# Haggis Pinball is Hard At Work Cranking Out Celts

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-03-17  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/haggis-pinball-is-hard-at-work-cranking-out-celts

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## Analysis

Haggis Pinball is actively manufacturing and shipping Celts machines, with large recent shipments reaching European and US customers. The author views ongoing Celts production as a positive signal for Fathom remake customers, despite communication gaps about delays. While acknowledging legitimate frustration from pre-order customers, the author distinguishes Haggis from troubled manufacturers like Deeproot and speculates Fathom shipments may arrive within months, possibly with announcements at Texas Pinball Festival.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] RS-Pinball GmbH received a large shipment of new Haggis Celts machines — _Author reports personal observation of distributor shipment and multiple unboxing photos on Pinside_
- [MEDIUM] Haggis founder Damian has adopted radio silence on Fathom delays due to negative publicity and community hostility — _Author's interpretation based on shift from transparent communication to silence; author acknowledges personal experience with threatening DMs_
- [LOW] Stern Pinball has a backlog as large as 10,000 units — _Speculation mentioned without source attribution; author cites own Deadpool order delayed over one year_
- [HIGH] Haggis continues to ship Celts and generate revenue despite Fathom delays — _Author notes ongoing Celts shipments as distinguishing factor from Deeproot/Heighway situations_
- [HIGH] Fathom is a remake of a 1981 Bally classic — _Author explicitly identifies game as 'remake of the 1981 Bally classic, Fathom'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Clearly Haggis is hard at work cranking out games for customers. I personally view this as a very good sign for collectors who are anxiously awaiting word on the status of their orders of Haggis' second title, the remake of the 1981 Bally classic, Fathom."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Core thesis connecting Celts production to Fathom optimism_

> "To me, it seems as though Haggis' founder, Damian is upset by the negative publicity that the delays have created and decided to just go with radio silence until he has units ready to ship."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Author's interpretation of manufacturer communication strategy during delays_

> "To me this doesn't seem at all like a Deeproot or even Heighway Pinball-like situation."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Distinguishes Haggis from other troubled manufacturers, uses comparative framing_

> "Throughout the entire delay Haggis has been shipping Celts games out and bringing money in."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Key operational distinction: Haggis maintains revenue flow despite delays_

> "For him to go there without a Fathom to show, or at least concrete proof that production is under way seems like it would be extremely awkward to me."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Author's speculation about Texas Pinball Festival appearance and expectations_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Haggis Pinball | company | Australian boutique pinball manufacturer producing Celts and Fathom remake; founder Damian |
| Damian | person | Founder of Haggis Pinball; reportedly upset by negative publicity and adopting radio silence communication strategy |
| Celts | game | Haggis Pinball's first title; currently in active production with large shipments to distributors and customers |
| Fathom | game | Haggis Pinball's second title; remake of 1981 Bally classic; experiencing significant production delays |
| RS-Pinball GmbH | company | European distributor of Haggis Pinball machines; recently received large shipment of Celts |
| Deeproot Pinball | company | Troubled manufacturer used as negative comparison point for Haggis situation |
| Heighway Pinball | company | Troubled manufacturer used as negative comparison point for Haggis situation |
| Stern Pinball | company | Referenced for supply chain delays; author notes backlog speculation and personal Deadpool order delay |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Upcoming event where author speculates Damian may appear with Fathom announcements or production proof |
| Knapp Arcade | person/organization | Article author; pinball enthusiast and commentator; recipient of threatening DMs from community member |
| Pinside | organization | Online pinball community forum where unboxing photos of Celts are visible |
| Bally | company | Classic pinball manufacturer; Fathom is remake of 1981 Bally game |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Production capacity and supply chain impacts, Haggis Pinball Celts shipping and manufacturing status, Fathom remake delays and communication strategy
- **Secondary:** Manufacturer comparison (Haggis vs Deeproot vs Heighway), Community sentiment and customer frustration with delays, Texas Pinball Festival expectations
- **Mentioned:** Pinball community toxicity and threatening behavior

### Sentiment

**Cautiously positive** (0.65) — Author is optimistic about Haggis's prospects and distinguishes company favorably from troubled competitors, while acknowledging legitimate customer frustration. Tone is balanced and empathetic toward both manufacturer and delayed customers.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Haggis maintaining revenue through Celts production while Fathom is delayed, distinguishing from failed manufacturers (confidence: high) — Author explicitly states 'Throughout the entire delay Haggis has been shipping Celts games out and bringing money in'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Customer frustration with Fathom delays, but author distinguishes situation from fatal manufacturer failures (confidence: high) — Author acknowledges frustration is 'completely understandable' but differentiates from 'Deeproot or even Heighway Pinball-like situation'
- **[event_signal]** Speculation about Haggis founder Damian potentially appearing at Texas Pinball Festival with Fathom announcement (confidence: low) — Author notes 'rumors that Damian may be going to next week's Texas Pinball Festival' and states appearance without concrete news would be 'extremely awkward'
- **[market_signal]** Active Celts production and shipments visible through distributor orders and US customer unboxings (confidence: high) — Author reports 'surprising large shipment' to RS-Pinball and 'surprising number of Celts unboxing pictures' on Pinside
- **[product_strategy]** Haggis Fathom experiencing significant production delays with communication gap; author speculates shipping within couple of months (confidence: medium) — Author notes 'large delay in shipping Fathoms' and 'radio silence' but expects resolution based on Celts production momentum
- **[supply_chain_signal]** Industry-wide supply chain disruptions affecting even major manufacturers; Stern cited with 10,000+ unit backlog speculation (confidence: medium) — Author notes 'supply chain has thrown a monkey wrench' and speculates Stern backlog 'as large as 10,000 units'

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## Transcript

This morning the European distributor RS-Pinball GmbH received a surprising large shipment of New In Box Haggis Pinball Celts machines. Beyond this specific shipment, I’ve seen a surprising number of Celts unboxing pictures recently from people in the United States on Pinside.

Clearly Haggis is hard at work cranking out games for customers. I personally view this as a very good sign for collectors who are anxiously awaiting word on the status of their orders of Haggis’ second title, the remake of the 1981 Bally classic, Fathom.

I get why a number of people are upset by Haggis’ lack of communication about the large delay in shipping Fathoms, particularly when the company has been very transparent since the beginning. I probably would be concerned too. To me, it seems as though Haggis’ founder, Damian is upset by the negative publicity that the delays have created and decided to just go with radio silence until he has units ready to ship. That’s probably not the best way to handle the situation, but people can be nasty (I know from firsthand experience given the recent threatening, evil DMs that I’ve received from a pinball person while I was with my family) so I get where he’s coming from.

The supply chain has thrown a monkey wrench into the production plans of even the biggest and best pinball manufacturers. I ordered a Stern Deadpool over a year ago and still have several months to go before it’s ready. There’s speculation that Stern has a backlog that’s as large as 10,000 units.

Frustration is completely understandable for people who have laid out thousands of dollars and aren’t receiving updates on the delayed product that they’re expecting to receive. Having said that, to me this doesn't seem at all like a Deeproot or even Heighway Pinball-like situation. Throughout the entire delay Haggis has been shipping Celts games out and bringing money in. While I have no skin in the game in terms of a Celts order (though I’d love to play one) or a Fathom order (it looks amazing, but I don’t personally lay out that much cash for games that I’ve never played) I personally am optimistic that Damian and Haggis are going to surprise a lot of the naysayers by shipping Fathoms in the next couple of months.

There’s even rumors that Damian may be going to next week’s Texas Pinball Festival. For him to go there without a Fathom to show, or at least concrete proof that production is under way seems like it would be extremely awkward to me. If he is there, I expect to see something for the company. I’m rooting for Haggis and Fathom customers and hope that everyone involved in the situation is happy in the near future. We’ll see.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 77c5cb2e-dc45-4a8d-95cb-a8da00b4111c*