Future Shock

Song of the Week

Going for a vibey track this week that you can throw on in the background while deep diving with all the new pinball release content.

Glass Beams are an instrumental trio out of Melbourne, Australia, that have been around since their first EP released in 2021. Their music blends together a lot of different styles, most heavily from Indian classical music but also funk, surf rock, psych rock and more. It’s a mix of styles and influences that together form one of the most unique sounds I’ve encountered recently.

Mahal is the title track from their latest EP, Mahal, released in March of this year. The band caught my eye at first (then my ear) from a KEXP live set on YouTube, owing partly to the distinctive masks they wear on stage. It’s a gimmick, of course, but one backed up with interesting music that lulls you into a head-nodding trance.

As one YouTube user aptly noted in the KEXP performance, “This is what Paul Atreides sticks on the radio as he traverses Arrakis on the worm.”

Sponsor of the Week

Streaming on a device near you! Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game

Love pinball? Love movies? Love movies about pinball? Then grab your quarters and popcorn because Big Movie Watch, the film club from library streaming video service Kanopy, is bringing you Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game! Based on true events, Pinball is the captivating story of Roger Sharpe who helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball. 

Borrow and watch the film on Kanopy through your public library* ticket-free from September 5-16, and chat about it with other viewers on the discussion board. 

Visit bigmoviewatch.com today to stream Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game on Kanopy! 

*Not all libraries offer Kanopy. Check with your local library to learn more about their offerings. 

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Pinball News of the Week

Stern Reveals The Uncanny X-Men

On Wednesday, Stern Pinball officially dropped their anticipated (and teased) new cornerstone game, the sophomore effort from designer Jack Danger. Called The Uncanny X-Men, the game is based on the X-Men comics, specifically the Days of Future Past storyline, which debuted in 1981. 

That storyline is one of the most popular in the X-Men canon, thanks partly to its use in related media properties like the 1990s cartoon series (of which X-Men ‘97 is a revival) and the 2014 live-action film Days of Future Past. There’s a fusion of plotlines and character renditions that now have multi-generational appeal, making it a great theme choice for a pinball machine.

Our official Deep Dive post covers all the pertinent details (rules, highlighted photos, key features, hype, and rumor history). Be sure to check that out.

But, for the newsletter, I also wanted to highlight a few quick thoughts on the release before we get into the rest of the week’s news.

• From a tactical marketing standpoint, I think this might be one of Stern’s best release cycles in some time. A lot of it was subtle but I’ll try to articulate some of what I picked up on.
  
  For example, there were no major controversy-inducing trip-ups that had seemed to plague most of the major launches in recent memory. They ditched some of the confusing content release timing. They tweaked a few stale stylistic patterns. They engaged with core communities in ways that were playful, public, and authentic. All the disparate parts that make up the Stern-connected universe seemed to be in sync.

• This helps when pushing a game like The Uncanny X-Men, which seems to incorporate many creative design ideas and concepts that are a little unfamiliar to modern players, like novel mechs and ball paths that are both a departure from and an evolution of pieces we’ve seen elsewhere.

• The Jack Danger factor is undeniable. Part of the story is the new game, of course, but equally so, it’s the appeal of Jack Danger and the goodwill he’s earned in the larger pinball community. I get the feeling that people in the community want to support him more than anything else.

• It’s difficult not to get swept up in the excitement that a lot of the community is expressing with this release. That said, I usually try to withhold too much judgment until I get hands-on with a game. There’s a lot to be excited about because it’s so different, but that doesn’t mean it will all work cohesively. The code will be a big factor in how the game is ultimately embraced, as it is with most modern games, and I’d still expect this game to take 6-12 months to hit its stride, as most new releases do.

I’ve spent a lot of time combing the reactions to the game in multiple communities, from Discord to Pinside, and I’m struck more by the tone of the conversation than its substance.

Could there be a vibe shift underway?

More Leaks & Teases of Jersey Jack’s Avatar: The Battle for Pandora

Speaking of vibe shifts, the story of this week in pinball also includes the upcoming release of Jersey Jack’s next game, Avatar: The Battle for Pandora. We received our own anonymous hot tip over the weekend that included a new image of the playfield.

We promptly shared it. Oops! That siren song of Internet traffic is hard to turn down.

Anyway, on Wednesday, shortly after the Stern announcement, we got an official teaser drop from JJP, with a full reveal set for September 12.

The teaser didn’t reveal much more than we’ve already seen. There looks to be some lower-playfield action going on, and I think the glimpses of the art package look like most of the main characters from the second film, Avatar: The Way of Water.

We also got a few more glimpses of the design team for the game. Notably, Mark Seiden (Design), Lea Faske (Art), Keith Johnson (Code), Jean-Paul De Win (likely Animations) and Todd Hone on Sculpts. There are a few other names listed, too: Taylor Snyder, Jason Allen, Mark Molitor and Olaf Gremie, but I’m not 100% sure what their roles on the game are.

I’m excited to see the full reveal and hope to get hands-on with the game soon.

PAPA World Pinball Championships Return; Here’s How You Can Participate!

In non-game release news, the other big event of the week is the return of the PAPA World Pinball Championships, which have not been held since 2017. This go-around is being organized as a memorial to Lyman F. Sheats, Jr., as well as a fund-raiser for suicide awareness. Lyman won the PAPA tournaments in 1993, 2004 and 2006, and it was noted as being his favorite tournament to play in.

The tournament is not sold out for those of you who are local to the Chicago area, and walk-ins are welcome to attend. Main tournament qualification runs through Saturday night, Classics through Saturday afternoon, and Women’s qualifying finishes tonight (Friday).

That said, for everyone else, there are still ways you can participate in the event.

1. Tune in to Fox Cities Pinball on Twitch for streaming coverage of the tournament all weekend long.

2. Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a NIB Stern Pinball game and/or a JJP Godfather LE (the same person can win both machines, depending on the luck of the draw).

3. Drop a cash donation to the official fundraiser on Facebook (we already contributed a small amount).

Funds are being raised for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention crisis line available to anyone in the U.S. in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Stern Updates Warranty Terms

It was a little bit lost in the shuffle of the new release but Stern made some significant changes to their product warranty policy that should be welcome news for game buyers.

You can read the official language on Stern’s website, but the significant change is an extension of the length of warranty coverage. I don’t have the exact language of the prior policy in front of me, but it provided about 90 days of coverage. That has been extended to one year.

I think it’s a strong move, and when I reached out to Stern for more information on the change, they communicated that the Costco release of Jurassic Park+ provided them with an opportunity to reevaluate their warranty terms to align them more with how they were already supporting their customers.

Nothing like a good forcing function!

Pinball Media Mixer Registration Opening Soon

The Pinball Media Mixer is coming back!

Save the date for Thursday, October 17th, 2024, from 5-8 pm at Enterrium in Schaumburg, IL.

We’re planning the event for ~100 attendees, with about half of the tickets reserved for creators on a first-come-first-served basis. These tickets will be limited, free, and include a couple of drink tickets each.

The rest will be reserved for the broader pinball community and creator fans. These will be $10 each (think of it like a league house fee or coin drop) and will have access to a cash bar.

I hope to send a pre-registration notification of sorts through email to creators for whom I have contact information before opening it up to the general public shortly after.

Huge thanks to those who have offered sponsorship support to date, including Stern Pinball, FAST Pinball, Scorbit, PinHub, Silverball Swag, and PINQUEST. These sponsorships are essential to running this event and enable us to offer perks for creators like free entry and drink tickets.

We’re still open to additional sponsorships for anyone interested in attending and supporting the event. Send me a note by replying to this email if you’re interested!

Links of the Week

• Godfather Pinball was mentioned in the New Yorker! It’s prominently featured at Francis Ford Coppola’s All-Movie hotel in Georgia, and apparently Coppola loves pinball.

• An old TWIP article from Dennis Kriesel has been making the rounds thanks to Stern’s Uncanny X-Men release. It explains in great detail what an Italian Bottom is (and isn’t), with helpful visuals along the way. 

• Pinball Expo posted their official event schedule! It’s paaaacked. Check it out on their website.

• We launched a new pinball subreddit! Hoping it can be a friendly place where the pinball community can share interesting pinball content, ask questions, and promote their own work and projects.

• Chances are your favorite pinball content creator already has a reaction piece out to Stern’s Uncanny X-Men launch. Here are a few I enjoyed! Erika’s Pinball Journey, LoserKids Pinball Podcast, Pinball Nerds Podcast, RetroRalphLIVE.

• Speaking of PAPA 21, Pinball Profile interviewed Andy Bagwell about everything happening this weekend.

Poll of the Week

Last Week’s Poll Results

Are the JJP Avatar leaks official or unofficial?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Official (71)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Unofficial (17)

88 Votes

Weekly Feedback

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