#13 - Avengers Infinity Quest Revealed, Elwin is the GOAT

TL;DR

Keith Elwin's Avengers Infinity Quest hailed as peak pinball design, justifying premium pricing.

Summary

Key Claims

• Keith Elwin is the greatest pinball designer of all time, comparable to young Tiger Woods in his prime

  high confidence · Host directly states multiple times that Elwin is 'the GOAT' and 'head and shoulders above everyone else,' using Tiger Woods analogy

• Avengers Infinity Quest LEs sold out on day of release (September 2, 2020)

  high confidence · Host states 'I guarantee as of right now, LEs are sold out' recording at 5pm on release day

• Stranger Things LE was selling for $9,100-$9,499 on secondary market, justifying $200 price increase for AIQ

  medium confidence · Host cites specific price ranges for Stranger Things as comparison point

• Elwin designs offer multiple attack angles and rule set strategies, unlike competitors who create single-strategy games

  high confidence · Host contrasts Elwin's multi-angle design with Star Wars and Ninja Turtles which have 'one very specific way' to play effectively

• AIQ represents the most loaded pin at current price points in recent memory

  high confidence · Host states 'this is by far the most loaded pin at the price points that they have that we can remember right now'

• The game uses comic book art instead of MCU movie characters, which was the correct design choice

  high confidence · Host explains movie licensing would be 'astronomical' in cost and would force designer into specific narrative constraints, whereas comics provide creative freedom

• Raymond Davidson worked on AIQ software/code

  medium confidence · Host mentions 'Raymond Davidson had been working on before congrats' in credits context

• AIQ gained attention from 12-13 non-pinball enthusiasts who contacted host about the game

  high confidence · Host states '90% of them have never played pinball. They heard about it... They didn't tell them about it. They heard about it'

Notable Quotes

• “There's no competition here. There's nobody that's even on the same page as Keith Elwin as a designer. I'm sorry, It's just not.”

  Host @ ~5:20 — Direct assertion of Elwin's unmatched status in pinball industry

• “This is like watching Tiger Woods in his prime, like the young Tiger Woods at the Masters, either walking down the fairway or just crushing everything in sight.”

  Host @ ~4:30 — Industry analogy for Elwin's current design peak; three different industry contacts allegedly used same comparison

• “I feel like Elwin pens are underpriced. They are underpriced.”

  Host @ ~18:45 — Central economic argument for premium pricing justification

• “If this man is not making a quarter million of dollars a year, that is a travesty. That is an absolute travesty.”

  Host @ ~22:15 — Statement about Elwin's market value and compensation expectations

• “Nearly every shot will return back to the flippers. And I know, you know, there's plenty of other games that do that, but his games do it in such a way that is buttery smooth.”

  Host @ ~26:30 — Technical description of Elwin's signature design philosophy differentiating him from competitors

• “If you put this pen in front of anybody, if you just took it as a whitewood, theme be damned, just a whitewood, this would get picked. It would get picked at least, I would say eight or nine times out of ten, at least, over anything else that's out there right now.”

  Host @ ~30:00 — Argument that layout and mechanics transcend theme appeal

• “Today, pinball grew. And that's a great thing for all of us... pinball needs that to survive moving forward.”

  Host @ ~34:45 — Commentary on crossover appeal and industry health implications

• “The ramp can be hit by three different flippers. That is freaking amazing... The layout is innovative. You have to see that.”

Entities

Signals

• ?

  business_signal: Host argues Elwin's market value and compensation should reflect his design supremacy, suggesting quarterly million-dollar salary floor is appropriate given sales certainty

  medium · Host states 'If this man is not making a quarter million of dollars a year, that is a travesty' and 'Somebody should pack up the money truck for him'

• ?

  community_signal: Marvel partnership announcement via Facebook (33M followers) with organic reach across multiple media outlets and non-traditional pinball audiences

  high · Host notes Marvel released on Facebook with 33M followers and 'It is getting around to all the different websites, which is typically what Stern does'

• ?

  competitive_signal: Avengers Infinity Quest positioned as clear market leader exceeding all competitor offerings; sent 'call to action' to entire industry to raise their game

  high · Host explicitly states 'this is a call to action for everybody across the industry to up your game' and argues no competitor's game can match Elwin's current offerings

• ?

  competitive_signal: Host argues industry competitors should actively recruit Elwin away from Stern given his market power and ability to build entire company around his brand

  medium · Host states 'if I'm another company, I am figuring out right now, today, how I can get Keith Elwin with my company' and 'he is quite possibly the only person in pinball that you could literally build an entire business around'

• ?

  design_philosophy: Prior Guardians of the Galaxy criticism (voice acting absent from movies) influenced AIQ decision to use comic book characters and universe rather than MCU movie elements