# Spooky Pinball Aiming to Launch New Game from Ben Heck in October 2023

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-12-21  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/spooky-pinball-aiming-to-launch-new-game-from-ben-heck-in-october-2023

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade reports that Ben Heck is developing Spooky Pinball's next game, targeting an October 2023 launch after fifteen months of code development. The game features eight main modes and five sub-wizard modes, with Scooby-Doo confirmed as the theme. The article notes upcoming releases from Stern, Jersey Jack, and American Pinball in early 2023.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Ben Heck is working on Spooky Pinball's next game with an October 2023 launch target — _Ben Heck stated this directly on Pinside forum_
- [HIGH] The game will have fifteen months of code development by launch time — _Stated by Ben Heck on Pinside_
- [HIGH] The next Spooky pin has eight main modes and five sub-wizard modes already programmed — _Reported from Ben Heck's Pinside comments_
- [HIGH] The next game is Scooby-Doo themed — _Explicitly stated in article: 'Spooky Pinball's next game, Scooby Doo'_
- [MEDIUM] New Stern pin coming in March 2023, new JJP and American Pinball machines in early 2023 — _Author's forward-looking commentary, not independently verified in this article_

### Notable Quotes

> "The famous inventor and frequent Spooky Pinball collaborator Ben Heck recently stated in Pinside that he is currently working on Spooky's next game and that he is shooting for a launch of October 2023."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Confirms Ben Heck's involvement and official October 2023 target date_

> "By the time the game launches, they will have been working on code for fifteen months."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author), attributing to Ben Heck**
> _Indicates significant development investment in code quality_

> "The next Spooky pin has eight main modes and 5 sub-wizard modes programmed in it already."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author), attributing to Ben Heck**
> _Suggests substantial rules depth for this game_

> "For now, I'm just looking forward to seeing Scooby in action."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Indicates anticipation despite lack of official footage release_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Ben Heck | person | Pinball designer and frequent Spooky Pinball collaborator working on next game |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer developing Scooby-Doo game |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Next Spooky Pinball game in development, targeting October 2023 launch |
| Stern Pinball | company | Mentioned as having new pinball game arriving March 2023 |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Mentioned as having new machine in early 2023 |
| American Pinball | company | Mentioned as having new machine in early 2023 |
| Knapp Arcade | company | Arcade operator and content creator publishing this article |
| Pinside | organization | Online forum where Ben Heck made his announcement |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Spooky Pinball game development, Ben Heck design work, Game rules and mode design
- **Secondary:** 2023 pinball release schedule, Scooby-Doo theme licensing

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses enthusiasm and anticipation for the upcoming game; excited tone about the development timeline and mode count

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Ben Heck continues as key collaborator and designer for Spooky Pinball projects (confidence: high) — Ben Heck described as 'famous inventor and frequent Spooky Pinball collaborator' working on next game
- **[announcement]** Official announcement via Ben Heck on Pinside of Scooby-Doo pinball game with October 2023 target launch (confidence: high) — Ben Heck stated on Pinside he is working on next Spooky game targeting October 2023
- **[product_strategy]** Scooby-Doo game has achieved significant development milestones: 15 months code work planned, 8 main modes and 5 sub-wizard modes already programmed (confidence: high) — Eight main modes and five sub-wizard modes programmed in already; fifteen months of code development by launch

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## Transcript

I know that we haven't even seen official gameplay footage of Spooky Pinball's next game, Scooby Doo, yet but it's always fun to talk about the future in pinball. The famous inventor and frequent Spooky Pinball collaborator Ben Heck recently stated in Pinside that he is currently working on Spooky's next game and that he is shooting for a launch of October 2023. By the time the game launches, they will have been working on code for fifteen months.

The next Spooky pin has eight main modes and 5 sub-wizard modes programmed in it already. There has been some rumors floating around about what the next theme is, but I haven't heard anything that I consider to be concrete yet.

For now, I'm just looking forward to seeing Scooby in action. Between this and a new Stern pin in March and new JJP and American Pinball machines in early 2023 there's going to be plenty to talk about in the hobby in the near future. Can't wait.

I didn't have a clean copy of the Spooky Pinball logo to use in this article, so you all get a pic of my Spooky Fang Club Swag straight from Knapp Arcade HQ instead LOL

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 6d4a6f54-a0f5-4d34-adc6-b042b226c17b*