# 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 a new announcement for Texas Pinball Festival, with insider reports suggesting a revised Houdini release featuring new artwork by Spooky artist Christopher Franchi. Separately, Pinball Brothers announced only 27 Predator and 3 Alien machines remain in production, positioning Predator as a rare collectible and offering a $499 'Survival Kit' for parts compatibility.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] American Pinball is bringing 'something new' to Texas Pinball Festival — _Direct Facebook post from American Pinball quoted in article: 'Working on something exciting for TPF!!!'_
- [MEDIUM] American Pinball will reveal a revised version of Houdini with new art by Christopher Franchi — _Article states 'I'm hearing that AP is going to reveal a slightly revised version of its debut pinball machine from 2017, Houdini at TPF' and cites Christopher Franchi comment confirming he worked on art for American Pinball with Spooky's permission_
- [HIGH] Circus Voltaire will not be the first game released by American Pinball — _Christopher Franchi stated in livestream comments: 'Circus Voltaire is not going to be the first game out from American Pinball'_
- [HIGH] Only 27 Predator machines remain and 3 Alien machines remain — _Official Pinball Brothers statement quoted in article_
- [HIGH] Pinball Brothers is offering a 'Survival Kit' for Predator containing plastics, decals, targets, figurines, rubber kit and switches for $499 — _Official Pinball Brothers announcement with detailed kit contents listed_

### Notable Quotes

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

> "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."
> — **Christopher Franchi**, Recent livestream (date unspecified)
> _Insider confirmation that American Pinball's TPF reveal is not Circus Voltaire, clarifies Franchi's involvement_

> "Only 27 Predator Pinball games remain. Alien is nearly gone as well, with only 3 games left."
> — **Pinball Brothers**, March 17, 2026
> _Official production endgame announcement positioning Predator as rare collectible_

> "If I owned a Predator, I 100% would buy a kit for my game to have just in case."
> — **Knapp Arcade author**, March 17, 2026
> _Editorial endorsement of parts preservation strategy for retiring game_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer with upcoming TPF announcement; history of production delays and leadership changes; poised to reveal revised Houdini |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major North American pinball expo where American Pinball is teasing a new announcement; scheduled March 20-22, 2026 |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Renowned pinball artist at Spooky Pinball; confirmed involvement in new American Pinball artwork; working on revised Houdini art with Spooky's permission |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Scandinavian boutique manufacturer entering end-of-production phase; announcing final production runs of Predator and Alien with only 27 and 3 units respectively remaining |
| Houdini | game | American Pinball's 2017 debut title; rumored to receive revised version with new artwork by Christopher Franchi for TPF reveal |
| Circus Voltaire | game | American Pinball/Spooky project; confirmed NOT to be first release from American Pinball despite earlier speculation |
| Predator | game | Pinball Brothers widebody title; entering final production with only 27 units remaining; positioning as rare collectible; Survival Kit parts bundle available for $499 |
| Alien | game | Pinball Brothers widebody title; near end-of-production with only 3 units remaining |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball industry news and media platform; source of this article; covering American Pinball and Pinball Brothers announcements |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Employer of Christopher Franchi; approved permission for Franchi to work on American Pinball project |

### Topics

- **Primary:** American Pinball production and announcements, Texas Pinball Festival 2026, Pinball Brothers end-of-production strategy
- **Secondary:** Parts preservation and collectibility, Rare game scarcity and FOMO dynamics, Christopher Franchi as cross-company artist

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[announcement]** American Pinball officially teases new announcement for Texas Pinball Festival with cryptic Facebook post (confidence: high) — Direct Facebook post: 'Working on something exciting for TPF!!!'
- **[machine_intel]** Revised Houdini version with new artwork by Christopher Franchi expected at TPF (confidence: medium) — Article cites insider source and Christopher Franchi's livestream comment confirming art work for American Pinball
- **[collector_signal]** Predator positioned as rare collectible as production winds down to final 27 units (confidence: high) — Official Pinball Brothers production endgame statement with specific unit counts
- **[product_strategy]** Pinball Brothers releasing $499 Survival Kit of replacement parts for Predator as production ends (confidence: high) — Official Survival Kit announcement with detailed contents list and pricing
- **[market_signal]** Limited remaining inventory of Predator and Alien machines creating urgency and FOMO among collectors and operators (confidence: high) — Pinball Brothers urging distributors to confirm orders before deadline, positioning final units as rare
- **[personnel_signal]** Christopher Franchi working on American Pinball project while employed by Spooky Pinball with explicit permission (confidence: high) — Franchi's livestream comment: 'he worked on some Art for American pinball for a project with Spooky's permission'
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival serving as venue for major American Pinball product announcement (confidence: high) — American Pinball Facebook post directly referencing TPF as timing for announcement
- **[business_signal]** Pinball Brothers entering final production phase with clear end-of-life for Predator and Alien titles (confidence: high) — Official statement with specific unit counts and deadline language

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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

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 17da4769-35b3-4c4e-aaf5-7850df0c547c*