We Are Pinball #16 "Evil Dead rules! Distro price gouging!"

TL;DR

WAP celebrates Evil Dead's launch success and design excellence while critiquing its movie-sourced background music.

Summary

Key Claims

• Evil Dead has sold 650+ units out of 888 total production run within days of release

  high confidence · Don states '680-something sold' and later '6-something, 650-plus' with 'less than 230 left from the main website'

• Christopher Franchi is now a full-time employee at Spooky Pinball

  high confidence · Direct statement: 'I'm so happy that Christopher Franchi, he's a full-time employee'

• Evil Dead features only two or three posts on the playfield despite nine primary shots

  high confidence · Detailed discussion of post placement with confirmation: 'one post above the Vuck,' 'one on the left part of the left ramp,' 'one on the scoop,' 'one at the right ramp area'

• The slingshot flipper on the right side can be configured to use a single button or dual buttons

  high confidence · Donnie confirms: 'there's a setting where you can put everything on just one button and it's stageable'

• Evil Dead has an underplayfield accessible only after reaching specific progress

  high confidence · Detailed description: 'on the first game, you didn't even go down to the cellar... on game two, he went down there' with 10-second time limit

• The background music in Evil Dead comes directly from the film and is problematic for pinball engagement

  high confidence · Host states: 'The music Drove me crazy Donnie' and requests 'an alternative audio package' because 'the music killed it for me'

• Alice in Amsterdam sold out of 500 units and Metallica LE sold out of 500 units

  high confidence · Direct comparison: 'We saw Alice in Amsterdam sell out of 500. We saw Metallica LE sell out of their 500. And Spooky's, like, eclipsed even that'

• Evil Dead received no negative feedback in early community response

  medium confidence · Host asks 'Have you seen anyone say anything negative about this game? I haven't. I haven't, which is rare'

Notable Quotes

• “Spooky, dominating the market, out of the gate, nearly sold out of this new game”

  Don @ opening — Sets tone for exceptional market reception of Evil Dead

• “If this game doesn't win call-outs of the year on any list, then that list is a crooked list because this is Ash Williams. He's got some good call-outs, man.”

  Don @ mid-content — Expresses exceptional praise for Ash's dialogue and callouts as potential award-winner

• “This is made with love. This is made with passion. I would say insanity. I would say anybody else, they would have put them in an insane asylum and committed them.”

  Genghis @ mid-content — Characterizes Spooky's development process as driven by passion and obsessive attention to detail

• “I cannot be a shield. I need to be honest and say how I feel. The music killed it for me.”

  Genghis @ late-content — Explicit criticism of music choice despite overall praise, establishing credibility of critical stance

• “The music, they need to make an alternative sound package just going for people like me that isn't in the Evil Dead universe, just get normal, you know, pinball music, uplifting pinball music.”

  Genghis @ late-content — Concrete proposal for addressing music criticism through optional audio package

• “When you start the multi-ball, they flash so bright. So that cabin, that brown cabin, it just gets bright white. It looks so good.”

  Don @ mid-content — Demonstrates attention to lighting design and programmer's (Ben Heck's) execution

• “These guys doesn't have, you know, multi-billionaire investors in the back. They need to deliver every time. They need to put their heart and soul into this game.”

  Don @ mid-content — Contrasts Spooky's independent operation with larger manufacturers' resources

• “I talked with my brother yesterday, and he was like, I want this game on location. So that's the thing.”

Entities

Signals

• ?

  community_signal: We Are Pinball launched Patreon support model and established Facebook community group with active daily participation

  high · Multiple new Patreon members acknowledged; hosts describe extensive Facebook group activity: 'Every morning when I wake up, oh, my God, everybody has been writing in there'

• ?

  community_signal: Evil Dead received unanimous positive community feedback; no negative commentary detected in early responses

  medium · 'Have you seen anyone say anything negative about this game? I haven't. I haven't, which is rare because we are an opinionated bunch of jerks, man'

• ?

  design_philosophy: Spooky Pinball demonstrates obsessive attention to mechanical detail and real-estate optimization (wide-body to accommodate slingshot flipper, underplayfield, magnet sequences)

  high · Hosts note: 'They were like, hey, there's a little piece of space here with nothing in it. Let's throw something in there too' and extensive mechanical feature analysis

• ?

  licensing_signal: Evil Dead music implementation uses direct film soundtrack, contrasting with other licensed titles; creative tension between theme authenticity and pinball playability

  medium · Comparison to Halloween: 'You can do that with Star Wars You can do that with Indiana Jones... But this Music Drove me crazy'

• $

  market_signal: Location viability debate: Evil Dead's lighter comedic tone and adult-oriented humor (vs. pure horror) makes it more suitable for barcades than pure slasher horror games

  medium · Host notes shift in position: 'I talked with my brother yesterday... he was like, I want this game on location' due to comedic horror tone vs. Texas Chainsaw/Halloween's darker content