# Multimorphic Launches Dungeon Crawler Carl & Ender's Game Pinball

**Source:** Kineticist  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-07-27  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/news/multimorphic-dcc-enders-game

---

## Analysis

Multimorphic unveiled two new P3 pinball games—Dungeon Crawler Carl and Ender's Game—sharing a common mechanical platform (360° double-level disk, jump ramp, magnetic features) but diverging in theme and marquee mechanics. Dungeon Crawler Carl was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con by author Matt Dinniman; Ender's Game features a novel two-sided captive ball balance mechanic tied to the book's thematic conflict. Both games use single-tier pricing ($12,350 and $11,750 respectively) with no limited editions, and were designed by community members including indie P3 developers and competitive players.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Dungeon Crawler Carl was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25 during an Audible panel, with author Matt Dinniman presenting the first pictures to the audience — _Article states 'Dungeon Crawler Carl was unveiled on Saturday, July 25 at San Diego Comic-Con, during "Goddamnit, Donut: A Totally Professional Panel with Matt Dinniman and Jeff Hays", an Audible panel about the audiobooks'_
- [HIGH] Both games share identical hardware including a 360° double-level disk, jump ramp with magnetic catch-and-fling, sling-lock ball stops, and bashable magnetic lock mechanism — _Article details: 'a 360° double-level disk bringing a target bank, kickback, moving shot paths and a player-loadable, controllable cannon right in front of the flippers; sling-lock ball stops on each inlane; a jump ramp with magnetic catch-and-fling action; and a bashable something with a magnetic ball lock'_
- [HIGH] Ender's Game features a two-sided captive ball balance mechanism holding up to six balls to represent compassion vs. aggression gameplay — _Article states: 'The rules run on a two-sided captive ball balance mechanism holding up to six balls, which the player shifts from side to side to set their levels of compassion and aggression'_
- [HIGH] Scott Danesi initially posted a coffee-mug photo suggesting involvement, but later clarified he is not working on Dungeon Crawler Carl and is just a fan of the IP — _Article reports: 'Scott Danesi posted, then edited a coffee-mug photo carrying a famous DCC character line...He later said flatly that he isn't involved, in the Pinside hype thread: Just to clarify a few things. I am just a huge fan of the IP. I am not working on, or know anything about the supposed DCC pinball machine at this time.'_
- [HIGH] Multimorphic staffed the two games largely with community members including indie P3 developers, homebrew sound designers, and competitive players — _Article lists: Ian Harrower (indie P3 games), Glenn Waechter (homebrew sound), Wesley Johnson (competitive IFPA player ranked 131st), and Josh Kugler (software lead on The The Princess Bride)_
- [HIGH] Pricing for complete P3 machines is $12,350 for Dungeon Crawler Carl and $11,750 for Ender's Game with $2,500 non-refundable deposit — _Article states: 'As a complete P³ machine — $12,350 for Dungeon Crawler Carl, $11,750 for Ender's Game, plus shipping. Deposit is $2,500 either way, non-refundable'_
- [HIGH] Both games are three-flipper designs using the same right side-target flipper and were engineered by TJ Weaver and Trey Jones — _Article details: 'Both are three-flipper designs using the same right side-target flipper. Both were engineered by the same pair, TJ Weaver and Trey Jones'_
- [HIGH] Ender's Game is based on Orson Scott Card's 1985 military science-fiction novel with a 2013 film adaptation — _Article states: 'Orson Scott Card's 1985 military science-fiction novel, a Hugo and Nebula winner, with a 2013 film adaptation that came and went'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Throughout the novel, the reader is deeply connected to Ender's struggle to accept that he defeats his deadliest opponents by understanding and even loving them. We wanted to connect the pinball player in similar ways, requiring them to constantly adjust that balance between compassion and aggression throughout gameplay."
> — **Gerry Stellenberg (Multimorphic founder, quoted on Ender's Game design philosophy)**
> _Articulates the core design intent of Ender's Game—translating thematic conflict into a mechanical gameplay system through the captive ball balance mechanism_

> "Just to clarify a few things. I am just a huge fan of the IP. I am not working on, or know anything about the supposed DCC pinball machine at this time. I only know as much as you guys. But... I am beyond excited for the release and am anxiously anticipating something awesome here just like everyone else."
> — **Scott Danesi (designer/composer)**
> _Clarifies confusion about his involvement in Dungeon Crawler Carl after an ambiguous social media post; demonstrates how community speculation spreads in tight-knit pinball circles_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Multimorphic | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer launching two new P3 games with shared mechanical platform but distinct themes and design directions |
| Dungeon Crawler Carl | game | New Multimorphic P3 game based on Matt Dinniman's LitRPG audiobook series, featuring six-ball Mana stack, Stumblor sculpts, and player-loadable cannon; revealed at San Diego Comic-Con July 25; priced at $12,350 |
| Ender's Game | game | New Multimorphic P3 game based on Orson Scott Card's 1985 sci-fi novel, featuring novel two-sided captive ball balance mechanism representing compassion vs. aggression; priced at $11,750 |
| Matt Dinniman | person | Author of Dungeon Crawler Carl LitRPG audiobook series; personally revealed the pinball game at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25 |
| Gerry Stellenberg | person | Founder of Multimorphic; articulated design philosophy for Ender's Game captive ball balance mechanic as thematic translation |
| Ian Harrower | person | Creative lead on Dungeon Crawler Carl; indie P3 developer behind Bird Watcher and Blood Bank Billiards; previously worked on Portal |
| Brad Albright | person | Artist on Dungeon Crawler Carl; previously did art for Portal; bringing production-game debut after long wait |
| Josh Kugler | person | Software lead on Dungeon Crawler Carl; previously software lead on The Princess Bride (2024) |
| TJ Weaver | person | Mechanical engineer for both Dungeon Crawler Carl and Ender's Game; part of engineering pair designing shared platform |
| Trey Jones | person | Mechanical engineer for both Dungeon Crawler Carl and Ender's Game; part of engineering pair designing shared platform |
| Glenn Waechter | person | Sound designer on Dungeon Crawler Carl; homebrew sound portfolio includes Battle of the Baron, Saw, Monster League Hockey; won Best Sound in Homebrew at 2024 Pinball Expo |
| Wesley Johnson | person | Software/design contributor on Dungeon Crawler Carl; Houston-area competitive player, former Space City Open champion, ranked 131st on IFPA Pro circuit; met P3 at TPF 2018 |
| Scott Danesi | person | Composer/designer; clarified he is not involved with Dungeon Crawler Carl despite ambiguous social media post; creative director on Final Resistance for Multimorphic; contributed music to Barrels of Fun's Labyrinth |
| Orson Scott Card | person | Author of Ender's Game (1985), Hugo and Nebula-winning military sci-fi novel on which Ender's Game pinball is based |
| Jeff Hays | person | Narrator of Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook series; recorded voices for pinball game; appeared on Audible panel with Matt Dinniman at Comic-Con |
| [name withheld pending review] | event | Major pop culture convention where Dungeon Crawler Carl was officially unveiled on July 25 during Audible panel |
| P3 | product | Multimorphic's modular pinball platform featuring interchangeable upper playfield modules; both new games share identical lower playfield display and cabinet hardware |

### Signals

- **[announcement]** Multimorphic simultaneously announced two new P3 games sharing a common mechanical platform, demonstrating efficient use of modular design philosophy to launch distinct titles from shared engineering (confidence: high) — Article details identical hardware across both games including 360° double-level disk, jump ramp, sling locks, and magnetic locks, with divergent theme and marquee mechanics
- **[design_innovation]** Ender's Game uses a novel two-sided captive ball balance mechanism as direct translation of the novel's core thematic conflict between compassion and aggression, representing sophisticated design-to-mechanics alignment (confidence: high) — Stellenberg quote: 'requiring them to constantly adjust that balance between compassion and aggression throughout gameplay' directly mirrors novel's central character struggle
- **[product_strategy]** Both games use single-tier pricing model with no limited editions, contrasting with Stern's Pro/Premium/LE strategy; only choice is machine vs. kit with customizable cabinet artwork (confidence: high) — Article states: 'There are no editions here. Each game comes one way, and the only real choice is whether you're buying a machine or a kit'
- **[personnel_signal]** Multimorphic staffed both games with community-embedded talent: indie P3 developers, homebrew sound designers, competitive IFPA players, representing strategic reliance on platform ecosystem rather than external hires (confidence: high) — Team includes Ian Harrower (indie P3 games), Glenn Waechter (homebrew), Wesley Johnson (IFPA ranked player), representing 'Indie P³ developers, homebrew sound designers, and competitive players'
- **[content_signal]** Dungeon Crawler Carl reveal executed through publisher (Audible) panel at Comic-Con, two days before Multimorphic's own launch window, with teasing by IP authors/narrators preceding official announcement—unconventional IP-publisher-driven reveal strategy (confidence: high) — Article notes: 'Fleitas, Dinniman, and Soundbooth did the teasing for months while Multimorphic said nothing thematic, and the reveal itself landed at a book publisher's panel two days before the pinball company's own launch window'
- **[leak_detection]** Scott Danesi's ambiguous social media post (coffee mug with DCC character line) was widely interpreted as confirmation of involvement; Danesi subsequently clarified he is not involved, demonstrating how community speculation and pattern-matching can create false signals in tight-knit communities (confidence: medium) — Article documents: 'widely read at the time as a wink at his own involvement' but Danesi later clarified 'I am not working on, or know anything about the supposed DCC pinball machine at this time'
- **[licensing_signal]** Ender's Game represents unusual pinball license—military sci-fi novel (1985) with 30+ year-old film adaptation (2013) that 'came and went,' suggesting licensing strategy targeting literary/intellectual heritage rather than current pop culture momentum (confidence: high) — Article describes game as 'genuinely unusual pinball license' based on 40-year-old Hugo/Nebula winner with 12-year-old film adaptation, suggesting strategic choice over IP recency
- **[market_signal]** P3 complete machines priced at $11,750–$12,350 represent premium segment within Multimorphic's portfolio (kits at $2-3K) and competitive positioning against Stern ($7-11K standard), reflecting full-featured production-tier positioning (confidence: high) — Pricing: $12,350 for Dungeon Crawler Carl, $11,750 for Ender's Game versus known Stern range and Multimorphic kit baseline
- **[design_innovation]** Shared mechanical platform (TJ Weaver/Trey Jones-engineered) demonstrates P3's modular design philosophy enabling rapid dual-game launches; each adds distinct marquee mechanic (Mana stack vs. captive ball balance) while leveraging common subsystems (confidence: high) — Article notes: 'Building two games around one new mechanism is the format working as designed' and details how upper modules diverge while lower platform remains constant
- **[product_concern]** Pre-launch media/influencer day with NDA creates temporary information asymmetry; article notes NDA lifted at launch timing, with creator impressions and footage expected to follow—potential signal of controlled reveal strategy or launch-day coordination (confidence: medium) — Article states: 'Multimorphic held a media and influencer day before the launch, and the people who got hands-on time have been under NDA since. If the NDA lifts with the launch, creator impressions and footage should start landing'
- **[community_signal]** Wesley Johnson's involvement (IFPA pro, P3 evangelist, Space City Open champion, ranked 131st globally) represents competitive player integration into design team—signals Multimorphic's strategy to embed tournament/competitive community into product development (confidence: high) — Wesley Johnson described as 'Houston-area competitive player, a former Space City Open champion currently ranked 131st on the IFPA Pro circuit, who first met the P³ at TPF 2018 and is friends with founder Gerry Stellenberg'

---

## Transcript

These two share far more than a launch date. Read the two press releases side by side and the same hardware shows up in both, described in identical language: a 360° double-level disk bringing a target bank, kickback, moving shot paths and a player-loadable, controllable cannon right in front of the flippers; sling-lock ball stops on each inlane; a jump ramp with magnetic catch-and-fling action; and a bashable something with a magnetic ball lock — Mongo's cage in Dungeon Crawler Carl, the fight ring in Ender's Game. Both are three-flipper designs using the same right side-target flipper. Both were engineered by the same pair, TJ Weaver and Trey Jones. Each game then adds its own marquee mech, and everything above it diverges: Ender's Game gets the two-sided captive ball balance mechanism, Dungeon Crawler Carl the six-ball Mana stack and the Stumblor sculpts. On the P³ the sharing is native, which is where this parts company with Spooky. Every P³ game already runs on the same cabinet and the same lower playfield display, with only the upper module swapping out. Building two games around one new mechanism is the format working as designed. Multimorphic didn't break its own news Dungeon Crawler Carl was unveiled on Saturday, July 25 at San Diego Comic-Con, during "Goddamnit, Donut: A Totally Professional Panel with Matt Dinniman and Jeff Hays", an Audible panel about the audiobooks, 10 a.m. in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Dinniman put the machine on the screen himself, showing the first pictures of it to a room of readers. That fits how the whole run went. Fleitas, Dinniman, and Soundbooth did the teasing for months while Multimorphic said nothing thematic, and the reveal itself landed at a book publisher's panel two days before the pinball company's own launch window. Sitting beside Dinniman was Jeff Hays, the series narrator our February report said was already recording voices for the machine. Whether he said anything about it on stage, we don't know yet. Quiet playtesting under NDA Multimorphic held a media and influencer day before the launch, and the people who got hands-on time have been under NDA since. If the NDA lifts with the launch, creator impressions and footage should start landing alongside Multimorphic's own videos, from people who played these games two weeks before anyone else could order one. The pre-reveal trail's one bad signal Not everything in the run-up held up. Scott Danesi posted, then edited a coffee-mug photo carrying a famous DCC character line, widely read at the time as a wink at his own involvement. Danesi has designed for Multimorphic (creative director on Final Resistance) and contributed music to Barrels of Fun's Jim Henson's Labyrinth, which is why it landed. He later said flatly that he isn't involved, in the Pinside DCC hype thread: Just to clarify a few things. I am just a huge fan of the IP. I am not working on, or know anything about the supposed DCC pinball machine at this time. I only know as much as you guys. But... I am beyond excited for the release and am anxiously anticipating something awesome here just like everyone else. Who Multimorphic hired Glenn Waechter - Ian Harrower comes off last year's Portal and is also the creative force behind two indie P³ games, Bird Watcher and Blood Bank Billiards, under Ian Harrower Games. - Brad Albright did Portal's art, bringing Aperture Science to a playfield after a long wait for a production-game debut. - Josh Kugler was software lead on 2024's The Princess Bride. - Glenn Waechter's sound work runs through homebrew: Battle of the Baron, Saw (Best Sound in a Homebrew, 2024 Pinball Expo), and head-to-head Monster League Hockey. - Wesley Johnson is a Houston-area competitive player, a former Space City Open champion currently ranked 131st on the IFPA Pro circuit, who first met the P³ at TPF 2018 and is friends with founder Gerry Stellenberg. Indie P³ developers, homebrew sound designers, and competitive players. Multimorphic staffed these two games largely out of its own platform's community. Ender's Game, the one nobody saw coming Multimorphic attached no theme to this one publicly before Monday, and it's a genuinely unusual pinball license: Orson Scott Card's 1985 military science-fiction novel, a Hugo and Nebula winner, with a 2013 film adaptation that came and went. You play Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a six-year-old prodigy arriving at Battle School with no idea the fate of humanity rests on him. The rules run on a two-sided captive ball balance mechanism holding up to six balls, which the player shifts from side to side to set their levels of compassion and aggression. Tip too far either way and consequences follow. Stellenberg frames it as the point of the whole design: Throughout the novel, the reader is deeply connected to Ender's struggle to accept that he defeats his deadliest opponents by understanding and even loving them. We wanted to connect the pinball player in similar ways, requiring them to constantly adjust that balance between compassion and aggression throughout gameplay. Make allies, survive rivals, train, win battles, and you climb to Command School and the final simulation — where, as anyone who's read the book knows, not everything is what it appears to be. Pricing & Editions There are no editions here. Each game comes one way, and the only real choice is whether you're buying a machine or a kit. As a complete P³ machine — $12,350 for Dungeon Crawler Carl, $11,750 for Ender's Game, plus shipping. Deposit is $2,500 either way, non-refundable, with the balance due when your machine enters production. Cabinet artwork is your choice at that point; you can take the game's art package or a different one.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 0cc70ada-b13a-472e-9664-6bc6c15f6ddf*