# American Pinball Bringing "Something New" to Texas Pinball Festival; Only a Few Predators Remain

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-03-17  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/american-pinball-bringing-something-new-to-texas-pinball-festival-only-a-few-predators-remain

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## Analysis

American Pinball is teasing an unannounced reveal at Texas Pinball Festival (March 20-22, 2026), with credible reports suggesting a revised Houdini remaster featuring new art by Christopher Franchi. Separately, Pinball Brothers announced only 27 Predator and 3 Alien machines remain in production, with a new $499 'Survival Kit' accessory pack now available for parts preservation.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] American Pinball is bringing 'something new' to Texas Pinball Festival — _American Pinball official Facebook post quoted in Knapp Arcade article_
- [MEDIUM] A revised version of Houdini with new art by Christopher Franchi will be revealed at TPF — _Knapp Arcade reports hearing this from unspecified sources; corroborated by Christopher Franchi comment that he worked on art for an American Pinball project with Spooky's permission_
- [HIGH] Cirqus Voltaire will not be the first game out from American Pinball — _Christopher Franchi stated this in comments on a recent pinball livestream_
- [HIGH] Pinball Brothers has only 27 Predator machines remaining — _Pinball Brothers official announcement quoted in article_
- [HIGH] Pinball Brothers has only 3 Alien machines remaining — _Pinball Brothers official announcement quoted in article_
- [HIGH] Pinball Brothers released a 'Survival Kit' for Predator priced at $499 — _Knapp Arcade article citing Pinball Brothers announcement; kit contents detailed_

### Notable Quotes

> "Working on something exciting for TPF!!!"
> — **American Pinball**, March 17, 2026
> _Official teaser for unannounced reveal at Texas Pinball Festival_

> "Cirqus Voltaire is not going to be the first game out from American Pinball. He went on to say that he worked on some Art for American pinball for a project with Spooky's permission."
> — **Christopher Franchi**, Recent pinball livestream (pre-March 17, 2026)
> _Insider artist confirmation that Houdini remaster (not Circus Voltaire) is likely the TPF reveal_

> "Only 27 Predator games remain. Alien is nearly gone as well, with only 3 games left."
> — **Pinball Brothers**, March 17, 2026
> _Official confirmation of severe production scarcity; signals end of production run_

> "If I owned a Predator, I 100% would buy a kit for my game to have just in case."
> — **Knapp Arcade**, March 17, 2026
> _Editorial commentary on parts availability concerns for limited-run boutique games_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pinball | company | Chicago-area pinball manufacturer; teasing unannounced reveal at Texas Pinball Festival; likely remastering Houdini with new art |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball industry trade show and tournament (March 20-22, 2026) where American Pinball will make announcement |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Spooky Pinball artist; confirmed he worked on art for American Pinball project; collaborated on revised Houdini artwork |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; producer of Predator and Alien pinball machines; announced production near completion |
| Houdini | game | American Pinball's 2017 debut game; being remastered with new art by Christopher Franchi for potential TPF reveal |
| Predator | game | Pinball Brothers game based on Predator film IP; only 27 units remaining in production |
| Alien | game | Pinball Brothers game based on Alien franchise; only 3 units remaining in production |
| Cirqus Voltaire | game | Potential American Pinball title; Christopher Franchi confirmed it will NOT be the first American Pinball game out |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; gave permission for Christopher Franchi to work on American Pinball project |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball news and media outlet; published this story and commentary |

### Signals

- **[announcement]** American Pinball officially teased an unannounced reveal at Texas Pinball Festival via Facebook (confidence: high) — Direct quote from American Pinball Facebook post: 'Working on something exciting for TPF!!!'
- **[machine_intel]** Credible reporting that American Pinball is releasing a revised Houdini with new art by Christopher Franchi at TPF (confidence: medium) — Christopher Franchi's livestream comment corroborates parts of the story; Knapp Arcade cites unspecified sources
- **[product_launch]** Pinball Brothers Predator and Alien machines reaching end of production with only 27 and 3 units remaining respectively (confidence: high) — Official Pinball Brothers announcement with specific unit counts and call to action
- **[product_strategy]** Pinball Brothers released $499 'Survival Kit' containing plastics, decals, targets, figurines, rubbers, and switches for Predator (confidence: high) — Detailed kit contents listed in article; signals manufacturer awareness of parts scarcity concerns for limited-run games
- **[collector_signal]** Severe scarcity of Predator and Alien machines creates urgent buying signal for collectors; secondary market premiums likely to increase (confidence: high) — Only 27 Predator and 3 Alien units remaining; Pinball Brothers issued urgent deadline notice to distributors
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival positioned as major announcement venue for American Pinball reveal; consistent with industry pattern of TPF announcements (confidence: high) — American Pinball teasing reveal for TPF (March 20-22, 2026); historical pattern of major announcements at TPF
- **[design_philosophy]** American Pinball choosing to remaster debut title (Houdini) rather than pursue untested themes; suggests business focus shift toward proven IP and quality over novelty (confidence: medium) — Revised Houdini with new art by renowned artist Christopher Franchi; departure from Circus Voltaire timeline
- **[sentiment_shift]** Parts preservation accessory launch reflects manufacturer response to collector anxiety about long-term support for limited-run boutique games (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade editorial endorsement of Survival Kit; Pinball Brothers proactively offering parts preservation solution

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## Transcript

News American Pinball Bringing "Something New" to Texas Pinball Festival; Only a Few Predators Remain k knapparcade March 17, 2026 Moments ago, American Pinball dropped a post on Facebook showing off games on its assembly line and teasing that it is bringing something new to the Texas Pinball Festival: " Working on something exciting for TPF!!!" On a recent pinball livestream Spooky Pinball artist Christopher Franchi stated in the comments how Circus Voltaire is not going to be the first game out from American Pinball. He went on to say that he worked on some Art for American pinball for a project with Spooky's permission. I'm hearing that AP is going to reveal a slightly revised version of its debut pinball machine from 2017, Houdini at TPF. Word is that this version of the game will include new art by Mr. Franchi. !Advertisement * In other pinball news, this afternoon Pinball Brothers announced that it only has 27 Predator and 3 Alien pinball machines remaining. Anyone who is interested in getting a Predator should do so now. I have to say, it is going to be a seriously rare game when all is said and done. People who are worried about getting replacement parts in the future can even purchase Pinball Brothers' new "Survival Kit" for the game. The kit includes a complete set of the game's plastics and decals, 4 standup targets, 2 Tautja Figurines, 2 Camp Sculpts, a rubber kit and 2 opto switches for $499. If I owned a Predator, I 100% would buy a kit for my game to have just in case. " Only 27 Predator Pinball games remain. Alien is nearly gone as well, with only 3 games left. Contact your distributor now to secure one of the last games on the planet. If you have already placed an order with your distributor, please reach out to them now and make sure they have submitted the order to us. It is important to confirm that everything is in place before the deadline so that your game is 100% secured. Thank you. If you have any questions, email us now at sales@pinballbrothers.com You can find all our distributors in the comments." New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Posted 30 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles American Pinball Bringing "Something New" to Texas Pinball Festival; Only a Few Predators Remain 30 minutes ago New Head-to-Head Pinball Is Finally Coming; Amusement Expo 2026; New Factory for a Known Pinball Manufacturer In The Works about 8 hours ago Video of Stern Pinball's Pokémon on the Line; Pokémon Topper Coming Soon?; Bally World Cup Soccer Comes & Goes; Friday the 13th Pinball 4 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 17da4769-35b3-4c4e-aaf5-7850df0c547c*