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Medieval Madness is Failing? | This Month's Pinball Market March 2026

LoserKid YouTube·video·9m 39s·held·Mar 5, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030

TL;DR

Medieval Madness Merlin crashing; market stabilizes; Pokemon LE explodes.

Summary

LoserKid analyzes March 2026 pinball market trends, reporting that the market has stabilized after post-pandemic volatility. Most Stern and Williams classics are pricing down or stable, but Godzilla 70th and Pokemon LE are surging due to mods and licensing appeal. Most notably, Medieval Madness Merlin Edition—which sold out in 48 hours at $13k MSRP—has dropped to $12.5k average, signaling potential market saturation; Chicago Gaming Company is attempting another production run but dealers are reluctant due to secondary market weakness.

Key Claims

  • Medieval Madness Merlin Edition dropped from $13,000 MSRP to $12,500 average within 6 months of release

    high confidence · LoserKid, analyzing Chicago Gaming Company market data; speaker owns/tracks secondary market pricing data

  • Chicago Gaming Company is attempting to produce another run of Medieval Madness Merlin Editions this year, but dealers are refusing to stock them due to secondary market weakness

    high confidence · LoserKid states: 'CGC is trying to push another run of these this year. They are working on it as we speak, but because of the situation with these Merlin where they're selling below MSRP, most dealers aren't taking them on.'

  • Pokemon LE is up 54% from MSRP of $13,000 with confirmed sales north of $20,000, reaching $24,000–$25,000

    high confidence · LoserKid: 'PokemonLE is up 54% from its MSRP of $13,000 with multiple confirmed sales north of $20,000. I'm hearing 24 25.'

  • The last four Stern new-box releases (Pokemon, Beetlejuice, Winchester, Harry Potter) sold out almost instantaneously

    high confidence · LoserKid: 'The last four titles have sold out almost instantaneously. Pokemon, Beetlejuice, Winchester, and Harry Potter.'

  • Harry Potter CE has sold north of 1,500 units, far exceeding the typical ~500 CE cap

    medium confidence · LoserKid: 'they have not capped the limit on the CEs, but the typical C was around 500 and they've sold north of 1500 on the CEs from what I have heard'

  • Ghostbusters Pro is potentially being remade by Jersey Jack Pinball, who reportedly now holds the license

    medium confidence · LoserKid: 'I don't know if this is being remade. There's been rumors that Jersey Jack now has a license.'

  • Godzilla 70th with Stumbler mods can command $10,000–$14,000 depending on condition and customization

    high confidence · LoserKid cites Stumbler Pinball mods as driver of secondary market premium; notes modded examples selling for $14,000

  • The pinball market peaked in 2021–2022, has experienced sharp declines, and is now plateauing at stabilized average prices

Notable Quotes

  • “Medieval Madness is being dethroned. That is right. It is down right now.”

    LoserKid@ 7:11 — Declarative statement marking a significant market sentiment shift; Medieval Madness had been the flagship reissue title for Chicago Gaming Company

  • “CGC is trying to push another run of these this year. They are working on it as we speak, but because of the situation with these Merlin where they're selling below MSRP, most dealers aren't taking them on.”

    LoserKid@ 7:54 — Reveals internal pressure on CGC supply chain; dealer resistance to overstock is blocking planned production

  • “if these games are dropping within 6 months of release, there's something there's something up. And I don't know if it's a quality issue or if it's just we finally hit max capacity for the market.”

    LoserKid@ 8:12 — Speculation on root cause of Merlin decline; raises question of either product issue or market saturation

  • “PokemonLE is up 54% from its MSRP of $13,000 with multiple confirmed sales north of $20,000. I'm hearing 24 25.”

    LoserKid@ 3:30 — Demonstrates extreme secondary market premium driven by IP licensing alignment and limited availability

  • “The last four titles have sold out almost instantaneously. Pokemon, Beetlejuice, Winchester, and Harry Potter. And the interesting part about Harry Potter is they have not capped the limit on the CEs, but the typical C was around 500 and they've sold north of 1500 on the CEs from what I have heard.”

    LoserKid@ 4:13 — Confirms new-box market strength and uncapped CE demand for Harry Potter; signals manufacturer confidence in title appeal

Entities

LoserKidpersonStern PinballcompanyChicago Gaming CompanycompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyMedieval Madness Merlin EditiongamePokemon LEgameGhostbusters ProgameGodzilla 70thgame

Signals

  • $

    market_signal: Pinball market has stabilized after 2021–2022 peak and subsequent sharp decline; most games now trading at stabilized averages with modest monthly variance

    high · LoserKid: 'Right now pinball is starting to taper off. We're starting to get those nice plateaus and most pricing is sticking around its average.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Medieval Madness Merlin Edition dropped below MSRP within 6 months of release; secondary market weakness signals possible market saturation or quality issue

    high · LoserKid: 'if these games are dropping within 6 months of release, there's something there's something up. And I don't know if it's a quality issue or if it's just we finally hit max capacity for the market.'

  • ?

    supply_chain_signal: Chicago Gaming Company attempting additional Medieval Madness Merlin production run, but dealers refusing to stock due to secondary market weakness below MSRP

    high · LoserKid: 'CGC is trying to push another run of these this year... but because of the situation with these Merlin where they're selling below MSRP, most dealers aren't taking them on.'

  • $

    market_signal: Stern new-box releases (Pokemon, Beetlejuice, Winchester, Harry Potter) selling out instantaneously; secondary market premiums on Pokemon LE exceeding 50%; market recovery from perceived 2024 slump

    high · LoserKid: 'The last four titles have sold out almost instantaneously... PokemonLE is up 54% from its MSRP of $13,000 with multiple confirmed sales north of $20,000.'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Secondary market increasingly selective; high-condition examples (Champion Pub, Cactus Canyon with mods) selling strongly while lower-grade examples stagnate

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:01
The market's in constant change and March is no different. We're going to be going over Stern Modern Games, Valley Williams Classics, and CGC remakes. It is this month's Pimal Market.
0:17
I want to start this episode with a small disclaimer. First off, my voice is a little off. I've had influenza for 3 weeks now, wherever it is. But as I've been doing my data for this episode, I have noticed some trends that have been going on since co co we had some really high spikes, right? With some highs in 2021, 2022. Then we started to see some sharp declines across the pinball market and they really started to dip hard. Right now pinball is starting to taper off. We're starting to get those nice plateaus and most pricing is sticking around its average. I do still have some really interesting data for this month, but I want you to know that combined with sales have slowed down a little bit after Christmas because everyone's feeling broke and the new inbox market is finding more and more appeal as it releases games like Pokemon. So, let's dig into Stern right now. Right now, Guardians of the Galaxy Pro is down 5% from its average of 5,500. I'm seeing multiple selling around 5,000 with that being the low and the high being around 6,500. So, it's a very interesting what's going on there. Next, Avengers Infinity Quest Premium. It is down 6% from its average of 6,900 to 6,500. My opinion, I own this game for years. This is a still of a deal. This is great code. If if it feels a little complex, may dig into it to have a premium that is an Elwin. And these are selling on the low end. I saw four sell for $6,000 and the high being $6,900. This is a great game to put into your collection for $6,000 for a premium. All right, Ghostbusters Pro is down 10% from its average of 6,800 to 6150. Mostly we're saying these sell around 6,000 with the low being 5800 and as high as 6750. The pro is a great game for this Ghostbusters. And if you've been looking for one, this might be the time to scoop it up. I don't know if this is being remade. There's been rumors that Jersey Jack now has a license. It's going to be interesting to see what the license what the future holds for this license as we move forward. All right, let's talk about the up for Stern right now. Godzilla 70th is up 16% from 98.50 to 11400. If your Godzilla 70th is tastefully modded that is easily commanding 10,000 plus I'm seeing as high as $14,000. That's you have to have it modded though to see these numbers. I do not want anyone thinking that they can just buy straight up Godzilla 70th and then turn around flip it for these numbers. it. Stumbler has done a fantastic job. If you've not looked at Stumbler and his mods, stumbler pinball.com, he's done a wonderful job in incorporating his mods and making them black and white for this special edition. And last but not least, I do not typically cover new market because I don't have that data very solid, but I'm very confident saying that PokemonLE is up 54% from its MSRP of $13,000 with multiple confirmed sales north of $20,000. I'm hearing 24 25. I don't know if I've seen 30 being for sale, but that doesn't mean they're getting 30 out of it. So, this title is very hot and it is a very unique situation where the license matched with Stern is driving up this price. So, I know there's a lot of people out there frustrated about this one, but let's be honest, the new market is doing extremely well considering a year ago we thought the pinball market and the new box was dead. The last four titles have sold out almost instantaneously. Pokemon, Beetlejuice, Winchester, and Harry Potter. And the interesting part about Harry Potter is they have not capped the limit on the CES, but the typical C was around 500 and they've sold north of 1500 on the CES from what I have heard. All right, let's move on to Bali Williams down. Monster Bash is down 4% from its average of 8,900 to 8,500. this Gomez Classic that is just a great fan layout to put in your home. They're really selling all over the place. I'm seeing them as low as 7700 and as high as 9950. All right, this next one was a bit of surprise to me. It's considered one of the greatest pinball machines of all time and has been very influential. Uh Twilight Zone is down 10% from its average of 9,000 to 8,100. I saw one sell as low as 7,200 and the high is around 8,800. So, we're still even below average on the high end of the side. And then this game was trending up for so long it doesn't shock me it's starting to come down now. Whirlwind is down 13% from 4,800 to 4,200. I'm seeing as low as 3,900 bucks, as high as 4,700. This game is still commanding a high price in my opinion for William System 11. Still a great game. It is very influential to this day. It's another Pat Lawler. Right. Speaking of Pat Lawers, let's talk about what is trending up. Adams Family is up 29% from its average of 9900 to 12,750. Its low 7750 and its high was $14,000. Let me put an asterk here though. This was fully restored and the person that took this game and restored it did it all to the original specs. So they did all the original parts. They went all out and trying to make this new in box as if you would have got it from 1992. So that does skew things a little bit, but overall M's family has always been on the up and up. Last but not least, I've talked about this game multiple times over the this past year. Champion Pub. It is still climbing. I don't know how it's doing it, but it is. It's up 39% from its average of 8,100 to 11250. The couple that have sold were very, very nice examples. They either been home use only, documented, home use only or restored. Low 105 and the high was 125. this game. And what's interesting though is there's a lot of games sitting on the market around that 8 to 10 range that are not selling. So, people are looking for really great examples of this and when they do, they buy. All right, let's move on to Chicago Gaming Company. I never thought I would say this in my life. Medieval Madness is being dethroned. That is right. It is down right now. Medieval Madness Merlin Edition that came out last year. If you remember, this game sold out in less than 24 to 48 hours. It's another example about the new and box market selling out selling out really, really quick. Its MSRP was $13,000. We see it's dropping down to 125 on the average and it's as low as 115 selling as high as 13250. And here's another thing that they're not telling you about Medieval Madness Merlin Edition. CGC is trying to push another run of these this year. They are working on it as we speak, but because of the situation with these Merlin where they're selling below MSRP, most dealers aren't taking them on. So, I don't know if CGC is going to end up making these Merlin's editions and trying to force them out via allocation or what we're going to see, but if these games are dropping within 6 months of release, there's something there's something up. And I don't know if it's a quality issue or if it's just we finally hit max capacity for the market. All right, up Attack for Mars Special Edition is up 4%. From its average of 10,500 to 10875. I have seen this selling as low as $9,000, but as high as $13,000. And they're consistently selling in the high above 10k range. And it's just it's a great classic game. And I I'm kind of shocked that CGC has not remade this one, especially if the special editions are commanding this much of a price. Last but not least, Cactus Canyon Special Edition. This game is up 5% from its average of 6,900 to 7250. It really took a dip over these last couple years, but is being revitalized by the new Lyman Sheets Cactus Contion Cactus Canyon Complete Mode uh with Jaw Sharp at the helm. I have seen one sell as low as 5500 and one as high as 8,700. What is helping with these though is if you already have the kit installed in your game, it is giving you that extra boost in cell. It may be a pain in the butt. I know it takes a couple hours to install, but it could be worth it if you're trying to move a Cactus Canyon edition. So, thank you for tuning in. I will see you next

high confidence · LoserKid opening analysis: 'we had some really high spikes, right? With some highs in 2021, 2022. Then we started to see some sharp declines... Right now pinball is starting to taper off.'

  • Champion Pub has climbed 39% from $8,100 average to $11,250, driven by demand for high-condition examples only

    high confidence · LoserKid: 'Champion Pub. It is still climbing... It's up 39% from its average of 8,100 to 11250... there's a lot of games sitting on the market around that 8 to 10 range that are not selling.'

  • Cactus Canyon Complete Mode kit (Lyman Sheets, Jaws Sharp) is driving secondary market revitalization for original Cactus Canyon Special Edition

    high confidence · LoserKid: 'if you already have the kit installed in your game, it is giving you that extra boost in cell... could be worth it if you're trying to move a Cactus Canyon edition'

  • “Adams Family has always been on the up and up... up 29% from its average of 9900 to 12,750.”

    LoserKid@ 5:46 — Pat Lawlor's 1992 classic sustains appreciation; fully restored examples command premium pricing

  • “Godzilla 70th is tastefully modded that is easily commanding 10,000 plus I'm seeing as high as $14,000. That's you have to have it modded though to see these numbers.”

    LoserKid@ 2:52 — Aftermarket mod ecosystem (Stumbler Pinball) creating secondary market value capture; base game appreciation insufficient alone

  • Stumbler Pinball
    person
    Medieval Madnessgame
    Champion Pubgame
    Cactus Canyon Special Editiongame
    Cactus Canyon Complete Modeproduct
    Attack from Mars Special Editiongame
    Twilight Zonegame
    Whirlwindgame
    Adams Familygame
    Monster Bashgame
    Guardians of the Galaxy Progame
    Avengers Infinity Quest Premiumgame
    Harry Pottergame
    Beetlejuicegame
    Winchestergame
    Pat Lawlorperson
    Jaws Sharpperson

    high · LoserKid: 'there's a lot of games sitting on the market around that 8 to 10 range that are not selling. So, people are looking for really great examples of this and when they do, they buy.'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Aftermarket mod kits (Stumbler Pinball Godzilla mods, Cactus Canyon Complete Mode) creating secondary market value uplift; operators increasingly installing upgrades to boost resale prices

    high · LoserKid: 'if you already have the kit installed in your game, it is giving you that extra boost in cell... could be worth it if you're trying to move a Cactus Canyon edition'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Strong IP alignment (Pokemon, Harry Potter) driving extreme secondary market premiums (50%+) on Stern new-box releases; license availability appears to be key pricing driver

    high · LoserKid: 'the new market is doing extremely well... the license matched with Stern is driving up this price' (on Pokemon LE); Harry Potter CE uncapped and exceeded 1,500 sold

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Historic classics (Twilight Zone, Whirlwind) experiencing pricing declines after multi-year appreciation; collector focus shifting toward condition-pristine examples and limited new releases

    high · LoserKid: 'Twilight Zone is down 10%... this game was trending up for so long it doesn't shock me it's starting to come down now. Whirlwind is down 13%.'

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Unconfirmed rumor that Jersey Jack Pinball has acquired Ghostbusters license; potential remake in development

    medium · LoserKid: 'I don't know if this is being remade. There's been rumors that Jersey Jack now has a license.'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Post-Christmas sales slowdown observed across secondary market; consumer spending fatigue affecting transaction velocity

    medium · LoserKid: 'combined with sales have slowed down a little bit after Christmas because everyone's feeling broke'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Chicago Gaming Company working on additional Medieval Madness Merlin run despite secondary market weakness; considering dealer allocation model to force distribution

    high · LoserKid: 'I don't know if CGC is going to end up making these Merlin's editions and trying to force them out via allocation or what we're going to see'

  • $

    market_signal: Harry Potter CE demand exceeded manufacturer expectations; uncapped CE production (typical ~500 units) resulted in 1,500+ sales, signaling IP-driven FOMO and dealer-friendly stocking strategy

    high · LoserKid: 'they have not capped the limit on the CEs, but the typical C was around 500 and they've sold north of 1500 on the CEs from what I have heard'