# Counter Narratives

**Source:** This Week in Pinball  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-03-06  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://twip.kineticist.com/p/counter-narratives

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## Analysis

This Week in Pinball reports on major industry developments: Melvin Williams was forced out of Dutch Pinball by new investors and quickly hired by American Pinball as creative director; Dungeon Crawler Carl has generated unprecedented community excitement as a potential pinball IP; Multimorphic confirmed no new game announcement at Texas Pinball Festival; and Pokémon continues to exceed expectations with strong secondary market demand and production runs. The article emphasizes shifting narratives around what constitutes viable pinball IP and manufacturer credibility.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Melvin Williams was forced out of Dutch Pinball by new investors who rejected RAZA production and unfavorable profit-sharing terms — _This Week in Pinball reporting on PinCast team conversations with Melvin; described as coming from conversations with the PinCast team_
- [HIGH] Brian Vincent (American Pinball) contacted Melvin 16 minutes after his departure announcement — _Direct quote from article reporting Melvin's account_
- [HIGH] Dungeon Crawler Carl has generated unprecedented positive community response for a rumored pinball IP, with real purchase intent — _This Week in Pinball editor's direct observation of website traffic, forum sentiment, and purchase inquiries_
- [HIGH] Multiple photos show Barrels of Fun designer Karl DeAngelo dressed as the DCC main character for Halloween, fueling speculation Barrels has the IP — _This Week in Pinball editor directly observed these photos but notes no official confirmation from Barrels_
- [MEDIUM] An anonymous tipster told This Week in Pinball that DCC is Barrels of Fun of Fun, but did not provide additional details — _Anonymous tip received by This Week in Pinball editor; tipster unresponsive to follow-up_
- [HIGH] Pokémon LE secondary market median asking price dropped from $32,000 to $15,500 on Pinside, with only one confirmed sale — _This Week in Pinball editor's analysis of Pinside marketplace data and eBay sales_
- [HIGH] Confirmed eBay sale for Pokémon LE at $20,102.01 — _This Week in Pinball editor citing specific eBay transaction_
- [HIGH] Multimorphic Portal batch 4 is underway with code update v1.2.3.0 featuring enhanced multiball and jackpot mechanics — _Multimorphic statement quoted in article from Gerry Stellenberg_

### Notable Quotes

> "After meeting with Melvin, they weren't interested in producing RAZA — nor in splitting profits with him under existing agreements."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Explains the core business conflict that led to Melvin's departure from Dutch Pinball_

> "I'd 'never forgive the way he was forced out.'"
> — **Melvin Williams**
> _Indicates emotional intensity of the split and Melvin's view of being mistreated by Dutch Pinball's new investors_

> "This isn't Pokémon fans learning how much a modern pinball machine costs and backing off. This is book nerds who know what a pin costs and want one anyway, because it's a theme that speaks to them."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Highlights the unique nature of DCC community enthusiasm compared to typical IP licensing patterns_

> "I don't know if I've ever seen this kind of nearly universal positive reaction to a rumored pinball IP."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Establishes DCC as an anomalous case in pinball community response to unannounced games_

> "Whoever has this IP, every signal I can see (our own website traffic included) says it has a ton of potential."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Data-driven assessment of DCC's market viability based on measurable engagement metrics_

> "what this tells me is there's room in pinball for new ideas and non-traditional buyers. We don't have to live in the nostalgia cycle forever."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Articulates broader industry insight about IP strategy and market evolution beyond legacy properties_

> "Although we launched games before TPF the last few years, the timing was purely dictated by the games being ready to show off. We have some truly incredible things in progress, but they're not yet ready to reveal."
> — **Gerry Stellenberg**
> _Official statement that Multimorphic will not announce new games at Texas Pinball Festival 2026_

> "the tariff situation on US-bound games added further uncertainty"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Indicates external macro-economic pressures (tariffs) were a factor in Dutch Pinball's negotiations with Melvin_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stemage | person | Audio/music designer for Jersey Jack's Avatar: The Battle for Pandora; leads band The Arkadian doing 80s metal covers of classic pinball themes |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; employed Stemage as audio/music designer on Avatar: The Battle for Pandora |
| The Arkadian | organization | Band led by Stemage performing 80s metal renditions of classic pinball themes at MAGFest 2026 |
| Dungeon Crawler Carl | product | Book/audiobook IP that has generated unprecedented community enthusiasm as a potential pinball machine theme; community speculation about manufacturer unknown |
| Karl DeAngelo | person | Game designer at Barrels of Fun photographed dressed as Dungeon Crawler Carl main character for Halloween, fueling speculation about DCC IP acquisition |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer widely perceived as likely candidate for DCC IP, though no official confirmation; community speculation based on designer's Halloween costume |
| Mad Pinball | company | Entity with interest list for potential Dungeon Crawler Carl pinball game; this Week in Pinball editor placed herself on their DCC interest list |
| Melvin Williams | person | Creative director/designer forced out of Dutch Pinball by new investors over RAZA production and profit-sharing disagreements; hired by American Pinball within 16 minutes of public departure announcement |
| Dutch Pinball | company | European pinball manufacturer; replaced Melvin Williams as creative director after new investors rejected RAZA production; continuing to ship Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with topper delays |
| DPX | organization | Brand created by Melvin Williams and Barry; effectively discontinued after Melvin's departure; Melvin stated he would not allow future games under DPX brand |
| American Pinball | company | Chicago-area manufacturer hiring Melvin Williams as creative director; planning seminar at Texas Pinball Festival about new direction; positioned as alternative to struggling operators |
| Brian Vincent | person | Leadership at American Pinball; contacted Melvin Williams 16 minutes after his departure announcement and hired him as creative director |
| Multimorphic | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer confirming no new game announcement at Texas Pinball Festival 2026; working on Portal batch 4 and code updates |
| Gerry Stellenberg | person | Representative of Multimorphic providing official statement about TPF 2026 announcement plans |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer with Pokémon game in production running through later 2026; subject of community criticism regarding recent game design quality |
| Pokémon | product | Stern Pinball game exceeding market expectations with strong sales, multiple production runs, and secondary market demand; Pro and LE versions in circulation |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major annual pinball industry event where manufacturers announce games; Melvin Williams and Brian Vincent planning seminar about American Pinball's new direction |
| Daniele Acciari | person | Competitive pinball player; won fifth major championship at INDISC |
| Jason Zahler | person | Competitive pinball player; won 2025-26 North American Pinball Championship |
| Noah Crable | person | This Week in Pinball staff member; finished second at 2025-26 North American Pinball Championship, defeated Eric Stone in semifinals |
| Eric Stone | person | Competitive pinball player; defeated by Noah Crable in NAPC 2025-26 semifinals |
| [name withheld pending review] | person | Original This Week in Pinball writer; authored article ranking music videos featuring pinball machines |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Independent pinball publication; published original reporting on Melvin Williams/Dutch Pinball split, Dungeon Crawler Carl community response, Pokémon secondary market analysis |

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Melvin Williams hired as creative director by American Pinball within 16 minutes of his public departure from Dutch Pinball; signals rapid recruitment of industry talent and American Pinball's strategic positioning (confidence: high) — Brian Vincent reached out 16 minutes after Melvin's departure announcement; Melvin emphasized the offer came after, not before his split with Dutch Pinball
- **[business_signal]** Melvin Williams forced out of Dutch Pinball by new investors who rejected existing game production (RAZA) and profit-sharing terms; indicates investor-driven strategic realignment and creative control disputes (confidence: high) — New investors unwilling to produce RAZA or split profits under existing agreements; Melvin given ultimatum to accept new terms or leave; tariff situation cited as additional pressure
- **[rumor_hype]** Dungeon Crawler Carl generating unprecedented community enthusiasm as potential pinball IP; speculation centers on Barrels of Fun as manufacturer based on designer costume evidence (confidence: medium) — Multiple photos of Karl DeAngelo in DCC costume; anonymous tip claiming DCC is NOT Barrels; community traffic spikes on This Week in Pinball; purchase intent statements on forums
- **[market_signal]** Pokémon LE secondary market prices showing correction from speculative peaks; median asking price dropped from $32,000 to $15,500 on Pinside within weeks of release (confidence: high) — Pinside marketplace data showing median drop; confirmed eBay sale at $20,102; only one confirmed Pinside sale; skepticism about $30,000+ price claims lacking receipts
- **[product_concern]** Dutch Pinball's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland toppers facing up to 3-month additional delay due to supplier issue with Cheshire Cat eye display board (confidence: high) — Official Dutch Pinball statement cited in article; direct impact on customer fulfillment timeline
- **[product_launch]** Multimorphic officially confirmed no new game announcement at Texas Pinball Festival 2026, breaking recent pattern of TPF product reveals (confidence: high) — Official Multimorphic statement from Gerry Stellenberg; explicitly states games in progress are 'not yet ready to reveal'
- **[code_update]** Multimorphic Portal receives code update v1.2.3.0 with enhanced multiball/jackpot mechanics, scoring adjustments, and bug fixes; batch 4 of Portal kits underway (confidence: high) — Official Multimorphic update cited in article
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pokémon pinball game challenging prior skepticism about 'kids theme' viability; game selling strongly with multiple production runs and Pro models entering location circulation (confidence: high) — Article notes 'remember all the people who said Pokémon wouldn't work?'; four Pro machines already in location tracker; Stern committed to multiple production runs
- **[design_philosophy]** This Week in Pinball editorial suggests pinball industry may be moving beyond nostalgia-driven IP selection; DCC (non-nostalgia, non-movie property) generating unprecedented enthusiasm signals market openness to non-traditional themes (confidence: high) — Editor commentary: 'we don't have to live in the nostalgia cycle forever'; analysis of DCC vs Pokémon community reception patterns
- **[regulatory_signal]** US tariff situation cited as contributing factor to Dutch Pinball investor pressure on Melvin Williams and creative/production decisions (confidence: medium) — Article mentions 'tariff situation on US-bound games added further uncertainty' in context of Melvin's departure negotiations
- **[competitive_signal]** IFPA tournament results: Daniele Acciari fifth major championship at INDISC; Jason Zahler wins 2025-26 North American Pinball Championship; Noah Crable finishes second at NAPC, notably defeating Eric Stone in semifinals (confidence: high) — Official IFPA results cited in article
- **[community_signal]** DPX brand (created by Melvin Williams and Barry) effectively discontinued; Melvin stated he would not allow future games under DPX brand following his departure from Dutch Pinball (confidence: high) — Direct quote: Melvin said he wouldn't allow another game to be produced under DPX brand

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## Transcript

Taking a break from our normal cadence to highlight a submission that came to us from Stemage (you may remember him as the audio/music guy for Jersey Jack's Avatar: The Battle for Pandora). It's a recording of one of his bands (The Arkadian) doing an 80s metal rendition of the theme to Banzai Run at MAGFest 2026, and it's arguably the best version of the song I've ever heard. Stemage leads on guitar, and he wails.
They're looking for other songs to cover (they've also done Monster Bash and Swords of Fury) in hopes of putting together a full set one day. If you have a classic pinball song you'd like to see done up in 80s metal fashion, send me a note, and I'll pass it along!
And if you want a more traditional Song of the Week pick — here's Silversun Pickups, "The Wreckage", another I've had on repeat for a few weeks (and scope the Jack Black cameo), but that I don't know if I'll get to feature here.
Last week, we published our piece on the possibility of a Dungeon Crawler Carl pinball machine, and since then, the pinball community seems to have caught DCC fever. People are discovering the books (and audiobooks), connecting over existing fandom, and getting genuinely excited about a DCC pin. Even outside of pinball fan communities, I see people fired up about this one.
And it's a rare kind of excitement. This isn't Pokémon fans learning how much a modern pinball machine costs and backing off. This is book nerds who know what a pin costs and want one anyway, because it's a theme that speaks to them. I don't know if I've ever seen this kind of nearly universal positive reaction to a rumored pinball IP. I've also seen a lot of people expressing real purchase intent — not the "I'd buy that" passing internet comment kind, but the "how do I get on a list for this" and "I just contacted my distributor" kind. I even put myself on an interest list with Mad Pinball, just in case.
Whoever has this IP, every signal I can see (our own website traffic included) says it has a ton of potential.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, coincidence?
Most people seem to agree it feels like a Barrels of Fun pick. Lending some fuel to the fire are multiple photos of Barrels game designer Karl Karl DeAngelo dressed up as the main character from the books for Halloween. I do want to stress that there's been no confirmation that Barrels has the IP. In fact, I received an anonymous tip that DCC is not Barrels — but the tipster didn't respond when I tried to get more information.
What's most exciting to me about a DCC pin (besides genuinely enjoying my read of the first book) is that it challenges the predominant story of what makes good pinball IP. DCC isn't a nostalgia property. It doesn't have a movie or a TV show (yet). In the grand scheme of licensable franchise entertainment, it's barely a blip on the radar. But if the pinball community can get this excited about a theme like this, what else would they get excited about that we're not even considering — because our collective frame of reference is so narrow? Between DCC and the early success of Pokémon, what this tells me is there's room in pinball for new ideas and non-traditional buyers. We don't have to live in the nostalgia cycle forever.
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As the podcast hosts put it, the split was mostly driven by Dutch Pinball's new investors. After meeting with Melvin, they weren't interested in producing RAZA — nor in splitting profits with him under existing agreements. The tariff situation on US-bound games added further uncertainty. Melvin was given an ultimatum: accept new terms or leave. So he left.
In conversations with the PinCast team, Melvin said he was "blindsided" by how it happened. He'd known about the new investors and welcomed the capital injection, but the new terms were so unfavorable, he couldn't accept them. He said he'd "never forgive the way he was forced out." The DPX brand, which Melvin and Barry created together, appears to be finished — Melvin said he wouldn't allow another game to be produced under it.
The American Pinball offer came fast. Brian Vincent reached out just 16 minutes after Melvin posted his departure announcement. Melvin was keen to stress he didn't leave DPX because of American Pinball — the offer came after. As creative director, he'll oversee all game designs (his own and from other designers), working mostly remotely but traveling to the Palatine, Illinois, factory as needed. He and Brian plan to do a seminar at the Texas Pinball Festival to talk about the new American Pinball.
Meanwhile, Dutch Pinball says existing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland machines will continue shipping, though toppers face an additional delay of up to three months due to a supplier issue with the display board used for the Cheshire Cat's eyes.
Multimorphic Says No New Game for TPF
Multimorphic has established a bit of a pattern for announcing new releases at the Texas Pinball Festival. Not this year, according to their latest official update:
❝
"Although we launched games before TPF the last few years, the timing was purely dictated by the games being ready to show off. We have some truly incredible things in progress, but they're not yet ready to reveal."
Gerry Stellenberg
They're plenty busy otherwise — batch 4 of Portal game kits is underway, and a new code update (v1.2.3.0) brings enhanced multiball and jackpot mechanics, adjusted scoring, and bug fixes. They'll have a more relaxed TPF presence this year, showcasing existing P3 games and taking pre-orders for their PinGlass+ anti-reflective glass.
Pokemon Keeps Rolling
Speaking of counter-narratives — remember all the people who said Pokémon wouldn't work? That it's just a kids theme? Seems like it's working just fine.
The game is rumored to be sold through well into later this year, with Stern already committed to multiple production runs. Pros are starting to hit locations now (I'm already seeing four in our location tracker), and we've seen a noisy spike in secondary market prices for the LE, with talk of prices hitting $30,000+ for a single game.
About those secondary LE prices — it's really hard to tell what's real and what's podcaster/distributor hype. I see a lot of people talking about crazy numbers, but I don't see a ton of receipts. The closest I've found is a confirmed eBay sale for $20,102.01. On Pinside, the median asking price for an LE has already dropped from a high of $32,000 to $15,500 (not far above MSRP), and there's been only one confirmed sale — the seller was asking about $21,000 OBO, but the final amount wasn't disclosed.
With the exception of a few one-offs in the Pokémon collector space, I have a hard time seeing LE secondary prices reaching the heights of some early predictions. Maybe for very specific numbered machines tied to very specific characters (after all, it only takes one buyer to make a market). Otherwise, it seems a bit suspect.
One of our original writers, Brian Saa, is back with a fun one — a ranking of music videos that prominently feature pinball machines. Brian scores each video arcade-style and crowns a Grand Champion (spoiler: it's Plastilina Mosh's "Human Disco Ball," a video about the emotional bond between a player and their favorite pin). Along the way he surfaces some surprising picks, including a Blackstreet video that's somehow tied for the 29th most expensive music video of all time, and a Yello video that gets disqualified for committing crimes against a Williams machine. A perfect rabbit hole for your Friday.
A Couple of Quick IFPA Updates
Congrats to Daniele Acciari for his fifth major championship win at INDISC, and to Jason Zahler for taking the 2025-26 North American Pinball Championship. Big kudos to our own Noah Crable, who seemingly came from nowhere to finish second at NAPC, knocking out the vaunted Eric Stone in the semifinals. We'll have more complete write-ups from Matt Owen soon.
“I'm cautiously optimistic about Melvin joining American Pinball. Granted, I've not been all that excited about the games from Dutch Pinball (or DPX for that matter) in terms of design, but I would like to see what comes in the future with Melvin and AP. If BTTF or RAZA are considered for AP release, I would be excited to see them. Overall, seeing a good game eventually come out from AP would be great for the industry and the hobby.”
-Selected “Cautiously optimistic.
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“Because enthusiasm is great, optimism is healthy… but tracking actual shipments is the real endgame. I’ll happily wake up, coffee in hand, the moment boxes start moving and games start landing. Until then, consider me in low-power mode - excited in theory, hibernating in practice.”
-Selected “Wake me when something ships”
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“Yes… America Pinball will come stronger, with new ideas, fresh titles, innovation. We need that, not the same mediocre stuff from/by Stern … JAWS was their last good game, UXM, KK, FOTE, WDR, Pokemon, all of those fiascos sucked… Stern sucks now!”
-Selected “Genuinely excited”
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“Who TF is Melvin Williams?? Or American Pinball? ”

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 0483434a-156b-4ba2-bf65-b0214f9e84df*