Jersey Jack Pinball Podcast

"I heard Jack told Steve Ritchie to put everything he possibly wants into Sonic the Hedgehog. And that's the difference. That is the difference. I think one company is loaded up and the other company is yank it out."

Jersey Jack told Steve Ritchie to put everything he wants into Sonic, while Stern yanks stuff out of games

"I think some of the jersey jack stuff on the display is like way too crowded. And I think some of their I even think Harry Potter to be honest has too much going on on the screen at once. I've said this my two favorite like uses usages. My two favorite usages of the jersey jacks screen are dialed in in Guns N' Roses. I think on all the other games. I've got to be honest. I'm not a huge fan of how they've utilized that large screen."

Jersey Jack screens often too crowded - Dialed In and GNR best usage

"This game is going to tank the value of almost every other Jersey Jack game. We haven't had a Jersey Jack game that's shot well. That's a theme that people love and is integrated in the right way."

Harry Potter will tank the value of other Jersey Jack games

"My worry about the game is Jersey Jack. They haven't done it in the past. They really haven't made a game better."

Jersey Jack hasn't made a truly special game despite multiple attempts

"Jersey Jack is calling its godfather Pinball machine a masterpiece. Are you freaking kidding me? A masterpiece? This game has lost $7,000 in value if you bought a CE."

Jersey Jack calling Godfather a 'masterpiece' is ridiculous given its $7000 value loss

"nobody wants to buy Jersey Jack LEs anymore for $12,000. Because if you have 12, you have 15. I bet Avatar CE has outsold Avatar LE. Because again, if you're going to spend this much, just go a little bit further and get a much nicer game with a much nicer topper"

Jersey Jack CEs outselling LEs due to pricing

"What about 12 to $15,000 pinball machines aligns with the behavior of people that go to redemption arcades? People want to play some ski ball, they might want to do some pop a shot, you know, those fun quick games where you get some tickets but the games themselves are super approachable, super easy."

Jersey Jack Pinball making redemption games is misguided and doesn't align with their customer base

"I really do think they just missed the mark on bringing the bioluminescent world of Pandora to life"

Jersey Jack Avatar missed the mark on bringing Pandora's bioluminescent world to life

"if I were Jersey Jack... I kind of don't understand waiting a week. You're going to allow Stern Pinball to not just release this game, reveal the game, take all this money, do this incredible victory lap"

Jersey Jack made a strategic mistake revealing Avatar a week after X-Men

"I mean, Kaneda knows better than anybody that these miracle playfields that were utilized during the build of Guns N' Roses, collectors edition are trash. They're total trash."

Jersey Jack miracle playfields are complete trash

"Jersey Jack's got the far superior platform. Okay, so their games look better. But their games have never played better than Stern machines ever. Like none of them, none of their older games could even hold a candle in the wind, no pun intended, to a Stern machine."

Jersey Jack has superior platform but games never play better than Stern

"If I was Jersey Jack today, I would announce that our next game is only going to have 500 collectors editions. I don't care if it's Harry Potter or Top Gun, whatever it is, somebody's got to make a move."

Jersey Jack should announce only 500 collector editions for their next game

"I firmly believe that Jersey, Jack and Stern collectively have killed their own golden goose. And everyone's feeling that"

Manufacturers have killed their own golden goose with high prices and overproduction

"when you put a Jersey Jack game like Elton John next to Stern's best looking games, it still makes Stern games look cheap. It really, really does."

Jersey Jack games make Stern games look cheap when placed side by side

"I think Jersey Jack and Stern Pinball needs to eat some humble pie. They've just taken it too far and they've shown us how they feel about us."

"you now have two flops in a row in Toy Story 4 and in games like The Godfather. Your dealers and distros are sitting on so much unsold inventory for both of those titles."

Jersey Jack Pinball has had two flops in a row with unsold inventory

"And here's my prediction is that the Addams Family is gonna get fed up and be like, fine, forget it, we're not making that many. And then Elton John will become in demand. It'll just be like pirates all over again."

Prediction: Elton John will be a sales disaster, people will wait to buy used, then Jersey Jack will reduce production making it in demand like Pirates.

"I tell you what they're going to say, oh, Q1 production, that's what you're going to hear today. I guarantee you, they're going to be like, send your deposit in today and Q1 production and just be worried people, because that could be like four to five months before you see your Elton John."

Prediction: Jersey Jack will announce Q1 production timeline for Elton John, meaning 4-5 months before customers see their games.

"I didn't make the game. I didn't make you buy it. It's not my fault. Kaneda didn't make Galactic Tank Force. Dennis Nordman did."

"I always say Jersey Jack Pinball is like role-playing games of video games... you didn't go to the arcade to play Final Fantasy or Zelda, you went to the arcade to play Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat"

Pinball should be more like Street Fighter, not Final Fantasy - simpler and more accessible

"Even after having it on my page, nobody's talking about it. It's like nobody cares. Everyone's worried it's going to be Godfather. Everyone already knows what the price is going to be."

Jersey Jack #8 reveal lacks enthusiasm from community due to pricing concerns

"Now mark my words right now. This is the single biggest mistake that is going to really cripple pinball sales as we head into 2023. It's not about inflations or recessions."

Prediction: Adjusting business models to reflect COVID-era prices and demand will be the single biggest mistake that will cripple pinball sales heading into 2023.

"There's just an overall sort of fatigue around this approach that why can't we just see these things, see if we want them or not before we have to make up our mind... I really miss the good old years in which they used to bring the game to a show."

Jersey Jack's marketing approach creates frustrating purchase decisions

"They are kind of embarrassing Jersey Jack Pinball by showing what they can do in terms of staying on schedule. By the time Pat Lawlor has put out two games, I think Keith Elwin will be at four or five games. Like that's pretty embarrassing if you ask me."

Stern Pinball embarrasses Jersey Jack with superior production efficiency

"They know all too well that nobody will take them up on this offer. Sort of they think it's a smart clever move by Jersey Jack pinball"

Jersey Jack's buyback offer is a clever but inadequate solution

"You can't go one by one by one and offer different solutions to people You can't offer one person washers the next person a playfield the next person might get a refund"

Jersey Jack needs standardized customer service instead of case-by-case solutions

"Jersey Jack Pinball needs to stop with the pro edition. They need to stop making the base level model of these games. The games are underwhelming. The games look barren."

Jersey Jack should stop making SE/Pro versions and focus on premium products

"Here's my final summary on this entire thing. Just FN fix it. Fix it. I shouldn't have to be an expert on clear coats. Some do-do works in an auto repair shop. Shouldn't be telling us the reason why our pinball machines are failing."

"I really think people who ordered this game thought they were gonna get it on a stern Time frame you are not getting your Guns N' Roses as quickly as you would if you ordered a stern machine"

Jersey Jack buyers need patience - games will take much longer to deliver than Stern timeframes

"It's so stupid that Jack lets people do that, like personalized numbers that go outside. No, if you're making 1500 of something, sure, let people request number 1 or 23 or 27... but you can't let someone request a number that exceeds 1500. Doesn't that just seem like common sense?"

Jersey Jack's limited edition numbering system is moronic and confusing

"Jersey Jack pinball tries really hard. And I think successfully to give you more when they charge you more for the collector's edition. I mean, just look at Pirates of the Caribbean collectors edition. It had different artwork. It had the Red cows. It had different translite art. It had a different top, or that was amazing with the boat. It had a different playfield art."

Jersey Jack gives much more value in collector's editions but fails at marketing timing

"Jersey Jack games just look leagues leagues above stern machines in terms of of materials used and quality and just like the overall package is so much greater in a Jersey Jack game... Jurassic Park just plays much better"

Jersey Jack games look much better quality than Stern machines but Jurassic Park plays better than Willy Wonka

"I've never understood anyone who buys a standard edition Jersey Jack game because they're still so expensive. They're not cheap... But a standard edition, I think pirates is only like $500 or less or not a significant savings. And they also remove stuff that people would want like the starring map."

Never understood anyone who buys a standard edition Jersey Jack game because they're still expensive but remove desirable features

"There is always more excitement to see what Jersey Jack is going to deliver to the world than Stern Pinball. And this is not a knock on Stern."

There's always more excitement for Jersey Jack releases than Stern releases

"I think Jersey Jack is the company that does reach further, that does engineer more complexity and innovation into their games. The LCD on the Jersey Jack machine is obviously superior."

Jersey Jack Pinball reaches further and engineers more complexity and innovation than Stern

"It is abundantly clear that pirates of the Caribbean are being rushed out of the factory and there are so many little quality control issues with that game... Jersey Jack needs to get their quality control down"

Jersey Jack Pinball has quality control problems and rushes games out

"But six months will pass between that and when the game goes on sale and here's my prediction and I think you hit it on the head Ted is when you said theme is everything and this continues to be the quagmire for me when I look at pinball marketing because it's like nobody really wants Pirates to the Caribbean pinball in 2018."

Prediction: The Pirates of the Caribbean pinball theme will be a hard sell because nobody really wants it in 2018.

"Jersey Jack pinball pirates cluster fuck of the game being delayed a year then yanking out the very items that they used to sell the game"

Jersey Jack Pirates removing features is biggest cluster fuck of year

"It's so fucking weird to me that we have people aiming much higher and yet Stern, simply because they can manufacture it, will win and get the money."

Jersey Jack puts more value into games than Stern at same price point

"I also just think like in general. The collector's edition packages are kind of ridiculously overpriced. I don't think anyone feels like yeah like it's worth it"

Jersey Jack collector's editions are ridiculously overpriced and not worth it

"My final prediction is I think Jersey Jack is going to run away with this one and be the most talked about game from the show. I think Stern is going to hold back Guardians until November."

Prediction: Jersey Jack is going to run away with this one and be the most talked about game from the show. Stern is going to hold back Guardians until November.

"I still think Jersey Jack's quality in terms of the materials and the solidness of a Jersey Jack Pinball machine is still better. It's more expensive though"

Jersey Jack Pinball has better build quality than Stern but costs more

"I'm excited to see what comes out from Stern, but I am more excited to see what comes out from Jersey Jack. I am more excited to see Toy Story, to see Willy Wonka"

More excited about Jersey Jack's future games than Stern's

"the guy who inked the deal with Jersey Jack Pinball and Disney is no longer with Jersey Jack Pinball now go connect the dots as to why you think he's no longer there"

Jersey Jack licensing executive departure due to poor Disney/asset negotiations

"Maybe one of the, I do want to say this, okay, the best software team I ever worked with. What's so cool about them is they're constantly communicating."

Steve Ritchie praises Jersey Jack's software team as the best he's worked with

"Stern pinball machines for the most part, they hold up. They last, you can play them over and over and over again. Have you been into a Jersey Jack pinball thread these days? Every single JJP thread is about maintaining the machine."

Stern machines are reliable while Jersey Jack requires constant maintenance

"I still think you're going to see that Jersey Jack just puts a lot more sort of emphasis on, on, see qualities are wrong word. I do think that they spend more money on the bomb and putting things into the game than Stern does"

Jersey Jack still puts more money and effort into their games than Stern