# Haggis Pinball Shows off Fathom Remake at Australian Show **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-07-24 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/haggis-pinball-shows-off-fathom-remake-at-australian-show --- ## Analysis Haggis Pinball's new Fathom Remake Mermaid Edition debuted at the Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show, winning Best of Show for modern games. The machine was featured in the Brisbane Pinball Masters tournament but was removed from the tournament bank after players discovered a code exploit (free 1M points for starting a mode and draining without hitting switches). The exploit was reportedly fixed in a subsequent code update. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Haggis Pinball's Fathom Remake Mermaid Edition won Best of Show for modern games at the Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show — _Article states this as a direct announcement of the event outcome_ - [HIGH] A code exploit was discovered where players who started a mode and immediately drained without hitting switches were awarded 1 million points — _Article describes the specific exploit mechanics based on tournament director's findings_ - [HIGH] The tournament director removed Fathom Remake from the tournament bank due to the exploit — _Direct statement about tournament director's decision_ - [MEDIUM] The code exploit has been fixed in the game's latest code update — _Article states 'Supposedly the exploit has already been fixed' — uses hedging language suggesting unconfirmed report_ - [MEDIUM] The Fathom Remake playfield played faster than the original Fathom machine — _Author's personal observation but acknowledges uncertainty about setup differences_ ### Notable Quotes > "The machine itself played great. I personally thought that the playfield played really fast compared to a much older original Fathom, but that could have just been how they had it set up for the tournament." > — **Knapp Arcade author**, N/A > _Direct gameplay impression comparing remake to classic original; shows practical performance observation tempered with methodological awareness_ > "A lot of machines were made really tough in the interest of keeping the good players moving." > — **Knapp Arcade author**, N/A > _Context for tournament difficulty settings and why playfield speed may have been adjusted_ > "There was a bit of controversy though when some of the top players at the event figured out a code exploit." > — **Knapp Arcade author**, N/A > _Framing of the exploit discovery as competitive drama at the tournament_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Haggis Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer/remake developer who created the Fathom Remake Mermaid Edition | | Fathom Remake (Mermaid Edition) | product | New machine by Haggis Pinball, remake of classic Fathom, won Best of Show at Brisbane event | | Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show | event | Australian pinball and arcade convention where Haggis debuted the Fathom Remake | | Brisbane Pinball Masters Stern Pinball Pro Circuit | event | Tournament held at the Brisbane show featuring the Fathom Remake; streamed on Twitch | | Steve Bowden | person | Competitive pinball player who won the Brisbane Pinball Masters tournament | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Source of this article; appears to be a pinball content/news site or podcast | ### Topics - **Primary:** Code exploits and tournament integrity, Fathom Remake release and reception - **Secondary:** Australian pinball competitive scene, Playfield design and speed comparison, Tournament machine selection and banksetting ### Sentiment **Mixed** (0.65) — Positive toward Haggis Pinball's achievement and machine quality (congratulations, 'played great'), but negative/critical regarding the code exploit and tournament disruption. Overall tone is celebratory but with acknowledgment of controversy. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show served as venue for competitive tournament with live Twitch streaming and top-tier player participation (confidence: high) — Brisbane Pinball Masters Stern Pinball Pro Circuit tournament was streamed and featured the Fathom Remake machine - **[competitive_signal]** Tournament machines banked with higher difficulty to manage game pacing and prevent quick loops for top players (confidence: medium) — Author notes 'A lot of machines were made really tough in the interest of keeping the good players moving' - **[design_philosophy]** Fathom Remake code exploit discovered during tournament play allowing free 1M points via mode drain mechanic (confidence: high) — Tournament director removed machine from tournament bank; exploit reportedly fixed in latest code update - **[announcement]** Haggis Pinball officially debuted Fathom Remake Mermaid Edition at Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show (confidence: high) — Article explicitly states the machine was brought to the event and won Best of Show for modern games - **[product_concern]** Playfield speed of Fathom Remake differs noticeably from original Fathom; unclear if design intent or setup variance (confidence: medium) — Author notes playfield 'played really fast compared to a much older original Fathom' but acknowledges uncertainty about tournament setup impact --- ## Transcript This weekend was the big Brisbane Pinball and Arcade Collective Show in Australia. Haggis Pinball brought its new Fathom Remake Mermaid Edition machine to the event. The machine won Best of Show for modern games, which is really cool. Congratulations Haggis. Not only was the game available for people to play at the event, but it also to my pleasant surprise made it into the tournament. Viewers of the Brisbane Pinball Masters Stern Pinball Pro Circuit tournament got to see the machine in action on the live Twitch stream. I flipped it on last night. The machine itself played great. I personally thought that the playfield played really fast compared to a much older original Fathom, but that could have just been how they had it set up for the tournament. A lot of machines were made really tough in the interest of keeping the good players moving. There was a bit of controversy though when some of the top players at the event figured out a code exploit. If I understood it correctly, players who started a mode and immediately drained without hitting any switches were awarded a million points. Exploits in game code are nothing new, tournament players have been taking advantage of them for years but the director of this tournament made the decision to remove the game from the tournament bank. Supposedly the exploit has already been fixed in the game’s latest code update. Congratulations to Steven Bowden who made a big comeback to win the tournament! _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 64bdcb9f-895e-4cd4-aaa2-6e037c8a7b84*