Episode 41: Star Wars Pinball Delayed?! The Truth About Licensing & Expo Hype!
In this episode of The FlipSide Podcast, I dig into the buzz around Stern Pinball’s Star Wars: Fall of the Empire and why the chatter about a “botched launch” is way overblown. The truth? When you’re working with a massive license like Star Wars, the license holder holds the power. I’ll give you a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at how these licensing dynamics can impact release schedules—and why what we’re seeing is more business as usual than a crisis. I also share highlights from my recent trip to Utah, where I found two amazing pinball locations and discovered that RC Willey (yep, the furniture store!) sells pinball machines. And with Pinball Expo just around the corner, the hype train is in full swing! We’re likely to see some exciting new reveals and get more hands-on time with titles that dropped earlier this year, including: • The Walking Dead Remaster (not officially confirmed, but I’m highly confident) • Predator by Pinball Brothers • Dune • Star Wars: Fall of the Empire • Portal • …and who knows what other surprises might pop up. All this and more in Episode 41...let’s dive in! 🕹️ LOOKING TO BUY A PINBALL MACHINE? Visit Flip N’ Out Pinball for new and used machines: 👉 🎯 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
Ralph contextualizes Star Wars delays as licensor-driven, not Stern's fault; prepares for Expo and Stern HQ visit.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph discusses Pinball Expo logistics and defends Stern's Star Wars pinball delays as a licensing issue rather than mismanagement, drawing on his experience with Jersey Jack's Harry Potter licensing challenges. He emphasizes the complexity of licensor approval processes, addresses community speculation about game quality, and plans to visit Stern headquarters to preview Star Wars under an NDA embargo.
Highlights
- Star Wars pinball has not received final licensor approval as of recording, explaining the lack of official announcement
- Content creators visiting Stern will be required to sign NDAs restricting pre-launch discussion of Star Wars until embargo is lifted
- Stern recently hired a new CMO from the wrestling industry
- Metallica Remastered LE is the most recent Stern LE to sell out
- Licensor approval can happen 11th hour, forcing sudden delays despite earlier assurances of on-schedule progress
- Big box retailers like RC Willey can discount new pinball machines more aggressively than official distributors
- Community sentiment about Star Wars ('just okay, not going to blow your mind') is spreading via podcast influence without people having played it
Entities
- Flippin' Out Pinball· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Mad Pinball· company
- RC Willey· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinball Expo· event
- Dune Pinball· game
- John Wick Pinball· game
- King Kong Pinball· game
- Metallica Remastered· game
- Predator Pinball· game
- Star Wars Pinball· game
- Walking Dead Remaster· game
- X-Men Pinball· game
- Gary· person
- Jamie Birchall· person
- Joel· person
- Josh· person
- Kale· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Seth· person
- Electric Bat Arcade· venue