# Trademark Search Reveals American Pinball's Next Theme **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-07-12 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/trademark-search-reveals-american-pinball-s-next-theme --- ## Analysis Trademark filings reveal American Pinball has filed for 'Galactic Tank Force' and 'Galactic Star Force' as potential themes for Dennis Nordman's first game with the company. Several previously pursued trademarks (Sherlock Holmes, Poker Run, Valkyries, Robin Hood) have expired. The news was first discussed on the Eclectic Gamers Podcast. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] American Pinball filed two new trademarks for 'Galactic Tank Force' and 'Galactic Star Force' — _Author discovered filings in Trademark Office registration database, corroborated by Eclectic Gamers Podcast discussion_ - [HIGH] This would be Dennis Nordman's first American Pinball machine — _Stated directly in article as context for the trademark filings_ - [HIGH] Previously pursued trademarks including 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Poker Run', 'Valkyries', and 'Robin Hood' have been allowed to expire — _Author notes these have expired from Trademark Office database_ - [MEDIUM] 'Galactic Tank Force' has an 'Attack From Mars' vibe — _Author's subjective design assessment based on title_ - [MEDIUM] 'Poker Run' eventually became the Hot Wheels pinball machine — _Author's connection between expired trademark and released game_ ### Notable Quotes > "To me, 'Galactic Tank Force' has a very 'Attack From Mars' vibe." > — **Article author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Design impression suggesting potential game aesthetic and mechanical complexity_ > "Over the past several years, pinball enthusiasts have been scouring the Trademark Office's registration database for American Pinball's potential new themes." > — **Article author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Describes community investment in tracking unreleased game development through public records_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer pursuing next game titles via trademark filings | | Dennis Nordman | person | Legendary pinball designer; this would be his first game with American Pinball | | Eclectic Gamers Podcast | organization | Podcast hosted by Dennis Kriesel and Tony Kurkowski that broke news of trademark filings | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Source of article; pinball news and analysis outlet | | Galactic Tank Force | game | Newly trademarked potential American Pinball theme | | Galactic Star Force | game | Newly trademarked potential American Pinball theme | | Attack From Mars | game | Classic Williams/CGC game cited as aesthetic/mechanical reference for Galactic Tank Force | | Hot Wheels | game | American Pinball game that evolved from expired 'Poker Run' trademark | | Legends of Valhalla | game | Game potentially connected to expired 'Valkyries' trademark | ### Topics - **Primary:** American Pinball game announcement/pipeline, Dennis Nordman designer involvement - **Secondary:** Trademark research and community intelligence gathering, Expired/abandoned game concepts ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Author expresses enthusiasm about news discovery ('goldmine for great pinball news', 'possibly the biggest news yet this week'); tone is excited but measured ### Signals - **[leak_detection]** Trademark filings for unreleased American Pinball games discovered in public USPTO database and discussed on podcast before official announcement (confidence: high) — Author states 'I never like to be the one to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, but since these potential themes...are now in the public domain and the Eclectic Gamers gentlemen have already discussed the subject' - **[market_signal]** American Pinball continuing active development pipeline with multiple theme explorations, indicating company remains operational and focused on new releases (confidence: high) — Recent trademark filings show active pursuit of new IP; previous trademark expirations show iterative development process - **[announcement]** Dennis Nordman confirmed as designer of American Pinball's next machine with two trademark candidates being pursued (confidence: high) — Trademark filings for 'Galactic Tank Force' and 'Galactic Star Force' attributed to American Pinball; context confirms Nordman involvement --- ## Transcript Wow, pinball podcasts have been a goldmine for great pinball news lately. First we had the Super Awesome Pinball show's great American Pinball interview, then earlier today we had Loserkid's interview with Scott Danesi, both of which revealed great information. Next up is Dennis Kriesel and Tony Kurkowski‘s Eclectic Gamers Podcast (EGP). In their newest episode of EGP, Dennis and Tony revealed possibly the biggest news yet this week... Over the past several years, pinball enthusiasts have been scouring the Trademark Office's registration database for American Pinball's potential new themes. AP just filed two new trademarks for "Galactic Tank Force" and "Galactic Star Force." I never like to be the one to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, but since these potential themes for Dennis Nordman's first American Pinball machine are now in the public domain and the Eclectic Gamers gentlemen have already discussed the subject, here you go... To me, "Galactic Tank Force" has a very "Attack From Mars" vibe. On a related note, the much rumored potential American Pinball theme "Sherlock Holmes" has been allowed to expire. So has "Poker Run" - which eventually became the Hot Wheels pin, "Valkyies" - which is essentially Legends of Valhalla and "Robin Hood." Here's a link to the awesome Eclectic Gamers Podcast so you can hear the entire podcast: https://eclecticgamerspodcast.wordpress.com/ _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 731b3710-0b0b-48ba-802f-4f506e03b19f*