Sounds like CGC is going to be competing against JJP at Texas Pinball festival with retread game announcements. Who will win the battle?

JJP has milked the hell out of WOZ, because it sells. There's no way JJPOTC is a GOAT game if they are pulling the plug in March. I think it's obviously an OK game so far. Owners seem to love it. Never making JJPOTC again makes no sense and is just manufactured hype to get some more sales in on a machine with lack luster sales figures to date. If there is still demand 6 months from now, you can bet they will do another batch. So if you like the game, buy it. But don't buy it on emotion because you think they will be disappearing for good already.

Texas Pinball Festival March 22nd-24th.

You are right...I forgot about the eleventeenth version of WOZ coming first.

Are you the new gatekeeper and spokesman for JJP now? Do you have some personal relationship with Pat Lawlor or other people making decisions at JJP? Or are you just talking out our ass again?

Wasn't on TWIP, so it didn't happen!

The screen size isn't really a big cost from what I understand.

JJP needs to get their manufacturing out of NJ and into a state with cheaper labor, taxes and real estate costs. Even if they do not lower their prices, it would help make them more financially viable. Assembly-only light manufacturing like this is pretty easy to move, relatively speaking. I don't imagine they have a lot of custom fit-out in their building after seeing video of their tours.

Nah, you can go as close as PA, the south or even the midwest and save quite a bit on labor, taxes, etc. It is no coincidence that many of the major auto manufacturers have moved to the southern states over the high COL states in the upper mid west.

Was that JJP's hiring, or a temp firm hiring temp workers for assembly like work? That sounds a lot like temporary unskilled labor wages in these parts.

That only works if you have steady sales, and the ability (money) to hire more management (overhead) to oversee the second shift operation so quality doesn't suffer. I don't think JJP has the sales volume to justify that. If you do not have the sales, then you are just going to yo-yo your workers and have to lay them off every couple weeks. That is not how you keep decent semi-skilled workers around. If you read between the lines, it seems like some JJPOTC quality problems are a result of some unskilled labor pains. I don't think even Stern runs a second shift...do they?

I disagree with this statement. In the 24 hour manufacturing facilities I have been involved with, the off shifts tend to produce more per man-hour due to not being micro-managed to death by the daytime salaried employees trying to justify their jobs. Productivity depends a lot on workplace culture, and what acronym of the month upper management is trying to shove their way to make it look like they did something this year. (LSS, KanBan, Lean, etc)

I think a lot of it has to do with a super aggressive release schedule. They don't have the time to bake them all the way.

JJP should try dipping their toes in on a game at the $6500 price point and see what happens. I think they could deal some damage to Stern if they can find a way to out-feature Stern at this price point and not got bankrupt.

I wonder how many YBR's are left? Any distributors actually sell any yet?

While I really hope BK winds up being a great game, part of me really wants to see some of the cocky folks at Stern humbled a bit on Friday when Wonka drops.