# One of the Unexpected October Pinball Reveals is... **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-10-05 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/one-of-the-unexpected-october-pinball-reveals-is --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade reports that Jersey Jack Pinball will unveil its next game at Pinball Expo during a Thursday 8:00 PM Central seminar. The game is heavily rumored to be a Steve Ritchie-designed, fast-flowing title based on an Elton John theme, with positive internal feedback about gameplay and feature density. This represents the third of four expected major pinball announcements in October. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball will announce/reveal their next game at Pinball Expo Thursday evening at 8:00 PM Central — _Author cites Pinball Expo schedule and sources close to the company; seminar timing is verifiable against official schedule_ - [MEDIUM] JJP's next game is heavily rumored to be a Steve Ritchie-designed game based on an Elton John theme — _Author states this based on conversations with people close to the company, but explicitly labels it as 'heavily rumored' not confirmed_ - [MEDIUM] The game has received rave reviews for how it shoots and is packed with features — _Author claims to have heard nothing but positive internal feedback; based on sources close to the company_ - [MEDIUM] Steve Ritchie, Jack Guarnieri, and other design team members will show off and discuss the game at the seminar — _Author's expectation based on Expo schedule; not explicitly confirmed but typical for JJP reveals_ - [HIGH] Playable games will be available at Pinball Expo for public play — _Standard practice at Expo reveals; author states this directly_ ### Notable Quotes > "JJP's next pin is heavily rumored to be a fast-flowing Steve Ritchie-designed game based upon an Elton John theme. I've heard nothing but rave reviews of how this game shoots and how jam packed it is with stuff." > — **Knapp Arcade (author)** > _Core claim about the unreleased JJP game; establishes designer attribution, theme, and internal sentiment_ > "Look for the game to be unveiled then with Steve Ritchie, Jack Guarnieri and other members of the design team showing it off and talking about its development." > — **Knapp Arcade (author)** > _Specifies venue, time, and key personnel expected at reveal_ > "This is a little sooner than I was expecting to see the next JJP game. Very exciting!" > — **Knapp Arcade (author)** > _Indicates this announcement/reveal timing is surprising to insiders; suggests accelerated JJP production timeline_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; next game rumored to be Elton John themed, Steve Ritchie-designed | | Pinball Expo | event | Major annual pinball industry convention where JJP next game will be revealed Thursday evening at 8:00 PM Central | | Steve Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer; rumored designer of JJP's next game (Elton John theme) | | Jack Guarnieri | person | JJP personnel; expected to participate in Thursday seminar showing off the new game | | Mystery Pinball Company | company | Manufacturer; their Labyrinth game will be revealed October 20th at 9:30 PM (reveal #1) | | Pinball Adventures | company | Manufacturer bringing Elements game to Pinball Expo (reveal #2) | | Elements | game | Next game from Pinball Adventures; expected announcement at Pinball Expo | | Labyrinth | game | Mystery Pinball Company game; reveal scheduled October 20th at 9:30 PM | | Knapp Arcade | person | Pinball industry media figure; writing about October reveals; has sources close to JJP | | Elton John | person | Musical artist; theme basis for rumored JJP game | ### Topics - **Primary:** Upcoming game announcements/reveals, Jersey Jack Pinball product roadmap, Steve Ritchie design work, Pinball Expo 2024 schedule and reveals - **Secondary:** Entertainment IP licensing (Elton John), Pinball game design and gameplay philosophy ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses enthusiasm ('Very exciting!') about the JJP reveal timing and the rumored game quality. Positive tone throughout regarding the unexpected announcement and rave reviews from internal sources. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Playable units of JJP's new Elton John game will be available at Pinball Expo for public play during Thursday seminar (confidence: high) — Author: 'Games will be available at Pinball Expo for the public to play' - **[licensing_signal]** Elton John entertainment IP licensing confirmed for pinball game production by Jersey Jack Pinball (confidence: high) — Author reports JJP's next game is based on 'an Elton John theme' with internal positive reception; Steve Ritchie design indicates major IP licensing deal - **[community_signal]** Steve Ritchie confirmed as designer of JJP's next game; expected to appear at Thursday Expo seminar with Jack Guarnieri and other design team members (confidence: medium) — Author anticipates Ritchie and Guarnieri will be present at seminar; based on sources close to company and typical Expo reveal format - **[announcement]** Jersey Jack Pinball next game (Elton John theme, Steve Ritchie-designed) to be officially revealed at Pinball Expo Thursday evening seminar at 8:00 PM Central (confidence: high) — Author cites Pinball Expo schedule showing JJP seminar scheduled for Thursday evening at 8:00 PM Central; corroborated by sources close to the company - **[rumor_hype]** JJP's next game is heavily rumored to be a fast-flowing Steve Ritchie-designed game based on an Elton John theme (confidence: medium) — Author explicitly labels this as 'heavily rumored' based on conversations with people close to the company; positive internal reception noted ('rave reviews') - **[sentiment_shift]** Unexpected accelerated timeline for JJP's next game announcement; author describes reveal timing as sooner than expected (confidence: medium) — Author states 'This is a little sooner than I was expecting to see the next JJP game' suggesting accelerated JJP production/announcement schedule --- ## Transcript Earlier today I wrote an article here that started out by saying that there is going to be four big pinball announcements / reveals during the month of October. As we already know, Mystery Pinball Company's Labyrinth (hey I figured out how to spell it) will be revealed on Friday, October 20th at 9:30 PM. That's #1. Reveal / Announcement #2 is Pinball Adventures next game Elements, which it is supposedly bringing to Pinball Expo as well. Onto Reveal #3...according to people who I have spoken with who are close to the company, we are going to see an unexpected (at least for me) appearance at Pinball Expo by Jersey Jack Pinball's next game! JJP's next pin is heavily rumored to be a fast-flowing Steve Ritchie-designed game based upon an Elton John theme. I've heard nothing but rave reviews of how this game shoots and how jam packed it is with stuff. So when will we get to see the next JJP game? According to the Pinball Expo schedule, Jersey Jack Pinball has a seminar scheduled for Thursday evening at 8:00 PM Central. Look for the game to be unveiled then with Steve Ritchie, Jack Guarnieri and other members of the design team showing it off and talking about its development. Games will be available at Pinball Expo for the public to play. On a personal note, I saw the dual Billy Joel / Elton John concert at Giant Stadium over two decades ago now. This is a little sooner than I was expecting to see the next JJP game. Very exciting! So that's October announcement / reveal #3. Reveal #4 will be a lot sooner than people think. More on that to come soon... https://pinballexpo.com/ _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: afd98ba9-65ce-4e68-9614-b76938a255a6*