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The Pinball Show Ep 127.5: Is Harry Potter Pinball Really Happening?!

Pinball Show Patreon Feed·podcast_episode·16m 12s·analyzed·May 15, 2023
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Analysis

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TL;DR

Joe Kamenkow's cryptic Harry Potter pinball post fuels belief that Jersey Jack secured the legendary license.

Summary

Zach Minney of The Pinball Show discusses an unexpected May 14, 2023 Facebook post by Joe Kamenkow claiming Jersey Jack Pinball has secured the Harry Potter license—a historically rumored but unobtainable IP. Minney analyzes the post's deletion, Kamenkow's motive for disclosing it, and contextual signals (Universal Studios trips, Jack Guarneri's Harry Potter photo, upcoming Max adaptation) to conclude the license is likely real. He speculates on designer assignment and timeline, believing it's not the next JJP release but coming after Steve Ritchie's game.

Key Claims

  • Joe Kamenkow posted on Facebook that Jersey Jack Pinball has secured the Harry Potter pinball license

    high confidence · Zach Minney cites the direct post text on Mother's Day (May 14, 2023) and notes it has since been deleted

  • J.K. Rowling has historically been unwilling to license Harry Potter to pinball due to gambling concerns and bar associations

    medium confidence · Zach Minney cites long-standing rumor that Rowling opposed pinball because games are in bars with cigarette smoke and alcohol, inappropriate for her child/teen IP

  • Joe Kamenkow and Kapow Pinball were potentially competing for the Harry Potter license

    medium confidence · Zach Minney speculates Kamenkow may have been frustrated at losing the license to JJP; notes Kapow Pinball partners with Stern and has a track record of securing major licenses

  • Steve Ritchie has a game in development for Jersey Jack Pinball that will be released before Harry Potter

    medium confidence · Zach Minney's speculation based on the timing of the Kamenkow post feeling 'recent' and not indicating an imminent next release

  • A Harry Potter TV adaptation is coming to Max (formerly HBO Max)

    high confidence · Zach Minney mentions upcoming Max adaptation and recent Hogwarts video game hit as contextual signals for JK Rowling licensing expansion

  • The photoshopped image in Kamenkow's post was created by 'Jack Danger' in the past

    low confidence · Zach Minney references hearsay from The Pinball Show that Jack Danger may have created a previous Harry Potter Photoshop artwork

  • Jersey Jack Pinball employees/designers have visited Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter and posted pictures online

    medium confidence · Zach Minney notes past social media activity showing JJP staff at Hogwarts, interpreted as potential pre-license scouting or research

  • Jack Guarneri (Jersey Jack Pinball) posted a photo with Warner Brothers licensed titles and Ron Weasley/Harry Potter imagery

Notable Quotes

  • “Jersey Jack has secured the license for Harry Potter for pinball. No waiting, no speculation, they locked it in.”

    Joe Kamenkow@ 4:17 — Direct claim of Harry Potter license acquisition; sparked the entire episode discussion and community speculation

  • “If that does nothing for you, then neither will pinball in general, likely.”

    Zach Minney@ 5:26 — Commentary on the cultural magnitude of Harry Potter license for pinball enthusiasts

  • “I believe wholeheartedly the answer is yes. I also believe, looking at social media now, the post by Joe Cam and Cal has been deleted. What does that mean? Typically when that happens, it means that somebody has regretted posting something.”

    Zach Minney@ 9:37 — Minney's key reasoning: the deletion suggests legitimacy rather than fake account/hack, indicating Kamenkow posted truth impulsively

  • “Kamenkow is kind of known as the king of licenses. It's like him and Roger Sharp. They can get the licenses that people struggle to get.”

    Zach Minney@ 10:19 — Context on Kamenkow's industry position and motive for disclosure

  • “I'm pissed off, I'm feeling some frustration, here's a kick in the nuts as I pop the deuces in the air and walk away.”

    Zach Minney@ 11:49 — Minney's interpretation of Kamenkow's emotional state and rationale for the public post

  • “This feels more recent. I don't think Joe Kamenkaus sits on this info for a ton of time, you know, for a year or more.”

    Zach Minney@ 12:29 — Reasoning for belief that Harry Potter is not the next JJP release

  • “If you listen to Canadian Spinball Podcast, he says it's the Matrix. And that's why you pay him the big bucks, right?”

    Zach Minney — Reference to alternate rumor (Matrix as next JJP title) from another podcast source

Entities

Zach MinneypersonJoe KamenkowpersonJersey Jack PinballcompanyJack GuarneripersonSteve RitchiepersonHarry PottergameKapow PinballcompanyStern Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    announcement: Joe Kamenkow's Facebook post claiming Jersey Jack Pinball secured Harry Potter pinball license

    high · Direct quote of Kamenkow's post on May 14, 2023; post was deleted after posting; Zach Minney analyzes deletion as signal of legitimacy

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Historic licensing deal for Harry Potter pinball; ends years of rumor that J.K. Rowling would not license to pinball

    medium · Minney's analysis of contextual signals: Universal Studios visits, Jack Guarneri's photo, recent Hogwarts game success, Max adaptation, JK Rowling licensing expansion post-COVID

  • ?

    product_strategy: Harry Potter is not the next Jersey Jack Pinball release; Steve Ritchie's game expected before it

    medium · Minney's analysis: 'this feels more recent,' believes Kamenkow wouldn't sit on info for a year; speculates Ritchie's game at end of year, then Harry Potter

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Speculation on which JJP designer will lead Harry Potter; Steve Ritchie most likely, Eric Menner secondary possibility

    low · Minney's speculation based on Ritchie's history (Star Wars, Terminator) and Menner's recent game quality; noting it 'feels like a Steve Ritchie type of license'

  • ?

    industry_signal: Possible competitive tension between Jersey Jack Pinball and Kapow Pinball/Joe Kamenkow over licensing

    medium · Minney's interpretation of Kamenkow's motive for the post: frustration at losing license to competitor; describes it as 'kick in the nuts' gesture

Topics

Harry Potter pinball license acquisitionprimaryJoe Kamenkow's cryptic Facebook post and its credibilityprimaryJersey Jack Pinball's competitive position and next game pipelineprimaryStern Pinball accessory supply chain constraints (Rush toppers and expression lighting)secondaryPinball designer assignment speculation (Ritchie vs. Menner vs. Seiden)secondaryJ.K. Rowling's historical resistance to pinball licensingsecondaryRecent Harry Potter IP expansion (video games, Max adaptation, licensing shift)secondaryJoe Kamenkow's motive for leaking the license (competition, frustration)secondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Zach Minney expresses enthusiasm and belief in the Harry Potter license legitimacy. High excitement about potential impact on the industry. Some frustration about Rush accessory delays, but overall tone is optimistic and celebratory about the license news.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.049

0:00
Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised. The Pinball Network is online. Launching the Pinball Show. Thanks again for the ongoing support as a Pinball Show Club member. Enjoy this exclusive TPS content and make sure to visit the Pinball Show Club Discord to chat about the bonus material.
0:30
Hey everybody, welcome to episode 127.5 of the Pinball Show. I'm your host Zach Minney, and I just could not wait until next week to provide you all with an exclusive discussion about some Harry Potter pinball news. We're going to dive into that, but first I want to give you guys an update on additional items of note, including Stern Pinball recently beginning to ship some Rush toppers and expression lighting kits. Nearly a hundred of you guys have been messaging me about where your Rush topper and expression lighting kits are.
1:07
And here's the skinny. No one should be surprised to hear that some people are getting their toppers and expression lighting kits and some people, a lot of people are not. This is how it works at Stern Pinball. Specifically as to why it works this way, I'm not always 100% sure. I'm told one thing, but I don't know. It always seems like a parts issue or accessory priority situation, but Flippin' Out Pinball did receive over 25% of our topper orders for Rush.
1:38
So we've gotten those out. My deepest apologies if you have not yet received your Rush topper from Flippin' Out Pinball. Believe me, it's not Nicole and I's intention to sit on a pile of toppers. They're ours. No, we want to ship out those things as soon as possible so we can get paid. So many of you who have ordered from Flippin' Out or from the other dealers across the country, many of you are going to have to wait longer for that topper. How long? Indications suggest two to four months.

medium confidence · Zach Minney cites recent social media post by Guarneri before the Godfather announcement as a potential troll or signal

@ 13:01

  • “Don't mess up this opportunity. Don't mess it up.”

    Zach Minney@ 14:53 — Emphasis on the high stakes and expectations for a potential Harry Potter pinball machine

    • J.K. Rowling
    person
    Eric Mennerperson
    Mark Seidenperson
    Roger Sharpperson
    Jack Dangerperson
    Flippin' Out Pinballcompany
    Nicoleperson
    The Pinball Showorganization
    Canadian Spinball Podcastorganization
    Maxcompany
    Hogwarts Legacygame
    Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Pottervenue
    ?

    manufacturing_signal: Stern Pinball experiencing significant delays on Rush accessory orders; toppers delayed 2-4 months, expression lighting kits severely undersupplied

    high · Zach Minney reports Flippin' Out Pinball received 25% of topper orders but <10% of expression lighting kits; notes dealer-wide shortage; attributes to parts/production issues

  • ?

    licensing_signal: J.K. Rowling increasingly open to Harry Potter licensing post-COVID; multiple new Harry Potter projects in pipeline (Hogwarts game hit, Max TV adaptation)

    high · Minney notes recent game success and Max adaptation; contextualizes Rowling's past political controversy as catalyst for licensing strategy shift

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Canadian Spinball Podcast has reported Matrix as the next Jersey Jack Pinball release (competing rumor to Ritchie's unnamed game)

    medium · Minney references Canadian Spinball Podcast rumor; treats it as credible alternate source but maintains skepticism

  • ?

    content_signal: Zach Minney promises follow-up discussion in Pinball Show Episode 128 with guest Dennis about Harry Potter details (film vs. novel, design features, timeline)

    high · Explicit promise: 'tune in to next week's episode of the Pinball Show 128'; suggests more information will emerge

  • ?

    community_signal: High community excitement and messaging volume about the Harry Potter license news; Minney reports being heavily messaged about Rush accessories and now license confirmation

    high · 'Nearly a hundred of you guys have been messaging me'; notes Pinball Show Club membership upgrade pitch tied to exclusive access

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Positive shift in community sentiment regarding Jersey Jack Pinball's competitive position and upcoming pipeline; high expectations for Harry Potter impact

    medium · Minney: 'I believe it's going to be fucking amazing. And in many ways, will change the landscape of this industry'; warns against messing up the opportunity

  • ?

    leak_detection: Multiple pre-announcement signals on social media interpreted as intentional teases or trolls: Jack Guarneri's Warner Bros. photo, JJP staff Hogwarts visits, Kamenkow's previous year Harry Potter jest

    medium · Minney catalogs: Guarneri photo with Ron Weasley, employee theme park visits, Kamenkow 'trolling' joke about Stern/Harry Potter, all preceding Kamenkow's official post

    • 2:08
    Again, that's just an estimation, and in no way do I know for sure. That's how the topper game goes, y'all. It's a violent little ride, but it's one that we continue to ride over and over again because it makes us feel all tingly. Now, the expression lighting kit for Rush, a little darker. That does seem more like a parts situation or a production situation because we did not receive nearly the percentage of expression lighting kits thus far as we have the Rush toppers. I'm talking like less than 10% of what we ordered. Now, the one thing to note is that Stern Pinball is telling me that they continue to make them.
    2:42
    And they're still in this run, within the run. So flipping out pinball should be getting more. But at this point in time, we got very few. How many more we'll receive in this first run? No clue. When they'll make them again, I have no idea. But again, thank you for your patience in receiving one of those expression lighting kits from flipping out pinball. We're not alone. Pretty much every other dealer is only getting a couple squeezed to them. I can honestly say that the majority of buyers of these Rush accessories will be waiting past the first run.
    3:15
    It's not a you thing. It's not a flipping out pinball thing. It's an everyone thing. And it sucks. And I am sorry on their behalf. Overall, my goal, my hope is that Stern Pinball, once moved into this new facility, has the production capacities increased for their accessories and parts line. And I have confidence in that. But then again, I am likely the most impatient pinball enthusiast on the planet. So don't ever feel bad if you guys think you're impatient or if you're bugging me by asking where your accessory is.
    3:48
    But I'm worse than you could ever be. I won it yesterday. All right, now the reason you're here. Maybe the reason that you signed up to the pinball show official club membership This last weekend the pinball world stopped on Mother Day as many of us witnessed and seen on social media particularly Facebook a post by the legendary Joe Kamenkow And that post read the following. Hey pinball fans, here's the scoop. Jersey Jack has secured the license for Harry Potter for pinball.
    4:22
    No waiting, no speculation, they locked it in. You alright Harry? You seem very quiet. He killed my parents didn't he? The one who gave me this. You know Hagrid. I know you do.
    4:53
    First, I understand this Harry, because it's very important. Not all wizards are good. happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light
    5:26
    If that does nothing for you, then neither will pinball in general, likely. one of the most highly sought after unobtainium licenses rumored for years a dream theme grail
    6:02
    game arguably more so than any other title harry potter this theme has lore built into it when it comes to pinball we've been told for years that jk rowling will not license out this theme to pinball rumors have said that she is not into this type of product for her multi-billion dollar theme. They're some of the most popular novels ever created, some of the most popular films ever created. And now the possibility for it to be one of the most popular pinball machines
    6:34
    ever produced? Question mark. Let's back up here a little bit. Sunday evening, May 14th, 2023, Joe Kamenkal posted that on his personal Facebook page alongside a picture of a rendition of a Stern cabinet with Harry Potter decals and a Translight. So a photoshopped Harry Potter pinball machine, which confused a lot of people because of the message that he sent saying,
    7:04
    Jersey Jack pinball has secured this license. Then why is there a picture of it on a Stern game? Might that mean that this is a fake? Might that mean that Joe Cam and Cal has been hacked? Maybe this is a fake account. If this were to be true, there's no way Joe Kamikow would have done this. He's just trolling. I've heard Kaneda on Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. This is just a troll method. That picture's a fake. Well, yeah, I mean, I'm pretty sure that picture is a fake, yeah. Somebody said it was like a picture of a Photoshop job that Jack Danger did in the past.
    7:38
    I remember Jack doing a Photoshop job of the Harry Potter novels as a theme rather than the films and asked the internet, is this something that people could still get behind? Is it preferred over the film franchise, which arguably is fucking laughable. So I'm not sure where this came from. Maybe it did come from Jack Danger. I not sure To me it looks like when Franchi does this kind of stuff when he Photoshop stuff together Would that work visually if that was the artwork
    8:10
    Sure. If Harry Potter pinball does happen, I anticipate it being pretty standardized and vanilla, which I'm okay with. But let's go back more. Let's go back further. We know that the rumors were there that J.K. Rowling was not into pinball, thought it was gambling, did not, it's in bars a lot, and the content in which she has created is oftentimes for teens, children, families. She don't want them in bars, cigarette smoke-filled bars and booze. I always question that because there's like a damn slot machine of Harry Potter.
    8:43
    Then we had Joe Kamikawa, what was it, a year back, two years back, kind of trolling a little bit about Stern having Harry Potter's license. We've also seen in the past, social media, some of the employees, designers, coders, taking a trip to Hogwarts. That is, I believe it was the California Universal Studios rendition of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Posting pictures online of that. Then most recently, though, at the eve of the announcement of Godfather Pinball,
    9:14
    Jersey Jack Pinball himself, Jack Guarneri, posts a picture online of him standing by the likeness of other Warner Brothers titles that they have secured and created pinball machines for, but also in that picture was Ron Weasley, or it was Harry Potter in general, was Jack Ranieri trolling. Has anyone secured the rights to Harry Potter for pinball? I believe wholeheartedly the answer is yes. I also believe, looking at social media now,
    9:44
    the post by Joe Cam and Cal has been deleted. What does that mean? Typically when that happens, it means that somebody has regretted posting something. Do I think Joe Kamikow posted that? I do. Do I think Joe Kamikow is telling the truth about the Harry Potter license being secured? I do. And that it was secured by none other than Jersey Jack Pimble? I do. There was no fake account. There was no hacking. If I'm reading into this, that's Joe Kamikow professing the truth in a whim
    10:17
    because he was upset. Joe Kamenkow is kind of known as the king of licenses. It's like him and Roger Sharp. They can get the licenses that people struggle to get. Kamenkow brought us the Beatles. Over a million dollars to secure that license alone. And I would put money down that Kamenkow was working to secure Harry Potter as well for Pinball. For his studio company, Kapow Pinball. Remember, Kapow Pinball partners with Stern Pinball for manufacturing purposes and design purposes, etc. to bring us things like the Beatles or Batman 66.
    10:50
    I thought there was a good likelihood that we would see a Kapow Pinball, Stern Pinball partnership for Harry Potter. But what happened? That's why, in my opinion, there is truth to this post. Because motive-wise, if Joe Kamenkow, for whatever reason, was not part of securing that license for pinball, then he wouldn't be a part of that license for pinball. Thus, he would be placed into the background, which does nothing to really help or hurt his brand. So he gets out in front of it here and says,
    11:21
    hey, let me give you all a heads up. Harry Potter pinball is happening and Jersey Jack pinball secured it. How does that help his brand? Well, it shows that he's still the king. He's bringing people the goods that they want to hear. And in a way, if he sees Jersey Jack pinball as a form of competition, then it really does nothing to help that company either because if consumers know Harry Potter pinball is coming from a Jersey Jack pinball, they might be a little bit more reluctant to pull the trigger on current products or future products that come before Harry Potter pinball. So it's kind of like a, I'm pissed off, I'm feeling some frustration,
    11:54
    here's a kick in the nuts as I pop the deuces in the air and walk away. Now, I've heard a lot of people speculate, you know, he's just throwing a tantrum because he didn't get the license. That could be true I have no clue But consider other reasons as well Ask yourself why else might Cam and Cal be frustrated So there you have it. I believe that this is the real deal. And while I have no information to confirm, I'm just telling y'all, I think Jersey Jack Pinball secured the license for Harry Potter Pinball. And if that were to be true, it doesn't feel like a next release kind of thing.
    12:29
    And that's because, to me, this feels more recent. I don't think Joe Kamenkaus sits on this info for a ton of time, you know, for a year or more. Thus, I do think that Steve Ritchie is releasing a game next for Jersey Jack Pinball. And I do believe that whatever he is working on was done so prior to them potentially getting this license. It's just, again, a gut feeling. Does that mean it's next after Ritchie's? because I think we see Richie's at the end of the year.
    13:01
    And if you listen to Canadian Spinball Podcast, he says it's the Matrix. And that's why you pay him the big bucks, right? Wink. But we still have Mark Seiden, too. He's a designer. Does Mark Seiden get a Harry Potter license? No. Maybe. No. Possibly. No. Stop. It does feel like a Steve Richie type of license. license he's he's done star wars he's done terminator he's done the biggest and the best
    13:32
    and again eric menier his games have been heralded kind of as the best the company's had maybe professor lawler snape comes in out of retirement to design harry potter chill out people stop stop don't turn this don't turn the show off don't stop i'm just joking but who knows why now why why why are we receiving some indications of this license being secured now to that i would say why not seems like a perfect time to me hell there's a tv adaptation coming on
    14:07
    max here soon about harry potter the recent video game about hogwarts and harry potter and poking each other with wands that game was a hit i think jk rowling got herself into hot cauldron water a couple years back with some of the political things she was saying publicly. I think ever since then, we get out of COVID, and they've been selling the hell out of this license to all kinds of things, like video games or TV adaptations, etc. So those are my quick thoughts on the potential for Harry Potter pinball.
    14:37
    I believe it's happening. I believe it is Jersey Jack pinball. And I believe it's going to be fucking amazing. And in many ways, will change the landscape of this industry. Hey, JJP, if all this is true, wow. Don't mess up this opportunity. Don't mess it up. Make sure to tune in to next week's episode of the Pinball Show 128, where Dennis and I speak further about a potential Harry Potter pinball machine being made.
    15:09
    Are we going to get film assets? Is it going to be based on the novel? Is this going to be a stripped-down Pirates of the Caribbean world of? When's it going to be here? Who's going to design it? Rest assured, there will be more information trickling out. I can almost guarantee you. And the place to hear that is none other than the pinball show. I want to thank you all for the support, being part of the club membership. Make that upgrade. We've got the TPS live Zoom hangout for those part of the Screaming Goat and Nordman levels on Patreon. We've got that coming up May 31st at 8 p.m. Central.
    15:41
    If you're on that $10 level, jump it up to $25. Join us for that. And if you're at the $25 level, get yourself a nickname and jump up to that Screaming Goat $100 a month paywall polo level. It'll be fine. And until then, always practice safe pinball. And don't wait. Don't speculate. Lock that wizard in. And above all, don't let the moguls get you down. You're a wizard, Harry. Peace.