Episode 1184: "Why Pokemon LE is an INSTANT SELLOUT and will GO UP IN VALUE"

PodcastAnalysis updated 6d agoFeb 7, 202620 min listen

TL;DR

Pokemon LE will instantly sell out due to scarcity and broad appeal; Spooky excels while Dutch Pinball faces timeline pressure.

From the creator

It's just common sense and math.

Listen on Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast

Synopsis

Kaneda argues that Pokemon LE (750 units globally at $13,000) will sell out instantly due to scarcity, George Gomez's reputation, cross-generational appeal, and lack of recent valuable Stern LEs. He predicts short-term secondary market appreciation and discusses upcoming reveals, Spooky's momentum with Beetlejuice, quality concerns with early Winchester units, and skepticism about Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future timeline and mechanical innovation.

Highlights

750 total global Pokemon LE units will be produced
Pokemon LE will sell out instantly and potentially appreciate to $14,500+ in secondary market short-term
Pokemon game will feature 'save your own adventure' progression system similar to Dungeons & Dragons design philosophy
Stern will reveal Pokemon to media Wednesday under NDA but details will leak Tuesday or earlier
AC/DC and KISS remasters are both coming but order unclear: Jason Knapp says KISS next, Kaneda's sources say AC/DC
Beetlejuice show game is currently too easy due to excessive ball saves added by developers
Brand new Winchester unit #19 shipped with 827 plays logged on computer, suggesting test machine reuse or audit error
Back to the Future will not be released this year; estimated year away from launch
Back to the Future will not have standout mechanical 'wow' features like The Big Lebowski
George Gomez is twice as old as the Pokemon franchise (born ~1960, Pokemon 1996)

Notable quotes

“only 750 globally. Okay, so when you just stop and think about that for a minute: only 750 globally.”

Kaneda

“You could fly to Japan and have the greatest Pokemon Go adventure of your life and fly back first class, people, okay? So $13,000 for a lot of Pokemon fans could unlock a dream Pokemon experience.”

Kaneda

“The Stern LE collector has really been waiting years for something worthy. And again, there are people out there and I mean this: there are like a few hundred of them out there that just want to buy something that's not going to tank in value.”

Kaneda

“I don't think they're gonna leave this game sort of empty, but I do worry about the launch code. You have to be living under a rock if you haven't seen some of the poor early codes that Stern has put out there recently.”

Kaneda

“There's been a lot of back and forth. I've been talking to my friend Jason Knapp on the side. He's like, 'Look, Chris, man, I think they're both happening.'”

Kaneda

“I keep hearing from everybody: I mean, this is the most unanimous thing I've been hearing all year: that G1 Transformers will be the game that really knocks everybody's socks off, that it will not be Pokemon.”

Kaneda

“He unboxed his Winchester and it had 800 total games started: like 827 plays on a brand new game. And so I don't know what happened... no game should ever go. A new inbox game should never go to a customer when they do an audit of the game and there's over 800 plays on day one.”

Kaneda

“The only thing that will ever get to a truly great game is a collaborative process with really talented people who have a lot of heart and soul and passion for the thing they're making.”

Kaneda

“Every single Stern launch is the same: it's the Friday theme confirmation, and then it's into the next week reveal... They're going to want to lock in all of that money before you see how little software is in the game.”

Kaneda