# Pulp Fiction Pinball Notes: No Add-On Topper, Original Plan for the License & More **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-03-19 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/pulp-fiction-pinball-notes-no-add-on-topper-original-plan-for-the-license-more --- ## Analysis Chicago Gaming Company's Pulp Fiction pinball will not offer the Bad Mother Flipper LE topper as an add-on for standard editions. The game originated from Play Mechanix's pitch to Quentin Tarantino for a side-scrolling shooter, but Tarantino requested a pinball machine with throwback design instead of Mark Ritchie's original widebody LCD concept. Production parts are being stockpiled but assembly is delayed pending final parts approvals. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Bad Mother Flipper LE topper will not be available as an add-on for Standard Edition — _Josh Sharpe statement via LoserKid Pinball Podcast interview_ - [HIGH] Play Mechanix originally pitched Quentin Tarantino a side-scrolling shooter game like NARC, not pinball — _Mark Ritchie and Josh Sharpe via LoserKid Pinball Podcast interview_ - [HIGH] Tarantino insisted the game be made as a throwback design — _Mark Ritchie statement regarding Tarantino's creative direction_ - [HIGH] Mark Ritchie's original design concept was a packed widebody game with LCD display — _Interview discussion of initial design approach_ - [HIGH] CGC has already released production parts months ago but cannot begin assembly due to pending part approvals — _Production timeline and parts approval status_ - [HIGH] Pulp Fiction will be built on a separate production line from Cactus Canyon — _CGC production planning statement_ ### Notable Quotes > "Play Mechanix originally approached Quentin Tarantino looking to make a Pulp Fiction side-scrolling shooter, sort of like the classic arcade game NARC. It was Tarantino's idea to make a pin." > — **Knapp Arcade (citing Mark Ritchie/Josh Sharpe)** > _Reveals the unexpected origin story of the game — it was not originally conceived as pinball but as arcade shooter, with Tarantino driving the pivot to pinball_ > "Tarantino insisted that the game be made as a throwback." > — **Mark Ritchie (via Knapp Arcade)** > _Explains the design direction away from Ritchie's original widebody/LCD concept toward classic aesthetic_ > "The cool topper that comes on the Bad Mother Flipper LE version of Pulp Fiction will not be available as an add-on for the Standard Edition" > — **Josh Sharpe (via Knapp Arcade)** > _Confirms LE exclusivity strategy for premium accessories, differentiating tiers and limiting secondary market availability_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pulp Fiction | game | Pinball machine themed on Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film, developed by Chicago Gaming Company and Play Mechanix | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball manufacturer producing Pulp Fiction in partnership with Play Mechanix | | Play Mechanix | company | Game designer/developer partner on Pulp Fiction pinball machine | | Mark Ritchie | person | Pinball designer who created original Pulp Fiction design concept (widebody with LCD display) | | Josh Sharpe | person | Chicago Gaming Company representative providing production and design details about Pulp Fiction | | Quentin Tarantino | person | Filmmaker and IP owner who requested the game be designed as pinball throwback rather than arcade shooter | | Bad Mother Flipper Edition | product | Limited Edition variant of Pulp Fiction with exclusive topper accessory | | Cactus Canyon | game | Chicago Gaming Company pinball game sharing production facilities with Pulp Fiction | | Medieval Madness | game | Chicago Gaming Company game whose topper was available as add-on (precedent comparison) | | LoserKid Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast featuring interview with Mark Ritchie and Josh Sharpe about Pulp Fiction game | | Knapp Arcade | person | Author/analyst aggregating and reporting on Pulp Fiction game intel from podcast and online sources | | NARC | game | Classic arcade side-scrolling shooter game cited as reference for original Play Mechanix pitch to Tarantino | ### Topics - **Primary:** Pulp Fiction production and release timeline, Design philosophy and creative direction, Limited Edition vs Standard Edition differentiation strategy - **Secondary:** Licensing and IP holder creative control, Manufacturing and supply chain ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0.5) — Article is informational and factual in tone, neither promotional nor critical. Presents production delays and design constraints matter-of-factly without editorial judgment. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Production line separation strategy: Pulp Fiction will be manufactured independently from Cactus Canyon, suggesting parallel production capacity and prioritization (confidence: high) — When all the parts are ready, CGC will build them on a separate production line than the one that is being used to build Cactus Canyon - **[design_philosophy]** Tarantino's creative direction overrode designer Mark Ritchie's original widebody/LCD concept in favor of throwback aesthetic, indicating strong IP holder control over design direction (confidence: high) — Tarantino insisted the game be made as a throwback; original design was widebody with LCD display - **[licensing_signal]** Strong IP holder involvement and creative control — Tarantino directed game concept pivot from arcade shooter to pinball and influenced aesthetic direction (confidence: high) — It was Tarantino's idea to make a pin; Tarantino insisted that the game be made as a throwback - **[product_strategy]** Pulp Fiction assembly delayed due to pending parts approvals despite months-old stockpiling of production components (confidence: high) — Chicago Gaming Company started releasing production parts months ago but machines can't be built yet because a few of the parts are still in the process of being approved - **[product_strategy]** LE topper exclusivity: Bad Mother Flipper LE topper will not be offered as add-on to Standard Edition, unlike Medieval Madness precedent, creating strong tier differentiation (confidence: high) — The cool topper that comes on the Bad Mother Flipper LE version of Pulp Fiction will not be available as an add-on for the Standard Edition --- ## Transcript Between listening to the great LoserKid Pinball Podcast interview with Mark Ritchie and Josh Sharpe and reading about the game online I've learned a lot of interesting facts about the new Play Mechanix / Chicago Gaming Company Pulp Fiction pinball machine that I thought it warranted a post. Here's some interesting info about the game, in no particular order: According to Josh Sharpe, the cool topper that comes on the Bad Mother Flipper LE version of Pulp Fiction will not be available as an add-on for the Standard Edition of the game, like what Chicago Gaming did with the Medieval Madness topper and to some degree with the Cactus Canyon SE+ Play Mechanix originally approached Quentin Tarantino looking to make a Pulp Fiction side-scrolling shooter, sort of like the classic arcade game NARC. It was Tarantino's idea to make a pin. Mark Ritchie's original design for the Pulp Fiction pin was a packed widebody game with a LCD display. Tarantino insisted that the game be made as a throwback. Chicago Gaming Company started releasing production parts months ago to build the first 1,000 Pulp Fiction games, but machines can't be built yet because a few of the parts are still in the process of being approved. When all the parts are ready, CGC will build them on a separate production line than the one that is being used to build Cactus Canyon. Below is a link to the aforementioned episode of the LoserKid podcast for anyone who wants to check it out: https://m.soundcloud.com/loserkidpinballpodcast/ep-105-bad-mother-flippers-with-mark-ritchie-and-jos _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: a7f2d8d3-b9cc-4d27-912c-0293d6377be5*