claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034
Flip N Out Pinball releases exclusive 2024 game sales rankings: Jaws #1, Labyrinth #1 single-model.
Jaws was the best-selling title for Flip N Out Pinball in 2024 across all editions (Pro/Premium/LE)
high confidence · Zach Sharpe, Flip N Out Pinball co-owner, presenting sales data from own dealership
Labyrinth sold more units than any single Jaws edition, and more than all John Wick or Metallica Remastered models combined
high confidence · Zach Sharpe comparing single-model sales to multi-edition titles; Barrels of Fun distribution context
Jaws represents approximately 10-20% of Flip N Out Pinball's total 2024 sales
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe estimating percentage; self-described as 'rough estimate' requiring verification
Barrels of Fun has approximately 10 dealers vs Stern's ~70 dealers, skewing per-dealer sales comparisons
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe contextualizing why Labyrinth dominates single-title rankings despite Jaws being overall #1
Uncanny X-Men was the third best-selling title in 2024 for Flip N Out Pinball, contradicting narrative it was a flop
high confidence · Zach Sharpe defending X-Men sales performance against community perception
Godzilla (including 70th Anniversary edition) ranked #4 despite being released before 2024
high confidence · Zach Sharpe noting surprise that legacy title still ranked high; 70th Anniversary bump helped
Pulp Fiction Limited Editions did not ship in 2024 but are counted as sales/pre-orders
high confidence · Zach Sharpe explaining why Chicago Gaming Company's Pulp Fiction ranks #5 despite delayed shipments
Approximately 45% of 2024 orders were for games announced before 2024
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe calculating rough percentage of legacy vs new-release game orders
Funhouse Remake (Pedretti Gaming) is #8 in pre-orders but drops to #18-20 territory when counting only shipped units
“The best-selling title for Flip N Out Pinball of 2024 and all of 2024, not just new games... was Jaws.”
Zach Sharpe @ early in episode — Direct confirmation of top-selling game; establishes Stern Jaws dominance
“We sold more Labyrinth than all models of Metallica Remastered combined. Uncanny X-Men combined. Oh, now that's interesting.”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-episode — Highlights Barrels of Fun's strong performance and single-model advantage vs multi-edition Stern games
“That's why I thought it was smart for Dungeons & Dragons that Stern has further reduced the Limited Edition count.”
Zach Sharpe @ discussing inventory — Signals Stern's strategic response to inventory buildup; D&D arriving 2025
“I would say the amount of Jaws games is close, if not over 10%. It's over 10%, but it's not 20%.”
Zach Sharpe @ percentage calculation — Quantifies Stern's market concentration at single dealership; ~1/30 titles driving 10%+ revenue
“When I look at these numbers, if this was a brand-new game, I'd say not a good seller. But since this was, what, how many years old and it still sold what it did, the 20th spot, I'll take it all day long.”
Zach Sharpe @ discussing Deadpool at #20 — Distinguishes between legacy game tail sales and new release performance; context for vaulting decisions
“Because when you told me I wouldn't be surprised, I thought, well, that means one thing. Stern's greatest game ever.”
Dennis (co-host) @ reacting to Godzilla at #4 — Acknowledges Godzilla's cultural/thematic significance driving sales despite age
“Jaws and Eloin, early in the year, there's so much there that I'm like, I want to know, though, really how close was it? And that's how I'm going to just get at it.”
Dennis (co-host) @ probing for Jaws percentage — Shows analytical approach to understanding Stern's market leverage within diverse portfolio
market_signal: Jaws dominates dealership sales at 10-20% of total revenue despite 36 titles in inventory; represents extreme market concentration in single title
high · Zach: 'I would say the amount of Jaws games is close, if not over 10%... It's over 10%, but it's not 20%'
manufacturer_signal: Stern occupies 9 of top 12 positions in sales rankings; ~70 dealers vs competitors' 10-15 creates distribution advantage
high · Jaws #1, Uncanny X-Men #3, Godzilla #4, Metallica #6, Elton John #7, Jurassic Park #9, John Wick #10, Looney Tunes #11, Avatar #12
manufacturer_signal: Labyrinth dominates single-model sales rankings (#1), outselling any individual Jaws edition and major Stern legacy titles despite limited dealer network (~10 dealers)
high · Zach: 'We sold more Labyrinth than all three models of John Wick combined... more Labyrinth than all models of Metallica Remastered combined'
product_strategy: Stern appears to vault games based on sales slowing; Uncanny X-Men inventory buildup led to D&D LE reduction; Star Wars and Deadpool vaults driven by weak 2024 sales despite some games showing tail sales strength
medium · Zach: 'That's why I thought it was smart for Dungeons & Dragons that Stern has further reduced the Limited Edition count' and analysis of Star Wars #17 ranking leading to vault
business_signal: Jaws and Labyrinth alone represent >20% of Flip N Out Pinball revenue; shows heavy reliance on 2 flagship titles across market
high · Zach: calculations show Jaws 10-20% + Labyrinth similar percentage = 'over 20% of our sales were from those two title games'
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high confidence · Zach Sharpe noting only ~1/3 of orders had shipped by podcast recording; significant caveat on ranking
Star Wars was vaulted partly because sales for four different models across 2024 were weak
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe analyzing Star Wars sales ranks #17 and providing context for Stern's vault strategy
“The worst selling game of 2024, drum roll please, American Pinball's Barbecue Classic. But it did sell and it sold more than one. I'll be honest, I sold three.”
Zach Sharpe @ closing sales list — Acknowledges even lowest-ranked title moved units; honest about bottom-tier performance
“That's why whenever they vaulted Deadpool, I was more beat up about Deadpool than Star Wars because Star Wars has four different models that have been out longer.”
Zach Sharpe @ discussing vaults — Reveals reasoning behind dealership frustration with Deadpool vault despite solid tail sales
“Am I being too transparent as a business, maybe. But nonetheless, again, more information and more entertainment for you, the listener.”
Zach Sharpe @ closing remarks — Acknowledges sharing proprietary sales data; frames transparency as exclusive content value for members
product_concern: Funhouse Remake ranks #8 in pre-orders but drops to #18-20 when counting only shipped units; only ~1/3 of orders shipped by podcast date; illustrates danger of pre-order inflation in sales metrics
high · Zach: 'if we take into account just those that have shipped then it would fall down into the number 20 territory... they're going to take up to April or May to ship all of them'
market_signal: ~55% of 2024 orders were for games announced in 2024; ~45% for games announced before 2024, indicating continued strong tail sales for legacy titles
medium · Zach: rough estimate that ~45% were pre-2024 announcements, 55% were 2024 releases
sentiment_shift: Community narrative labeled X-Men as 'flop' but dealership data shows it ranks #3 in 2024 sales; Zach explicitly contradicts flop narrative
high · Zach: 'I think that when people talk about Uncanny X-Men and saying, you know, that game doesn't sell, that was a flop. No, it wasn't. Not for us. It was not a flop at all.'
community_signal: Elton John had weak initial reception due to theme but gained strong word-of-mouth after Pinball Expo play; demonstrates importance of hands-on demo for theme-skeptical audience
medium · Zach: 'it felt like it was really around that December, January... into March because that's when a lot of people finally got to play it at TPF. And people realized, holy crap, this is actually a good game, even though they didn't care about the theme'
designer_philosophy: Steve Ritchie described as having 'bill of materials handcuffs' removed on Elton John design; allowed more mechanics than previously permitted
medium · Zach: 'For those that love Steve Ritchie, it was that, hey, look, the bill of materials handcuffs are off of his wrist. He got to do something as essentially he's claimed he couldn't do before.'
product_concern: Zach expresses frustration that Deadpool was vaulted despite ranking #20 and showing strong tail sales for multi-year-old title; indicates vault decisions may not align with dealership inventory success
high · Zach: 'That's why whenever they vaulted Deadpool, I was more beat up about Deadpool than Star Wars because Star Wars has four different models that have been out longer'
operational_signal: Zach shares proprietary sales data as exclusive Patreon content; positions transparency as competitive content advantage; acknowledges business risk but frames as member value
medium · Zach: 'Am I being too transparent as a business, maybe. But nonetheless, again, more information and more entertainment for you, the listener... Who else is going to replicate this?'