Episode 703: "The Ritchie Rumor"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·18m 31s·analyzed·Aug 1, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034

TL;DR

Kaneda rumors JJP's Godfather and Richie's mystery music game while critiquing CE pricing and market dynamics.

Summary

Kaneda discusses Jersey Jack Pinball's upcoming pipeline, including rumors about Eric Meunier's The Godfather game and strong speculation about Steve Richie's next title being a music-themed machine. He critiques the Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Collector's Edition pricing and market saturation, shares his decision to stop pre-ordering unseen games, and addresses community fundraising efforts while emphasizing the podcast's role in holding manufacturers accountable.

Key Claims

Eric Meunier's The Godfather game is contractually obligated to release this year due to the 50th anniversary
medium confidence · Kaneda, based on what he says he 'heard' — unconfirmed rumor, though specific contractual detail lends it credibility
Jack Guarnieri said on the Super Awesome Pinball Show that you will see Jersey Jack's next game in nine months
high confidence · Kaneda citing Jack Guarnieri's public statement, creating timeline conflict with Godfather release expectations
The market for collector's editions is softening, with a thousand Jersey Jack Collector's Editions and a thousand Stern Limited Editions now in circulation
medium confidence · Kaneda's market observation; evidenced by his inability to sell Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 CE at $14K (MSRP minus $1K)
Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Collector's Edition is overpriced compared to market demand, not worth the $15,000 MSRP
high confidence · Kaneda's direct personal market test: listed his copy at $14,000 with no serious inquiries; his analysis of distributor claims vs. actual demand
Steve Richie's rumored next game is a music-themed pinball based on an individual musician (not a band)
medium confidence · Kaneda's 'rumor' — hints provided but final title withheld pending dramatic reveal; described as having better flow than Guns N' Roses
Eric Meunier's games have been criticized for not shooting as well as Stern machines
medium confidence · Kaneda paraphrasing community criticism; suggests The Godfather is designed to address this feedback with high flow and speed
Cactus Canyon has been launched for almost a year without the final Lyman Sheets code being revealed
high confidence · Kaneda's direct observation and criticism; code delay cited as reason for repetitive gameplay
Kaneda made $5,000 flipping Godzilla and learned a $4,000 lesson pre-ordering games he didn't want to own
high confidence · Kaneda's personal financial disclosure; reflective statement on his investment strategy shift

Notable Quotes

“I am no longer pre-ordering a game. I'm no longer going sight unseen on any of these products. It doesn't work. It's not working out for me. It's not working out for many of you.”
Kaneda (Chris) @ ~midway through episode — Major personal policy shift for a prominent community figure with significant collecting history; signals broader market sentiment about pre-order risk
“If you want a Disney PIXAR Toy Story 4 mine is available for a thousand dollars off and we can easily do the deal and you will get one of the early ones made because I'm with a very good distributor.”
Kaneda @ ~20min mark — Concrete market evidence: a high-profile collector dumping a CE at 7% discount with no takers, revealing actual secondary market weakness
“Cactus Canyon is a real just traditional fun layout... after playing Cactus Canyon for a while, it's a little boring... almost every shot is wide open.”
Kaneda @ ~40min mark — Critical gameplay assessment of a major Stern release; points to code delay as root cause and compares unfavorably to modern competitors
“Jersey Jack Pinball has spent their entire decade of existence showing Stern what you can make but Jersey Jack Pinball has never been successful in really actualizing that capital.”
Kaneda @ ~35min mark — Scathing industry analysis: suggests JJP has innovated pricing models that Stern exploits better, undercutting JJP's own margins and capital realization
“Stern is just riding on the coattails of Jersey Jack Pinball's price hikes but they know how to do it better.”
Kaneda @ ~35min mark — Competitive analysis claiming Stern leverages JJP's market-setting pricing without equivalent investment or risk
“We're not personally attacking people. We're not slamming people... we just want to hold these companies accountable. We want to see great product.”
Kaneda @ ~30min mark — Community values statement; positions critical commentary as accountability-focused rather than negative, establishing podcast ethos
“This could be the most successful Jersey Jack Pinball machine of all time.”

Entities

Kanedaperson Eric MeunierpersonSteve RichiepersonJack Guarnieriperson Gary Sternperson Jean-Paul de Winperson

Signals

?
machine_intel: Eric Meunier's The Godfather game for Jersey Jack Pinball rumored as next major release; characterized as fast, high-flow game with major mech designed to address criticism of Meunier's previous games; 50th anniversary contractual obligation cited for 2024 release
medium · Kaneda explicitly frames as rumor; specific mechanical and design details provided; timeline conflict noted with JJP's stated nine-month timeline
?
machine_intel: Steve Richie designing a music-themed Jersey Jack Pinball game based on an individual musician; Kaneda withholds title but provides strong hints; described as potential JJP's most successful game ever with better flow than Guns N' Roses
medium · Kaneda frames as rumor; deliberately withholds title for dramatic effect; compares favorably to Guns N' Roses and Slash relationship; confidence tempered by statement 'I don't know for sure'
?
product_strategy: Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 CE priced at $15K (highest JJP price) has failed to generate demand; market saturation with 1,000 JJP CEs and 1,000 Stern LEs circulation; distributors can't move inventory at MSRP
high · Kaneda's direct market test: listed his copy at $14K (7% discount) with no serious inquiries; personal anecdote of failed pre-order; distributor claims of high demand contradicted by actual soft market
~
sentiment_shift: Marked shift in Kaneda's personal collecting strategy from pre-ordering sight-unseen to requiring gameplay experience before commitment; attributed to Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 disappointment and $4K lesson learned
high · Direct quote: 'I am no longer pre-ordering a game. I'm no longer going sight unseen on any of these products.' Contrasted with past behavior; signals broader community sentiment

Topics

Jersey Jack Pinball game pipeline and upcoming releasesprimaryCollector's Edition pricing, market saturation, and secondary market weaknessprimaryEric Meunier's The Godfather game rumorprimarySteve Richie's rumored music-themed gameprimaryPre-ordering strategy and buyer regret in the collector marketprimaryCompetitive positioning: Jersey Jack Pinball vs. Stern PinballsecondaryCactus Canyon gameplay critique and code update delayssecondaryPinball community accountability and media responsibilitysecondary

Sentiment

mixed(-0.15)— Kaneda expresses enthusiasm about upcoming titles (Richie's game, Godfather potential) but deeply critical of market dynamics, Disney Pixar CE pricing failure, Stern's Cactus Canyon, and manufacturer strategy. Positive sentiment toward community fundraising and personal reflection on pre-order lessons. Frustrated tone about market saturation and 'false promises' by pinball companies. Balanced self-awareness about speculation and willingness to hold manufacturers accountable rather than cheerleading.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.055

The moon is too blue, put a diadem on your red hair The moon is too red, your glory is bursting, your skirt is too fullcks, Un strat abi, nouveasdyonaitxip Dusty Greekgo5Rate0 This Week in Pinball, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteregonate Atomicoice, Jack Pinball, So will this be the game after Eric Meunier's game? So if we think about the order of JJP games, we've got Toy Story right now, Toy Story 4, the collector's editions are going to go into production I'm hearing at the end of August. They need to get those games on the line really quick. The market is very soft We're gonna talk a little bit about that and then we're gonna get what I'm hearing is Eric Meunier's Godfather I heard that Eric's game is wide open I heard it's a game that's going to be very fast, have a lot of flow, a lot of speed. There's a major mech in the game. And I think it's going to be Eric's game to shut up all the critics who keep saying his games don't shoot as well as Stern pinball machines. It's also the 50th anniversary of Godfather, so I also heard that they were contractually obligated to get the game out this year. But then Jack Winari went on the Super Awesome Pinball Show and said you're going to see our next game in nine months. So I don't know, those two things don't add up. The question then becomes if Steve Ritchie's game is after Eric Minier's game, when are we going to see it, right? Are we going to see it anytime soon? I don't know. And again, this is just a rumor, but this is where it gets really fun. I love doing these shows. I love putting these rumors out in the world because what will happen next is this. You will hear nothing from the company saying it's right or wrong. You will also hear all the other pinball content creators say that Kenaida's never right. The Mandalorian, Venom, Halloween, and I got scooped by the Godfather rumor and I don't want to get scooped again. Now that these games are so expensive, I want you guys to know as many themes as you possibly can so you can make up your minds with your wallet. But here's the other thing, and this is the new me, and I'm getting burned again on my Toy Story deposit. I'm just going to say it. I am no longer pre-ordering a game. I'm no longer going in sight unseen on any of these products. It doesn't work. It's not working out for me. It's not working out for many of you. And I want to play a game and make sure I really, really want it before I commit to ordering it. And now that we've got a thousand Jersey Jack CEs, a thousand Stern LEs, it's not going to be so hard to get these games. I think the market is going to get oversaturated. I do. I think we're kind of already there. There are There are so many available games out there in the marketplace and I know that some of these people are still thinking they're going to get like 18,000 for every SternLE but we're seeing the market soften up. And if you've been following my Facebook live this weekend, I just want to give you guys an update on my Toy Story Collector's Edition. So I am not getting a refund from my distributor. I'm not going to go down that road and tell you that entire story, but I did give my deposit before I saw the game and then when I saw the game, I didn't really want it, but it is what it is. I'm not going to burn my distributor. So here's what I am doing. I am giving someone a chance to buy Toy Story Collector's Edition for $1,000 off MSRP. So I will sell you my Toy Story for $14,000. And this weekend I listed it for $14,000 for sale and I've had no serious inquiries yet. So what does that mean about the value of this game? You know, the thing is this, I'm hearing some distributors say they wish they could get more We have a lot of CEs and the games are super high in demand but if the game was high in demand then why is nobody buying mine for off And what is the real market value of the game I haven seen this before We haven seen this with any Stearns We haven seen this with any Jersey Jacks ever before I never seen a game before they even made it It might be overpriced by a few thousand dollars If you were to ask me and say Chris where do you think the actual market value is for a Toy Story collector Edition I would have a really hard time telling you like what the price should be because clearly it not 15K Clearly it not You're watching a live stream of the show, but you have a chance to win $15,000 in cash. It's a $14K giveaway. So who bought these thousand games? I'm just so surprised. $15,000 is not something that a lot of people would be spending money on. Are they going to make all of them? Are these dealers and distributors going to commit to going all-in on their orders? I think they could be sitting on these games for a very long time, if they want $15,000 for them. I just think this whole thing was a perfect storm of things that could go wrong. You made the movie people didn't really want or you didn't put enough in the game and then you made it your most expensive game to date. I don't want to keep beating a dead horse on this but if you want a Toy Story 4 mine is available for a thousand dollars off and we can easily do the deal and you will get one of the early ones made because I'm with a very good distributor. So let's just leave it at that okay. I played the game again this weekend. I think it's fun. I just don't want to own it. Alright. I want to shout out to everybody who joined my Saturday Morning Spectacular this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We listed out a lot of the false promises made by the pinball companies, but the more important thing we did was we raised money for St. Jude's Hospital. Jason Knapp over at Knapp's Arcade put up a fundraiser and he had a goal to get to $1,000. I'm happy to report here that the Kaneda Army swooped in and we donated and smashed that The Week in Pinball, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteregon I disagree because I think every time we get together as a community and I mean the Kaneda fans, we always have a good time. Like even though we're speculating, even though we might be ragging on pinball machines, we're not personally attacking people. We're not slamming people and I think my fans have really big hearts and I think you have even bigger wallets and I think it's great when we get activated and we show people that the Kaneda Pinball fanbase isn't this negative complaining group of people. We're actually just people that love pinball and we love to be entertained and speculate and talk about rumors and we like to just not cheerlead everything that happens in pinball. And I think that's the defining element of myself and all of you is that we just want to hold these companies accountable. We want to see great product. We'll buy the product if you make it amazing and magical, but we don't want to just praise every single pinball machine that comes out. And we don't want to give praise before praise is due. And it's just that simple. I just think there's way too many victory laps. I think some of these designers are held up on a pedestal. And I think at these prices, everyone is going to start looking at these games differently. Did you hear what Jersey Jack said about the value of his machines? He said something along the lines of the value of this machine is the happiness it brings your family. And how can you put a value on that? So Toy Story Pinball is worth $15,000. Tứmmi蛋 exponentialningar partingcimento directamente之 and the $15,000. But you notice the Pattern Here we're starting to get to the point now where they're going to try to convince us that the Value we should see is the emotional value of the pinball machine because they don't want us to lift the hood on these games They don't want us to go down the machine and say hey for twelve thousand or fifteen thousand dollars What did you put into the machine You can erase the way we been evaluating pinball machines for so many years and one of the ways we value machines is we look at what in it We look at how well you theme integrated the game We look at how many toys and Mechs We look at how good the code is All of these things come together right How good is the music How good is the artwork We put all of that together and then we come up with our own personal way to value a game And if you going to charge more for a collector Seasonary TV Channel Nicely devoted Now in Canada Daily TVından The On two pinball machines, I will never even play and it's not their fault. It is my fault This was my journey I put my money down on these two games before I knew I wanted them and when I saw I didn't want them I Couldn't find someone to take my deposit because there was no demand for the games and it's just that simple I've learned a lesson. I've learned a four thousand dollar lesson now Now the other side of the coin is this, but I made $5,000 flipping Godzilla. So there still will be money to be made on pinball flipping people. Don't think pinball flipping is dead and gone. Because when an amazing machine comes out, you best believe we're going to see the price go over $15,000. You know, Jersey Jack Pinball had made Back to the Future and not Toy Story 4, people would be fighting to get their hands on one at $15,000. So I think Toy Story 4 is more of an anomaly than what we're going to see moving forward. I definitely believe over at Jerseyjackpinball they have to have had a few meetings by now and said hey like I don't know if we got it right. We got to make sure we get everything right. We got to make sure we get the right theme right. We get the right toys right. We got to make sure we really deliver on what we've promised people. We've set the expectations of what people can expect from Jerseyjackpinball and does this game deliver to those expectations and I think the market is speaking and I think the community is speaking when they say nope it was too soon to jack up The Week in Pinball, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, translite That is three thousand dollars less than a jerseyjack le ** Wrestlingonnaise Myers** It's like once again Jersey Jack Pinball has used its pricing model to help Stern out more than to help themselves out. It's like JJP has spent their entire decade of existence showing Stern what you can make but Jersey Jack has never been successful in really actualizing that capital. It's just crazy to me. Stern is just riding on the coattails of Jersey Jack's price hikes but they know how to do it better. Alright, but you're not listening to this podcast to hear about any of that. You're listening to this podcast and you're saying, Chris, just get to it. Spill the beans. Do you want me to talk about what else is going on in the pinball world? A couple more things and then we'll get to the rumored title by Steve Ritchie. So I played Toy Story a lot yesterday at Jack Bar and then I went over to Cactus Canyon Remake and I played a bunch of games on Cactus Canyon Remake. And again, this is just my initial first impressions. Cactus Canyon Remake has a lot of toys in it. It definitely does. But man, it is a real just traditional fan layout. And I'll say this, after playing Cactus Canyon for a while, it's a little boring. I think they really need to get this Lyman Sheets code into the game because I did feel like it was very repetitive. I felt like every shot was super easy to hit in Cactus Canyon And if you in on one I think you going to get tired of this game pretty quickly until the new code is put into the machine Now that begs the question where is the new code This game was launched almost a year ago and how come they haven shown us the final code in the game So maybe this delay has been a good thing for those of you waiting for your LEs because by the time your LE comes out Maybe they will finally reveal the final code of the game and I said it on my Facebook live yesterday I much prefer shooting Toy Story over a Cactus Canyon remake. I much prefer shooting Godzilla over Cactus Canyon remake It's just a boring game to shoot. I'm just gonna say it I think it's a pretty boring game to shoot with just a fan layout where almost every shot is pretty wide open I like games that have a little bit more uniqueness than that But it is what it is because here's the thing like that's the one knock on some of the older Bally Williams games like Monster Bash and Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars and Cactus Canyon is they're almost all just traditional fan layouts now Look, they're all great games But really owning 4 traditional fan layout Bally Williams machines I think would be kind of boring in a lineup and I said it yesterday I much prefer the way that Tales of the Arabian Nights shoots or Theatre of Magic versus like Cactus Canyon. Alright let's just get to this moment of me saying what I am hearing the rumored pin is by Steve Ritchie. I gave you some hints that it is a music pin I am hearing. I gave you some hints that it is based on an individual and not a band. I'm gonna say this. I think this is gonna be a huge hit title for Jersey Jack Pinball if it's this title. I don't know for sure. I keep saying that. But this feels like the perfect game for this company. And you'll see by the song I play for you. I mean here's like the launch video right here right now when you hear the song. I mean this is the perfect game for Jersey Jack Pinball. I also think you're gonna get all the assets and then some. I think with Jersey Jack's relationship with Slash and Slash knows every musician out there. I think they know how to make a music pin now better than anyone else out there in the business. And I think Guns N' Roses was the most successful pinball machine for Jersey Jack Pinball on a lot of levels. And imagine this now people. Imagine getting all of the assets of this iconic act and it has better flow and doesn't overwhelm you with multiballs because it's a Steve Ritchie game. I think if they do this right, this could be the most successful Jersey Jack Pinball machine of all time. I'm not going to overhype games anymore before I see them. I'm tired of it. It doesn't work out. It hasn't worked out for me. It's probably exhausting for you and I can guarantee you it's much more exhausting for me. Without any further ado, let me do a little drum roll and speak over the drum roll and then we're going to hit you with what Kaneda is hearing Jersey Jack's Steve Ritchie title is. Let's hit the drum roll. One Pinball Podcast, your favorite Pinball Podcast and Jersey Jack's least favorite personality in Pinball gives you The Rumored Game by Mr. Steve Ritchie. traject Mā Eng,ograph Many, Actual hum moderate hs- Shemek Nat Pro site veen incorrect Inwee went for the form of feel Man However, a common has no form things nerdsbe habt Kame Pendale Kame bumper, kittredog très chupayole Wassie punched Third planes, pisa, grapplingван, promenatnian en Seelled bawa renterhans.eereut tamamen fme kendzele Bj donde sacad治nteg Áldigej lotterytó in Narduster lifestyle R handmade medialt Wolksk lace communication communication communication communication communication communication communication Pro$ut tencha yae