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

Knapp Arcade·article·held·May 6, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

JJP Van Halen confirmed; Stern speaker lights announced; Winchester update shipped

Summary

Jersey Jack Pinball is confirmed to be developing Van Halen pinball, with high confidence sourcing from verified industry contacts; the game is expected to follow Sonic the Hedgehog in JJP's release schedule and be designed by Mark Seiden. Stern Pinball announced 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 and Angry Spirits mechanics. Jersey Jack's Harry Potter Collector's Edition has exceeded historical CE production numbers at 1,725+ units.

Key Claims

Jersey Jack Pinball is developing Van Halen pinball
high confidence · Knapp Arcade writer verified through two knowledgeable industry sources; probability stated at 100%
Van Halen pinball will be JJP's game after Steve Ritchie's Sonic the Hedgehog
medium confidence · Knapp Arcade educated guess based on prior reporting about next game being music-themed and current approval status with Van Halen estate
Mark Seiden is the designer of Van Halen pinball, his second game after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
medium confidence · Knapp Arcade inference based on game order and designer assignment patterns
Stern's new Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights cost $199.99 and will not work on Spike 2 games
high confidence · Official Stern Pinball announcement; listed on Stern's website
Jersey Jack Harry Potter Collector's Edition has exceeded 1,725 units produced
high confidence · Listener submission to LoserKid Pinball Podcast reporting receipt of CE Number 1,725
Jersey Jack historically produces 1,000 Collector's Edition machines per title
medium confidence · Knapp Arcade historical observation; notes Harry Potter has already exceeded this number
Multimorphic Pinball plans to continue making both licensed and unlicensed games
high confidence · Gerry Stellenberg statement in RTX Pinball interview at 38-minute mark

Notable Quotes

“Van Halen is indeed coming from Jersey Jack. I'd put the probability at 100%.”
Knapp Arcade (author) @ May 6, 2026 — Confirms Van Halen pinball with highest confidence level after independent verification
“If that is the schedule, then Van Halen is Mark Seiden's game, his second after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora.”
Knapp Arcade (author) @ May 6, 2026 — Identifies designer and positions game in development pipeline
“The angry spirits have arrived in the second major code update for Winchester Mystery House Pinball!”
Barrels of Fun @ April 29, 2026 — Announces major code update with new wizard mode and gameplay mechanics
“Gerry stated that the company has plans to continue to make both going forward.”
Knapp Arcade (summarizing Gerry Stellenberg) @ May 6, 2026 — Clarifies Multimorphic's product strategy on licensed vs unlicensed games

Entities

Jersey Jack PinballcompanyVan HalengameStern PinballcompanyBarrels of Funcompany Winchester Mystery Housegame Sonic the Hedgehoggame Harry PottergameMultimorphic Pinballcompany

Signals

?
machine_intel: Jersey Jack Pinball Van Halen confirmed through independent journalist verification of industry sources; positioned as JJP's next major release after Sonic the Hedgehog
high · Knapp Arcade independently verified with two knowledgeable sources and assigned 100% probability; mentions active approval process with Van Halen estate already underway
?
product_launch: Stern Pinball launched Spike 3 Expression Speaker Lights as official add-on accessory ($199.99); Spike 2 incompatible; currently compatible with Star Wars: The Fall of The Empire, The Walking Dead Remastered Premium, and Pokémon Pro/Premium
high · Official Stern Pinball announcement; product listed on Stern's website with pricing and compatibility specifications
?
code_update: Barrels of Fun released significant code update for Winchester Mystery House (4/29/26) featuring Echoes Wizard Mode, Angry Spirits mechanic, and Daisy Bedroom playable area
high · Official Barrels of Fun update notes; describes earthquake-triggered wizard mode, spirit mechanics that escalate with gameplay, and new post-wizard mode content
?
product_strategy: Mark Seiden confirmed as designer of Van Halen for JJP, described as his second game after Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
medium · Knapp Arcade inference based on game order scheduling and designer patterns, not direct confirmation from JJP
?
collector_signal: Jersey Jack Harry Potter Collector's Edition has surpassed 1,725 units produced, exceeding historical JJP CE average of 1,000 units per title

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.