 — Contrasts manufacturing complexity between classic and modern machines
product_launch: Evil Dead production at 500 units with 24/week pace targets 888 units by December 2025
high · Bug confirmed 24 games/week output; Don calculated trajectory to 888 total units by Dec
manufacturing_signal: Evil Dead is first Spooky game manufactured entirely in new factory, eliminating multi-building logistics
high · Don noted efficiency gain from consolidated facility vs. old split-building process with hand-carrying playfields
announcement: Stern Star Wars media day September 10; predicted trailer release Monday September 8 based on King Kong pattern
medium · Don analyzed historical pattern from King Kong (4-day advance trailer before media day)
sentiment_shift: Community sentiment on Star Wars is mixed; some players express fatigue with theme overuse
medium · Don observed declining hype thread activity despite game not yet revealed; surprised by lack of interest
market_signal: Evil Dead secondary market at zenith; Don employs short-selling strategy hoping for price decline post-production run
high · Don explicit trading analogy: 'short sold it...hoping that it's going to go down in price'
operational_signal: Modern pinball location operation unviable at $1/play with $10K machine cost; 25-30% venue splits required
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“If that's like Australia's Florida, which absolutely tracks, by the way, then Perth is like Australia's Los Angeles.”
Don@ 26:57 — Personal travel observation; less significant to pinball industry but shows content diversification
high · Don and Hilton detailed economics; comparison to 1992 Adams Family ($3K cost, $1K/month earnings)
business_signal: Manufacturing complexity increased but game prices rose faster than operator economics can support
high · Don noted Raspberry Pi solution vs. vintage wire harnesses; questioned why costs increased if tech simplified
product_concern: Pinball operating shifted from viable business to hobby/passion project; operators dependent on venue traffic or bar revenue
high · Community consensus quoted: 'Pinball operating is not a business. It's a hobby.'
design_philosophy: Star Trek: TNG influenced later Stern ramp designs; John Borg repeats theme-swap patterns across franchises
medium · Don observed shot layout parallels between Star Trek TNG and Elton John; noted Borg's Guardians/Metallica pattern
sentiment_shift: Growing community perception of Spooky Pinball improving; code updates and innovation driving renewed interest
medium · Don noted hype building and community texting him inquiries; attributed to design crew, QC, build quality, and rules
machine_intel: Big Bang Bar remaster in production with 250 units planned; manufacturer likely Spooky (not Chicago Gaming)
medium · Don speculated based on industry patterns; stated community preference for CGC but expects Spooky
content_signal: Don's podcast continues to attract industry guests and sponsorships; serves as media day coordinator with sponsor relationships
high · Bug appeared as guest; Stern media day access; Mad Pinball sponsorship mentioned; Enzo attending as Don's +1