Van Halen Pinball is Coming; New Stern Speaker Lights; Big Dune Update...

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·May 6, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

Van Halen confirmed for Jersey Jack; Stern speaker lights released; Winchester gets major update.

Summary

Jersey Jack Pinball is developing a Van Halen pinball machine (confirmed at ~100% probability by the author), expected to launch after Sonic the Hedgehog as Mark Seiden second design. Stern Pinball released Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights ($199.99) as an add-on for newer games. Barrels of Fun released a major code update for Winchester Mystery House featuring Echoes Wizard Mode, Angry Spirits, and The Daisy Bedroom. Additional coverage includes Harry Potter exceeding 1,000 units, Multimorphic's licensed/unlicensed game strategy, and Zen Pinball's digital releases.

Key Claims

Jersey Jack Pinball is developing a Van Halen pinball machine with ~100% probability
high confidence · Author conducted independent verification with two knowledgeable sources after Kaneda's A A Pinball Podcast initial rumor
Van Halen rights were a complex tangle due to two lead singers (David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar), song rights, and Eddie Van Halen's death
high confidence · Author's explanation of licensing complexity
Van Halen is expected to be JJP's game after Sonic the Hedgehog, designed by Mark Seiden
medium confidence · Author's educated guess based on prior reporting about music-themed game following Sonic
Stern released Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights for $199.99, compatible only with Spike 3 games
high confidence · Stern Pinball official announcement and website listing
Harry Potter Collector's Edition has exceeded 1,000 units and is still in production
high confidence · LoserKid A A Pinball Podcast listener report of CE #1,725

Notable Quotes

“I spoke with two very knowledgeable people on the subject and sure enough, Van Halen is indeed coming from Jersey Jack. I'd put the probability at 100%.”
Knapp Arcade @ early article — Author's confident confirmation of Van Halen pinball after independent verification
“If that is the schedule, then Van Halen is Mark Seiden game, his second after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora.”
Knapp Arcade @ mid-article — Designer attribution and expected position in JJP pipeline
“Echoes Wizard Mode: Collect 3 Mementos to qualify and experience a major earthquake that destroys the Winchester Mystery House tower.”
Barrels of Fun (official update notes) @ 4/29/26 update — Description of major new wizard mode feature in Winchester update
“Technically there is not currently a limit to how many CE machines JJP will make, so it's interesting to look at the numbers of the games that are out to see where we are at.”
Knapp Arcade @ mid-article — Observation about JJP's CE production strategy and Harry Potter's unusual volume

Entities

Jersey Jack PinballcompanyVan HalengameMark Seidenperson Steve RitchiepersonStern PinballcompanyBarrels of Funcompany Winchester Mystery Housegame Multimorphiccompany

Signals

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announcement: Jersey Jack Pinball's Van Halen pinball machine confirmed in development; expected to launch after Sonic the Hedgehog
high · Author verified with two independent sources; estate approval already underway; ~100% probability assigned
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licensing_signal: Van Halen IP licensing involved navigating multiple lead singers' rights (David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar) and Eddie Van Halen estate
high · Author explicitly discussed licensing complexity as reason for initial skepticism
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product_launch: Stern Pinball released Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights as official add-on at $199.99, compatible only with Spike 3 games
high · Official Stern announcement; listed on shop.sternpinball.com; currently available for Star Wars, Walking Dead Remastered, Pokémon
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code_update: Barrels of Fun released significant code update for Winchester Mystery House with Echoes Wizard Mode, Angry Spirits mechanic, and Daisy Bedroom playable area
high · Official 4/29/26 update announcement with detailed feature descriptions
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design_philosophy: Mark Seiden assigned as designer for Van Halen at Jersey Jack; expected to be his second game after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
medium · Author's educated guess based on prior reporting about music-themed game following Sonic
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Transcript

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News Van Halen Pinball is Coming; New Stern Speaker Lights; Big Winchester Update... k knapparcade May 6, 2026 OK here we go! Some stuff to talk about. Let's kick things off with the big one from Jersey Jack Pinball. A week or two ago Kaneda's Pinball Podcast shared a rumor that JJP was working on a pinball machine based on the 80s and 90s rock band Van Halen. At the time I didn't write about it because I had always heard that the rights to Van Halen were a tangled mess, starting from the fact that the band had two different lead singers, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, and continuing into the rights to the songs themselves and the fact that Eddie Van Halen had passed away. So I set out on my own to verify this rumor. I spoke with two very knowledgeable people on the subject and sure enough, Van Halen is indeed coming from Jersey Jack. I'd put the probability at 100%. I do not know the exact timing of the game, but I heard that they were getting approval from the Van Halen estate for aspects of the game already so if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that this will be JJP's game after Steve Ritchie's Sonic the Hedgehog. That jibes with what I reported a month or two ago about the game after Sonic being a music pin. If that is the schedule, then Van Halen is Mark Seiden's game, his second after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora. Music is obviously somewhat subjective, but I like Van Halen as a band. I personally have always been more of a Sammy Hagar than a David Lee Roth guy, but I like both. 5150 and OU812 were my favorite VH albums. What about you, are you a Hagar or a Roth person? What do you think of the theme? Yesterday, Stern Pinball announced that it has begun selling its new Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights as an add-on for games. They are currently listed on Stern's website for $199.99. I assume that they will be available to order through distributors as well. The kits will not work on Spike 2 games. This means that they are only available for Star Wars: The Fall of The Empire Pro and Premium models, The Walking Dead Remastered Premium model and Pokémon Pro and Premium models so far. !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 Make your game stand out with the official SPIKE 3 Speaker Lighting System accessory. With intelligent RGB LED lighting, your speakers will light up and flash! They are fully integrated and dynamically respond to game events and are designed to fit our SPIKE 3 Pro/Premium speakers. https://shop.sternpinball.com/products/spike-3-pro-premium-speaker-lighting-system Speaker Expression Lighting System from Stern Pinball - YouTube Tap to unmute Speaker Expression Lighting System from Stern Pinball Stern Pinball Stern Pinball Late last week, Barrels of Fun launched a major code update for its latest pin, Winchester Mystery House: WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE CODE UPDATE: 4/29/26 The angry spirits have arrived in the second major code update for Winchester Mystery House® Pinball! This huge update features the inclusion of Echoes Wizard Mode, the emergence of Angry Spirits, and the Daisy Bedroom! And just as construction on Sarah's sprawling estate was never quite complete, we're always adding enhancements and fixes to the Winchester Mystery House® pinball machine code! Echoes Wizard Mode Collect 3 Mementos to qualify and experience a major earthquake that destroys the Winchester Mystery House tower. Clyde needs backup in the basement, and then it's a mad dash to the Grand Ballroom to expel what the earthquake let in. Angry Spirits Fail a mode and you've got company, unleashing an angry spirit into the house. Beware if you cross paths... or let too many into the house! If you're doing a little too well for their liking, then the angry spirits may ambush you! Watch out! The Daisy Bedroom: The Shattered Threshold Playable only after the Echoes Wizard Mode. Beware! The earthquake cracked the walls and the spirits know it! Build a salt barrier fast to keep them out! plus Additional Enhancements, Polish, & Improvements New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today The folks at the LoserKid Pinball Podcast launched a new episode last week in which they interview Ron Richards of Scorbit about his company's connected pinball platform. As an interesting side note, a listener wrote in to the show to tell them they had received Jersey Jack Harry Potter Collector's Edition Number 1,725. Technically there is not currently a limit to how many CE machines JJP will make, so it's interesting to look at the numbers of the games that are out to see where we are at. Historically, Jersey Jack has usually made 1,000 Collector's Edition machines so Harry Potter has already exceeded that, with probably a number of months to go before they announce last call. Who Will be Crowned The Ultimate JJP? \| Also Scorbit Joins Us! - YouTube Tap to unmute LoserKid Pinball LoserKid Pinball Speaking of interviews, The YouTube channel RTX Pinball recently interviewed Multimorphic Pinball's founder Gerry Stellenberg about the company. They get into an interesting discussion at the 38 minute mark about licensed versus unlicensed games. Gerry stated that the company has plans to continue to make both going forward. Pinball Post Interview with Gerry Stellenberg of Multimorphic (P3) - YouTube Tap to unmute RTX Pinball RTX Pinball * Last up, I have a quick note from the world of digital pinball. Late last week, Zen Pinball launched three new Bally Williams "tables" for its Pinball FX platform: Williams' 1990 game Diner, 1985 game Comet and 1987 pin Fire!. I played all three of them this weekend and they're great. Supposedly Zen also has Bally's 1993 pin Judge Dredd in the works. Pinball FX - Williams™ Pinball Volume 10 \| Launch Trailer - YouTube Tap to unmute Zen Studios Zen Studios Posted 17 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (1) Please sign in to join the conversation. B Basho75PRO 23 minutes ago Edited David Lee Roth, but Hagar also great. All of the syrupy ballads of the Hagar era could get tossed. Good Enough is one of VH's top 5 songs, imho, though! Also, unpopular opinion, but I feel Jump is one of the weakest songs on 1984. Either way, excited for this pin. 0 Related Articles Van Halen Pinball is Coming; New Stern Speaker Lights; Big Winchester Update... 17 minutes ago Pinfest is This Weekend; Pokémon is Hot; Even More Rumors 6 days ago The Midwest Gaming Classic is This Weekend; Are we Really Finally Getting Masters of the Universe Pinball?; Neo Geo is Back 13 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.