Spooky Pinball News: A Game that Almost was, Production Update & More

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Oct 6, 2023

Analysis

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TL;DR

Spooky shares production updates, reveals failed MST3K deal, teases new Ben Heck project.

Summary

Spooky Pinball hosted a Twitch stream featuring Bug and Ben Heck discussing America's Most Haunted, sharing production updates (2 TNA units remaining, 30 more to build; 200-300 Scooby-Doo CEs in production), revealing an abandoned Mystery Science Theater 3000 pinball deal that fell through due to actor licensing demands, and teasing future projects including an upcoming Ben Heck game outside Spooky/CGC collaboration and an Easter egg involving a 'SHATZ!' shark shot callout.

Key Claims

Spooky Pinball has only 2 Total Nuclear Annihilation units left to sell and ~30 more to build
high confidence · Direct production update from stream Q&A
Spooky has between 200-300 Scooby-Doo CE machines left to produce
high confidence · Direct production update from stream Q&A
Spooky entered negotiations for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 pinball machine but abandoned the project
high confidence · Bug and Ben Heck explained licensing demands made it unfeasible
The MST3K deal fell through because too many show actors wanted complimentary machines
high confidence · Direct explanation during Q&A
Ben Heck's next pinball machine is not a Spooky/CGC collaboration
high confidence · Direct answer during stream Q&A
An upcoming Spooky game features an Easter egg with a 'SHATZ!' callout on the shark shot
medium confidence · Ben Heck described the Easter egg; specificity suggests real feature but future release timing unclear

Notable Quotes

“So many actors and people involved with the show wanted a free pinball machine if the game was made that Spooky decided it couldn't afford to make it.”
Reported from Bug/Ben Heck explanation @ Stream Q&A segment — Reveals why a potentially high-interest licensed property was abandoned due to talent licensing costs
“I can't say.”
Bug @ Stream Q&A segment — Ambiguous response to Netflix licensing inquiry suggests either no discussions or confidential negotiations
“SHATZ!”
Ben Heck (Easter egg callout voice in upcoming game) @ Stream description — Easter egg detail reveals ongoing work on unreleased title with humorous sound design

Entities

Spooky PinballcompanyBugperson Ben Heckperson America's Most Hauntedgame Total Nuclear Annihilationgame Scooby-DoogameMystery Science Theater 3000productChicago Gaming Companycompany

Signals

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design_philosophy: Ben Heck Easter egg ('SHATZ!' shark shot callout) demonstrates continued focus on hidden tributes and humorous sound design elements
medium · Easter egg description in upcoming unreleased Spooky game
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licensing_signal: MST3K licensing deal collapsed due to actor/talent compensation demands exceeding project economics—reveals cost structure challenges for licensed properties
high · Bug/Ben Heck explanation: 'So many actors wanted free machines that Spooky couldn't afford it'
?
personnel_signal: Ben Heck's next pinball project is NOT a Spooky/CGC collaboration, suggesting either independent work or collaboration with different manufacturer
high · Direct Q&A response: 'The next Ben Heck pinball machine is not a Spooky Pinball - CGC collaboration'
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product_strategy: Substantial production pipeline remains for Scooby-Doo (200-300 units) and TNA (30 units), indicating extended manufacturing timeline extending into future quarters
high · Direct production numbers disclosed during Q&A
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rumor_hype: Potential sequel 'America's Most Weird' discussed during stream; development status and timeline unclear
medium · Passing mention during Q&A: 'Spooky talked about making a sequel to America's Most Haunted'

Topics

Production capacity and inventoryprimaryLicensed IP negotiations and challengesprimaryUpcoming unreleased games and Easter eggsprimaryDesigner/talent collaborationssecondaryStreaming and community engagementsecondarySpooky Pinball business operationsprimary

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Positive tone regarding production progress and upcoming projects; neutral/disappointed regarding MST3K licensing failure and Ben Heck collaboration clarification. Overall constructive industry transparency.

Transcript

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It's Thursday so that means that it's time for the weekly yet to be named Spooky Pinball pinball Twitch stream. This week Spooky Bug was joined by Ben Heck, the creator of the game that they were playing this evening...Spooky's first pinball machine, America's Most Haunted. After they played the game, the duo conducted the regular end-of-stream Q & A session, through which we learned a number of interesting things. First up are some production updates. Spooky Pinball only has two Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball machines left to sell and around 30 machines left to build from its recent production run of the game. As of this writing, the last two TNA units were still available on Spooky's website. As far as Scooby-Doo production goes, Spooky has between 200 and 300 Scooby-Doo CE machines left to make. Next up is an interesting story about a pinball machine that almost was. Around the time that Spooky was making America's Most Haunted, they entered into negotiations with the license holder for Mystery Science Theater 3000 to produce a pin based on the theme. So many actors and people involved with the show wanted a feee pinball machine if the game was made that Spooky decided it couldn't afford to make it. Here's two more quick hits thet I picked up on during the stream: The next Ben Heck pinball machine is not a Soooky Pinball - CGC collaboration When asked if Spooky has ever spoken with Netflix about a license, Bug stated “I can’t say. At one point Spooky talked about making a sequel to America's Most Haunted titled America's Most Weird 👻 Ben described an Easter Egg in an upcoming Spooky game that he's working on. When the player hits a Shark shot, a callout of a deep, echoed Ben Heck voice says "SHATZ!" 🐣