# New Presentation Reveals Previously Unknown Deeproot Pinball Theme

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-08-21  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/new-presentation-reveals-previously-unknown-deeproot-pinball-theme

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## Analysis

A presentation at the NYC Pinball Championships revealed previously unknown artwork for a Deeproot Pinball game titled 'Men In Black Alien Crisis' that was in development before the company's collapse. The revelation came from a seminar featuring Blueberry Johnson, a noted Deeproot expert, discussing the company's history. The article author expresses skepticism about whether Deeproot actually secured the Men In Black license.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Deeproot Pinball was working on a game titled 'Men In Black Alien Crisis' prior to the company's demise — _Presentation at NYC Pinball Championships featuring Blueberry Johnson, with artwork shared on Pinside_
- [HIGH] This Men In Black Alien Crisis game was previously unknown to the pinball community — _Article author states 'previously unknown (at least to me)' and framed as new revelation from presentation_
- [HIGH] The article author doubts Deeproot actually secured the Men In Black license — _Direct quote: 'I personally find it very hard to believe that Deeproot had actually secured the license for this theme'_

### Notable Quotes

> "I personally find it very hard to believe that Deeproot had actually secured the license for this theme, but it is interesting to see the art nonetheless."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Expresses skepticism about licensing legitimacy while acknowledging the artwork's interest value_

> "Men In Black Alien Crisis"
> — **Unknown**
> _The previously unknown Deeproot Pinball game title revealed at the presentation_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Deeproot Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer with controversial history; company has since ceased operations/demised |
| Blueberry Johnson | person | Community expert on Deeproot Pinball history; presented at NYC Pinball Championships seminar; shared previously unseen artwork on Pinside |
| NYC Pinball Championships | event | Tournament held in Brooklyn; featured seminars on pinball history and company stories |
| The Worst of All Possible Worlds | organization | Podcast that produced/featured the Deeproot Pinball history presentation at NYC Championships |
| Backhand Pinball | organization | Twitch stream provider for NYC Pinball Championships; streamed tournament and seminars |
| Men In Black Alien Crisis | game | Unreleased Deeproot Pinball game that was in development prior to company's demise; theme/IP origin uncertain |
| Pinside | organization | Community forum where Blueberry Johnson shared artwork of the unreleased Men In Black Alien Crisis game |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Unreleased/Cancelled Pinball Games, Deeproot Pinball History and Legacy
- **Secondary:** IP Licensing for Pinball, Tournament Events and Community Engagement, Pinball Archival and Historical Documentation

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0.5) — Article is informative and matter-of-fact about the revelation, with mild skepticism about licensing legitimacy but appreciative interest in the artwork. No strong emotional valence overall.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** NYC Pinball Championships featured historical seminars on manufacturer legacies, indicating community interest in industry history and documentation (confidence: high) — Event included seminar on Deeproot Pinball history featuring expert Blueberry Johnson, streamed by Backhand Pinball
- **[leak_detection]** Previously unknown artwork for unreleased Deeproot Pinball game 'Men In Black Alien Crisis' surfaced through community presentation and Pinside sharing (confidence: high) — Presentation at NYC Pinball Championships revealed artwork; Blueberry Johnson shared pictures on Pinside; characterized as 'previously unknown' by observer
- **[licensing_signal]** Skepticism raised about whether Deeproot actually secured Men In Black license, suggesting potential licensing concerns or speculative game concept (confidence: medium) — Article author explicitly states 'I personally find it very hard to believe that Deeproot had actually secured the license for this theme'

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## Transcript

This weekend the New York City Pinball Championships is being held in Brooklyn. I've been thoroughly enjoying watching the tournament's Twitch stream by the always excellent Backhand Pinball. Early on at the event they held several seminars, including the one on the story of Deeproot Pinball by "The Worst of All Possible Worlds" podcast, featuring the subject's defacto expert Blueberry Johnson. I'm very familiar with the saga, but one thing came out of the presentation was a previously unknown (at least to me) pinball title that Deeproot was working on prior to its demise..."Men In Black Alien Crisis."

I personally find it very hard to believe that Deeproot had actually secured the license for this theme, but it is interesting to see the art nonetheless. Below is a link to Backhand Pinball's Twitch channel, where you can watch today's exciting conclusion of the NYC Pinball Championship and I believe a replay of the presentations. Also, I have included a number of never before seen pictures that Blueberry Johnson just shared up on Pinside.

https://www.twitch.tv/backhandpinball

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0b1455c3-27a6-4bb7-9307-45b4744e7607*