# CACTUS CANYON REMAKE CONFIRMED

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2021-08-21  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/08/21/cactus-canyon-remake-confirmed

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## Analysis

Chicago Gaming Company confirmed development of a Cactus Canyon remake at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo, their fourth remake title following Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, and Monster Bash. The game features a new operating system integrating diagnostic menus, upgraded playfield toys, enhanced code, and an interactive topper with a shooting gallery mini-game. Production is underway with 850+ playfields already screen-printed; full reveal expected within 4-6 weeks with three variants planned (Limited, Standard, Classic Edition).

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Chicago Gaming has over 850 playfields for Cactus Canyon remake already screen printed and clear coated — _Ryan White stated at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo seminar_
- [HIGH] Cactus Canyon remake code is finished and the game is expected to be fully revealed within 4-6 weeks — _Ryan White statement at the seminar_
- [HIGH] Chicago Gaming is currently working on five new pinball projects and expects to release new titles far more rapidly than in the past — _Ryan White announcement at seminar_
- [HIGH] Medieval Madness remakes are expected to be back on the production line in early 2023, though without the new operating system — _Ryan White statement at seminar_
- [MEDIUM] The interactive topper will feature a shooting gallery mini-game design — _Article states 'We understand this is going to be a shooting gallery design, although this hasn't been confirmed yet'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Chicago Gaming had worked with some of the original Bally/Williams design team to add additional features which will make it more like the game the original team wanted it to be."
> — **Ryan White**, Southern-Fried Gaming Expo seminar
> _Indicates collaboration with original designers to fulfill unrealized vision for the 1998 Bally title_

> "The new operating system allows the addition of software to incorporate a new mini-game using the new Cactus Canyon remake's interactive topper."
> — **Ryan White**, Southern-Fried Gaming Expo seminar
> _Highlights technical upgrade enabling new gameplay features not possible in original hardware_

> "they have over 850 playfields for Cactus Canyon remake already screen printed and clear coated, ready to start production"
> — **Ryan White**, Southern-Fried Gaming Expo seminar
> _Demonstrates significant production preparation and commitment to the project_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball remake manufacturer confirmed developing Cactus Canyon remake as their fourth remake title |
| Ryan White | person | Chicago Gaming representative who presented Cactus Canyon remake details at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo |
| Cactus Canyon | game | 1998 Bally Williams pinball game being remade by Chicago Gaming; original title shipped incomplete; remake in advanced production stage |
| Scientific Games / WMS Gaming | company | Licensor/owner of original Cactus Canyon Williams intellectual property; approval required for remake release |
| Doug Duba | person | President & Owner of Chicago Gaming Company |
| Sean Wilson | person | Project Manager at Chicago Gaming Company |
| Jim Thornton | person | Project Manager at Chicago Gaming Company; recently joined the company |
| Joe Schober | person | Programmer at Chicago Gaming Company; recently joined the company |
| Sam Zehr | person | Programmer at Chicago Gaming Company |
| Butch Peel | person | Lead Service Engineer at Chicago Gaming Company |
| Southern-Fried Gaming Expo | event | Gaming exposition in Atlanta where Ryan White presented Cactus Canyon remake confirmation |
| Medieval Madness | game | Chicago Gaming remake title (first in their remake series); expected to return to production line early 2023 |
| Attack from Mars | game | Chicago Gaming remake title (second in their remake series) |
| Monster Bash | game | Chicago Gaming remake title (third in their remake series) |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Cactus Canyon Remake Production, Chicago Gaming Company Remake Strategy, New Operating System for Remake Games
- **Secondary:** Licensing and IP Approval Process, Production Capacity and Timeline, Pandemic Impact on Manufacturing, Interactive Topper Technology

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Strong positive sentiment around the confirmation, significant production progress, collaboration with original designers, and planned accelerated release schedule. Minor restraint due to licensing delays (decision not to show at expo due to licensor approval pending).

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Chicago Gaming expanding development team with new hires (Jim Thornton, Joe Schober) and actively working on five concurrent projects with plans for accelerated release schedule (confidence: high) — Ryan White listed recent team additions and stated 'they expect to release new titles far more rapidly than they have in the past'
- **[design_philosophy]** Chicago Gaming collaborating with original Bally/Williams design team to add features making remake reflect original team's intended vision for the unfinished 1998 game (confidence: high) — Ryan White: 'Chicago Gaming had worked with some of the original Bally/Williams design team to add additional features which will make it more like the game the original team wanted it to be'
- **[announcement]** Official confirmation of Cactus Canyon remake with detailed production status and planned reveal timeline (confidence: high) — Ryan White statement at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo confirming remake development, 850+ playfields screen printed, code finished, full reveal in 4-6 weeks
- **[product_strategy]** Licensor approval delays prevented planned Atlanta expo reveal; decision made Monday night not to show game due to outstanding Scientific Games approval (confidence: high) — Article: 'The plan until the start of the week was to bring the new Cactus Canyon to the show, but on Monday night the decision was taken not to reveal it in Atlanta after all due to outstanding approval from the licensor'
- **[product_strategy]** Cactus Canyon remake planned in three variants with Limited Edition exclusive interactive topper and shooting gallery mini-game; allocation numbers not yet confirmed with licensor (confidence: high) — Three planned variants (Limited, Standard, Classic); Limited Edition exclusive feature; article notes 'it hasn't been agreed with the licensor how many Limited Edition models will be made'
- **[technology_signal]** New operating system for remake titles integrating Williams/Bally diagnostic menu structure and enabling custom code development, not available in Medieval Madness 2023 rerun (confidence: high) — Ryan described new OS integrating remake-only diagnostics into familiar Williams/Bally menu, allowing new code and bug fixes; early 2023 Medieval Madness run won't feature new OS

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## Transcript

In a seminar at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo in Atlanta today, Ryan White of Chicago Gaming confirmed that the company has been working on a remake of the popular Bally title, Cactus Canyon.

![The original Cactus Canyon translite image](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/cactus-canyon-remake/002-cactus-canyon-remake.jpg)

The original Cactus Canyon translite image

The Cactus Canyon remake will be Chicago Gaming fourth ‘remake’ title, following Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars and Monster Bash.

The plan until the start of the week was to bring the new Cactus Canyon to the show, but on Monday night the decision was taken not to reveal it in Atlanta after all due to outstanding approval from the licensor, Scientific Games, who own WMS Gaming.

Ryan began his seminar talking about the delays as a result of the pandemic coming from an eight-week closure of the factory which was followed by ongoing shortages of many parts along with staffing issues.

![Ryan White at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo 2021](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/cactus-canyon-remake/001-cactus-canyon-remake.jpg)

Ryan White at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo 2021

After talking about how each of the previous three remake models introduced new features such as HD animations, larger displays, interactive toppers, enhanced playfield toys and RGB lighting effects, Ryan described how Chicago Gaming take an original game and disassemble/reassemble it several times to understand how it was put together, using that knowledge in conjunction with original documentation.

He said they have over 850 playfields for Cactus Canyon remake already screen printed and clear coated, ready to start production. In a change from previous models, Cactus Canyon remake and any future remake titles will include a new operating system which integrates what was previously a separate remake-only diagnostic menu into the more-familiar Williams/Bally menu structure. Ryan said this rewriting of the operating system also allows Chicago Gaming to write new code for the games to add extra features or modify existing code to fix bugs.

Ryan listed the staff who have been working on the new and future titles, including Jim Thornton and Joe Schober who have recently joined the company. The team members are:

 Doug Duba – President & Owner
 Sean Wilson – Project Manager
 Jim Thornton – Project Manager
 Sam Zehr – Programmer
 Joe Schober – Programmer
 Butch Peel – Lead Service Engineer

Ryan said they are currently working on five new pinball projects, and they expect to release new titles far more rapidly than they have in the past. In addition, Medieval Madness remakes are expected to be back on the production line in early 2023, although this run won’t feature the new operating system.

Turning to the Cactus Canyon remake, Ryan said Chicago Gaming had worked with some of the original Bally/Williams design team to add additional features which will make it more like the game the original team wanted it to be. The code is now finished, he said. The playfield toys have been upgraded and some of the decal artwork has also been given a more complete look, Ryan said, although they never touch the original playfield artwork.

The new operating system allows the addition of software to incorporate a new mini-game using the new Cactus Canyon remake’s interactive topper. We understand this is going to be a shooting gallery design, although this hasn’t been confirmed yet.

There are expected to be three variants – Limited Edition, Standard Edition and Classic Edition. The Limited Edition will be the only one of the three versions to feature the new interactive topper game, but it hasn’t been agreed with the licensor how many Limited Edition models will be made, so dealers haven’t been told their allocation of these models and aren’t taking deposits yet.

The Cactus Canyon remake game is expected to be fully revealed within 4-6 weeks and we’ll have full details and pictures for you right here at Pinball News.

You can watch Ryan’s seminar at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo right here or on our YouTube channel, and we’ll have a full report from the show shortly.

VIDEO

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 73a788e6-1e62-44f5-9d58-6fdd4cf2af08*