Another Elvira? At Least it's Pretty...

Cary Hardy·video·4m 29s·analyzed·Oct 25, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

Stern's new Elvira BRK edition outshines costly 40th Anniversary variant; Hardy criticizes marketing overuse of 'limited' claims.

Summary

Cary Hardy reviews Stern's new Elvira House of Horrors variant (BRK edition), praising its visual design as superior to all previous versions including the 40th Anniversary edition released a year prior. He criticizes Stern's overuse of "limited" and "exclusive" terminology, questions the value proposition of the expensive 40th Anniversary edition given the new variant's superior aesthetics at a lower price point, and notes missed promotional opportunity at Expo 2026. Hardy observes secondary market saturation of 40th Anniversary units and diminishing collector differentiation.

Key Claims

The new Elvira BRK edition is visually superior to all previous versions, with complete makeover of playfield art, blades, backglass, and cabinet artwork
high confidence · Hardy states this is the best looking version with complete art overhaul vs 40th Anniversary which did not receive comparable updates
40th Anniversary Elvira edition had production run of 199 units while BRK edition will have 500 units
high confidence · Hardy explicitly states these production numbers as comparison point
Stern is misusing the terms 'limited' and 'exclusive' to the point where they've lost meaning in the market
high confidence · Hardy expresses frustration with repeated use of these terms and notes JJP abandoned 'Limited Edition' terminology in favor of 'Platinum' because their last three games' LEs were readily available
40th Anniversary Elvira units are widely available on secondary market (approximately 30 games visible in Pinside ads, with 'good chunk' being 40th Anniversary editions)
medium confidence · Hardy browsed Pinside ads and observed market saturation of this variant
Stern did not have an Elvira display at Expo 2026 despite revealing the game there, only showing it at factory tours
high confidence · Hardy directly states the game was revealed at Expo but not displayed there, only at Stern factory for tour visitors

Notable Quotes

“This is the best looking version. I mean, it's beautiful. If you were to line up every version of El Balmira's House of Horrors side by side and told me I could have one of them, I would choose this one.”
Cary Hardy @ early — Core thesis: visual superiority of new BRK edition makes previous versions obsolete from aesthetic perspective
“I feel a little bad for those of you out there that spent over 20 grand for the 40th anniversary edition that came out merely a year ago.”
Cary Hardy @ early — Directly addresses collector regret regarding recent high-price purchase now outclassed by cheaper, prettier variant
“they are throwing the word limited and exclusive around all willy nilly these days that I feel like it's losing its meaning...it's limited until they do it again or it's exclusive until it doesn't sell very well”
Cary Hardy @ mid — Core criticism of manufacturer marketing strategy; suggests 'limited' is now conditional/temporary rather than absolute
“JJP just recently like released their Elton John game and they no longer use the term limited edition. It's now called Platinum and I'm going to assume that's because the last three of their games The limited editions are readily available”
Cary Hardy @ mid — Evidence that industry is adjusting terminology due to market saturation of supposedly 'limited' products
“I could see around 30 games available for sale now and a good chunk of those are the 40th anniversary editions...there's I'm sure there's a few of them in there now the game was revealed during expo but it wasn't at expo”
Cary Hardy @ mid — Empirical observation of secondary market oversupply within one platform; indicates failed exclusivity claim
“you got to admit that game would have looked really cool on display at Expo if you were gifted an Elvira House of Horrors which version would you prefer”
Cary Hardy @ late — Identifies missed marketing/promotional opportunity at major industry event

Entities

Cary HardypersonStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Elvira's House of HorrorsgameExpo 2026eventPinsideorganization Elton JohngameBRK Editionproduct

Signals

?
business_signal: Variant release strategy creating buyer remorse within collector base; 40th Anniversary edition released approximately one year prior to BRK, with superior variant released at lower price point
high · 'I feel a little bad for those of you out there that spent over 20 grand for the 40th anniversary edition that came out merely a year ago'
?
competitive_signal: New Elvira BRK edition positioned as superior aesthetic variant at lower price point ($13k implied) than 40th Anniversary ($20k+), creating value compression and differentiation crisis
high · Hardy explicitly states BRK is 'prettier' despite lower price; questions why anyone would prefer 40th Anniversary when BRK offers 'complete makeover' of all visual elements
$
market_signal: Stern did not display Elvira BRK at Expo 2026 main venue despite game reveal, only showing at factory tours; Hardy identifies this as missed promotional/display opportunity
high · 'the game was revealed during expo but it wasn't at expo they had one on display at the stern factory...I feel like them not having one at expo on display...was a bit of a missed opportunity'
$
market_signal: Secondary market saturation of 40th Anniversary Elvira units (199 production run now widely available) undermines 'limited' positioning and suggests collector fatigue with variant strategy
high · Hardy observed ~30 games for sale on Pinside with 'good chunk' being 40th Anniversary editions; notes SLE variants 'not selling' despite higher production costs
?
product_concern: 40th Anniversary edition received no meaningful artwork updates compared to previous versions, undermining justification for $20k+ price point versus new BRK with complete visual overhaul

Topics

Limited Edition marketing strategy and terminology devaluationprimaryVariant release strategy and secondary market saturationprimaryElvira House of Horrors visual design and aestheticsprimaryCollector regret and buyer remorse from rapid variant releasessecondaryExpo 2026 promotional execution and missed opportunitiessecondaryIndustry-wide pricing and differentiation strategysecondary

Sentiment

negative(-0.72)— Hardy is critical of Stern's marketing strategy and uses of 'limited'/'exclusive' terminology, sympathetic to collectors who overpaid for 40th Anniversary edition. However, he's highly positive about the visual design of the new BRK edition itself. Overall tone is frustrated with business/marketing practices rather than product quality.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.013

Knowing that Stern was going to drop a new or different version of Elvira, I was anticipating to basically just kind of crap all over it and have a rant ready to go. And then the trailer dropped. This is the best looking version. I mean, it's beautiful. If you were to line up every version of Elvira's House of Horrors side by side and told me I could have one of them, I would choose this one. I feel a little bad for those of you out there that spent over 20 grand for the 40th Anniversary Edition that came out merely a year ago. And I'm sure the argument for the reason why you prefer that one is because they only made 199 versus the Premium Edition, which is going to be doing 500. But my counter argument is that the Premium Edition got a complete makeover when it comes to art over everything Playfield art blades back glass cabinet everything was done versus the 40th Anniversary Edition that did not. And my second point being that they are throwing the word limited and exclusive around all willy nilly these days that I feel like it's losing its meaning. Like every time I see it, like, oh, limited this or exclusive that, I just roll my eyes at this point. I used to be like, oh, it's limited. But now it's like it's limited until they do it again or it's exclusive until it doesn't sell very well. So they give it to everybody. I mean, so it's I don't look at limited and exclusive as a big deal anymore, which that's their fault. I mean, JJP just recently like released their Elton John game and they no longer use the term limited edition. It's now called Platinum and I'm going to assume that's because the last three of their games the limited editions are readily available. So they're not really limited technically now I going through the ads on Pinside now granted this is just you know one branch of you know moving games but I could see around 30 games available for sale now and a good chunk of those are the 40th Anniversary Editions. Now not all of these ads are people wanting to sell their old to get the new hotness but you gotta admit there's I'm sure there's a few of them in there now the game was revealed during expo but it wasn't at expo they had one on display at the Stern factory for all the people visiting and the factory for the tours and everything but i feel like them not having one at expo on display i mean you don't even have to make it playable just have it on display whether it be on a stage or even just have it there somewhere in the Stern area with cones all around it and ropes or whatever. Just for people to look at and admire and take their pictures was a bit of a missed opportunity there, Stern. And I'm sure Stern has some reasons why they did not do that and they probably valid but you got to admit that game would have looked really cool on display at Expo if you were gifted an Elvira's House of Horrors which version would you prefer and why and I cannot wait to hear you guys try to vouch for the fact that you would prefer yours because it's a more limited run and that's more valuable yeah and i'm sure i see them on the market and guess what they're not selling because you can get a much prettier version for 13k now but okay let me know what you think down below later guys more videos are coming Outro Music