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LoserKid Pinball Podcast
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Ep 104: Writing Letters to Al Pacino with Eric Meunier

PodcastAnalysis updated 5d ago1 hr 11 min listen
From the creator

Eric returns to talk about everything Godfather! It's all here including design from start to finish, easter eggs, and even writing letters to Al Pacino?

Listen on LoserKid Pinball Podcast

Highlights

  • The Godfather whitewood began November 2020; full development took until 2022 launch
  • Jersey Jack Pinball plans to release at least two games per year, with a goal of one game every nine months
  • Jersey Jack has grown from 4 employees in the Chicagoland office to over 100 total employees
  • The Godfather features 22 super skill shots, all requiring called-shot selection rather than random crossing
  • The game contains four unique multiballs with Turf War being the primary entry point
  • Eric Meunier directed voice talent including actor Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean films) and rocker Slash
  • Slash spontaneously offered to create music for Godfather after learning about the game during Guns N' Roses sessions
  • Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge guitarist) contributed custom Sinatra-style music for the game
  • The game uses standardized mechanical components (e.g., three identical diverters, Newton plate matching lift ramp mechanism) to reduce manufacturing complexity
  • Pirates required more manufacturing hours per game than Guns N' Roses due to greater mechanical complexity

Notable quotes

“I wanted to be able to capture the best parts of The Godfather, the most remembered lines, the most remembered scenes, and get them into the game, but do it in a way that has the action and the excitement that would keep players vested and interested in the game.”
Eric Meunier
“The game has to be able to defend itself from good players and from bad players so that the game plays and does what it's supposed to do every time it gets powered on or every time the start button gets hit.”
Eric Meunier
“I'm going to crank up my weapon multiplier, and I'm going to play this multiball for 10 seconds with a 3x or a 4x or a 5x... your strategy that you're choosing... is definitely like a choose-your-own-adventure kind of idea.”
Eric Meunier
“Slash is such a pinhead at heart. Like, and he just loves the creativity that goes into making games and making anything. I mean, he's so talented at what he does. And he appreciates the creativity of others.”
Eric Meunier
“I don't often see him have big emotions. Right at the end, when he looks up at the camera, he gets this grin where he knows what he just did was so cool.”
Eric Meunier
“Keith was a guy who wrote who wrote the concept of the rules... he's like you need to take a step back because this is over the top crazy... when you take out their lieutenant do they lose points or they lose balls or they lose a whole bunch of stuff. But when you take a step back... if I'm player one and I kill off everyone else in the game, you're negative 5 million points before you've even plugged a ball.”
Eric Meunier

Entities

  • Flip N Out Pinball· company
  • Jersey Jack Pinball· company
  • Guns N' Roses· game
  • Pirates of the Caribbean· game
  • The Godfather· game
  • LoserKid Pinball Podcast· organization
  • Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show· organization
  • Eric Meunier· person
  • Jack· person
  • Josh Roop· person
  • Keith· person
  • Kevin McNally· person
  • Mark Tremonti· person
  • Nicole· person
  • Pat Waller· person
  • Richie· person
  • Scott Larson· person
  • Slash· person
  • Zach (voice talent)· person
  • Zach Sharpe· person

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