Controversial Releases

This week has been equal parts hectic and heavy, between the release of Predator and following up on Harry Potter’s AI controversy. So it felt right to feature a song that’s a little more lighthearted to bring everyone into the weekend with.

I mostly love the beat in Julian Cubillos latest single, Talking to Myself. It’s one that makes me tap my toes, nod my head, and attempt to do the silly cowboy dance from the music video. I also like to picture what it would have been like to see the group filming the music video in popular tourist spots across NYC. Probably no different than teens doing TikTok dances.

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The big news this week was the official launch of Predator pinball from Swedish pinball company Pinball Brothers, which was revealed to the world after a protracted teaser campaign. Like most pinball launches these days, the reveal was a little rocky, as the official trailer leaked early in the day (leaked isn’t exactly the proper term, it was published as an unlisted video on PB’s YouTube channel for a period of time, and people found it).

The controversy came a bit later, as shortly after reveal the YouTube account Stubborngamer would upload a poorly produced video with gameplay footage that utilized movie clips in the LCD that the licensor had not yet approved. CEO Daniel Janson clarified it in a subsequent interview, where it was revealed that the uploaded game footage was from an internal-use-only video recorded months ago, and originated from a distributor who may have violated the terms of their NDA.

I tend to believe Daniel when he says that they are doing everything they can to get more licensed assets of Arnold Schwarzenegger into the game, pending resolution of any ongoing disputes between the actor and the film’s new rights holder, Disney.

Earlier this week, we also sent out another update in our Moving Units series for paid newsletter subscribers, breaking down the state of the Pinball Brothers operation in the run-up to Predator’s release. Much like we did for JJP, we take a look at their Units in Market and compare them to other active manufacturers for additional context.

This week, I spent a lot of time digging into the accusations of the use of generative AI artwork in Jersey Jack’s new Harry Potter game. In this piece, I talk with the anonymous forum user who did the initial analysis, multiple working artists in the industry for their opinions on the issue, and even managed to get some definitive comments from Jersey Jack founder Jack Guarnieri. You’ll definitely want to read this one!

Ryan and Scott from Pinball Map run a regular series that highlights one new or interesting pinball location each week. This week, Ryan writes about 7s Pinballorama.

As we propel toward the Summer season, many of us are starting to wonder, “What should we do this summer, since it technically starts in a couple days and also school’s been out for a week or so and my daughter is just sitting there? Should we go anywhere?” And yeah, you should. I should. We should. Okay, but where? Start with the basics. The quintessential Summer locale is undoubtedly an island. I know that when you read that word (“island”) - please agree with me here - your eyes simultaneously popped out and glazed over as you fantasized about wind-swept beaches, surf-swept shores, and broom-swept cabanas. Islands represent escape, in part because ironically, you can’t easily escape them without a boat or an airplane. But which island should you escape to? Earth has thousands of islands on it, none two the same, though some are similar. And some are more crowded in summer. The tropical ones, for example. Let’s avoid those. Thus, I - your faithful, and frankly at times cowardly, co-steward of Pinball Map location suggestions - will today recommend a large island in Earth’s hinterlands, Canada, called Prince Edward Island. Ask me tomorrow and I might recommend a different island. But today, that is my pick. Your vacation plan is settled. Please go ahead and book your travel before reading the rest of this post. I’ll wait.

All set? Good. I spent my time doing nothing while I waited, because my flight is already booked (yes, I’m joining you). I just stared at my blinking cursor for two hours, which in a way felt like a Summer micro-vacation. Prince Edward Island is not like those other islands, in that we can drive across a bridge to reach it. Also, it’s an entire Canadian Province! There’s a lot to do on this island. But for the sake of brevity, on this vacation I strongly recommend that we do nothing but visit 7s Pinballorama the entire time while we get to know one another. Which brings me to this week’s Pinball Map Location of the Week! It’s the arcade I just recommended we visit. 7s, pronounced Sevens (I hope), is characterized by a decade-spanning line-up of three dozen machines. I think it’s really important for players, new and old, to experience the gamut of our society’s pinball offerings. The crunch of a wood rail, the chime of an EM, the laser carnage of a system 11. 7s even sometimes has machines from the ‘30s, ‘40s, and/or ‘50s on display, like holy relics from a bygone era. Interestingly, 7s has no machines from Stern, Spooky, or Jersey Jack. But that’s ok, because those are everywhere.

7s Pinballorama looks colorful, clean, and fun! Treat yourself this summer by visiting Prince Edwards Island with me and parking hard at 7s. We deserve it.

7s Pinballorama
67 Watts Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1E 2B7
Website

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