Coming Soon - Stern Pinball Jurassic Park Quest; The Pinball Arcade Going Away?; Top Earning Games

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Sep 25, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Stern JP Quest update coming; TPA delisted; Sega Genesis Atmos trademark filed.

Summary

Stern Pinball is releasing a "30th Anniversary Quest" update for Jurassic Park machines (details unclear—possibly new badges, modes, or achievements). Electric Bat Arcade's Rachel and Cale launched their own podcast "The Electric Bat Cast" after Pinball Party ended; their August 2023 earnings data shows Godzilla dominating, followed by Stranger Things Premium and Avengers. Farsight's The Pinball Arcade has been delisted from Apple App Store, marking a decline in the digital pinball licensing landscape. Sega trademarked "Genesis Atmos" for arcade/gaming machines, sparking speculation about future products.

Key Claims

Stern Pinball is releasing a "30th Anniversary Quest" update for Jurassic Park machines
high confidence · Author confirms this is coming soon but admits uncertainty about whether it's new modes, badges, or achievements
The Pinball Arcade (Farsight) no longer appears on the Apple App Store
high confidence · Author's friend pointed this out; author confirms ownership of all TPA releases on iPad
Zen Studios' Bally Williams releases have been infrequent and mostly rehashes of Farsight tables
medium confidence · Author's opinion based on release patterns; not independently verified
Godzilla was the top-earning pinball machine at Electric Bat Arcade in August 2023
high confidence · Data provided by Electric Bat Arcade operators Rachel and Cale
Sega trademarked "Genesis Atmos" for arcade gaming machines
high confidence · Author cites trademark filing with specific goods and services list

Notable Quotes

“I assumed that it was some sort of new mode...However, others have suggested that it may just be new badges for playing the game on certain days. Maybe it's just new achievements. I don't know what it is”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Reflects community uncertainty about Stern's Jurassic Park Quest announcement; unclear specifications
“TPA came out with at least one brand new Bally Williams, Stern or Gottlieb table every single month like clockwork. It was always something fun to look forward to.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Nostalgia for Farsight's aggressive digital licensing model contrasted with current Zen Studios pace
“The Pinball Arcade seemed like it was left for dead a long time ago, but this is just one more nail in its coffin.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Commentary on TPA's decline and App Store delisting as final stage of product sunset

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyJurassic Parkgame Electric Bat ArcadecompanyRachel (Electric Bat)personCale (Electric Bat)personThe Electric Bat CastproductPinball Party PodcastproductGodzillagame

Signals

?
event_signal: Electric Bat Arcade's Rachel and Cale launched independent podcast 'The Electric Bat Cast' after Pinball Party Podcast ended
high · Author confirms podcast launch and positive reception of first two episodes; provides direct link to Episode 1
$
market_signal: Competitive earnings data from major arcade venues becoming public content for podcast/media analysis
medium · Electric Bat Arcade providing detailed earnings breakdown by game and month for public discussion; part of The Electric Bat Cast launch
$
market_signal: The Pinball Arcade (Farsight) delisted from Apple App Store, marking significant decline of pioneering digital pinball platform
high · Author confirms delisting discovery by friend; characterizes as 'one more nail in its coffin' and signals end of era for TPA
?
announcement: Stern Pinball releasing '30th Anniversary Quest' for Jurassic Park machines; specific nature unclear (possibly modes, badges, or achievements)
medium · Author confirms announcement but admits uncertainty about update type; may be new gameplay mechanics or progression features
~
sentiment_shift: Digital pinball licensing landscape shifting from monthly Farsight releases to infrequent Zen Studios rehashes
medium · Author expresses nostalgia for TPA's aggressive monthly release schedule and disappointment in Zen's approach; expresses hope Zen 'steps up its game'

Topics

Stern Pinball product updatesprimaryDigital pinball platform licensing and declineprimaryArcade earnings and top-performing gamesprimaryPinball media and podcastingsecondarySega arcade hardware speculationsecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.45)— Positive toward Electric Bat Arcade's new podcast initiative and Stern's JP update; concerned/disappointed about The Pinball Arcade delisting and Zen's slower release pace compared to Farsight's legacy; neutral/speculative on Sega announcement

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Ahhhhh Monday. Ugh...Well, let's see if we can brighten things up a little bit today with some news from the world of pinball and arcades. Let's kick things off today with the upcoming new "30th Anniversary Quest" from Stern Pinball for its Jurassic Park games. When I first heard about this, I assumed that it was some sort of new mode (on a related note, I finally played Co-Op mode on Jurassic last week, fun stuff). However, others have suggested that it may just be new badges for playing the game on certain days. Maybe it's just new achievements. I don't know what it is, but I know that it's something new for a pinball machine that I bought several years ago so I'll love it whatever it is. New stuff for JP coming soon. Next up we have a look at what pinball machines are earning in arcades from the fine folks at Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe, Arizona. The operators of Electric Bat, Rachel and Cale were regular guests on the Pinball Party Podcast. Now that that particular show is no longer airing on a regular basis, the duo decided to set off on their own with their own new podcast "The Electric Bat Cast." I've really enjoyed their first two episodes. Kudos to them. Below is a look at the Top 5 earning pinball machines at Electric Bat in August. Godzilla continues to dominate: Earnings - August 2023 1) Stern Pinball Godzilla 2) Stern Pinball Stranger Things Premium (80% of top spot) 3) Stern Pinball Avengers (boost from being cash game of the month) 4) Stern Pinball James Bond 60th 5) Spooky Pinball Scooby-Doo https://www.electricbatarcade.com/ Item 3...this morning a friend of mine, pointed out that the OG of licensed digital pinball Farsight's The Pinball Arcade no longer appears on the Apple App store. Back in the day I used to love how TPA came out with at least one brand new Bally Williams, Stern or Gottlieb table every single month like clockwork. It was always something fun to look forward to. I own every single TPA release on my iPad. The new Bally Williams releases from Zen Studios have been much further between and mostly rehashes of tables that Farsight already gave us. Hopefully Zen steps up its game in the future. The Pinball Arcade seemed like it was left for dead a long time ago, but this is just one more nail in its coffin. Last but not least, we have an interesting new trademark from the arcade world. Last month, Sega Trademarked the term "Genesis Atmos" for use in the following Goods and Services: Casino gaming machines for gambling; amusement machines, automatic and coin-operated; slot machines; amusement apparatus for use in arcades, namely, amusement apparatus incorporating a television monitor or screen, amusement apparatus incorporating a video monitor, amusement apparatus adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor, amusement game machines; electronic arcade video games machines; game machines, namely, amusement game machines, arcade game machines, home video game machines, LCD game machines, stand-alone video game machines, video game machines I have no idea what they're up to, but hopefully Sega has something cool in store for all of us. I have embedded the first episode of The Electric Bat Cast and included other related pictures below: The Electric Bat Cast :: Episode 1