# American Pinball Don't Mess This Up! **Source:** Cary Hardy **Type:** video **Published:** 2022-04-29 **Duration:** 8m 4s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2zuUr1yQ8 --- ## Analysis Cary Hardy celebrates American Pinball's hiring of Ryan McQuaid as a designer, strongly advocating that they produce a Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine based on his acclaimed homebrew. While no Sonic game has been officially announced, Hardy argues this would be American Pinball's best theme yet, emphasizing the importance of securing classic video game music licensing and leveraging Ryan's existing work and expertise. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Ryan McQuaid homebrewed Sonic Spinball and spent years building, crafting, and coding the game — _Cary Hardy directly states Ryan 'homebrewed Sonic Spinball' and 'has spent years building, crafting, doing all the coding and stuff like that for this game'_ - [HIGH] American Pinball has officially announced Ryan McQuaid as their new designer — _'american pinball has officially announced their new designer and it's ryan mcquade' — Hardy presents this as confirmed news_ - [HIGH] Sonic game announcement has NOT been official; it is speculation based on Ryan's hiring — _Hardy explicitly states: 'They did not announce that he has been hired and they are going to be making Sonic. That is not official.'_ - [MEDIUM] Dennis Nordman's game is the next American Pinball release after Ryan's potential Sonic title — _Hardy states 'Dennis Nordman's game is next' and implies Sonic could potentially come after that, but acknowledges uncertainty about the roadmap_ - [MEDIUM] The homebrew Sonic Spinball game already has most coding completed and primarily needs art/final polish — _Hardy says to David Fix: 'you just need to get the art pretty much for this game He got a lot of the coding'_ - [MEDIUM] Music is the most critical element of Sonic that cannot be compromised in a pinball adaptation — _Hardy emphasizes: 'the number one thing that you do not mess with is the music this is one of the main things' and 'the music is what made it'_ - [HIGH] Sonic movies did not implement orchestrated versions of classic video game music — _Hardy states this as fact about the movies: 'they didn't implement any like orchestrated versions of the video game music'_ - [HIGH] Ryan's homebrew Sonic game includes classic video game soundtrack — _'he has all the classic songs in this game' — Hardy confirms Ryan's version includes the original music_ ### Notable Quotes > "american pinball has officially announced their new designer and it's ryan mcquade" > — **Cary Hardy**, 0:00 > _Opening announcement of the video's main news_ > "They did not announce that he has been hired and they are going to be making Sonic. That is not official." > — **Cary Hardy**, early > _Clarifies that Sonic game is speculation, not confirmed, despite Ryan's hiring_ > "the number one thing that you do not mess with is the music" > — **Cary Hardy**, mid > _Core argument about what makes Sonic essential to the theme_ > "If it's not Sonic, wasted opportunity, wasted potential right there." > — **Cary Hardy**, end > _Strong statement about the stakes if American Pinball doesn't pursue Sonic_ > "if they are going to do Sonic, it will be their best theme yet" > — **Cary Hardy**, late > _Bold claim about Sonic's potential as American Pinball's strongest property_ > "It's because you are smacked in the face with nostalgia." > — **Cary Hardy**, mid > _Describes the emotional appeal of classic Sonic music in the homebrew_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Ryan McQuaid | person | Newly hired designer at American Pinball; creator of the homebrew Sonic Spinball pinball game; spent years building and coding the game | | Cary Hardy | person | YouTube content creator focused on pinball; host/creator of this video; Sonic enthusiast advocating for American Pinball to produce Sonic Pinball | | David Fix | person | Leadership at American Pinball; Cary has met him at Expo and Texas Pinball Festival; decision-maker for game themes and announcements | | Dennis Nordman | person | Designer at American Pinball; his game is next in the production pipeline; positioned as mentor figure who could provide guidance to Ryan McQuaid | | Steve Bowden | person | Staff member at American Pinball; positioned as rules expert who could collaborate with Ryan on game mechanics refinement | | American Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; just hired Ryan McQuaid as designer; has history of niche/specialty themes | | Sonic Spinball | game | Homebrew pinball machine designed and coded by Ryan McQuaid; based on Sonic the Hedgehog IP; includes classic video game music and sound effects | | Sonic the Hedgehog | game | Video game IP; classic 1990s game with strong nostalgic appeal; recent movie releases and new game (Sonic Origins) driving renewed interest | | Sonic Origins | game | Upcoming Sonic video game mentioned as giving 'a whole new rebirth to the classic games' | | Sega | company | Rights holder for Sonic IP; would need to approve licensing for Sonic Pinball if American Pinball pursues it | ### Topics - **Primary:** American Pinball designer hiring and game announcements, Sonic Spinball homebrew game and its potential commercial release, Music licensing and IP acquisition for pinball games - **Secondary:** American Pinball production roadmap and Dennis Nordman's upcoming title, Sonic franchise resurgence and nostalgic appeal, Collaboration between designers and technical staff at American Pinball - **Mentioned:** Community engagement and advocacy for specific game themes ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Cary Hardy is enthusiastic and celebratory about Ryan McQuaid's hiring, highly optimistic about Sonic Pinball's potential, and passionate about advocating for the game. Mild frustration expressed about past American Pinball theme choices ('We have a history of bringing themes to everyone that fall flat'), but overall tone is encouraging and supportive of the company and designer. ### Signals - **[sentiment_shift]** Strong community enthusiasm for Sonic Pinball among Sonic franchise fans; Cary cites personal pre-order interest and calls for community voice (confidence: medium) — 'I called Zack immediately when it was announced I was like put me down for Sonic' and 'All you Sonic fans, let your voices be heard. Put your comments down below' - **[design_philosophy]** Homebrew Sonic Spinball designed with emphasis on classic video game audio/aesthetic as core appeal; original music and sound effects are the primary value proposition (confidence: high) — Cary emphasizes that in Ryan's game 'he has all the classic songs in this game, which is what really makes it even more pleasurable to play. It's because you are smacked in the face with nostalgia.' - **[market_signal]** Sonic franchise experiencing cultural resurgence through recent movie releases and upcoming Sonic Origins game, positioning Sonic Pinball as timely IP (confidence: medium) — 'Especially with the movies coming out, we have a complete resurgence of Sonic, as well as a new Sonic game called Sonic Origins that is merely around the corner' - **[licensing_signal]** Sonic IP licensing with Sega would be required for official Sonic Pinball production; classic video game music licensing emphasized as critical (confidence: medium) — Cary states 'I'm hoping that you're gonna be able to get the licensing to use the old school classic music' and appeals to 'Sega is willing to shake hands on this' - **[personnel_signal]** Ryan McQuaid officially hired as designer at American Pinball, representing talent acquisition for boutique manufacturer (confidence: high) — Cary states 'american pinball has officially announced their new designer and it's ryan mcquade' - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball's next official release is Dennis Nordman's game; Ryan McQuaid's potential Sonic title would come after that, likely 2+ years away (confidence: medium) — 'Obviously, they're not going to be able to put it out for another couple of years, more than likely. Dennis Nordman's game is next.' - **[rumor_hype]** Strong community speculation that American Pinball will produce Sonic Spinball as official commercial title, though not yet officially announced (confidence: medium) — Cary explicitly clarifies this is not official: 'They did not announce that he has been hired and they are going to be making Sonic. That is not official. It is one of those things where they could, they could not.' --- ## Transcript What I'm trying to say, if you cannot already tell, is that I can't stand Sonic. what's up guys and welcome back to my channel where i talk and do everything pinball so if that sounds interesting to you then hit that subscribe button down below american pinball has officially announced their new designer and it's Ryan McQuaid and if you do not know who ryan McQuaid is, he is the individual that homebrewed Sonic Spinball. This is what the shirt is all about. He has spent years building, crafting, doing all the coding and stuff like that for this game, and I'm a huge fan of it. I'm mainly a huge fan of Sonic. I grew up playing all the Sonic games. Some of the games I did not show you are my Sega Dreamcast games. They're in a box over here, my gaming stuff, but I do have games for that as well. But here's the thing. Though Ryan has crafted a great game and done a very good job of doing it, he's been hired as a designer. They did not announce that he has been hired and they are going to be making Sonic. That is not official. It is one of those things where they could, they could not. Although if they don't, it is a huge mistake. David Fix I'm talking to you I've talked to you at Expo I've talked to you at Texas Pinball Festival we've had this conversation I am very happy that you have signed Ryan onto the team now just get this game get the theme going I mean a lot of the work is already done the game is done you just need to get the art pretty much for this game He got a lot of the coding but the thing is now that he is on board with American, you have Dennis Nordman that can essentially take him under his wing, maybe even make some slight adjustments to the game to give him some tips here and there to make it even better. And he's also there with Steven Bowden, who's going to be able to help him with the rules of the game, make some tweaks to be able to collaborate together to make the game even better than it already is. I can only imagine what that would be like. Like, David Fix is talking to Ryan, like, you know, Ryan, we want to bring you on board. We like what you're doing. What you're doing with Sonic is great, and he's all excited, like, yes, I'm finally going to get this machine built that I have a strong passion for. I'm finally going to get to see it to its full potential. This is great. And what is David going to be like, no, no, well, We like what you're doing, but Sonic, that theme speaks to too many people. Too many people have nostalgia and are willing to buy it. We have a history of bringing themes to everyone that fall flat. And we want to continue that trend. So we're going to give you the ability to make our first music pin. Nickelback. What a kick to the groin that would be. But I feel strongly that this would be a great move for American Pinball to get Sonic Spinball as their game. Obviously, they're not going to be able to put it out for another couple of years, more than likely. Dennis Nordman's game is next. And we don't know if another game is going in behind that one or if they might be able to get Ryan's in there. I don't know. But Nordman's is next. But it's a great theme. I think it would sell tremendously. and if you do Sonic and you do it just as like he's already done my name is already on a list I called Zack immediately when it was announced I was like put me down for Sonic because that is a dream thing to me it is a game that I thoroughly enjoyed and there are many reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed it And these are a couple of the things that I would really hope American Pinball, David, listen to me. And I don't have to talk to Ryan. Ryan knows this just as well as I do. And I'm hoping that this can be stressed. but there are certain things that you better not mess with if you do this game and the number one thing that you do not mess with is the music this is one of the main things those of us out there that grew up playing sonic and enjoyed it so much it was the music the music is the best part almost i mean yes it's a very fun game it's fast and it's great to play but the music is what made it and if you mess with that it's not you're gonna mess up a good thing so i'm hoping that you're gonna be able to get the licensing to use the old school classic music do not do the movies the movies aren't bad i would just prefer it to be the classic video games that was one of my biggest gripes about the movies is that they didn't implement any like orchestrated versions of the video game music. For those of you out there that have played Ryan's game, you know just as well as I do that he has all the classic songs in this game, which is what really makes it even more pleasurable to play. It's because you are smacked in the face with nostalgia. The sound effects are there when you're fighting Robotnik and you're making those shots at him. The sound effects, it just immediately brings me back. As of right now, we do not have any further details on it. this is obviously me just praying, crossing my fingers, that they are in fact going to be doing Sonic. And if they are doing Sonic it will be my first American Pinball game Alright guys you got a great theme I hoping that Sega is willing to shake hands on this and give you everything that you possibly want Ryan, please fight for what we both know this game needs to have in it. I have full faith in your abilities when it comes to Sonic. And David Fix, in the future when you do the official announcement for Sonic if slash when you do this then you better be dressed up as Dr. Robotnik. Then And finally, that mustache of yours will serve a purpose. I know there's a great deal out there of you that enjoy this theme as much, if not even more, than me. And especially with the movies coming out, we have a complete resurgence of Sonic, as well as a new Sonic game called Sonic Origins that is merely around the corner as well, that's giving a whole new rebirth to the classic games. Now, obviously, Sonic is not going to speak to every one of you out there, but you have to admit that if they are going to do Sonic, it will be their best theme yet. Can we at least agree on that? So I've got my fingers crossed for you, American Pinball, that you will make the right decision and get this theme. I cannot say it enough. If it's not Sonic, wasted opportunity, wasted potential right there. All you Sonic fans, let your voices be heard. Put your comments down below letting them know that you want this game. Give me a thumbs up, subscribe button, ding my dong. That way you can be notified of whenever I upload something for your viewing pleasure. And until next time, guys, peace out. you _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 170deb0c-2f3e-4202-aa69-f7a27b7dd2df*