073: Nickels & Dimes
PodcastBy Live From The Rock Room
Punk Rock Pinball Podcast
48 min
Summary
Punk Rock Pinball hosts debate Stern's incomplete code and hobby growth, then break down their Bloomington pinball HQ finances.
Stephanie and Mike of Punk Rock Pinball Podcast discuss reader comments on whether Stern releases too many titles and whether Stern's games ship incomplete. They argue the industry needs marketing investment to grow the hobby, and then break down the monthly finances of their Bloomington, Illinois pinball headquarters, which they say loses money under their current model.
Highlights
- Stern Pinball releases its games with early code and often finishes code well after launch, sometimes taking more than a year.
- Stern's modern machines are the most reliable modern pinball machines on average.
- Stern is doing more than other manufacturers to attract new players to pinball, including the Insider Connected leaderboards and marketing outreach.
- Jersey Jack has large licensed themes and possibly the largest budget potential among manufacturers but does not appear to have a built-out marketing team like Stern's.
- Bloomington's pinball community has grown from about 16 players per monthly tournament to about 50 at tournaments, with a weekly league of around 30 attendees and 42 league members.
- Punk Rock Pinball HQ averages roughly $2,861 in monthly income against substantial fixed costs, and the operation would lose money without merch sales.
- Stern's Pokemon code at launch was poor, and the game was incomplete in its early months.
- Stern could gain pop-culture exposure by placing its pinball machines as props in TV shows and films, a relatively low-cost approach.
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