Episode 44: Pinball’s Power Shift: Did the Boutiques Just win Expo?!
🎙️ In Episode 44 of The FlipSide Podcast, we dive deep into Pinball Expo 2025 and something felt different this year. The usual massive crowds lining up for the newest Stern Pinball release? They weren’t there. Instead, players were turning their attention to boutique pinball manufacturers like Jersey Jack Pinball, Barrels of Fun, and Pinball Brothers, who seem to be gaining serious momentum. So what’s going on? Has Stern, the biggest name in pinball, lost its edge? Or is the community simply craving something new? Maybe it’s Star Wars fatigue, or maybe it’s the rise of fresh ideas and risk-taking from the smaller companies changing the game. We break down the energy on the show floor, the surprising crowd reactions, and what this shift could mean for the future of pinball. 👉 Tune in to find out if the boutique revolution is real, only on The FlipSide Podcast! 🕹️ 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
Boutique manufacturers steal Pinball Expo from Stern; Barrels of Winchester Mystery House sells out.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph reports from Pinball Expo that the momentum has shifted away from Stern toward boutique manufacturers, particularly Barrels of Fun whose Winchester Mystery House sold out completely and dominated the show floor. Star Wars remaster underperformed sales expectations and the Stern booth lacked the excitement of previous years, Barrels of Fun, Jersey Jack, and the thriving homebrew section captured most attendee enthusiasm. Ralph speculates that Beetlejuice is imminent (mid-November prediction) and will further challenge Stern's market position, while American Pinball appears to be pivoting toward broader amusement products under a new Orbit Games brand.
Highlights
- Star Wars pinball by Stern is not selling well and not meeting sales expectations despite being a major IP
- Barrels of Winchester Winchester Mystery House House sold out completely to both distributors and consumers (525 units)
- Spooky Pinball is 100% confirmed and will release mid-November 2024
- Evil Dead machines were being sold at Expo by Great American Pinball distributor for $16,500 with aftermarket modifications
- Jack Danger seems happier and less burnt out after transitioning to his current role, though Ralph hopes he continues designing games
- Jersey Jack does not have simultaneous manufacturing capability to build multiple games at once; must switch production lines between titles
- The overall tone and feeling at Pinball Expo was different than prior years; hype shifted away from Stern booth to other manufacturers
- Star Wars machines in Stern booth had a Death Star reject issue that was fixed with internal reconfiguration
Entities
- American Pinball· company
- Barrels of Fun· company
- Great American Pinball· company
- Hexa Pinball· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Multimorphic· company
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinball Expo· event
- Beetlejuice· game
- Big Trouble in Little China· game
- Evil Dead· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Portal· game
- Sonic the Hedgehog· game
- Star Wars· game
- Winchester Mystery House· game
- Aaron· person
- Amoto· person
- Chris Turner· person
- Jack Danger· person
- Jamie· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Insider Connected· product