Episode 191 – Hee Haw

TL;DR

Stern skips Comic-Con, JJP reveals licensing losses, Toy Story 4 licensing mystery explored.

Summary

Key Claims

• Stern was supposed to be at San Diego Comic-Con with Venom machines but wasn't present; hosts speculate Venom was delayed beyond intended release window.

  medium confidence · Ron and Bruce discuss Stern's Comic-Con absence, with Bruce claiming early knowledge that Venom wouldn't be there while others 'drank the Kool-Aid.'

• Jersey Jack Pinball worked on Jaws license for two years but could only secure movie poster rights, ultimately losing the license to Stern.

  high confidence · Jersey Jack interview on Super Awesome Pinball Show; Jack stated JJP 'couldn't get anything beyond the movie poster' for Jaws.

• Jersey Jack rejected a band licensing deal (strongly implied to be Rush based on album sales comparison) in favor of Guns N' Roses.

  medium confidence · Jack's interview; hosts deduce 40 million vs 110 million album sales references point to Rush being rejected. Jack's statement was partially bleeping during interview.

• Toy Story pinball was originally licensed for films 1-3 but renegotiated to film 4 after Pirates licensing problems; possibly due to limited asset availability from initial 1-3 license.

  medium confidence · Jack's Super Awesome Pinball Show interview; hosts reference independent corroboration from 'completely different people' years apart about limited Pirates-like assets for films 1-3.

• Pat Waller may have retired due to creative/costing constraints on Toy Story 4, with hosts noting voltage-related issues on slingshot and ramp mechanics.

  low confidence · Email from Mike (local operator who worked on TS4) suggests 'Pat Waller had another vision for the game and it got costed out, which might be the reason for his retirement.'

• Stern does not exhibit at European shows due to cost; first major show presence was at a European Star Wars event.

  medium confidence · Ron and Bruce discuss Stern's historical absence from major shows, noting early Star Wars exhibition was European-based.

• Bruce Nightingale owns a Platinum Edition Monopoly game, one of only 40 produced.

  high confidence · Bruce confirms ownership of rare Platinum/Limited Edition Monopoly during Pinball Show discussion with Zach Minney and Dennis Creasel.

Notable Quotes

• “Venom wasn't there. A lot of podcasts, a lot of people said it was coming, and they were all drinking the Kool-Aid.”

  Bruce Nightingale @ early segment — Bruce takes credit for correctly predicting Stern's Comic-Con absence before the event.

• “Stern just doesn't release games. No, they don't. They haven't done that in forever.”

  Bruce Nightingale @ early segment — Critical observation about Stern's track record of missing show commitments and release windows.

• “They turned down Jaws. They worked for two years on the Jaws license, but they couldn't get anything beyond the movie poster.”

  Ron Howe (reporting Jersey Jack interview) @ mid-segment — Major licensing failure for JJP, suggesting structural IP rights challenges similar to Pirates.

• “If he did that, then he's the worst businessman ever because I think one through three is a lot better than just one movie alone.”

  Ron Howe @ mid-segment — Skepticism about Pat Waller's Toy Story 4 decision; hints at possible alternative explanation (limited assets).

• “I've heard that years apart from two different people. Completely unrelated people sound like, hmm, where there's smoke, there's fire.”

  Bruce Nightingale @ mid-segment — Independent corroboration of Toy Story limited assets theory from separate sources strengthens confidence.

• “Although the prices are going up on games, the [game] creativity seems to be on the decline. Luckily, we always have homebrews.”

  Mike (email contributor) @ ball bag segment — Community sentiment on Stern design quality vs. pricing trends; homebrews positioned as alternative.

• “If you're a multi-ball and you're doing some staging action, like you've got a ball on the left flipper, a ball on the right flipper, you don't have to actually stage. You can still hit the right orbit without the flipper being down.”

  Ron Howe @ Toy Story 4 discussion — Unexpected design advantage of Toy Story 4's mini-flipper mechanic.

Entities

Signals

• ?

  business_signal: Pinball creative output declining relative to rising prices; community concern about sustainability of three-tier pricing and game design quality.

  medium · Mike email: 'Although the prices are going up on games, the [game] creativity seems to be on the decline. Luckily, we always have homebrews.' Hosts acknowledge broader frustration.

• ~

  sentiment_shift: Community recognizes homebrews as alternative to commercial offerings; implicit acknowledgment of declining mainstream design appeal.

  medium · Mike email directly states 'Luckily, we always have homebrews' in context of creativity decline on commercial games.

• ?

  event_signal: Saratoga Pinball Show scheduled for upcoming weekend; major regional event with Slam Tilt hosts attending.

  high · Ron confirms 'We're really going to change it up here' with guest Adam Deutschman who runs Saratoga Pinball Show; both hosts planning attendance.

• ?

  licensing_signal: Toy Story licensing renegotiation: shift from films 1-3 to film 4 possibly driven by limited asset availability in original deal rather than creative choice.

  medium · Hosts reference independent corroboration from 'two different people, completely unrelated, years apart' about Pirates-like asset constraints. Jack's statement about negotiating 'back in' to get film 4 still consistent with asset limitations story.

• $

  market_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball unable to negotiate comprehensive licensing assets; structural licensing challenges affecting design scope and game feasibility.