DPP #225 "A 2026 primer"

2026 pinball speculation: Pokémon cornerstone, Kiss remaster, Monster League Hockey production prospects.

Synopsis

Don discusses the excitement and uncertainty of early 2026 pinball releases, including speculation about an unannounced Stern cornerstone game (possibly Pokémon), rumors of Kiss vs AC/DC remaster competition, and deep speculation about which manufacturer will produce the Monster League Hockey head-to-head homebrew game (leaning toward Turner Pinball). He reflects on pinball design philosophy, appreciation for machine-building craft, and uses an extended metaphor about unscratched lottery tickets to describe the appeal of speculating about unreleased games.

Entities

• American Pinball· company
• Barrels of Fun· company
• Jersey Jack Pinball· company
• Stern Pinball· company
• Turner Pinball· company
• AC/DC· game
• Deadpool· game
• Kiss· game
• Lord of the Rings· game
• Monster League Hockey· game
• Pokémon· game
• Loser Kid Pinball· organization
• Brad Albright· person
• Chris Turner· person
• Don· person
• George Gomez· person
• Glenn Wechter· person
• Jake Danzig· person
• Jeff· person
• Naps Arcade· person