As I was scrolling, I was certain this was going to be Charlotte's Web, which would be a hilarious jump from "venom"!

Jack has mentioned the cornerstone he's working on on stream, but he's been pretty good at staying tight-lipped about it (at least when I'm watching). Based on how he's talked about progress, I'm guessing his is 2nd in line, behind the next game.

Pokemon COULD work, but there is just soooooooo much media and sooooooo many changes to the games over the years that they'd likely never win with the fandom. Maybe if they stuck with theming surrounding the initial generation or first and second generation to ride a nostalgia wave that will likely never completely wane, it would work. At the same time, I think it would be theming dud with the upper half of the pinball buyer age range. The generation of people that would "day one preorder" a Pokemon machine probably aren't quite ripe enough to spend $7-10k on such a luxury. Maybe in a few years. It would certainly get a TON of plays in barcades, though, so it would probably be great for ops. Current barcade crowd looks to be folks in their late 20s and up. People who have outgrown "clubs" but still want to socialize.

Lego as a theme would be cool, but I think it would have to be more of a timeless take, rather than a "The Lego Movie" theme. Lego as we know it now has been around since the 50's, so I'm sure there's a way to create a mass appeal theme around that. Personally, that would be a day-one purchase for me if it included theming that represented the 80s-90s-00s sets.

Either way - I don't see Stern being the one to produce either of those, at least not for at least a decade. They're making a killing on super hero pins, anything Star Wars, music pins, and their Netflix deal is due to yield another pin soon. They've got their formula and it seems to be working extremely well for them with no signs of slowing.

I'm new to following Stern releases as they are announced and resolve. I've seen a couple different release styles mentioned, such as "kapow" and "cornerstone" and "home" (this one is obvious). Is there a breakdown somewhere of all of these different release styles and what they entail? What the differences in the styles are? Is it purely manufacturing numbers or is there more to it?

Very informative - thank you both!!

I've been thinking a Daft Punk pin would be awesome!

Chemical Bros and Daft Punk have one shared advantage - in the world of EDM, they've been around "forever". Or... Daft Punk WAS around forever.... their music certainly will be!

I'm much more familiar with Daft Punk - you'd have different eras of robot mask visuals, Interstella 5555 visuals, and visuals from the non-Interstella videos. References to any of those would be immediately recognizable by even casual fans.

Either of them would make a great contract pin (see, I'm using what I learned!) but I dunno about cornerstones. Daft Punk would be a day-one preorder for me!

Everyone gets hyped for JAWS then BOOM! A Free Willy pin is announced. Surely there's an Orca SOMEWHERE in Free Willy, right??

I figured that's what you were going for (the boat), but a misdirect is always a fun "what if"

Whoever runs the Stern social media presence sure knows how and who to stir the pot with, huh?

I'm guessing they "liked" everything commented on that picture?

Oh MAN a Pete and Pete pin would be rad - my first thought is of a multiball mode where you make Petunia dance with various shots.

Give it 5 years, then our time will come

We're coming into our own! While most of us in the late 20's/early 30's range are a few years from "new pin" money, there's a subset that are already there. It's a demographic that will only grow.

Announced today!
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Turns out "Venom" was just referring to the attitude with which Niles would zing Frasier!

Seinfeld may be too plausible of a theme!

Oh if we're suggesting more music pins...

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It has to be a Lynch-inspired take on pinball. The playfield is mounted in a spherical cabinet, the pinball itself is a gelatinous ball of creamed corn in a "Tide Pod" wrapper, and instead of playing for a replay score threshold, you're playing to stop the machine from screaming in Latin and shutting down for a twenty minute cool-off between games. The subsequent play is the same mechanics as the initial play but completely in reverse.

Also, occasionally all of the lights shut off and paid actors come out from behind the machine dressed as the woodsmen and harass you for a bit while "the main one" recites his radio poem. After a few moments, the lights come up and everything is "normal".

In all seriousness, I could totally see Spooky doing a general "David Lynch" machine. He seems like the kind of guy that could appreciate the kookiness of the idea.

Or worse yet - "I'm not into these next three Stern designs, perhaps I DO want that new JJP/CGC machine."

Yep. This June run is the last RUSH run for the rest of the year so prices are about to be as low as they're going to get on the secondary market by the end of July. I'd bet by October, NIB is reselling for above MSRP and "used" is MSRP. Especially if/when a topper comes out or when code goes 1.0.

That is, of course, unless the new cornerstone eats RUSH's lunch. The new hotness almost always eats the old hotness's lunch unless the old hotness is GZ in which case it's a runaway nuclear reactor that ain't cooling off!

Man that's the dream for those of us interested in doing repair work - I live in St. Louis, so imagine getting a call for repair and finding out you're going to Nelly's STL house??

Or they didn't love that giant "FUCKING" in there - looks like that was posted by a "corporate" account

Ozzy looks great, considering age and alllllllllllll of the shit he's been through/put himself through. Happy to see it!

Wasn't Gary running Data East when Back to the Future: The Pinball was made? That accounts for any and all "Gary as Doc" references, the posters, the theme being "dated", etc.

I'd love to see a new BTTF as much as my distant JeffCo neighbor, but let's not forget that Gary did it once already!

And The Simpsons. Hmm ok - good point!

Ohhh so what you're saying is that it will TOTALLY be on-brand when he re-does BTTF.

My god you used my own information to make me change my mind. BTTF is absolutely on the horizon, folks.

Whoever makes it, and whatever they ask - I'm down. My all-time favorite show that I re-watch in its current entirety at least once a year.

He was sitting there thinking "those fuckin' nerds on Pinside are gonna eat this up!!"

Jack Danger has said on streams that Stern has a few "hard rules" for design at the moment with the basics being things like 4 legs, minimum of 2 flippers, and fits in the standard cabinet design. "No wide-bodies" seems to be a hard and fast rule for the time being, according to a current Stern designer.

Put that tinfoil hat back on - it's all a CONSPIRACY to keep people guessing, maaaaan! "Put something up and delete it real quick - you'll send Pinside into a tizzy!"

I'm fairly certain internet forums were invented by energy vampires.

New season is pretty great so far!

Wow I thought he was grasping at straws with that plutonium case (there is after all some nuclear themes with Godzilla) but... that really does look identical to the BTTF plutonium case.

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EDIT: ope - dream crushed on the next page that I hadn't clicked on. Good point, Capn12

Four legs, at least 2 flippers, and at least 1 ball - that's all one needs.

BttF is timeless. I was born in '91 and I can not name a single person "my age" that has seen those movies that DIDN'T love them. Hell I've never met anyone "my age" that wasn't interested in seeing them, either. Keep in mind - BttF III is a 90's movie

After RUSH, I said "never again am I doing a day-one". BttF would test my resolve.

Turns out it's viral marketing for the new Red Letter Media pinball machine, specifically the Rich Evans "AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDS" Limited Edition

Mandalorian Pro - you're seeing Ahsoka at a weird angle

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Ah right - it's Mando Premium, probably lying face down.

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DUH! I didn't even consider side art - I went straight to translite. Makes a lot more sense for there to be random side art laying around the area where they apply side art, eh?

Jack said in Discord that NOTHING from the new release is anywhere in the Stern facility that isn't behind "locked doors... Always". This was when the "zomg blurry playfield underside" pic was floating around (it's an updated SW, evidently.)

Granted, my first thought was "oh - you guys don't lock the doors to the manufacturing floor? Don't mind if I do, then..."

You're absolutely right - I love the lead-up too! Part of the fun is "stoking the flames" and part of the fun is immediately switching into "nah dawg that's NOTHIN!" mode!

I just want more pinball.

Any time a new machine is released, there is an inevitable "line up refresh" at the local barcades. Time for some new blood

Sparks would have to be like 15 different art packages, based on the variation in styling between albums!

I'll buy it if there's a Moroder Multiball with Giorgio rocking the keys and the breakdown toward the end of "Number One Song in Heaven" as the background music

"Survivor", perhaps?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Fairplay

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If I ever put together a homebrew, it has to be a Best of the Worst "universe" pin. I need Don Beveridge, JJ Bittenbinder, and Eloise Cole on a single playfield.