# The Dragon's Lair License May Not Have Been Approved for Pinball Yet

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-04-19  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/the-dragon-s-lair-license-may-not-have-been-approved-for-pinball-yet

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## Analysis

A Pinside user (TreyBo69) contacted Digital Leisure to verify licensing status for a Dragon's Lair pinball project and received confirmation that no licensing agreement has been finalized, despite ongoing discussions. The article cautions against funding such a project via Kickstarter without secured IP rights, though notes that homebrew prototypes are often built before licensing is obtained.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] No licensing agreement between Dragon's Lair pinball project and Digital Leisure/Dragon's Lair LLC has been finalized — _Official response from Paul Gold at Digital Leisure confirming 'nothing firm has been agreed to'_
- [HIGH] Discussions between the pinball project and Dragon's Lair IP holders have occurred — _Paul Gold response states 'has reached out to Digital Leisure and Dragon's Lair LLC'_
- [MEDIUM] The article author believes TreyBo69's secondhand information is credible — _'It seems to be real and I am leaning towards believing it, but one never knows'_
- [MEDIUM] Homebrew games are commonly built prior to securing licensing agreements — _Article states 'Tons of homebrew games are built prior to reaching a licensing agreement'_
- [LOW] American Pinball or Pedretti Gaming could potentially manufacture a Dragon's Lair pinball if prototypes are compelling — _Author speculation: 'I could see this game being picked up by someone like American Pinball or possibly even manufactured in conjunction with Pedretti Gaming'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Thanks for reaching out. The person you mention has reached out to Digital Leisure and Dragon's Lair LLC (the licensing arm for all things Dragon's Lair) but has yet to secure any license. They have simply presented their ideas for the project, but nothing firm has been agreed to."
> — **Paul Gold, Digital Leisure**
> _Official confirmation from IP licensing contact that Dragon's Lair pinball lacks secured license_

> "This certainly doesn't mean that an agreement between the two parties won't be reached. Tons of homebrew games are built prior to reaching a licensing agreement."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Contextualizes licensing uncertainty as not necessarily disqualifying; explains industry practice_

> "until an agreement is officially reached it goes without saying that it would be incredibly risky to fund this project via Kickstarter"
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Investment/funding risk warning for potential backers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Dragon's Lair | product | Video game IP being considered for pinball adaptation; licensing status unconfirmed |
| Digital Leisure | company | Company contacted regarding Dragon's Lair pinball licensing; provided official response on licensing status |
| Dragon's Lair LLC | company | Licensing arm for Dragon's Lair IP; direct contact point for licensing negotiations |
| Paul Gold | person | Representative at Digital Leisure who responded to licensing inquiry |
| TreyBo69 | person | Pinside user who initiated contact with Digital Leisure regarding Dragon's Lair pinball licensing |
| American Pinball | company | Mentioned as potential manufacturer if Dragon's Lair pinball prototypes are developed |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Mentioned as potential co-manufacturer for Dragon's Lair pinball project |
| Knapp Arcade | company | Source/author of article analyzing Dragon's Lair licensing status |
| Pinside | organization | Forum where TreyBo69 posted licensing inquiry |

### Topics

- **Primary:** IP licensing for pinball, Dragon's Lair pinball project status
- **Secondary:** Homebrew pinball development, Kickstarter funding risk for unlicensed projects
- **Mentioned:** Potential manufacturers for Dragon's Lair

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0) — Article presents factual information with measured caution; author neither dismisses nor enthusiastically endorses the Dragon's Lair project, instead highlighting licensing uncertainty as the key issue

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Uncertainty around Dragon's Lair IP licensing creates investment risk for potential Kickstarter backers (confidence: high) — Article explicitly warns 'it would be incredibly risky to fund this project via Kickstarter' without secured licensing agreement
- **[leak_detection]** Dragon's Lair pinball project existence and licensing status revealed via unofficial community inquiry and response sharing (confidence: high) — TreyBo69 posted on Pinside after contacting Digital Leisure directly; licensing details previously unknown to broader community
- **[licensing_signal]** Dragon's Lair pinball project lacks formal IP licensing agreement despite ongoing discussions with rights holders (confidence: high) — Official response from Digital Leisure confirms 'nothing firm has been agreed to' between pinball project and Dragon's Lair LLC licensing arm

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## Transcript

A few minutes ago, an individual who goes by the username "TreyBo69" posted on Pinside that he reached out to Digital Leisure to see if a license to manufacture a pinball machine using the Dragon's Lair intellectual property has officially been secured yet. According to the response from the company that he shared, it appears as though while there has been discussions between the Dragon's Lair pinball project and the company, no licensing agreement has been agreed to yet.

This certainly doesn't mean that an agreement between the two parties won't be reached. Tons of homebrew games are built prior to reaching a licensing agreement. If the Dragon's Lair pinball project comes up with some cool prototypes, I could see this game being picked up by someone like American Pinball or possibly even manufactured in conjunction with Pedretti Gaming, but until an agreement is officially reached it goes without saying that it would be incredibly risky to fund this project via Kickstarter.

Another thing to keep in mind is this is all secondhand information. It seems to be real and I am leaning towards believing it, but one never knows.

Below is the supposed response from Digital Leisure:

"The response I received:

Thanks for reaching out. The person you mention has reached out to Digital Leisure and Dragon’s Lair LLC (the licensing arm for all things Dragon’s Lair) but has yet to secure any license. They have simply presented their ideas for the project, but nothing firm has been agreed to.

I have forwarded your email to the DL LLC as they would be direct point of contact for such a project and will follow up with the individual posting to the Facebook group.

Thanks for the details.

Best Regards,

Paul Gold

Digital Leisure"

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0632ba16-f4d3-478f-81fc-3ef7900a9492*