claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032
August 2025 recap: Star Wars Fall of the Empire announced; licensing limits EMEA availability; multiple code updates; tariff impacts on manufacturers.
Star Wars: Fall of the Empire will not be offered in Europe, Middle East, and Africa markets due to licensing issues—a first for pinball licensing.
high confidence · Jonathan Bergeron and Martin Obe discussing Stern's website pricing and licensing restrictions
Fall of the Empire will be the first Spike 3 Cornerstone game, with pricing set at $6,999 (Pro), $9,699 (Premium), and $12,999 (LE).
high confidence · Stern website information provided by speakers
Data East Star Wars (1992) sold 10,400 units, a record recently broken by Godzilla.
medium confidence · Martin Obe citing historical sales data; Jonathan Bergeron expresses surprise AC/DC didn't surpass this mark
Deadpool sales are being pushed before the game is 'vaulted' with less than 500 units remaining in stock.
medium confidence · Jonathan Bergeron discussing Stern's current merchandise push
Predator production will end December 31, 2025, with only 150 units remaining available.
high confidence · Martin Obe citing direct communication with Daniel Jensen and official Pinball Brothers announcement
Dutch Pinball will split the extra 5% tariff (difference between 10% and 15%) with Cointaker, Great American Pinball, and Pinball Traders; customers won't pay additional costs.
high confidence · Martin Obe reporting Cointaker distributor announcement
Stern's High Performance Power Supply Upgrade Kit is available for $299.99 on their website, which could theoretically allow conversion of US games to work in Europe.
high confidence · Jonathan Bergeron noting Stern's official website offering
Multimorphic game was scheduled to begin production in late August 2025 'at the end of summer.'
high confidence · Martin Obe citing Multimorphic's update from August
“Another new Star Wars announced. Another?”
Jonathan Bergeron @ opening — Sets up the running joke about repetitive Star Wars announcements and the abundance of similar industry news
“the game will apparently not be offered to the Europe, Middle East and Africa markets due to licensing issues. This is the first time I can remember that happening in, well, at all, in pinball licenses.”
[name withheld pending review] @ early segment — Highlights unprecedented licensing restriction in pinball history
“Well, if there's none of that going on, then I can see for Stern why it would make sense for them to say, like, okay, you know what, if Europe and Asia or Europe and Middle East and Africa cost extra, we're not paying that.”
Jonathan Bergeron @ mid-discussion — Provides business rationale for Stern's licensing decision
“it turned out to be a huge earner for operators. Yeah, it was. Back in the day. You know, when games actually went into public locations where people could play pinball, instead of just game rooms and basements and man caves.”
Jonathan Bergeron @ mid-segment — Reflects on historical arcade presence and operator economics; hints at industry nostalgia and shift to home market
“Production will end on the 31st of December for both Predator and Alien... which means a very short production cycle.”
[name withheld pending review] @ late segment — Indicates unexpected end-of-year license expiration for multiple Fox/Disney IP
“They only have, at the time, slots in production for this year for about 150 Predator machines.”
[name withheld pending review] @ late segment — Reveals production capacity constraints at Euro Pinball Corporation affecting Pinball Brothers' output
“everybody seemed to be very happy with it and in the way it's going. But it's still 0.97, it's not finished yet.”
[name withheld pending review] @ code updates section — Reflects positive community reception to John Wick rule rework despite unfinished version status
announcement: Star Wars: Fall of the Empire officially announced by Stern Pinball; Spike 3 platform flagship title designed by John Borg; September 10 media event scheduled
high · Jonathan Houston and Martin Obe discussing Stern website details and media event invitation
licensing_signal: Unprecedented regional licensing restriction: Star Wars Fall of the Empire unavailable in Europe, Middle East, and Africa markets; first such restriction noted in pinball history
high · Martin Obe: 'the game will apparently not be offered to the Europe, Middle East and Africa markets due to licensing issues. This is the first time I can remember that happening in, well, at all, in pinball licenses.'
product_concern: Pinball Brothers facing severe production constraints: only 150 Predator units available of 880 planned; production cycle ending December 31, 2025 for both Predator and Alien due to Euro Pinball Corporation scheduling
high · Martin Obe citing Daniel Jensen's explanation of production slot limitations and license expiration
market_signal: US tariff structures stabilizing through cost-sharing arrangements; Dutch Pinball and US distributors absorbing 5% tariff differential; Pinball Brothers incorporating full 15% tariff into base pricing
high · Martin Obe detailing tariff arrangements with Cointaker, Great American Pinball, and Pinball Traders; Jonathan Houston noting Pinball Brothers pricing strategy
code_update: Dungeons & Dragons receiving active development with multiple August updates: v0.93 added trinkets power-up system, v0.94 enabled trinket management, v0.95 added achievements; persistence through Insider Connected
groq_whisper · $0.369
“if you own a P3 pinball machine, then you basically got a new game on your game for free”
[name withheld pending review] @ Multimorphic segment — Highlights Multimorphic's free minigame strategy as competitive advantage
“I think there's a certain amount of customization, which is almost going back to the open source idea of Blues Brothers again, where you make your own content for it.”
Jonathan Bergeron @ King Kong topper segment — Draws parallel to retro open-source design philosophy in modern aftermarket products
“if they take away all the emergency tariffs, that 10% is not going to go away because it's part of a separate trade deal”
[name withheld pending review] @ tariff discussion — Clarifies structural nature of trade tariffs and their permanence regardless of legal challenges
high · Martin Obe detailing three August updates with specific version numbers and feature descriptions
code_update: John Wick v0.97 (August 21) included substantial rule rework addressing unclear gameplay; community reports improved clarity and feedback despite unfinished version status
high · Martin Obe: 'quite a large reworking of how the game plays... people who played it said it seems to make things a lot clearer'
product_launch: Multimorphic Portal production confirmed on schedule for late August 2025 start; targeting end-of-summer release
high · Martin Obe noting Multimorphic's August update confirming production start timing
collector_signal: Stern Deadpool approaching vault status with less than 500 units remaining in stock/distributor network
medium · Jonathan Houston discussing Stern's current sales push as game nears end-of-production
sentiment_shift: John Wick code community sentiment improved significantly following v0.97 update; players noted enhanced clarity and rule accessibility despite game still in development (0.97 vs 1.0)
high · Martin Obe: 'everyone seemed to be very happy with it and in the way it's going'
historical_signal: Data East Star Wars (1992) historically sold 10,400 units; recently surpassed by Godzilla across multiple SKUs (Pro/Premium/LE/Anniversary); AC/DC sales record unclear despite Steve Ritchie legacy
medium · Martin Obe citing historical data; Jonathan Houston expressing surprise about AC/DC not surpassing record
product_strategy: Pinball Brothers clarified pricing includes international shipping and 15% tariff but excludes PA state sales tax (6%) for non-residents; standard trade practice emerging
high · Martin Obe detailing communication with Pinball Brothers regarding price breakdown
venue_signal: Electric Playgrounds announced King Kong topper with LCD integration and customizable video content; 400+ LEDs; $749-$799 pricing; limited to 100 units; niche collector product with fan customization potential
high · Jonathan Houston and Martin Obe detailing topper specs and Electric Playgrounds' business model