[Update] Moving Units: Pinball Sales Tracker (#7)

This Week in Pinball·article·held·Jun 12, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

TWiP publishes Moving Units tracker #7 with new production model; Pokémon is main 2026 focus.

Summary

This Week in Pinball publishes an update to its Moving Units sales tracker (#7), analyzing pinball machine sales performance through mid-2026. The update introduces a new production-estimation model to complement sales tracking, focusing on Pokémon as the primary open question in 2026 releases, while noting that Harry Potter, King Kong, and D&D continue performing well. The tracker reveals a narrow list of actually moving inventory: Pokémon, a few known performers, and boutique limited runs catching up on backlog.

Key Claims

Pokémon is the only 2026 release whose performance is still an open question
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
Beetlejuice is shipping as a sold-out boutique run with performance already predictable
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
Harry Potter continues to be an excellent performer for Jersey Jack
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
King Kong and D&D keep plugging along in sales
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
Nothing else Stern has shipped in 2025 has really broken through commercially
medium confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
A production-estimation model has been built behind the scenes most of the year
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial
Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and Yukon Yeti have been moved from 2024 to 2026 section
high confidence · This Week in Pinball Moving Units tracker editorial

Notable Quotes

“Mostly, we've been watching the furious pace of Pokémon, really the only 2026 release whose performance is still an open question.”
This Week in Pinball (editor) — Highlights Pokémon as the key market performance watch for 2026; indicates other 2026 releases have more predictable outcomes.
“What's actually 'moving' is a narrow list: Pokémon, a couple of games we already knew were selling, and boutiques slowly catching up on sold-out limited runs.”
This Week in Pinball (editor) — Core thesis of the update: despite appearance of activity, actual moving inventory is concentrated in a small number of titles.
“In pinball, that's an important distinction: what gets produced doesn't always line up with what winds up in the market, depending on how much inventory settles at various rungs of the distribution ladder.”
This Week in Pinball (editor) — Explains rationale for introducing production-estimation model as complement to sales tracking.

Entities

This Week in PinballorganizationStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyPokémongameBeetlejuicegame Harry Pottergame King Konggame D&DgameTransformers: More Than Meets the Eyegame

Signals

$
market_signal: Actual moving inventory is concentrated in a narrow list: Pokémon, a few known performers, and boutique limited runs catching up. Most 2025 Stern releases have failed to break through commercially.
high · What's actually 'moving' is a narrow list: Pokémon, a couple of games we already knew were selling, and boutiques slowly catching up on sold-out limited runs
?
product_launch: Pokémon described as having 'furious pace' of sales in 2026; is the primary open performance question among 2026 releases
high · Mostly, we've been watching the furious pace of Pokémon, really the only 2026 release whose performance is still an open question
?
business_signal: Stern Pinball has not shipped any breakout commercial hits in 2025; market dominated by Jersey Jack (Harry Potter), boutique releases, and older titles (King Kong, D&D)
high · nothing else Stern's shipped has really broken through
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market_signal: Boutique manufacturers are working through backlog of sold-out limited production runs; Beetlejuice noted as sold-out boutique run with predictable performance ceiling
high · Beetlejuice is shipping too, but it's a sold-out boutique run, so we already know roughly where that one lands
?
collector_signal: Sold-out boutique limited runs generate predictable market outcomes due to fixed production ceilings and collector behavior
medium · Beetlejuice is shipping too, but it's a sold-out boutique run, so we already know roughly where that one lands

Transcript

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Editor's note: Sorry, everyone! There’s a whole section of analysis from the production model that didn’t make it into the first email. I’m sending a follow-up note just to let you know it’s there. Skip to Analysis if you’ve already read the rest. Hey, it's finally time for another entry in our Moving Units tracker. Hooray. It's been a while since our last check-in. Mostly, we've been watching the furious pace of Pokémon, really the only 2026 release whose performance is still an open question. Beetlejuice is shipping too, but it's a sold-out boutique run, so we already know roughly where that one lands. Besides that, 2025 is mostly old news. Harry Potter's still an excellent performer for Jersey Jack, King Kong and D&D keep plugging along, and nothing else Stern's shipped has really broken through. That's the quiet theme of the whole update. What's actually "moving" is a narrow list: Pokémon, a couple of games we already knew were selling, and boutiques slowly catching up on sold-out limited runs. Busy-looking, but narrow. (One of my own predictions from last year also comes due in here, and it's about to look pretty silly. More below.) This edition, I'm including the very first look at our production-estimation model, which we've been building behind the scenes most of the year. Where the tracker series tries to answer "how well is a game selling?", this tries to answer "how many games were produced?" In pinball, that's an important distinction: what gets produced doesn't always line up with what winds up in the market, depending on how much inventory settles at various rungs of the distribution ladder. It's a first look, and focused only on recent Stern games as a starting point. One housekeeping note. I've retired the standalone 2024 table — those games are deep in their long tail now, and they show up this time through the production lens instead. Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and Yukon Yeti join the 2026 section. Everything below compares mid-March to the start of June. Let's do the thing.