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SDTM: 2023 Pinball Sneak Peek: Rumors, Speculation, Dirty Secrets, & Predictions

Straight Down the Middle·video·36m 46s·analyzed·Jan 3, 2023
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.037

TL;DR

2023 pinball landscape: Scooby-Doo-Doo, JJP rumors, Stern's dual cornerstones, and smaller manufacturer struggles.

Summary

Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle podcast discuss 2023 pinball announcements, rumors, and speculation. They cover Spooky-Doo release, rumors of JJP titles (Godfather, Elton John by Steve Ritchie), Stern's two cornerstones (Jack Danger on Foo Fighters, Brian Eddy on Venom), CGC's non-remake original title, and updates on American Pinball, Pinball Brothers, and Haggis. The hosts blend confirmed info with insider gossip and speculation while analyzing manufacturer capacity, pricing, and community sentiment.

Key Claims

  • Spooky-Doo is a wide-body game priced under $10,000 with 16 ramps, launching January 2023

    high confidence · Zach and Greg discussing official announcement; they note they are authorized Spooky dealers who will receive one of first units

  • JJP is rumored to be releasing Godfather with potential Franchi art, followed by a Steve Ritchie-designed Elton John game

    medium confidence · Greg: 'JJP is rumored to have coming next from Eric's menu and that is Godfather'; Zach: 'They're saying Steve Ritchie on Elton John'

  • Stern will only release two cornerstones in 2023: Jack Danger game (rumored Foo Fighters) and Brian Eddy game (rumored Venom)

    high confidence · George Gomez confirmed this to Joel Engelberth on Flip N Flip N Out Pinball channel; Zach and Greg cite this as semi-confirmed

  • CGC will release an original non-remake title in 2023, with a possible Twilight Zone wide-body remake following

    medium confidence · Zach: 'the word is you're going to see something that is not a remake coming from CGC in 2023...possibly a remake after that...the rumor is Twilight Zone'

  • Keith Elwin 007 Limited Edition 60th anniversary single-level game revealed January 3rd

    high confidence · Zach: 'we know that the Keith Elwin, the limited edition 60th anniversary single level James Bond 007 It coming out It being revealed January 3rd'

  • Stern is teasing a possible Stranger Things vault release and possibly a reworked SAM (Spider-Man? or another Sam game) with theme rework

    low confidence · Zach: 'George was teasing on that flipping out thing that, don't be surprised, never say never to a Stranger Things vault coming out'; and 'There was a rumor swirling around...of them bringing back a Sam game'

  • American Pinball has an original theme coming from Dennis Nordman, rumored as 'Galactic Tank Force'

    low confidence · Zach: 'the rumor is Galactic Tank Force or some bullshit like that. It's so bad. It's like a frickin' 70s D-list horror film'

Notable Quotes

  • “I think these guys over there have got big testicles because they went for a wide-body game. Just do it. They loaded that game down. Under $10,000.”

    Zach @ ~3:00 — Characterizes Spooky's bold design choice for Scooby-Doo as risky but admirable industry positioning

  • “People took their anger from Ultraman and Halloween and it like bled into Scooby Doo. And it's like, you numbnuts. Like, this is what we do want.”

    Zach @ ~4:00 — Commentary on community reception and the challenge of meeting collector expectations vs. seeking differentiation

  • “They march to the beat of their own drum and they're not apologetic for it...that's some fucking tenacity it does it takes the cojones yes to do that so i regardless kudos i'm excited as hell to play it”

    Greg and Zach @ ~6:00 — Expresses respect for Spooky's risk-taking despite past community skepticism about their designs

  • “I think they're going to strongly push for it. The rumor to follow that up is the new Steve Ritchie. Listen. I'm listening. Here's where I'm going with this...I think they could [get two titles out in 2023].”

    Zach @ ~15:00 — Predicts JJP capacity and manufacturing improvements enabling dual release year

  • “Elton John is about the most flamboyant artist there is. And I like flamboyant pinball...it reaches back to the childhood of a lot of boomers who were buying machines.”

    Greg @ ~25:00 — Rationalization of counterintuitive theme choice appealing to boomer demographic and collector base

  • “David Fix and that team went above and beyond for a customer...I cannot tell you how absolutely amazing that customer service was...from the bottom of my heart they killed it.”

    Zach @ ~50:00 — High praise for American Pinball customer service recovery; signals trust in manufacturer despite poor 2022 output

  • “I think that when you're seeing it across the board out of smaller manufacturers...there's something to be said there's something there that we don't we're not privy to seeing the hang ups and the issues”

Entities

ZachpersonGregpersonSpooky PinballcompanyScooby-DoogameJersey Jack PinballcompanySteve RitchiepersonStern Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    announcement: Spooky Pinball officially announced Scooby-Doo pinball game for January 2023 launch

    high · Zach and Greg discuss it as confirmed official announcement with specific details (wide-body, under $10k, 16 ramps, CE topper)

  • ?

    rumor_hype: JJP rumored to release Godfather and Steve Ritchie's Elton John game in 2023; potential dual-release year

    medium · Zach cites industry speculation about JJP's manufacturing capacity post-Toy Story to handle two titles; manufacturing logistics discussed as feasible

  • ?

    machine_intel: George Gomez confirmed Jack Danger and Brian Eddy as Stern's two 2023 cornerstone designers; specific themes rumored as Foo Fighters and Venom

    high · George Gomez directly confirmed to Joel Engelberth; designer pairings confirmed (Danger with Tanya, Eddy with Dwight)

  • $

    market_signal: Stern leveraging Keith Elwin brand for premium James Bond LE tier; potential shift to 4-tier pricing structure across cornerstone releases

    medium · Zach speculates: 'Do we stick him on all the LEs now so we can really maximize dollars? Because people will buy Keith Elwins'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: American Pinball rebuilt trust with exceptional customer service recovery; Dave Fix praised despite prior skepticism

    high · Zach's extensive positive commentary on service; notes confidence shift from poor 2022 output to high regard for company

  • ?

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.110

0:00
All right, let's kick this shit. you hit it off with bumper now you're straight down the middle you had a fling with a fling shot you're rolling out the island again hey greg guess what 2022 is about over or it is over depending on when these people this is straight down the middle my name is zach this is my best buddy greg and we are here to tea maybe tease we like to tease don't we tease and talk tease it baby it's a little cold Oh, where's your mom at? Oh, cut grass.
1:01
Waxing ass. Tapping ass. What did you tell me when you used to mow? She said, cutting grass and tapping ass. I can't remember what it was.
1:13
Oh my God, that's ridiculous. 2022 is a weird ass year. So we want to tease you guys and talk about what's coming up in our minds. And maybe give you a little behind the scenes, little nuggets. We'll drop some nuggets here and there. No booby taps. For what is coming up in pinball in 2023. Before we get into the meat and taters, we need to remind you to follow, like, and subscribe. Us here straight down the middle. Down below. That's old. Tap it down here. Get a little honky. Oh, shit.
1:45
You know what's rough, man? I had the second back surgery. They told me no sex for what they say. They told me, but I lied to Nicole. I think they said six weeks. Right?

Pinball Brothers' new 2023 game will be announced toward the end of the year, with Ferret confirmed on code

medium confidence · Zach: 'They going to announce the 2023 game they said towards the end Good...Ferret is on code so I know it going to be good'

  • Fathom (Mermaid) are selling for significant money on secondary market

    high confidence · Zach: 'Fathom, Fathom (Mermaid) were a hit. Those things on the secondary market are selling for a lot of money'

    • Zach @ ~68:00 — Defense of smaller manufacturers' delays; frames systemic manufacturing challenges as industry-wide rather than company-specific failure

  • “The problem is I still don't think that the public in general will be trusting to Haggis for their next announcement...I don't care if they make all 250 Fathom (Mermaid)...That next one rolls, and I think they're going to have some hesitation.”

    Greg @ ~72:00 — Assessment of reputational damage from Haggis delays; skepticism about redemption without major delivery success

  • “Deadpool (Pro) fun, but it's gritty at the same time. Like, I hope they do that [with Venom].”

    Greg @ ~35:00 — Design philosophy preference; suggests tone/aesthetic expectations for Stern's rumored Venom game

  • “I think 2023 will be the year of filling out the regular James Bond cornerstone. It's going to do really well at that.”

    Zach @ ~45:00 — Prediction about Stern's strategy to monetize James Bond through multiple tier releases

    • Jack Danger
    person
    Brian Eddyperson
    Dwight Sullivanperson
    George Gomezperson
    Chicago Gaming Companycompany
    Keith Elwinperson
    James Bond 007game
    American Pinballcompany
    David Fixperson
    Dennis Nordmanperson
    Pinball Brotherscompany
    Haggis Pinballcompany
    Fathomgame
    Ben Heckperson
    Joel Engelberthperson
    Franchiperson
    Flip N Out Pinballcompany
    Straight Down the Middleorganization

    product_concern: Haggis and other smaller manufacturers (CGC, American Pinball) suffered 2022 delivery delays; Haggis faces significant community trust deficit

    high · Zach and Greg discuss systemic pattern; Greg: 'I still don't think that the public in general will be trusting to Haggis for their next announcement'

  • ?

    business_signal: Stern reducing cornerstone output from 3 (Cornerstone in 2022) to 2 in 2023 to address backlog; prioritizing standard James Bond rollout

    high · Zach: 'They're going to drop one this year...I think they're going to do only two this year'; strategy justified as clearing back orders

  • ?

    collector_signal: Haggis Fathom Revisit Mermaid Editions commanding premium prices on secondary market; indicates strong collector demand for rarity variants

    high · Zach: 'Fathom Revisit, Mermaid Editions were a hit. Those things on the secondary market are selling for a lot of money'

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Stern potentially working on Stranger Things vault and reworked SAM game; tight new leak control from Stern noticed by community

    low · Zach cites George Gomez teasing Stranger Things; separate rumor of SAM rework with 'super strong theme'; Zach notes 'they've buttoned up a lot of those leaks'

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: CGC cited as manufacturing 'one of the strongest contenders' if they resolve parts/production issues; Josh Sharpless Cactus Canyon code update pending

    medium · Zach and Greg discuss CGC logistics improving post-GNR/Chicago Manufacturing; Greg: 'If they can get their manufacturing down a little more...they could jockey into that second, third place'

  • ?

    content_signal: Flipping Out Pinball (Zach and Greg's dealership) planning to create video content of Scooby-Doo as first-batch authorized dealer

    high · Zach: 'since we're an authorized dealer of spooky pinball flipping out pinball We'll be getting one of the first ones from the first batch So we'll be able to review it will be able to show you video of it'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Steve Ritchie departed Stern for Jersey Jack Pinball; characterized as less restrained design freedom at new manufacturer

    high · Zach: 'He leaves Stern. Yes...Less restrained than what he has been in a long time. He, per his report. Yes. Per his report.'

    • 1:59
    I don't think that's fair. It's sort of on the schedule. But you know, a handy's not going to hurt. Hell yes. It's not like I'm exerting a lot of... Throw your back out. I told my wife, I was like, Han, they said like two weeks with no sex. I'll throw my back. I said it would actually hit. I only tell you to take it easy. Oh, it's worth it. 2023. You know what just was announced? That maybe the most Greatest IP In pinball history Was announced by a little company called Spooky Pinball Scooby Doo, where are you?
    2:39
    They're here That game looks cool I'm kind of excited about it I don't know Don't talk shit about my Scooby I'm pumped about this game I like the way it looks, I like the art I kind of want the wire forms to all be one color. Oh, God, really? Yeah. Oh, that's cool. I think these guys over there have got big testicles because they went for a wide-body game. Just do it. They loaded that game down. Under $10,000. I say this about, and this is some of my defense on Halloween, is we always argue for something different. We want something different. The company gives us something different. It's still good. And they're like, no. It's not what it's not normal. People took their anger from Ultraman and Halloween and it like bled into Scooby Doo. And it's like, you numbnuts. Like, this is what we do want. Yes. And they're like, yeah, but you're not going to have a Cody. It's going to shoot like shit. It's like, how do you know that? Yeah. It may. I don't know. I don't know either. I'm still excited. But I love if they do anything remotely close to Halloween. I'm okay. Yeah, we're good. I'm all in. Yeah, I'm sorry. I just like the locks by the flippers and everything. That's cool. I like something new, just like the ball coming out by the flippers. I like something different. Physical ball walk in the van in the mystery machine. I like something new. The Captain Cutler with the magnets under his hands on the upper play field. I think it's cool. It's really cool, too. It's like you said, it's ballsy. 16 scopes in that game. A topper they include on the CE. Yeah, you don't grow a field. Hey, listen, that company could fail at any point with a wrong decision. so to take that and go you know what we're doing we want to do and we're trying new things damn it i want to do like that ambition i do too that's some fucking tenacity it does it takes the cojones yes to do that so i regardless kudos i'm excited as hell to play it i think they they uh march to the beat of their own drum and they they're not apologetic for it no i appreciate that yeah i like it too let's hope they they've beefed up their coding department yeah uh so out of the gate We're probably gonna have some of the same complaints. Where's the code right? Yeah, just like James Bond
    4:49
    But hopefully here soon They'll start rolling these out. I think January 2023. Oh Yeah, and since we're an authorized dealer of spooky pinball flipping out pinball We'll be getting one of the first ones from the first batch So we'll be able to review it will be able to show you video of it the sexiness of it Not a lot of great media video yet from them. But we're going to make that happen. Yeah, we're going to make that happen. I'm really looking forward to Scooby-Doo. I am too. I love Scooby-Doo. People tearing that theme down. I'm like, who the hell did they grow up with? These people are dumb. They know what they want. That spans, I mean, what was that, the 70s into the 80s? Go play your Rush games. That was such a generational spread. You know what? We need to go back. We did a top 10 list on our top 10 dream themes. That's been like four years ago. I think out of our list most all of them been made Scooby-doo, I think was all my goonies Or back to the future or did we put up tails on you did it was on your list I still drink a little happen on that list Was it what JJP is rumored to have coming next from Eric's menu and that is Godfather was that on your list?
    6:02
    I'm here. Oh, I don't know. I don't know how it'll go. It just depends on what they do with it. There are so many avenues you can go with that.
    6:13
    How serious do you make it? How do you make it not serious? It's a drama. Yeah. How violent do you make it? It's not really that violent. I mean... You can make it violent. It's not Goodfellas violent. No. Oh. It's not. Casino.
    6:30
    Casino. Pulp Fiction violent. Like, it's not any of that. Casino would have been a good mob pin I'll take good fellas I like good fellas Scarface it's not that I mean you got good moments in Scarface but the Philip pin I guess if anybody can do it Eric Maynard can do it yeah I mean the man has like a vision for creating a world under glass so if you create this beautiful Italian Sicilian vibe Yeah, the Horsehead Multibot. The Underworld.
    7:06
    Hey, you can pull it off. I'm like you. You know what I heard? I heard a rumor that Franchi was on art. Ooh.
    7:13
    Now, one thing that JJP, I would welcome is some Franchi art. Yeah, especially to get that photorealism of those characters. Mm-hmm. You know, like that's all. Franchi hadn't done anything for a long time. Ooh. We need some Franchi art. Yeah, I'm excited to see Franchi back in there. The theme is not a killer for me It's not a deal breaker But it's going to have to be good It's going to have to be good Because you know what I still like the theme better than Rush I'm not going to lie I still like it better than Rush But Rush makes more sense to a pinball machine In my opinion than Godfather Maybe it's not Godfather But maybe it is Maybe it is Godfather Maybe it's not I don't know We do know we don't know i have no clue maybe his godfather we'll see that's jjp do you think jjp the bigger question grave my friend my amigo my hombre what's the hombre it's like a husband i hope it's not a husband you're not my husband no that's like this is like a spousal then he uh hombre hombre thank you pal amigo buddy okay maybe the bigger question is do you think 2023 marks the here that JJP gets out two titles in one year. I think they're going to strongly push for it.
    8:32
    The rumors men your godfather. The rumor to follow that up is the new Steve Ritchie. Listen. I'm listening. Here's where I'm going with this. What am I hearing? I would assume a record setting surplus of builds when they were doing GNR. So I think they learned a lot within the manufacturing process at that point in time, how to get things going a little better. Yeah, they jumped from GNC to Chicago. Yeah yes So I think they got a lot of that ironed out Then they go over to Toy Story Contrary to popular belief I still think quite a few Toy Stories were sold There's a lot. That's what I'm saying. There's a lot of Toy Stories. So they rolled into that. Honestly, rolling that game out was pretty decent. Yeah, yeah. So to me, from a manufacturing standpoint, they shouldn't have very much trouble if everything is good with parts, But everybody gets so mad about the pricing of Toy Story. You think they're going to have a Godfather with this pricing? I don't know. They're going to sell 1,000 CE Godfathers? I can't speculate on that.
    9:46
    I can't speculate on that. But I'm just saying from a logistical standpoint, can they get up to games?
    9:55
    Yes. Yeah. Logistically, I think they can. I think so. And I think we will see it this year. Wow. I think they'll push for it that hard. Okay. I think they want to make a statement. Okay.
    10:05
    Now, you heard it here first. You heard it here first. I think they could. The rumor of, and we're just doing rumors here, people. Just doing rumors. We're not even bringing anything new. We're just simply saying what the media industry is saying. They're saying Steve Ritchie on Elton John. Hmm. What do you think about that as a theme? They're just really knocking it out of the park. Godfather Elton John.
    10:33
    People love Elton John. I love Elton John music. I do love Elton John music. Elton John sold out locally. Dude, I think Elton John. It was a hard sellout. It seems like a bad theme. I think it might work. I think there's so much that you can do with that as in a spectacle. Yeah, colors.
    10:56
    Dude, Elton John is about the most flamboyant artist there is. And I like flamboyant pinball. And just the piano and everything going on. Lights. Like lights and the costumes. Yes, feathers. And everything.
    11:10
    Damn, I don't know, man. That might hit as one of my... There's the possibility of that being a super badass game. It could. It really could. And I just... It doesn't make sense of the demographic initially, but it reaches back to the 70s. Listen, no... It reaches back to the childhood of a lot of boomers who were buying machines. And they still love Elton John. Spouses love Elton John. He's still very relevant. Still selling out concerts. He's on his farewell tour.
    11:41
    Maybe it does work. And like I said, a lot of his concerts sold out. You know what? I'll tell you this. I like Elton John music more than I like Kiss music. I just do personally. You know what? I'd maybe agree with that. And I think it's a stronger theme than Rush. Why am I talking myself into this theme? We can go back to Rush because Rush was such a good game on a theme that's okay. But I think Elton John is probably a bigger idea. I want to see what Steve Ritchie can do at JJP. He leaves Stern.
    12:10
    Yes. He's known for flow. Yes. Let's see what he can do. Less restrained than what he has been in a long time. He, per his report. Yes. Per his report. So if that's true, I am curious. If he gets Elton John, do you think he just kicked in the doors at JJP and said, Damn it. Give me Elton. no I don't think so and he's wearing the Elton glasses when he does it that's right I'd like to see him dress up like Elton John and do an appearance Elton John could be cool I don't know why I'm talking to myself I'll kick you in the dick we'll talk about Stern here in a minute but CGC I think this is a big year for CGC I think we're going to see something from them that's not a remake this year that's what I've heard and if all of that's true if what people are saying is true because we're not saying anything I'm super excited I think a lot of people have something to be excited about the rumors on the next remake if they were to do another remake the word is not a remake next the word is you're going to see something that is not a remake coming from CGC in 2023 And then possibly a remake after that. But possibly. Maybe not, though. Maybe not. Possibly, yes.
    13:32
    Maybe they have the Ben Heck game come out with Spooky, that collaboration. I have heard that's not a remake. That's an original thing. But if we add in the remake, the rumor is Twilight Zone. Twilight. Wide body Twilight Zone. I'd like a Twilight Zone. Imagine an LE with the topper and stuff on Twilight Zone. If they keep the price point fairly good, I think that's going to be a good selling game. Oh, absolutely. A really good selling game. Hell yeah, it will. Wow. I just want to see them. I think that they are. A lot over at CGC. But man, if they can't figure out how to get the damn products built out the damn door, then we probably won't be talking much about it. You know what? Listen, I think CGC... When are we going to get the Cactus Canyon expanded code? The Josh Sharpless and Lyman. If they can get their manufacturing down a little more, whether it be parts, whatever the issue is, I think that they are one of the strongest contenders in this market. 100%. Absolutely. If not, I won't say they'll ever dominate. Stern has such a large market share, but I think that they could jockey into that second, third place. We're talking about you're running the business of flipping out pinball. Chicago Gaming is huge for us. We're one of their largest dealers, and we sell a lot of CGC products. I've had a lot of problems. There was a few They're built like a tank. A couple of switch issues have been the only thing. A few things. And then they remedied some of that stuff and got all that squared away. But, yeah, I don't get a lot of calls. You know what the other rumor is that people are saying? As if Cactus Canyon continues not cool enough. That's so 2022. But this enhanced code that's going to come out is a package, including a physical piece. Saloon doors is what the rumor is. Yes, I've heard that. I've read somebody talking about that. in the more modern rule set ballot oh boy wasn't that originally supposed to be on there on the prototype of the 99 version yeah it was on there that would be awesome if that's right but they cut it because they cost and stuff like that yeah because it could be a big year let's talk about stern stern pinball they they're modest when they say that they build 90 of the shared place in pinball they own everything yes they do so well that they dropped the cornerstone last year i I think they're going to do only two this year. They're going to drop one this year. You know what, though? It broke my heart that they did that, but I was an advocate for that. Early on when we started getting… We got to catch up. Yes. We stole a lot of back orders. And I was an advocate for that. It stung a lot worse than what I thought it was going to, not getting a new title. But I am glad they did that to be able to make up for some of the back orders. We've heard, if you guys watch Flippin' Out Pinball, Flippin' Out Pinball YouTube channel, Joel Engelberth, Flippin' Out Joel, interviewed George Gomez recently. Yes. Asked about the cornerstone. And George kind of said, yeah, probably only two next year cornerstones. And he also gave the people who were working the teams. So he said, Jack Danger, you're going to see a Jack Danger game with Tanya. And then you're going to see a Brian Eddy game with Dwight again. Oh. That's what you're going to see as cornerstones. The rumors. These are a little looser rumors because I don't have strong confirmation. The rumor is danger on Foo Fighters. I've heard that. Foo Fighters. I'm in a rush. And I shouldn't be this open. And then Venom is the rumor for Brown. I hope that's true. I've been waiting for Venom. Especially the comic version. That's one pin that I actually kind of want. I love Tom Hardy as Venom. I love those films. But I actually want the comic book version. That makes sense, the Deadpool approach. Yes, very much so. As an anti-hero, the people really get behind. And I kind of wanted a little gritty like what they did with Deadpool. Because Deadpool's fun, but it's gritty at the same time. Like, I hope they do that. Can you see Dwight Sullivan doing a Venom, though? That's interesting. But listen, if Dwight, like, just give him a different theme in his head and he's kind of doing, I don't know. It's a weird, it doesn't seem like it fits Dwight. Yeah, but Ghostbusters is still kind of goofy. Mandalorian?
    17:49
    Mandalorian is pretty serious. Game of Thrones? Oh, Game of Thrones is serious. Yeah, I mean, he can do it. Oh, I just love Dwight. I do too. Dwight can't do no wrong in my eyes. So that's the rumors for this coming year for Stern Pinball. We haven't, at the time of this recording, we know that the Keith Elwood, the limited edition 60th anniversary single level James Bond 007 It coming out It being revealed January 3rd Yes Now at the time of this recording We haven seen it yet We haven boy sure as hell I haven played it by the time you watching this Maybe you have I not sure But I really interested in that because we haven seen Keith Elwin since Godzilla And that was 2021.
    18:31
    Do we stick him on all the LEs now so we can really maximize dollars? Because people will buy Keith Elwins. They really will. So what do you think? You're thinking... What I'm saying is I haven't opened up my James Bond LE yet because I haven't seen the Keith Elwin James Bond. But that's what I'm saying. You think they're going to move forward with a four-tier Structure now, then it could potentially be like where that there's an Elwynn 10 No, but I think they now fully understand the power of leverage they have with Elwynn Yeah, and if Elwynn smart he will he will do what he needs to do to let them know that he knows that as well I Just think as a business person listen I mean, Keith, if you need some representations, all I'm saying is. You kind of got to give that to him when he wants. Because, honestly, like, Jurassic Park is probably my least favorite game of his. And I was playing it because I hadn't played it for a while. I got back on it. It's so fucking good. And I was like, man. It's so good. I forgot how great this is. So we don't know what, we don't even know what code will look like on that. I think 2023 will be the year of filling out the regular James Bond cornerstone. It's going to do really well at that. I still think there's something up the sleeves of Stern Pinball for 2023. I think we'll get the two cornerstones. I think they'll fill out James Bond. I think the street level is going to be a hit.
    19:47
    George was teasing on that flipping out thing that, don't be surprised, never say never to a Stranger Things vault coming out. Well, and I'll tell you what, the thing is with them, too, is they've buttoned up a lot of those leaks. Mm-hmm. So things like— We used to hear and see everything. Yes. And now I just don't. Yeah. And so that's—I kind of like it, though. There was a rumor swirling around. It wasn't a strong rumor from a source that I can say primary, but I heard directly of a rumor of them bringing back a Sam game.
    20:21
    Theme wise, super strong. Everybody missed it on the podcast. When I said super strong theme wise, a theme that both of us melt for, but they were going to rework the play field and the rules a bit. Really?
    20:36
    And I know, Oh, now that you say that, I can see what they're going to rework. We were talking about earlier today. What they're going to rework. Yeah. People didn't like the game when it came out first. Remember we were talking about that? Yes, I know. But I didn't know about the potential to maybe rework stuff. I think that could work. Another movie.
    20:54
    I don't know what it is. I'm just saying. Okay. All right. Yeah. I don't know, but I think they have something up their sleeve over at Stern. So many things are going to happen for Stern. Insider Connection is going to get bigger. It's going to be better. Always. It's going to expand even more. Toppers are still going to come out. Rust is going to come out Godzilla. Thank God is finally going to come out. I saw a little tease on their factory Friday They were doing a holiday dead and then the video is gonna do a little nugget leave And that little nugget leak was they had wiring set up for the rest of her. I seen it. Ooh
    21:27
    Hey you do spot that stuff and then watch it like 176 times I may or may not Somebody report thanks here sir pinball big-time American pinball I don't know where in the hell they've been, but they were gone in 2022. Dave Fix at the helm, and nothing's come out since it. We love you, Dave. Hey, listen.
    21:45
    I know. Listen, I have got to give him a huge shout out. So we had an issue with a game. I won't go into any details, but I will tell you that I contacted American Pinball, talked to Dave Fix, talked to Max. Max works over in sales. He's their sales guy. And I talk to their service department. I got those three on this. And I will tell you this right now, that Dayfix and that team went above and beyond for a customer. And they basically saved Christmas for somebody that would have been otherwise devastated. So I cannot tell you how absolutely amazing that customer was. because I don't deal a lot with a lot of their stuff. Stuff hasn't kind of come out for a while, and we still sell some of their games. But, you know, this was something that I couldn't handle that I needed to get them involved with. And something they really didn't have to. No, they really didn't. And so, like, from the bottom of my heart, and I know you feel the same way. They killed it. They did unbelievable. Amazing customer service, and they were fantastic. So for all the shit that Dave gets. And I give him some of it. You do give him shit. But, like, they were phenomenal. over there like like that that that company they're trying to do the best of everything it was and and i know it's like a first time customer it was his first pinball first pinball machine had never had one before and that's why that it was just so important to them after all of this he picked the right damn product to buy yes he did yes yes he did yes he couldn't have asked for better support than from american no i you're in timely timely support so fast like when i emailed Dave. Dave called me on the phone. We got the ball rolling on this stuff. Just that situation has given me so much confidence in that company. So much confidence in that company. The appreciation and admiration that I have for them now. It just takes that one thing and they won me over. They won me over. Thank you, Dave Max. I still bust your balls. You've got a weird ass mustache and you say shit that doesn't make sense and you say stuff that doesn't come true. You're full of shit. I can't save you on that stuff, Dave. I can't save you on that stuff. But the company is great. The company is great. I'm excited about it. I don't know what they're doing. They have an original theme coming out. And the Dennis Nordman, who we love, Whitewater, he does so much cool stuff. And the rumor is Galactic Tank Force or some bullshit like that. It's so bad. It's like a frickin' 70s D-list horror film. D-list. It's so bad that you kind of want it to be good. I don't know galactic tanks force that makes zero sense to me I've heard some good things about it honestly I don't know how this ever works but it's so bad I kind of want it to work it's like Octoberfest all over again you're like what are you guys doing like who is making decisions I haven't heard enough about Joe Ballster is even like what hello What? Really?
    25:02
    I don't know. I mean, so again, to me it's sort of like, you can make that game cool as fuck. But Dialed In was one of the greater shooting games in the world.
    25:16
    And it still kind of bounced out. Galactic Tank Force. Why does a tank need tracks if it's in space? What? Well, maybe it's like inflated ones like the Moon Rover tires. Oh my god, this is so stupid. I don't know. I'm excited. Do you know what I want to happen? This is not the case. But what I want to happen is I want a rumor to be so strong and to be so like crazy, like a name like that. And then it comes out. It's like Goody's. Yeah. And you're just like, fuck. They got me. I'm sorry. Like I want a company to do that. This isn't the company. I know, but it's not the case. But I wish it was. I did hear franchise on the artwork. That's going to be good. That could be cool. Look, me and Francie go back and forth.
    26:03
    It's hard to deal with me, hard to deal with him sometimes. The son of a bitch does art like nobody. Yeah. He does such great artwork. It's super solid. Damn. And I do miss his artwork. And his artwork makes me want games. His artwork sells. Listen, I don't know, man. American Pinball puts out a good product that's a solid product. Not a lot goes wrong with their games. Games feel good. Yeah, they feel good. They get a lot of mechs.
    26:26
    Hot Wheels is a little weird, though. I think it's a step backwards. It kind of was, but I still like it. Still my wife's labor pen, and she didn't want that game to come to my house. I don't know what American pen mold is. Dave fixed that last year. Two or three titles are going to come out in 2022. Zero came out, so I don't know what 2023 is going to hold. Maybe five. Who knows? I have no clue. Hey, listen, though. In the defense of everybody, 2022 was still a weird trying time coming off of stuff. Do you have any other cards you're wanting to use? The COVID card users. This is how I want to go. What about Pinball Brothers? Queens are going to be rolling out.
    27:05
    Why are you hating on Queens? I believe in that company now, though. I'm not mad at the company. It is. There's a lot going against Queen, though. You're right. There is. Only the live shows. There's not a lot of toys and mechs. Upper playthrough looks kind of weird. I played it at Expo. It didn't have any code. But I had fun with how smooth it was. And I love Queens. so we'll see. Ferret is on code so I know it going to be good They going to announce the 2023 game they said towards the end Good I just hope that it sells enough that it keeps the company it keeps them going And it keeps that you know what I saying I hope it's sort of that. And speaking of Ferrett, they lost Kugler over to American Pinball this last year. Oh, yes. Yeah. He brought a lot of immersion and theme integration. So I don't know what they do. I don't know what they do over there with that. Oh, the attention to detail on Houdini with him and Balser. Second to none. I'm still blown away by the details that are in that game. And this is straight down the middle. We're behind the scenes. If you pull away the curtains, I won't speak for you. Coogler really pissed me off on a personal level towards the end of his stay at American Pinball. Really did. And he knows that. And, you know, whoever's right is right. But I still liked his coat on Houdini. His fashion and what he put into it. I still liked a lot of his vision. That attention detail was good. Really pissed me off. He really pissed me off. Yeah, I don't mind savings. I'm still right. No, there's a shitty thing Oh, I think so too. Sorry Queen another new one coming from pinball brothers in 2023. Hopefully they keep ferret. They're doing code. Yes, hopefully
    28:44
    But other now know what coders they have that worries me a little bit pedretti's doing a lot of their manufacturing. That's cool They've been cranking out some cool stuff with a alien. But besides that I don't know. What about haggis? Yes. We got the... Fathoms are out. Fathom Revisit, Mermaid Editions were a hit. Those things on the secondary market are selling for a lot of money. I'm going to throw the COVID card out there one more time. Oh, God. Here comes the COVID card. I think a lot of people in Australia could attest to this. Maybe I'm just wrong because I don't live there. Some weird shit going on in Australia. But there's weird shit that went on there in the last couple of years with their lockdowns and issues and stuff. And the extremes that they went to and stuff. Hey, listen, I'm not saying that there wasn't a lot of missed marks, but I think that at this point in pinball, when you've got CGC making promises, you've got American Pinball making promises, you've got Haggis making promises, and shit don't happen. They blew it, don't they? I'm not saying that any of these companies are right in making these promises, and they should probably just keep their mouths shut, but I also think that that is another one of those testaments of, hey, pinball is hard, and not everything goes as planned, and I think that there's so much out like listen if it was one company it was Haggis and Haggis was just like making promises and not fulfilling them I would say okay they're just a fuck up but I think that when you're seeing it across the board out of smaller manufacturers who are still literally trying to get stuff down and these are overseas as far overseas as you can to the buying public again I'm not making excuses for any of these companies but I also think there's something to be said there's something there that we don't we're not privy to seeing the hang ups and the issues What I do think, though, and to jump off the back of that, I think you're right in all of those aspects. The problem is I still don't think that the public in general will be trusting to Haggis for their next announcement. No. I don't think there's anything. I don't care if they make all 250 Mermaid editions and do some standards. Yes. That next one rolls, and I think they're going to have some hesitation. I think they are, too. But I also think, because us as people are very, like, again, when I spoke about Alien in a video, like gaining the trust we can gain that back I think that Haggis if they make the game they roll it out quickly they roll it out efficiently they don't say anything until they have something built by the mid run I think they've already gained people's trust and as long as good feedback is coming from that game they will regain a lot of their support as a dealer we've got about at the time of this the first of the year about 30% of our allotment for our ordered fathom so that's not bad they're rolling out um it took i mean to be fair legends of valhalla from american pinball took just as long if not longer yeah to the point we can't close over like that's it's a mess so we're hanging in there i think one of the things that haggis does have this sounds a bit biased but i think it is true it is good that they have a couple trusted speak for ourselves in america they've got dealers that customers will feel comfortable like i'm not going directly to I don't have to. I'm not going to lose my money with flipping out pinball.
    31:55
    I'm not as worried about that. That was a smart move by Haggis, I think. I'm excited about their next one. I don't know if they'll roll out with an original one. We know Martin Robbins, who did code for Fathom Revisit, who was a pinball media person.
    32:11
    He does Final Round. He does, what was there? Head to Head, a pinball podcast. He's over there, and he's working for them. We know that he has designed a game. And they will be developing a game, not one of the remakes, not one of the early 80s remakes, an actual game game like a Kelts or something that he has designed. So I don't know if that comes next, if that even gets announced in 2023. I think if anything gets announced in 2023, it'll be at the end of the year. Yeah. And I almost think that you need to come off a fathom doing a strong. They could do Centaur. Doing a strong, yeah. People think Centaur's the next great. I think that you need to go a strong title. Centaur. And then you can roll into Marty's. 8-Ball Deluxe. I think 8-Ball Deluxe would be great. And Centaur? Centaur would go. I'd rather have 8-Ball Deluxe, I think, than Centaur.
    32:57
    Really? Yeah, I think so. I can see that. But I don't know. Maybe not. I'd rather have Centaur. Really? Yeah.
    33:05
    So that's with Haggis Pinball down under. Be on the lookout for an unboxing from straight down the middle and flipping out Pinball on Fathom Revisited. Chromit. Brassit. Black Nicolet. Candy Chromit. Powder Coated. The possibilities are endless. at pinballplating.com.
    33:24
    Your pinball machine deserves the best. At Comet Pinball, you'll find the best variety of LED products with the best quality LEDs, and most importantly, at the best price. Your collection is begging for an upgrade. Order yours now at cometpinball.com. Check out pin graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements, power blades, blade skins, pin blades and even more visit pin graphics.com now to see what's available for your pinball machine that was a lot of 2023 news anything else we're missing that you think could happen this year? No. But I think that just rumor mill alone sets up for a way better 2023 than 2022 was. Some of it we've seen. Some of it we've heard. Some of it we've already actually touched.
    34:34
    We can say that, right? We can say that. And some of it is fucking amazing. Some of it is so unique.
    34:43
    Just amazing. It's mind-blowing. We've seen and heard a lot. We have. That's why we're excited about 2023. I'm excited about flipping out pinball. If anybody wants a brand new pinball machine or an arcade machine or a used, oh, even Golden Tees. We're doing the PGA Golden Tees now. Oh, man, those are gorgeous. We're going to beef up our used marketplace in 2023. We've got a lot more media focus that's going to be towards straight down the middle and flipping out going in 2023, so we're excited about that. If this is out before the pinball awards, definitely go check that out. That's going to be a fucking party here with you and I. Come on. This is going to be awesome. Live. Here. Big ass party. Because if it all falls apart, guess what? We're still having fun. We're just going to get drunk and party. What do you call it? A pinball slumber party? Yeah. Probably 50 people here sleeping. Yep. Everybody's going to stay the night. Awesome. Follow, like, and subscribe. Legit Instagram. You need people to subscribe to the Flippin' Out Instagram, right? Do we have a straight down the middle on Instagram? I don't know if we do. Yeah, but it's a little out there. Follow, like, and subscribe straight down the middle as well as Flippin' Out Pinball. Check out Joel on Flippin' Out Pinball. Check out Chuck Work on the streaming side.
    35:54
    2023 is going to be fun. It's going to be a shitload of fun. Thank you for the continued support. And just like every video, for the red camera, we've got to say thanks to the anonymous. We'll call him Buck. We're going to call him Buck this episode. We're going to change his name. We're going to change it every time. Thank you, Buck. Charles. Dick. Chuck. Charles. We so appreciate it. Buck Charles. I will never forget. Just wait until you see some of the film work. We're going to be using that red camera. This is the old Canon right now. We're going to pull out all the stops here in 2023. We've been wanting it for a while. See you guys.
    36:40
    That's good. Oh, that was good. My balls are...