# SDTM Exclusive: Oktoberfest: Pinball On Tap

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2018-10-19  
**Duration:** 9m 35s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmjSkF_Hpuk

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## Analysis

American Pinball co-founder discusses the design philosophy and features of Oktoberfest, their second pinball machine. The game draws inspiration from the real Munich festival's 14 main tents (represented as 14 modes), incorporates amusement park aesthetics contrasting with recent dark superhero/band themes, and balances casual accessibility with competitive depth through features like player-controlled magnets and diverse shot types. The unlicensed theme required extensive research to authentically capture the festival's culture beyond stereotypes.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Oktoberfest has 14 tent modes corresponding to the 14 main tents at the real Munich Oktoberfest — _Direct explanation of design philosophy: 'there are 14 tents, which represent the main tents, and that's because there are 14 what they call big tents at Oktoberfest'_
- [HIGH] The game features two multiballs: corkscrew multiball (left ramp) and beer barrel multiball (upper ramp with lock-stealing mechanic) — _Detailed mechanical explanation of both multiball modes and their activation methods_
- [HIGH] Oktoberfest is designed with three flippers, three pop bumpers, three slingshots, four magnets, and multiple ramps including a 180-degree ramp — _Comprehensive playfield feature breakdown: 'It's a three-flipper game. It has three pop bumpers. It also has three slingshots.'_
- [HIGH] The game includes an extra flipper button that allows player control of two of four magnets, with two additional unannounced magnets — _'We have an extra flipper button in the cabinet and it lets you control two of the four magnets in the game. I'm not even going to tell you where the other two are'_
- [HIGH] Oktoberfest was intentionally designed as a bright, family-friendly amusement park aesthetic to contrast with recent dark superhero and band-themed games — _'it was really nice to kind of do something very different, really kind of opposite of what's been done of late. With Oktoberfest... bright and airy. We've had so many dark titles'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Oktoberfest? Isn't it just about beer and big busted women? and I said, I don't know if that's a good theme or not."
> — **American Pinball co-founder (unnamed)**, 0:00-0:15
> _Shows initial skepticism about the theme before research revealed its true cultural depth_

> "It's a part of it. But it's about so much more. It's about, it's really a festival. It's midway games. It's amusement rides. It's food. It's music."
> — **American Pinball co-founder (unnamed)**, 0:45-1:00
> _Demonstrates the speaker's discovery process that informed game design authenticity_

> "it's an unlicensed theme, but it was important to us to be true to it, not just take the name and throw it on some other game."
> — **American Pinball co-founder (unnamed)**, 2:15-2:30
> _States core design principle of thematic authenticity without licensing constraints_

> "People said Oktoberfest happened to be family-friendly. I think when people see it, they're going to go, wow, this is not what I was expecting. This is bright, this is colorful, this is family, this is fun."
> — **American Pinball co-founder (unnamed)**, 12:30-12:50
> _Reveals expectation-setting and marketing positioning against theme stereotypes_

> "One of his goals is to surprise people in every game. We have the catapult in Houdini Master of Mystery that really caught people by surprise. And here you want to do some crazy stuff with the wire forms to really surprise people."
> — **American Pinball co-founder (unnamed)**, 10:30-10:50
> _Articulates Joe Balzer's design philosophy of memorable 'wow' mechanical moments_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Joe Balzer | person | Designer of Oktoberfest pinball machine; championed the Oktoberfest theme and wanted to incorporate surprising mechanical elements like wire form roller coasters |
| Jeff Bush | person | Artist for Oktoberfest and Houdini Master of Mystery; created bright, colorful artwork with hidden Easter eggs for the game |
| Otto | character | Central character in Oktoberfest who is a bartender, rotates above a bash toy bar that opens to reveal stein selection mechanic |
| American Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Oktoberfest; company pursuing accessibility for both casual and tournament players |
| Oktoberfest | game | Second pinball machine by American Pinball; unlicensed Bavarian festival theme with 14 tent modes, multiple multiballs, and amusement park aesthetic |
| Houdini Master of Mystery | game | First American Pinball game; featured catapult mechanism; serves as design contrast/predecessor to Oktoberfest |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Video content creator/channel that conducted this exclusive interview about Oktoberfest |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game Design Philosophy, Playfield Mechanics and Features, Theme Authenticity and Research, Accessibility vs Competitive Depth
- **Secondary:** Artwork and Aesthetic Design, Multiball Modes, American Pinball Product Line

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Speaker demonstrates genuine enthusiasm for the game, theme authenticity, and design accomplishments. Expresses confidence in player and operator reception. No criticisms or concerns voiced. Tone is educational and promotional.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Game designed with explicit balance between casual accessibility and tournament competitive depth through multiple skill levers (stein selection, magnet control, progressive scoring) (confidence: high) — 'making sure that there's a lot in there for those players who really like strategy... but also make sure that you don't have to worry about'
- **[design_philosophy]** Intentional contrast with dark superhero/band-themed games through bright, family-friendly amusement park aesthetic (confidence: high) — 'it was really nice to kind of do something very different... We've had so many dark titles... bright and airy'
- **[licensing_signal]** Unlicensed theme chosen to allow authentic design without licensing constraints; extensive historical research conducted to capture genuine Oktoberfest elements (confidence: high) — 'it's an unlicensed theme, but it was important to us to be true to it, not just take the name and throw it on some other game. So we really did a lot of research'
- **[announcement]** Oktoberfest announced as American Pinball's second game with detailed feature specifications revealed (confidence: high) — Comprehensive technical walkthrough of playfield, magnets, multiballs, and game modes directly from company representative
- **[product_strategy]** Multiple surprises and hidden Easter eggs designed into playfield and artwork to encourage player discovery and community sharing (confidence: high) — 'One of his goals is to surprise people in every game... a lot of that, which I think is a lot of fun with the game. People said... did you see this?'

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## Transcript

 Thank you. So we were starting to think about what our next theme should be. Joe Balcer was really big on wanting to do Oktoberfest. And my first reaction to that was, Oktoberfest? Isn't it just about beer and big busted women? and I said, I don't know if that's a good theme or not. Because I really didn't know much about it like a lot of us do, little bits and pieces we've seen. So I did some research on it and found out that Oktoberfest isn't just about beer. It's a part of it. But it's about so much more. It's about, it's really a festival. It's midway games. It's amusement rides. It's food. It's music. In fact, there's a festival like that in the town I live in every fall that's incredibly popular. And after I kind of learned about it, I said, you know, there's a lot we could do with this theme. You know, Joe had an idea. He wanted to do crazy stuff with wire forms to create the roller coasters. You know, I started thinking about the rules after I read about it and the idea that there are all these tents with different food and activities. And it sort of lent itself very nicely to that. And, you know, it's a very festive thing. And I think it was a nice contrast from Houdini. And we really haven't seen a game of pinball for a while that sort of has that amusement park, festival, bright and airy. We've had so many dark titles, whether it's the superheroes or the rock bands. So it was really nice to kind of do something very different, really kind of opposite of what's been done of late. With Oktoberfest, again, it's an unlicensed theme, but it was important to us to be true to it, not just take the name and throw it on some other game. So we really did a lot of research and finding out things about it. The history of it having to do with the wedding of a king is kind of an interesting aspect of it but it evolved over the years It been held almost every year There were a few years where it wasn for various political or medical reasons But we really tried to capture the different aspects of it, the music, the food. October Fest is celebrated all over the world now, in every country. You can't even go to a grocery store now without seeing Oktoberfest beer. We went to dinner last night, the place had Oktoberfest brat, so it's really become part of culture. And I suspect a lot of people, when they first heard about the title, thinking Oktoberfest, and now we're seeing it everywhere because it really has become a part. But we did try and pattern a lot after the original one in Munich, which is still the biggest. So, for example, there are 14 tents, which represent the tent most, and that's because there are 14 what they call big tents at Oktoberfest. They have some smaller tents as well, but those are the big tents, and they each feature different food and music and that type of thing. So that's sort of how we incorporate that with the modes, where each mode has its different music. it's different activity that you're performing. You know the focus was to really create a game that everybody can enjoy and again also whether you're an enthusiast or whether you're a tournament player. We're really focused on this game and making sure that there's a lot in there for those players who really like strategy, things with power up and progressive scoring, but also make sure that you don't have to worry about or know those things to enjoy the game. Even one of the really cool features in the game is called called Magna. We have an extra flipper button in the cabinet and it lets you control two of the four magnets in the game. I'm not even going to tell you where the other two are, you'll have to wait and see where they are. But there are two that are player controlled, but we set up the rules and stuff that even if you never use that flipper, they're going to help you, you're going to enjoy the game. But for that serious player who's got a lot of strategy in mind, they're going to be able to use that to help them get playfield multipliers or get locks quicker than they might otherwise. Ultimately, you're trying to experience all of Oktoberfest. That's sort of the objective, all the different parts. So the very main part that most people will first focus on are the tent modes. Those are your traditional game modes, and they really incorporate a lot of different aspects of the game. A couple of modes that really focus on the Oktoberfest targets, which are two sets of stand-up targets, and other modes focus on ramps. So they really cover a lot of the different game play around it So that a key piece When you first start the game though the first thing you gonna be asked asked is to pick a stein And steins are power and Otto the bartender is going to greet you and you get an opportunity to pick a stein that might make it easier to spell certain things or give you more time in modes. And there's 14 of those. They match tents, and if you also have a stein that's assigned to a tent, it'll help you in that tent in giving you more time. So that's kind of how things start off. Typically, you're going to go for the tent modes or start working towards one of the two multi balls. So there's some multi balls in the tats, but there are two main multi balls. There's corkscrew multiball, and that's the very steep ramp on the left that you shoot. And you do that by spelling the Oktoberfest letters. It lowers the ramp that shoots it up there. And once you get three balls up there, it starts the multiball, which feeds this crazy ramp that we call the corkscrew that has a loop and then a zigzag and then another loop. And it's kind of fun watching three balls on there simultaneously. is pretty cool. Then the other multiball is beer barrel multiball, which is a upper ramp shot that feeds into a beer barrel, and that's a case where you can steal other players' locks. So if the lock is lit and you put the third ball in there, you get the multiball, even if it's only the first lock for you. So we think that's going to be a lot of fun for people, and because it's covered, you can't always know how many balls are in there unless you're paying attention to know where you're the one who's going to get the multiball. And there's other aspects around the food and music that are also incorporated in the game. But I think for most players, you know, tent is going to be lit right at the start. It's a scoop shot right in front of you. Typically, that's where people are going to start off on their experience of Oktoberfest. We really packed a lot into Oktoberfest. Joe Balcer, the designer, really wanted to get a lot of stuff in there. One of his goals is to surprise people in every game. We have the catapult in Houdini that really caught people by surprise. And here you want to do some crazy stuff with the wire forms to really surprise people. And the really steep left ramp, which is very makeable, that feeds the corkscrew multiball. It's a three-flipper game. It has three pops. It also has three slingshots. It's actually a slingshot in the upper area that helps feed into the pops. It's got a Newton captive ball combination. In addition to the ramp that moves up and down as far as the ramp flap, there also a 180 ramp on the right side and then again ramp off the upper flipper And so a lot going on in that regard One of our central characters is Otto the bartender and he kind of rotates and talks to the player and he sits above his bar, which is a bash toy. So you bash the bar, eventually it opens up, and that's what lets you get in to do the stein selection. Tent modes is very traditional with the lanes, opening that up. And like I said, there are four magnets in the game as well. So we really tried to cram a lot in. Jeff Busch, who is our artist. He also did Houdini, and I think if you looked at it, you'd have a hard time believing it's necessarily the same artist because the style is so different. I think it's an incredibly bright game, colorful game. And Houdini really packed a ton of stuff, and people will spend a lot of time looking at the play field, spotting different things. And I'm looking forward to people posting online when they find, did you see this? Is that what I think it is? and he did a lot of that, which I think is a lot of fun with the game. People said Oktoberfest happened to be family-friendly. I think when people see it, they're going to go, wow, this is not what I was expecting. This is bright, this is colorful, this is family, this is fun. And it's a really fun game. I've actually only of late really gotten to play it because I've been working on stuff, and it's a really fun game to play. It has nice speed and flow and a lot going on. We find the rules really interesting. and I think people are going to really enjoy having it in their homes and I think bars are going to love having it on location. I think it's a beautiful machine, again, real back glass, again, like we did with Houdini. That really brings things to life and I think it will bring a lot of joy and happiness to a lot of people. If you're interested in Oktoberfest, you can come to our website, look at our sales page for all of our distributors around the country. We kind of handpick these are the best distributors out there that really take care of people and you'll go to your local bar or arcades and if they don't have an Oktoberfest there, tell them they need to get an Oktoberfest there and enjoy it and play it and have fun with it.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 94cb9e29-bf86-4814-9877-be63a6d4c4a6*