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Episode 438: David Morris of Phantom Amusement

PodcastAnalysis updated 4d ago21 min listen
From the creator

If you’re ever in Manitoba, Canada, check out their growing pinball scene. David talks about the birth of the creating a pinball environment with the Manitoba Pinball League, the MPC, his arcade...

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Highlights

  • The Manitoba Pinball League started in 2017 with 52 players at its first tournament in February 2017
  • Phantom Amusement was founded in 2018 after the Manitoba Pinball League started
  • Addams Family (1992) became the highest-earning pinball machine at Phantom Amusement two months prior (February 2024), outperforming newer games like King Kong and Star Wars
  • Pokemon pinball is bringing significant numbers of new players to pinball machines at Phantom Amusement
  • Canada has the second most pinball players of any country, with 19 country championships globally
  • Canada was the only country without its own national pinball championship until 2024
  • Drew Sitch took Keith Elwin to Game 7 in the 2019/2020 North American Championship Series, nearly winning if not for Elwin's Magna Save button save on Black Knight
  • Phantom Amusement supplied most/all arcade games used in the film Nobody 2, including an Iron Maiden pinball machine
  • 35 out of 38 eligible provincial representatives attended the inaugural Canadian National Pinball Championships in Edmonton
  • The Canadian National Pinball Championships will rotate between Western Canada and Eastern Canada, with Ontario hosting in 2025 and BC (Neon Ranch) hosting in 2028

Notable quotes

“So I was given a gift of a arcade machine as a housewarming gift when I moved to my new home... one of the employees that he had there would always tell me, ah, that arcade stuff's junk. You got to play pinball. And then eventually he invited me over to his house... he had 22 pinball machines in his basement. And all those sounds that I heard that night brought me back to the 1990s.”
David Morris
“There was nothing. Not only was there nothing, there was no location with more than like two games at the time. Like it was a very, very dry pinball market and so I had a tall task to bring people to play pinball but you know what, it was easier than I thought it would be. People were hungry for something different.”
David Morris
“It's unbelievable that a game that's 30 plus years old can not only still compete with them, but out earn them.”
David Morris
“We think the future is very bright for Pinball with what Stern is doing by bringing the new players that Pokemon is bringing to Pinball.”
David Morris
“And yeah, they used it in the movie, which was awesome to see. So we actually took the night off and took the whole staff out to watch the movie together.”
David Morris
“Build it and they will come. And you did it with the Manitoba scene here starting the league. And I can tell you right now like New Brunswick, another province, a small province out in the Maritimes, you know, they've seen growth.”
Jeff Teolis
“Whether it's starting a league, whether it's an arcade, whether it's just getting into pinball, whether it's IFPA or not, the most important thing is make it fun. Create an atmosphere that people are going to enjoy.”
David Morris

Entities

  • Stern Pinball· company
  • Canadian National Pinball Championships· event
  • Manitoba Pinball Championships· event
  • North American Championship Series (NACS)· event
  • Arcadium· organization
  • Manitoba Pinball League· organization
  • Maple Pinball· organization
  • Neon Ranch· organization
  • Phantom Amusement· organization
  • Pinball Profile· organization
  • Adam Becker· person
  • Barrett Morris· person
  • Bob Odenkirk· person
  • David Morris· person
  • Drew Sitch· person
  • Ian Gomm· person
  • Jack Tadman· person
  • Jay Wolston· person
  • Jeff Teolis· person
  • Josh Sharpe· person
  • Keith Elwin· person
  • Luke Nahorniak· person
  • Addams Family· product
  • Nobody 2· product
  • Pokemon· product

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