Episode 38: Do Pinball Leaks Suck? What I Learned Working Behind the Scenes
In this episode, we’re diving into the world of pinball leaks, do you love ’em, hate ’em, or do they totally ruin the surprise and excitement for you? I’ll be sharing my take, and yeah… probably going off on a few tangents along the way. After working on the Harry Potter project with Jersey Jack Pinball, I’ve got a new perspective on leaks that I’ll open up about too. Do leaks actually hurt anyone, or is it just harmless fun? We’ll get into all of that and more, right here on this episode of The Flipside Podcast! 🕹️ LOOKING TO BUY A PINBALL MACHINE? Visit Flip N’ Out Pinball for new and used machines: 👉 Other creators mentioned on the Show: The Pinball Studio: thepinballstudio.com DirtyPoolPinball: 🎯 WANT TO COMPETE? Find a tournament near you on the official IFPA calendar: 👉 📣 LEAVE ME A VOICEMAIL I might play it on the show! 🎙️ 🎙️ CHECK OUT MY PINBALL PODCAST – “The Flipside” 👉 • Spotify: • Apple Podcasts: 👉
Kineticist’s take
Retro Ralph examines pinball leaks' impact on developers vs. community after working behind-the-scenes on Harry Potter.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph reflects on pinball leaks and their impact, drawing from his recent experience working on the Harry Potter pinball project at Jersey Jack Pinball. He explores the tension between community excitement for leaks (60-70% interested) and the emotional/professional impact on developers, ultimately concluding leaks probably hurt manufacturers more than the community, while sharing specific feedback on Harry Potter code and praising recent updates to Uncanny X-Men.
Highlights
- 60-70% of the pinball community is interested or excited about leaks; 20-30% are indifferent or mildly annoyed; 5-10% outright dislike leaks
- Game development from concept to market takes 24-48 months
- The Harry Potter playfield leaked just one day before official launch
- Stern Pinball is expected to announce Star Wars next, followed by a Walking Dead remaster, repeating their pattern from previous years
- Jack Danger now holds a liaison role to the community at Stern Pinball
- The new Uncanny X-Men code includes 8-9 X-Men battle modes followed by a future-mode sentinel destruction sequence
- Barrels of Fun's Dune may have launched prematurely due to external pressure or an unspecified event
- Leaks hurt manufacturers more than they help the community
Entities
- Barrels of Fun· company
- Flippin' Out Pinball· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Pinball Brothers· company
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Turner Pinball· company
- Dune· game
- Evil Dead· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Star Wars· game
- Uncanny X-Men· game
- Walking Dead (remaster)· game
- The Flip Side Podcast· organization
- Dirty Pool Pinball· person
- Eric Minier· person
- George Gomez· person
- Jack Danger· person
- John Borg· person
- Retro Jango· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Zach· person
- Electric Bat· venue