EP 11 - Raising Spirits: Winchester, Expo, and the Pinball Afterlife

Expo recap: Winchester sells out in 24hrs, boosts Dune interest, hosts praise Barrels of Fun leadership.

Ken Cromwell and Greg Bone discuss their experience at Pinball Expo 2025, covering the new venue layout, the surprise launch and rapid sell-out of Barrels of Fun's Winchester Mystery House (525 units sold in under 24 hours), its impact on Dune's visibility, and their admiration for David Van Es's leadership and company culture. They also preview their attendance at Texas Pinball Festival 2026.

Highlights

• Winchester Mystery House sold out (525 units) in less than 24 hours after launch on Monday afternoon
• The game launched Monday at 1 PM and was sold out by the next morning
• Barrels of Fun announced Winchester with no prior tease, only hinting at a new team member hire (Karl DeAngelo)
• Pinball Expo moved to a new, much larger venue approximately 4 years ago with more of an 'industry style' trade show atmosphere
• Winchester's rapid sell-out created significant secondary market trading at thousands of dollars above MSRP
• Ken and Greg both missed ordering Winchester Mystery House due to the speed of the sell-out
• Flip N Out Pinball was the only distributor with a Winchester game in their booth at Expo
• David Van Es is co-owner and CEO of Barrels of Fun and personally drove a 26-foot truck back to Houston with the games after Expo