# Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 Pinball Kit Revealed at Pintastic New England

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-04-09  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/fish-tales-ultimate-fishing-challenge-20-pinball-kit-revealed-at-pintastic-new-england

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## Analysis

Cardona Pinball unveiled Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0, a comprehensive kit for Williams' 1992 Fish Tales featuring a 15.7" monitor, 5" mini-screen, new code, FAST boards, and licensed music including Heart's 'Barracuda' with negotiations underway for B-52's 'Rock Lobster'. The kit extends the original game with five selectable fishermen, reworked modes, stacking mechanics, and multiple multiball variants, with playable machines at Pintastic New England 2026 and pre-orders pending final music licensing.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Cardona Pinball unveiled Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 kit at Pintastic New England in Marlborough, Massachusetts — _Official announcement at Pintastic New England 2026, reported by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] The kit includes a 15.7" monitor replacing the DMD, a 5" mini-screen replacing the 'Stretch the Truth' plastic, and new translite artwork by Brian Allen — _Cardona Pinball official reveal specifications_
- [HIGH] Heart's 'Barracuda' (1977) has been secured for the kit (pending final paperwork) — _Cardona Pinball announcement at Pintastic New England 2026_
- [HIGH] Cardona is in negotiations for B-52's 'Rock Lobster' (1978) and a third unlicensed song — _Cardona Pinball official announcement_
- [HIGH] This is Cardona Pinball's third Bally/Williams 2.0 kit — _Cardona Pinball official statement at Pintastic_
- [HIGH] The original Fish Tales game ruleset is fully intact with new content layered on top — _Cardona Pinball design philosophy statement_
- [HIGH] Players can choose from five different fishermen, each with unique skills, call-outs, and animations — _Cardona Pinball feature announcement_
- [HIGH] Cardona cannot take sales orders until all music licenses are finalized — _Cardona Pinball statement at Pintastic reveal_

### Notable Quotes

> "The code for the new Fish Tales kit is more of an extension of the game's original code than a complete remake of it. The Fish Tales original game is fully intact with a significant amount of new content layered on top."
> — **Cardona Pinball (official statement)**, April 9, 2026 - Pintastic New England reveal
> _Clarifies design philosophy: preservation of original gameplay with additive content rather than redesign_

> "At the start of each game, players must choose from five different fishermen - each with unique skills, call-outs, animations, and music."
> — **Cardona Pinball (official specification)**, Pintastic New England 2026 reveal
> _Key new gameplay mechanic introducing player choice and replayability variation_

> "Cardona cannot take sales orders until all music licenses are finalized, but a no-deposit interest list will be available at cardonapinball.com following the reveal."
> — **Cardona Pinball (official announcement)**, Pintastic New England 2026
> _Clarifies purchasing pathway and licensing constraints affecting production timeline_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cardona Pinball | company | Pinball kit manufacturer; announced third Bally/Williams 2.0 kit project (Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge) |
| Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 | product | Comprehensive upgrade kit for Williams 1992 Fish Tales, featuring new displays, code, licensed music, and expanded ruleset |
| Fish Tales | game | Classic 1992 Williams pinball machine; subject of Cardona's 2.0 upgrade kit |
| Pintastic New England | event | Pinball exposition in Marlborough, Massachusetts; venue for Fish Tales 2.0 kit reveal on April 9, 2026 |
| Brian Allen | person | Artist who created new translite artwork for Fish Tales 2.0 kit |
| Heart | organization | Rock band; 'Barracuda' (1977) licensed for Fish Tales 2.0 kit |
| The B-52's | organization | Rock band; 'Rock Lobster' (1978) in licensing negotiations for Fish Tales 2.0 kit |
| FAST Pinball | company | Manufacturer of control boards used in Fish Tales 2.0 kit |
| Flipper Fidelity | company | Speaker manufacturer; provides speakers for Fish Tales 2.0 kit |
| Williams | company | Original manufacturer of Fish Tales (1992); historical pinball game publisher |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | News outlet reporting on Fish Tales 2.0 reveal |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Fish Tales 2.0 kit specifications and features, Licensed music acquisition (Heart, B-52's), Cardona Pinball's 2.0 kit product line, Gameplay mechanics and ruleset expansion
- **Secondary:** Hardware upgrades (monitors, boards, speakers), Pre-order and sales strategy, Pintastic New England 2026 event coverage

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[product_launch]** Cardona Pinball officially unveiled Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 kit at Pintastic New England 2026, marking third entry in their Bally/Williams 2.0 kit line (confidence: high) — Official reveal at Pintastic with playable machines and comprehensive specification announcement
- **[design_innovation]** Kit preserves original Fish Tales ruleset while layering new content (fishermen selection, mode stacking, new multiballs, mini-wizard modes) rather than complete redesign (confidence: high) — Cardona statement: 'extension of the game's original code than a complete remake' with 'original game fully intact'
- **[licensing_signal]** Cardona secured Heart's 'Barracuda' (1977) pending final paperwork and is negotiating B-52's 'Rock Lobster' (1978) plus a third song for the kit (confidence: high) — Official announcement of licensing status and negotiation timeline
- **[technology_signal]** Kit integrates 15.7" LCD monitor replacing DMD, 5" mini-screen, FAST control boards, and Flipper Fidelity speaker system representing significant hardware modernization (confidence: high) — Complete hardware specification in official announcement
- **[product_strategy]** Cardona cannot accept pre-orders until all music licenses finalized; offering no-deposit interest list on website as interim strategy (confidence: high) — Official statement: 'cannot take sales orders until all music licenses are finalized'
- **[content_signal]** Fish Tales 2.0 reveal generated immediate media coverage with playable machines at Pintastic New England 2026 weekend (confidence: high) — Official announcement of two public playable machines at venue
- **[gameplay_signal]** Fishermen selection system adds asymmetric gameplay variation; mode stacking and progressive completion bonuses increase strategic depth and replayability (confidence: high) — Detailed ruleset specifications in official announcement

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## Transcript

News Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 Pinball Kit Revealed at Pintastic New England k knapparcade April 9, 2026 This afternoon, at the Pintastic New England show in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Cardona Pinball officially unveiled its third Bally / Williams 2.0 kit. This one is a kit for Williams' classic 1992 pinball machine Fish Tales called Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge. The kit includes a 5" mini-screen that replaces the game's original "Stretch the Truth" plastic, a new translite by artist Brian Allen with a matching speaker panel, a 15.7" monitor that replaces the game's DMD, new code and FAST boards and Flipper Fidelity speakers. For the first time, the new 2.0 kit includes licensed music. Heart's 1977 song "Barracuda" has been secured (pending final paperwork), and the company is in negotiations for the 1978 B-52's song "Rock Lobster" and a third song. The code for the new Fish Tales kit is more of an extension of the game's original code than a complete remake of it. The Fish Tales original game is fully intact with a significant amount of new content layered on top. At the start of each game, players must choose from five different fishermen - each with unique skills, call-outs, animations, and music. The Fish Finder saucer has been reworked into a selectable award and now serves as the start point for all modes. Feeding Frenzy and Rock the Boat are now progressive with completion bonuses. Modes can be stacked, and new multiball modes include Chum Bucket Multiball and several mini-wizard multiballs. There are three mini-wizard modes and a final wizard mode. Two machines will be available for the public to check out and play at Pintastic this weekend. Cardona cannot take sales orders until all music licenses are finalized, but a no-deposit interest list will be available at cardonapinball.com following the reveal. Pintastic 2026 LIVE - Cordona Pinball Game Reveal - YouTube Tap to unmute Pintastic Pinball & Game Room Expo Pintastic Pinball & Game Room Expo !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Posted 13 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Fish Tales: Ultimate Fishing Challenge 2.0 Pinball Kit Revealed at Pintastic New England 13 minutes ago 3 Musketeers Pinball Gameplay; Info on the Rumored Mountain Dew Pinball Machine; Deeproot Trial Update & More about 5 hours ago Update on American Pinball; Yukon Yeti at Pintastic New England; Tons of Stern Games at or Approaching 1.0 1 day ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 8c468478-0fac-4124-802c-04602b432be6*