# RUMOR: Dutch Pinball Partnering with Stern Pinball to Produce Back to the Future

**Source:** Kineticist  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-02-13  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/news/dutch-pinball-partnering-with-stern

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## Analysis

Dutch Pinball's DPX sub-brand shut down following the departure of creative partner Melvin Williams and the entry of new Dutch investors with a different strategic vision. Owner Barry Driessen confirmed the collapse was driven by commercial disagreements on margin structure and announced Dutch Pinball would refocus on original titles. Kineticist reports that cryptic Facebook comments from Driessen mentioning 'an months' may hint at a partnership with Stern Pinball to produce Back to the Future, though the rumor remains unconfirmed.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] DPX collaboration ended due to misalignment on commercial terms around a planned second title — _Barry Driessen's official statement shared by CoinTaker on Pinside, cited directly in article_
- [HIGH] Melvin Williams departed Dutch Pinball as a result of the DPX split — _Article headline and opening paragraph confirm this occurred earlier in the week_
- [HIGH] Two new Dutch investors have entered Dutch Pinball with different strategic vision — _Barry Driessen's statement confirms entry of new investors and notes strategic/financial impact_
- [HIGH] Dutch Pinball will refocus on developing and producing its own original titles — _Direct quote from Driessen's official statement_
- [HIGH] Dutch Pinball is completing remaining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland machines — _Mentioned in Driessen's statement as ongoing commitment_
- [LOW] Cryptic Facebook comments from Driessen mentioning 'an months' may hint at a Stern Pinball partnership for Back to the Future — _Kineticist editorial interpretation of deleted Facebook comments; speculation flagged by author as interpretive reading_

### Notable Quotes

> "a misalignment on commercial terms, specifically regarding margin structure and long-term sustainability for all parties involved"
> — **Barry Driessen**
> _Official explanation for DPX collapse; indicates commercial/financial rather than creative reasons for split_

> "Dutch Pinball will therefore refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles, where creative control, production planning, and commercial execution are fully integrated within the company"
> — **Barry Driessen**
> _Strategic pivot away from external collaborations; signals major operational change in company direction_

> "an months"
> — **Barry Driessen**
> _Cryptic phrasing in Driessen's letter that Kineticist speculates may reference upcoming announcements, possibly Stern partnership_

> "This type of external collaboration introduces a level of complexity and dependency that does not align with how we want to build and scale the company going forward"
> — **Barry Driessen**
> _Rationale for ending DPX model; suggests Dutch Pinball prioritizes vertical integration and control_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Dutch Pinball | company | Netherlands-based boutique pinball manufacturer undergoing major restructuring; DPX sub-brand shut down, Melvin Williams departed, new Dutch investors entered with strategic shift away from external collaborations |
| Barry Driessen | person | Owner of Dutch Pinball; issued official statement confirming DPX collapse and strategic reorientation toward original titles |
| Melvin Williams | person | Creative partner with Dutch Pinball; departed company following DPX shutdown and investor entry; associated with DPX sub-brand projects |
| Stern Pinball | company | Rumored potential partner to produce Back to the Future with Dutch Pinball, based on cryptic comments; partnership unconfirmed |
| Back to the Future | game | Licensed pinball title in long-term development by Dutch Pinball; rumored to potentially shift to Stern partnership for production; status unclear after DPX restructuring |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | game | Dutch Pinball title with remaining units in production; Driessen confirmed continued commitment to completion and delivery |
| DPX | product | Dutch Pinball's sub-brand focused on collector-targeted limited-run machines; shut down earlier this week due to commercial disagreements and strategic realignment |
| Kineticist | organization | Pinball media/news outlet publishing this rumor analysis; authored by Colin |
| CoinTaker | person | Pinside user who shared Barry Driessen's official statement about DPX collapse and strategic changes |
| Colin | person | Chief editor/author at Kineticist; analyst writing this article; also contributor to This Week in Pinball and pinball community |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Dutch Pinball restructuring and investor entry, DPX sub-brand shutdown, Melvin Williams departure, Back to the Future production status and rumored Stern partnership
- **Secondary:** Alice's Adventures in Wonderland production updates, Strategic shift toward original titles vs. external collaborations

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Two new Dutch investors entered Dutch Pinball with stated goal to strengthen company financially and strategically, triggering major operational reorientation away from DPX collaboration model (confidence: high) — Barry Driessen's official statement confirming investor entry and strategic shift; timing correlates with DPX shutdown and Melvin Williams departure
- **[personnel_signal]** Melvin Williams departed Dutch Pinball as creative partner following DPX shutdown; departure driven by investor entry and strategic misalignment (confidence: high) — Article confirms Williams departure occurred this week; linked to DPX collapse and new investor vision
- **[product_strategy]** Dutch Pinball abandoning external collaboration model (DPX) to pursue vertical integration with focus on developing and producing original titles with full internal control (confidence: high) — Driessen statement: 'Dutch Pinball will therefore refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles' with integrated control
- **[rumor_hype]** Cryptic reference in Driessen's statement ('an months') interpreted by Kineticist as possible hint toward Stern Pinball partnership for Back to the Future production (confidence: low) — Kineticist notes cryptic phrasing is 'hard to not read as perhaps a nod toward the Stern partnership and BTTF'; comments subsequently deleted; explicitly marked as speculative interpretation
- **[machine_intel]** Status of Back to the Future remains unclear following DPX restructuring; license retention and production timeline unconfirmed despite community concerns (confidence: medium) — Article notes Pinball fans concerned about licensing, development status, and delivery; speculates answers may be 'yes' but provides no confirmation
- **[product_launch]** Dutch Pinball committed to completing remaining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland units with toppers update forthcoming within days (confidence: high) — Driessen statement: 'Dutch Pinball is fully committed to completing the remaining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland machines' with topper update promised
- **[industry_signal]** Dutch Pinball's rejection of external collaboration model suggests broader industry trend toward vertical integration and internal control over shared production arrangements (confidence: medium) — Driessen cites 'complexity and dependency' of external partnerships as reason to return to fully internal development and production
- **[licensing_signal]** Rumored potential Stern Pinball involvement in Back to the Future production may indicate licensing complexity or production capacity constraints at Dutch Pinball (confidence: low) — Kineticist speculates Stern partnership based on cryptic comments; no official confirmation; timing aligns with restructuring but remains unconfirmed

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## Transcript

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The news comes on the heels of a turbulent week for Dutch Pinball. Earlier this week, DPX — Dutch Pinball's sub-brand focused on collector-targeted, limited-run machines — shut down, and creative partner Melvin Williams departed the company. That split was driven by new investors entering Dutch Pinball with a different vision for the company's direction.
Shortly after the news broke, Dutch Pinball owner Barry Driessen sent an update to key partners, which was subsequently shared by CoinTaker on Pinside. In it, Driessen confirmed the end of the DPX collaboration, citing "a misalignment on commercial terms" around a planned second title. He said Dutch Pinball would "refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles" and announced the addition of two new Dutch investors who "strengthen the company financially and strategically."
The full statement read:
Dear Dutch Pinball partner,
We would like to update you directly on a few important developments at Dutch Pinball.
Dutch Pinball confirms that its collaboration under the working name DPX, involving an external creative partner, has come to an end.
While the first title was successfully brought to market, discussions around a potential second title revealed a misalignment on commercial terms, specifically regarding margin structure and long-term sustainability for all parties involved. As a result, both sides mutually agreed to discontinue not only the second project, but the collaboration as a whole.
Based on this experience, Dutch Pinball has concluded that this type of external collaboration introduces a level of complexity and dependency that does not align with how we want to build and scale the company going forward.
Dutch Pinball will therefore refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles, where creative control, production planning, and commercial execution are fully integrated within the company.
We are pleased to share that Dutch Pinball has recently welcomed two Dutch entrepreneurial investors, both with a strong passion for pinball, who strengthen the company financially and strategically. Their involvement enables Dutch Pinball to operate in a more professional, stable, and well-capitalized manner.
Dutch Pinball is fully committed to completing the remaining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland machines and continues to work diligently toward final delivery. A short update regarding the toppers will be shared in a few days.
An announcement regarding new Dutch Pinball projects will follow in the next couple of months.
We thank our distributors, partners, and customers for their continued trust and support.
Hartelijke groet, Herzliche Grüße, kind regards, Barry Driessen
Driessen's letter also mentions that "an announcement regarding new Dutch Pinball projects will follow in the next couple of months" — which, read alongside the Facebook comments, is hard to not read as perhaps a nod toward the Stern partnership and BTTF.
Pinball fans had mostly been concerned about what the DPX collapse might mean for the often-rumored Back to the Future machine — whether Dutch Pinball still had the license, whether the game was still in development, and whether it would ever see the light of day. Based on what surfaced before the comments were deleted, the answer to all three may still be yes.
Colin is the chief pixel pusher at Kineticist. He's a lifetime gamer who became enamored with pinball after taking in a family copy of the 1979 classic Joker Poker (the EM version). Since then he's bought, sold and repaired many machines, competed in all kinds of tournaments, and contributes to This Week in Pinball, the New Robert Englunds Pinball League, and Pin-Masters of New Robert Englunds. Previously, Colin spent over a decade working in marketing for agencies and tech startups. He also started and ran a music blog, happy hour website, and wrote a regular craft beer review column for Central Track in Dallas. Once aspired to be an artsy film director.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0dacad54-4998-4281-a899-0fbe85ddc312*