— This Week’s Top 5 Stories —

1. Chicago Gaming Company Game #3 Updates

Chicago Gaming Company game #3 (rumored to be Monster Bash Remake) was initially slated for a release at Texas Pinball Festival in March, but has been delayed and has still not been announced nearly three months later.  This has led to a lot of speculation in the pinball community regarding the cause for the delays, with people wondering if there are licensing issues and when the game will be released.  TWIP reached out to a contact at Chicago Gaming Company last week, and they shared the following:

“…we are very close to announcing. I can confirm that there are no issues with licensing. We are simply taking the time to ensure that we have the best product possible for our customers.”

We contacted several other sources close to CGC last week as well, and heard the same from each of them – that they believe there are no issues with licensing and that CGC is very close to announcing this game.  It also sounds like the game should be on the production line shortly after the announcement.  Stay tuned!!

(Join the Pinside discussion here!)

2. New Details about American Pinball Game #2

The Head2Head Pinball Podcast interviewed Josh Kugler last week, the Director of Software Engineering for American Pinball.  Josh talked Houdini and gave some interesting tidbits regarding American Pinball’s second game, which is heavily rumored to be Oktoberfest.  Check out a few highlights below:

On code status on Houdini: “Theres three mini magician modes, and then the master magician mode…the next release will have that (master magician mode), and then one of the other mini magician modes that was missing, and at that point the major functionality is all in the game.  And we’ll be doing some smaller adds, some cleanups, some improvement to light shows, improving some of the animations, and we’ll continue to do those things until I’m really really happy with it or tired of working on it”

On American Pinball’s second game: “Well it is an unlicensed theme, it is a very well known theme…the layout is completely different than Houdini.  One of the things about Joe Balcer is that there is no set rules of how he does a game…South Park and Apollo 13, not sure you can get more opposite.  WOZ and Hobbit…that is one of the things that is great about Joe, the playfield he’s done for game 2 is just completely different, you wouldn’t realize it was the same person.  So obviously the implication there is it is a mostly open playfield.  There are no tight shots.  I don’t think Joe has revealed this yet, so this is a scoop for you guys – and I’ll probably get grief from Joe when he hears this or if he hears this.  It is a three flipper game.  Which I like, I’m a big fan of the three flipper game, I like having those additional shots.  We’ve got a couple of really interesting toys planned.  If it comes together as the design looks like right now, where we are and where the rules are going, I think it is going to be a great game.  I am really pleased with how it is progressing right now.”

(Join the Pinside discussion here!)

When asked if the aim is to reveal game #2 sometime this year: “What Joe said at the Northwest Show, and I was a little taken aback by some of his comments at that show but they’re out there.  It is our goal to hopefully show it in the fall at Expo.  Expo is here in our hometown, we’d like to support Expo, that is when we’d like to do it.  But if the game is not ready we’re not going to show it.”

On status of where game 2 is right now: “All that works in parallel, so a lot of the art is done at this point.  We don’t have a shootable whitewood yet, I expect we’ll have one in the not too distant future.  So all of those things happen in parallel, the rules, the code, very much like we did the last time.  [Ryan C: So if you haven’t shot the game yet, how do you know how the shots aren’t tight?]  *Josh laughs* – Well I can tell just by looking at them, I can assure you they’re not tight, I can take the ruler to them and measure them and I can tell you they’re not tight shots…”

Listen to the full interview here!

3. Production Has Begun for Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle

We saw on this Pinside post that KT from Spooky Pinball shared via email that production has now started for Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle!

Spooky also shared the pic above on their Facebook page, which shows Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle being built!

4. Dutch Pinball Newsletter – The Seattle Seven and Specials

Dutch Pinball sent out a newsletter this week.  It reads as follows:

“How ya doin’ there Dude?

Ahh, not so good man.

one of those days, huh?  Wal, a wiser fella than m’self once said: sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, wal, he eats you.”

That’s about how we felt a few weeks ago… You will understand that this situation is extremely frustrating.  Not only for you, but also for our distributors and also for us.  We are now awaiting the law suit with our former contract manufacturer to get you (and us) compensated.

“So… yeah man.  We could be sitting here with just pee-stains on our rug.”

Seattle Seven

But like the Dude and his friends: we won’t give up.  And we are not alone!  There is a group of pinheads who call themselves ‘The Seattle Seven’.  They contacted us because they want to start a ‘GoFundMe’ campaign to help us with funds for our attorneys and the start the production with our new contract manufacturer Xytech.  We are very, very grateful for this initiative!  As soon as there is more info about this campaign, we will inform you as well.

In the meantime we are working on a solution with Xytech on how to set up production pending the law suit.

Specials

Because we receive a lot of emails from people who want to buy parts, plastics, decals, etc we decided we would set up a temporary shop.  Please check out our website for more info: http://www.dutchpinball.com/specials.

You also will find T-shirts, the official Dutch Pinball decals of the Bride of Pinbot 2.0 plus an opportunity to place your bid on one of the  Engineering Samples of the Big Lebowski Pinball!

If we have any more news, we will send a new update.

Take it easy Dude – I know that you will.

Dutch Pinball

Make of that what you will.  While we hope to see Dutch Pinball succeed and see more The Big Lebowski pinball machines manufactured, at this point it seems a bit crazy to be sending more money to Dutch Pinball.

5. Last Chance to get Williams and Bally Games on Pinball Arcade

A few weeks ago, we learned that The Pinball Arcade license with Williams and Bally games will be expiring on June 30th, 2018.  That will reduce the number of games they have for sale significantly, from 95 to 33.  Here is a list of the 62 titles they will be losing.  If you’ve already bought the games, you own them and can continue to play them.  If you want these games, you must buy them before June 30th!

Also, Arcooda Pinball is offering a promotion that ends June 30th:

Expiring on June 30, customers now have the opportunity to purchase the standalone Arcooda Pinball Arcade software valued at $499 for free when purchasing an Arcooda Video Pinball Cabinet. Arcooda understands the pressures placed on our loyal customers with the current deadlines so as a thank you, they will be credited $499 (the cost of the Arcooda Pinball Arcade software) when purchasing an Arcooda Video Pinball Cabinet before June 30 2019.

This offer is only valid until Saturday June 30, 2018. For more information or to receive the promotion, visit: https://www.arcoodapinball.com/

— What Else is Happening in Pinball —

This Week in Pinball: The Podcast

Well this seems a little self indulgent.  After a few hiccups, we are having a weekly This Week in Pinball Podcast, starting this Tuesday (6/26)!!  Check out the second episode tomorrow!  If you missed the first one, you can listen here.

Kingpin Remake HD Graphics Coming Soon

Circus Maximus announced at the Texas Pinball Festival in March that they plan to remake the very rare Kingpin pinball machine.  Read the original TWIP article here to learn more about this machine!

As part of that interview, Paul Kiefert of Circus Maximus shared the following:

“We also intend to give the owners the ability to play the original game and a new updated game.  So those that are pinball purists will be able to play the original, and those that a more modern game appeals to will be able to play the updated game.  On the updated side we are intending for full HD graphics that are expected on today’s current games and a ruleset that is heavily based on the original game, but can be expanded/completed.”

Last week, Paul teased the upcoming HD graphics in this Pinside post, saying “Just wait until you play the updated code that fills the whole screen with high res graphics and you’ll see why it’s got a full LCD on the game.”

You should see these new HD graphics this summer, and you’ll see the exclusive first reveal of the HD graphics right here on This Week in Pinball, so stay tuned!

Supreme Court Widens Reach of Sales Tax

At first glance this doesn’t seem very pinball-y.  But for our U.S. readers, last week the Supreme Court made a 5-4 ruling that “states can start charging sales tax on internet purchases even when a retailer has no physical presence in that state”.  What this means for pinball is this – previously, if you bought a brand new pinball machine out of state from a distributor, you could avoid paying sales tax.  It appears that soon you will have to pay sales tax whether you buy from a distributor in state or out of state.  You can read more about the Supreme Court Ruling here.

Pirates of the Caribbean Rules Flowchart

Last week, Jersey Jack Pinball released the official rules flowchart for their upcoming pinball machine, Pirates of the Caribbean!  Wish we had these for every pinball machine…

Straight Down the Middle releases Reviews for Jurassic Park and Lost World

In honor of the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show released a two part review of Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: Lost World.  Check it out!

LAST CHANCE to Sign Up for June Giveaways!

We’re going to be giving away FREE stuff to eight lucky winners NEXT WEEK!  Giveaways include ~$300 Pin Stadium Lights, $75 gift card to Mezel Mods, Titan Universal Silicone Ring Kit ($40.50), Comet Pinball Two Double Spotlight Kits ($39.98), $25 gift card to Double Danger Pinball, autographed translites, and more (see full list below).  And we have even more lined up for July.  Want to sign up to win?  Two easy ways:

1.    Consider making a monthly donation via PayPal.  Your email will be captured and you’ll automatically be entered each month you make a donation.  Your contribution will help support this website.

Even just $5 a month would be a huge help to This Week in Pinball!

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2.    Donate nothing, and send an email to [email protected] to let us know you want to be entered, and include your name, address (including city and state), and email address, and you’ll be entered for that month.  You’ll just have to send the email every month to be included.

Please Note

Here is the bad news.  Unfortunately, we had to limit it to the United States, and also need to exclude New York, Florida, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico.  Including those states or other countries was prohibitively expensive and complicated.  We’re disappointed too.  Sorry!!

A HUGE HUGE thank you to those of you that have donated to help support This Week in Pinball!

Pintastic Pinball and Game Room Expo

The Pintastic Pinball and Game Room Expo will take place this Thursday-Sunday in Sturbridge, Massachusetts!  They’ll have over 170 pinball machines on free play.  For more information, visit their website here!

Silver Ballers Podcast on Hold, New Podcast Announced

Pinball artist Christopher Franchi announced last week via Facebook that the Silver Ballers Podcast was now on hold.  However, he followed that up with an announcement for a new podcast called The Super Douper Extra Awesome Pinball Podcast!

Franchi will be joined on the podcast by the organizer of the Texas Pinball Festival – Ed Vanderveen.  Make sure to check out this podcast when it drops!

What is your favorite bash target in pinball?

 — VOTE HERE!! —

— Cool and Crazy Stuff —

Iron Maiden (The Band) Shares Making of Iron Maiden (The Pin)

Stern released a “making of” type video of the Iron Maiden pinball machine, which was then shared by Iron Maiden the band on Facebook (to over 13 million people) and Twitter (to over 2 million people).  Woohoo pinball!

A $50k Machine that isn’t deeproot or Supreme

From Mr. Pinball Classifieds last week:

Goin Nuts, 1983 Gottlieb:  50000

Extremely rare, there are less than 10 machines worldwide – some have missing backglasses, 1 is in pieces. This particular machine is in need of a full restoration – playfield has a heavy amount of wear, cabinet has a decent amount of wear, backglass is in good shape. Game has been in storage – a high end restoration would be able to make it a grail piece for any serious collector. Once this particular machine sells, it’s gone for good, it would be very difficult to acquire another one on my end and yours. Kindly ask for serious inquiries only.

Chris

[email protected], Freehold, NJ, New Jersey

Don’t know much about Goin’ Nuts?  Check out the Wikipedia article about the machine here!

Bill Gates, Warren Buffett play Pinball

It has been covered before that Warren Buffett used to be a pinball operator, but here is a new article about it with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett playing pinball!

https://gph.is/2ltQZjM

Prototype Fish Tales Renderings

Thanks to Dead Flip for sharing these cool photos on Facebook and Twitter – check out these prototype sketches of Fish Tales!

Total Nuclear Annihilation Co-Op Mode Brings New People Into Pinball

Ok, so this is more of a Pinside POST of the week as opposed to a thread, but it is worth a read!

— To Those Who Make This Hobby Better —

Shoutout to Bryan Kelly, one of the elite pinball restorers in this hobby!  He recently posted on Pinside that he may be done restoring machines.  If he is, you should check out his last project, a beautiful Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  Thanks for all you do for the hobby sir!

— End of Post Bonus —

• New code for Iron Maiden!  Version 1.01, check out the details here!

• Todd Tuckey books will also be available in digital format and possibly audiobook – check out the press release here!

• Mirco announces current and upcoming playfields – check them out here!

• Article: Women’s Competitive Pinball League Seeking New Members

• Article: World Champion Pinball Wizard Lives in Everett

• Hey pinheads in Oregon!  Are you responsible and like dogs?  Adopt this one, his name is Pinball!

• Happy Birthday Scott Danesi!

— What is Coming Up on TWIP —

• Tuesday – Your Picks for the Top Ten Toys in Pinball

• Wednesday – Name the Game and Giveaway Extravaganza! – Last chance to enter!

• Thursday – Possibly an exclusive…stay tuned!

Get alerts for new posts from This Week in Pinball – follow/like us on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up by email:

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Disclaimer: Any articles, interviews, or mentions of pinball manufacturers or pinball products is NOT an endorsement.

Have a scoop or anonymous rumor?  Email us at [email protected]

Please support sponsors of the Giveaways!

Win FREE deeproot Pinball Machines (estimated MSRP ~$5,000 – up to $10,000)!!

deeproot Pinball plans to give away a FREE pinball machine for each designer to some lucky winners!!  Designers include Robert Mueller, Dennis Nordman, Jon Norris, Barry Oursler, and John Popadiuk.  You get a FREE deeproot machine of your choice by that designer!  The designer will also help set up the machine, discuss the design process and the game, and play your game at your place of residence!!  You can invite up to four friends.  These giveaways will take place after deeproot Pinball officially launches (expected to be at TPF next year)!!  (Reasonable restrictions apply.  Subject to change.)

June Giveaways

Pin Stadium Lights (~$300.00)

Mezel Mods Gift Card ($75.00)

Titan Universal Silicone Ring Kit ($40.50)

Comet Pinball Two Double Spotlight Kits ($39.98)

$25 Gift Card to Double Danger Pinball

Dialed In! Translite – autographed by Jersey Jack Guarnieri

Iron Maiden Translite – autographed by designer Keith Elwin

American Pinball t-shirt

Two ways to enter the Monthly Giveaways

1.    Consider making a monthly contribution to This Week in Pinball via PayPal.  Your email will be captured and you’ll automatically be entered each month you make a donation.  Your contribution will help support this website and keep the lights on here!

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2.    Donate nothing, and send an email to [email protected] to let us know you want to be entered, and include your name, address (including city and state), and email address, and you’ll be entered for that month.  You’ll just have to send the email every month to be included.

Please Note

Here is the bad news.  Unfortunately, we had to limit it to the United States, and also need to exclude New York, Florida, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico.  Including those states or other countries was prohibitively expensive and complicated.  We’re disappointed about that too.  Sorry!!

Stern Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Aerosmith  |  AC/DC Vault Edition  |  Star Wars  |  Guardians of the Galaxy  |  AC/DC Luci Vault Edition  |  Iron Maiden

Announced/Confirmed

Elvira 3

Rumors of Future Titles

Deadpool?  |  The Munsters?  |  The Beatles?  |  Steve Ritchie Black Knight 3000?  |  Superman 1978?  |  Beetlejuice?

Jersey Jack Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Wizard of Oz  |  The Hobbit  |  Dialed In  |  Pirates of the Caribbean

Rumors of Future Titles

Willy Wonka?  |  Toy Story?  |  Guns N’ Roses

Chicago Gaming/Planetary Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Medieval Madness Remake  |  Attack From Mars Remake

Rumors of Future Titles

Monster Bash Remake?  |  Cactus Canyon Remake?  |  Theatre of Magic?  |  Big Bang Bar Remake?

Spooky Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Rob Zombie’s Spookshow International  |  Dominos (*contract game)  |  Jetsons (*contract game)  |  Total Nuclear Annihilation (*contract/house game)  |  Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle

Rumors of Future Titles

Licensed Title  |  Scott Danesi Second Game

American Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Houdini

Rumors of Future Titles

Oktoberfest?

P3 (Multimorphic)

Lexy Lightspeed  |  Cannon Lagoon  |  Cosmic Cart Racing

Pinball Brothers

Rumors of Future Titles

Queen?  |  Barry Oursler’s Original Theme?  |  Playboy?

Dutch Pinball

Most Recent Titles

Bride of Pinbot 2.0  |  Bride of Pinbot 3.0 (on hold)  |  The Big Lebowski (production issues)

 Circus Maximus

The Pinball Circus Remake  |  Kingpin

Homepin

Thunderbirds (coming soon)

 deeproot Pinball

Announced/Confirmed

Fire and Brimstone

Rumors of Future Titles

Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland?  |  Alice in Wonderland?  |  Magic Girl?  |  Original Houdini design?

Silver Castle Pinball

Timeshock (coming soon)

Phénix Pinball

Olympic Goblin

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The post TWIP – Chicago Gaming Company Game #3 Updates, Oktoberfest (?) Layout Details, Alice Cooper Production Begins, More appeared first on This Week in Pinball.