# TEAM PINBALL REVEALED

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2018-07-21  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/07/21/team-pinball-revealed

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## Analysis

Team Pinball, a new boutique pinball manufacturer based in Cardiff, South Wales, has revealed their first game, The Mafia, after over a year of secret development. Founded by former Heighway Pinball employees Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti, and Romain Fontaine, the company has already built ten Founders Edition machines and plans to produce up to 100 units total at a retail price of £6,750 (US $7,500). The game features a single-level design with Raspberry Pi-based control system, custom Linux OS, and hand-drawn artwork.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Team Pinball completed development of The Mafia in approximately 3.5 years (initial theme discussion + 1.5 years to first prototype + 2 years to ten production units), working part-time while maintaining full-time jobs — _Romain Fontaine timeline statement in interview_
- [HIGH] The team plans to produce a maximum of 100 units of The Mafia, made-to-order in small batches of ten-to-fifteen units per month — _Romain Fontaine statement on production limits and strategy_
- [HIGH] All three founders previously worked together at Heighway Pinball before forming Team Pinball — _Article statement: 'They all worked together at Heighway Pinball for several years until leaving to form their new venture'_
- [HIGH] The Mafia uses a Raspberry Pi 3 running a custom Linux operating system (JOS) written in C++ for game control — _Janos Kiss technical explanation of hardware and software architecture_
- [HIGH] The game uses standard WMS flipper and pop bumper mechanisms and common pinball parts to ensure operator-friendliness and technical longevity — _Janos Kiss statement on component selection; Otília Pasaréti statement on spare parts availability_

### Notable Quotes

> "Naturally it was pinball that brought us together. It is not just simply that we love playing pinball, but we always wanted to design and make our own games. It is so exciting to see our sketches come to life and then join people's collections or arcades!"
> — **Janos Kiss**
> _Captures founding motivation and philosophy of Team Pinball_

> "JOR stands for Janos-Otília-Romain, and it is brilliant as it means us – the Team."
> — **Otília Pasaréti**
> _Explains company name origin and emphasis on collaborative team structure_

> "We learned that we shared a common passion about designing games and that we can work effectively together as team players. We also learned that you have to learn how to walk before you can run."
> — **Otília Pasaréti**
> _Reflects on lessons learned from Heighway Pinball experience_

> "We kept the development secret because we wanted to build the first run of ten machines before going public. That means we have already done the majority of the research and development by now."
> — **Janos Kiss**
> _Explains stealth development strategy and rationale for keeping project confidential_

> "The Mafia pinball is a single-level game, offering a classic pinball experience to the many without sacrificing the fun of the game. It has a simple, easy to explain ruleset which makes it easy to understand and fun to play, even for novice players."
> — **Janos Kiss**
> _Core design philosophy emphasizing accessibility and classic pinball experience_

> "The Mafia pinball will be made-to-order, and a small number will be produced each month. It is a de-facto collectible game. The total number of production games that will ever be produced is limited to 100 units."
> — **Romain Fontaine**
> _Establishes production strategy and collectibility positioning_

> "The platform is composed of a Raspberry Pi 3 and a single electronic board (R-board) with through-hole components... The CPU will send responses to the solenoids in less than 3 milliseconds giving sharp feedback and a no-lag experience for the player."
> — **Romain Fontaine**
> _Technical detail on hardware architecture and performance specifications_

> "Our game is an entry level machine with hand-drawn art across the cabinet and on the screen, and original – composed for the game – music giving an authentic pinball experience. We believe this game is bringing something new, something fresh to the market, a game designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts!"
> — **Janos Kiss**
> _Market positioning and target audience definition_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Team Pinball | company | New boutique pinball manufacturer founded by Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti, and Romain Fontaine, based in Cardiff, South Wales. Operating under parent company JOR Games Limited. |
| Janos Kiss | person | Co-founder of Team Pinball; software engineer by profession; responsible for game software development and custom Linux OS (JOS) for The Mafia |
| Otília Pasaréti | person | Co-founder of Team Pinball; self-employed IT trainer and accountant; operations manager for The Mafia project |
| Romain Fontaine | person | Co-founder of Team Pinball; freelance engineer; electronics and mechanical engineering lead for The Mafia hardware design |
| The Mafia | game | Team Pinball's first game; single-level EM-style pinball machine with Raspberry Pi control system, 10.1" LCD display, and hand-drawn artwork. Retail price £6,750 UK / $7,500 US. Limited to 100 total production units. |
| Heighway Pinball | company | South Wales-based pinball manufacturer where all three Team Pinball founders previously worked together before departing to form Team Pinball |
| JOR Games Limited | company | Parent company established by Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti, and Romain Fontaine in 2016 to design, build, and distribute amusement games and accessories; Team Pinball is the pinball brand under this umbrella |
| Balint Ats | person | Playfield layout designer for The Mafia; also created sound effects for the game |
| Attila Szabo | person | Graphic and visual artist (ATALOGY) who created playfield decals, backglass art, and animations for The Mafia |
| Moonwalk Audio | company | American audio studio that composed the main music for The Mafia |
| Jason Howe | person | Voice talent who provided voice calls for The Mafia |
| Raspberry Pi 3 | product | Single-board computer running The Mafia's custom Linux operating system and game software; paired with R-board interface for solenoid and LED control |
| Cardiff | event | City in South Wales, Wales where Team Pinball's office and development facility is located |
| Pinball News | organization | Publication that conducted the interview and revealed Team Pinball to the public on July 20, 2018 |

### Topics

- **Primary:** New manufacturer announcement and company formation, First game release and product specifications, Boutique hardware and software architecture (Raspberry Pi, custom Linux), Production strategy and collectibility positioning (100-unit limit, made-to-order model)
- **Secondary:** Personnel and talent migration from established manufacturers, Design philosophy (single-level, entry-level, classic pinball experience), Pricing and market positioning in boutique pinball segment
- **Mentioned:** Distribution and technical support strategy

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Article is promotional in tone with enthusiastic founder statements. Strong emphasis on design philosophy, craftsmanship, and team collaboration. No critical perspectives or complaints present. Founders express confidence in product and market reception. Framing emphasizes innovation ('something new, something fresh') and enthusiast credibility.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Founders maintaining full-time jobs while developing machines part-time, indicating limited production capacity and potential scaling constraints for boutique business model (confidence: high) — Article states: 'All three have full-time jobs which have enabled them to work on developing The Mafia in their own time and at their own pace. Janos is a software engineer, Otília works as a self-employed I.T.-trainer and accountant, while Romain is a freelance engineer.'
- **[community_signal]** Team Pinball planning to work through established distributor networks in Europe and North America, leveraging existing infrastructure rather than direct-to-consumer sales, indicating community integration strategy (confidence: high) — Otília Pasaréti: 'we have distributors set-up in Europe and North-America as well. We feel it is a privilege to get the opportunity to use the already-existing network of distributors across the world.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Team Pinball explicitly positioning The Mafia as single-level, EM-style game for accessibility and classic pinball experience, contrasting with multi-level modern pinball trend; emphasis on simplicity and ease of play (confidence: high) — Janos Kiss: 'The Mafia pinball is a single-level game, offering a classic pinball experience to the many without sacrificing the fun of the game. It has a simple, easy to explain ruleset which makes it easy to understand and fun to play, even for novice players.'
- **[market_signal]** New boutique pinball manufacturer entering market with limited production model (100-unit maximum) and premium pricing ($7,500 US / £6,750 UK) positioned as collectible, indicating market segmentation strategy (confidence: high) — Romain Fontaine: 'The Mafia pinball will be made-to-order, and a small number will be produced each month. It is a de-facto collectible game. The total number of production games that will ever be produced is limited to 100 units.'
- **[personnel_signal]** Three key personnel (Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti, Romain Fontaine) departed from established manufacturer Heighway Pinball to form new boutique manufacturer Team Pinball, representing talent migration to smaller startup (confidence: high) — Article states: 'They all worked together at Heighway Pinball for several years until leaving to form their new venture.'
- **[product_strategy]** The Mafia designed with hand-drawn artwork across cabinet, playfield, and backglass, plus custom-composed music and reverse-printed playfield protector, differentiating on artistic craftsmanship and unique aesthetic (confidence: high) — Janos Kiss: 'each machine is a unique piece of art with hand drawn cabinet, backglass and playfield artwork. The factory-fitted playfield protector is reverse-printed and easy to clean or change.'
- **[technology_signal]** New pinball machine using Raspberry Pi 3 and custom Linux operating system (JOS) instead of proprietary control boards, representing alternative hardware/software architecture approach in boutique pinball manufacturing (confidence: high) — Romain Fontaine describes custom R-board paired with Raspberry Pi 3; Janos Kiss explains: 'For the software we are using a custom-built Linux called JOS. The software stack has been designed from scratch and is written in C++'

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## Transcript

Date:
20th July, 2018
Pictures:
Zoltan Szirmai & Pinball News

For more than a year, a new small-scale pinball manufacturer has been secretly beavering away in their office in the city of Cardiff in South Wales, designing and building their first game.

![The office in Cardiff](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/017-team-pinball.jpg)

The office in Cardiff

With little-to-no outside knowledge of their efforts they have been spared the distractions of having to produce constant updates and respond to social media comments, and now have their first game ready to show the world.  And guess what?  They have already built ten of them and you can buy one right now.

Team Pinball is the collaboration of Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti and Romain Fontaine.

![Romain, Janos and Otília ](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/018-team-pinball.jpg)

Romain, Janos and Otília

The three formed JOR Games Limited to design, build and distribute amusement games and accessories, with the Team Pinball brand used for their home-grown pinball products.

The first product is a modern take on an EM-style single-level game, entitled The Mafia.

![The playfield from The Mafia](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/014-team-pinball.jpg)

The playfield from The Mafia

The two-flippered game features a central spinner, a captive ball, two orbit lanes, three pop bumpers, three top rollover lanes, four bottom rollovers, five standup targets, LED lighting throughout and a 10.1″ LCD display in the backbox.

![The Mafia from Team Pinball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/029-team-pinball.jpg)

The Mafia from Team Pinball

To find out more about both the game and the people behind it, Pinball News visited the JOR Games office in Cardiff and interviewed Janos, Otília and Romain.

We began by asking how the three of them joined together.

Janos explained, “Naturally it was pinball that brought us together. It is not just simply that we love playing pinball, but we always wanted to design and make our own games.  It is so exciting to see our sketches come to life and then join people’s collections or arcades!”

That might seem premature, but the three all have experience of pinball manufacturing and their names might be familiar to anyone following the fortunes of another south Wales pinball maker.  They all worked together at Heighway Pinball for several years until leaving to form their new venture.

Otília told us how they came up with a name for the business. “When we established the company in 2016 we considered many alternative names.  Then, one day Romain came up with this idea to use our initials and we all liked it. So JOR stands for Janos-Otília-Romain, and it is brilliant as it means us – the Team.”

Given the fortunes of their former employer in the years after they left, Pinball News asked the trio what lessons they learned from their time at Heighway Pinball.  Otília said, “It was understandable that this question would come up at some point and I am glad that it did right at the beginning. We learned that we shared a common passion about designing games and that we can work effectively together as team players. We also learned that you have to learn how to walk before you can run.”

Learning how to walk includes not relying entirely on their pinball business to pay their day-to-day expenses.  All three have full-time jobs which have enabled them to work on developing The Mafia in their own time and at their own pace.  Janos is a software engineer, Otília works as a self-employed I.T.-trainer and accountant, while Romain is a freelance engineer.

From their office in Butetown, Cardiff, the three have designed the game’s software and hardware, specified and ordered the parts, and have recently completed the build of the first ten machines.  Now they are finished, the team are ready to reveal them to the world.

![The first ten The Mafia machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/001-team-pinball.jpg)

The first ten The Mafia machines

Janos told us, “We kept the development secret because we wanted to build the first run of ten machines before going public.  That means we have already done the majority of the research and development by now. Doing everything ourselves was challenging, but every time we completed a stage it gave us the motivation to get to the next level.”

![Part of the first batch of production machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/028-team-pinball.jpg)

Part of the first batch of production machines

Giving your first release the theme and title of The Mafia could be seen as limiting your target market, but Otília says the team was strongly behind the choice.  She told us, “We had many alternatives ideas, but this was the one we all fell in love with after looking at the initial drawings. If I remember correctly Janos came up with the Mafia theme, but we have modified his original ideas using our combined input.”

![The characters from The Mafia](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/010-team-pinball.jpg)

The characters from The Mafia

Developing a new game from a new manufacturer always takes time – usually far, far longer than anyone involved expects.  Romain gave us the timeline for the development of The Mafia.  “After the initial chats about the theme which took a few months, the actual design and build – to get the first complete prototype – was around 1.5 years.  From that point to get where we are today with ten machines lined-up, came to approximately 2 years. As already explained, we have our ‘normal life’ jobs and were working on this project in our free time – after work, at weekends, as well as spending some holidays (such as last Christmas) in our workshop.”

![The bank spinner](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/023-team-pinball.jpg)

The bank spinner and bullets standups

Although the three all had their respective areas of expertise during game development, they are keen to stress how they worked together to solve any problems which arose.  Romain explained their roles.  “The main responsibilities are; Janos – software development, Otília – operations manager, and myself (Romain) – electronics and mechanical engineering. The assembly involved the three of us plus some family members who came over for a few days to give us a hand! A big thanks to them! The project was founded and self-funded by the three of us, so once again it was a genuine team effort to get to this stage.”

While software, hardware and project management are vital, they are not the only skills needed to produce a full-featured game.  So, we asked Otília who else worked on The Mafia.  She told us, “The playfield layout was originally designed by Balint Ats, and then refined by the team as we spent days and nights looking through dozens of drawings to reach a game concept that we all loved. The art – including the decal set, the backglass art and animations – was created by Attila Szabo, graphic and visual artist (ATALOGY). The main music is composed by an American studio, Moonwalk Audio with voice calls by Jason Howe, while most of the sound effects were made by Balint Ats our game designer who shows off his talents in many different ways!”

![Playfield artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/012-team-pinball.jpg)

Playfield artwork

![More playfield art on the orbit shot](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/013-team-pinball.jpg)

More playfield art on the left orbit shot

According to Janos, the ten games are complete from the hardware build perspective but, “We are constantly developing the software and we keep testing to ensure that they are going to be working reliably for our customers. You can expect regular software updates over the coming months.”

It’s a crowded market for new pinball machines at the moment, with several recent entrants and more poised to produce their first titles.  What, we asked, makes Team Pinball’s game stand out from the rest.  Janos explained, “The Mafia pinball is a single-level game, offering a classic pinball experience to the many without sacrificing the fun of the game. It has a simple, easy to explain ruleset which makes it easy to understand and fun to play, even for novice players. Additionally, each machine is a unique piece of art with hand drawn cabinet, backglass and playfield artwork. The factory-fitted playfield protector is reverse-printed and easy to clean or change. The 10.1” LCD display is fully integrated into the backglass art and features an ever-changing newspaper.”

![The LCD newspaper display in the backglass artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/026-team-pinball.jpg)

The LCD newspaper display in the backglass artwork

![The top rollover lanes](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/007-team-pinball.jpg)

The top rollover lanes – the game uses a playfield overlay for the artwork

Producing small quantities of machines denies any manufacturer the benefit of quantity discounts, while building the games in the UK also means none of the cheap labour rates available in other parts of the world.  However, the team think the suggested retail prices of £6,750 in the UK (which equates to $8,785/€7,544 including 20% sales tax) and $7,500 in the US reflects the boutique, hand-built nature of the machines and the limited number they plan to make.

Romain told Pinball News, “The Mafia pinball will be made-to-order, and a small number will be produced each month. It is a de-facto collectible game. The total number of production games that will ever be produced is limited to 100 units. We will take into account the response of the community in the weeks following the launch, and we hope people will be as excited as we are about this new game!”

![The pop bumper area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/024-team-pinball.jpg)

The pop bumper area

Meanwhile, Janos told us who he thinks the game is aimed at, and why they should be interested in buying it.  He said it will appeal to, “everybody who loves pinball! Our game is an entry level machine with hand-drawn art across the cabinet and on the screen, and original – composed for the game – music giving an authentic pinball experience. We believe this game is bringing something new, something fresh to the market, a game designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts! The Mafia pinball is designed to be operator-friendly – it is manufactured with standard pinball parts such as WMS flipper and pop bumper mechanisms. The control system uses a single IO board and runs on a Raspberry Pi computer.”

![Inside the backbox](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/019-team-pinball.jpg)

Inside the backbox

The fact that the game runs on a small single-board computer made us want to know more about the hardware inside the game.  As the hardware engineer for The Mafia, Romain was happy to provide more details.  “The platform is composed of a Raspberry Pi 3 and a single electronic board (R-board) with through-hole components. The Raspberry Pi 3 runs the game software and interfaces with the machine through the R-board. All the switches are direct switches, they are connected to the R-board and scanned a thousand times every second. The CPU will send responses to the solenoids in less than 3 milliseconds giving sharp feedback and a no-lag experience for the player. The game comes with full RGB LEDs which are also controlled by the CPU. A 12V PSU and a 48V transformer are used for the electronics and the solenoids respectively.”

![The Rboard](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/020-team-pinball.jpg)

The Rboard

Controlling that hardware is the Raspberry Pi running a bespoke operating system.  Software designer Janos explained.  “For the software we are using a custom-built Linux called JOS. The software stack has been designed from scratch and is written in C++ to guarantee the best performance.”

![The LCD panel in the backbox](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/025-team-pinball.jpg)

The LCD panel in the backbox

Janos says that the operating system is not currently open to modification by users wanting to write their own rules or modifications, although he doesn’t rule it out in the future.

The Mafia will be available from several distributors who will also provide support and service for the game.  Otília explained, “At an early stage we made the decision to work with distributors and we have already contacted them prior to our launch. As you will see on our website, we have distributors set-up in Europe and North-America as well. We feel it is a privilege to get the opportunity to use the already-existing network of distributors across the world. I would like to take the chance here and say ‘thank you’ for all the feedback and shared enthusiasm from the people we have been working with, and also to our friends and family members who have helped us during this exciting journey.”

![The front of the game flyer](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/015-team-pinball.jpg)

The front of the game flyer

The team’s plan is to sell the first ten machines to distributors, as they feel this would give the opportunity for a wider audience to experience the game. Beyond that, they intend to make the machines to demand in small runs of ten-to-fifteen units. Taking the lead time into consideration, they think building the first production batch will take ten-to-twelve weeks.  “The waiting list may become quite long“, they say, “and we would advise people to contact their distributor sooner rather than later to be at the top of that list“.

VIDEO

Those first ten games will also be special enhanced “Founders Edition” machines to commemorate the establishment of the Team Pinball brand and the release of their very first product.  These machines will feature a numbered plaque and come with an additional selection of special goodies.  While most of the ten Founders Edition machines have been pre-sold to distributors, a couple may still remain for the collector purists out there who are quick off the mark.

![The back of the flyer](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/016-team-pinball.jpg)

The back of the flyer

As far as providing technical support to game buyers, the team are providing a mix of assistance from themselves and their distributors.

Romain said, “We will be in regular contact with our distributors to get their feedback on the game and give them the information and parts they may need to support our game. It is our duty to handle support the best way possible, and we trust our distributors to provide support for the products they are selling to ensure a fast and timely response to our customers.”

![Under the playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/team-pinball/027-team-pinball.jpg)

Under the playfield

Meanwhile, Otília stresses how the use of commonly-available components and supplied bespoke spares will help buyers keep their games running.  She said, “We are going to provide replacements for all the custom parts, and each machine will be shipped with a number of spare plastics. The single IO PCB uses standard components mounted on sockets, whereas the popular Raspberry Pi 3 is running the game software. These components are freely available and ensure the game’s technical longevity.”

Speaking of longevity, is the team working on their second title?  “Absolutely!”*, says Janos.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 36696db8-83ef-4f49-95b8-4db0ab4e25d5*