# Back to the '90s

**Source:** This Week in Pinball  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-06-19  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://twip.kineticist.com/p/back-to-the-90s

---

## Analysis

This Week in Pinball covers multiple major announcements including Tales of the Arabian Nights of the Arabian Nights remake, official confirmation of Sonic the Hedgehog game shipping imminently, Barrels of Fun's new collectors' club, and Jason Zahler's historic third consecutive IFPA World Championship win. The issue also features production estimation models for Stern games, coverage of World Cup Soccer and other 90s-era pinball classics, and the revival of the 24-hour endurance tournament format at two new venues.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pedretti Gaming is releasing Tales of the Arabian Nights in Legacy ($10,999, soft cap 500 units) and 30th Anniversary ($11,999, hard cap 399 units) editions — _This Week in Pinball article, official announcement from Pedretti Gaming_
- [HIGH] Sonic the Hedgehog is based on the video games rather than the movies — _Official staged phone recording between Pinball Magazine and JJP founder Jack Guarnieri_
- [HIGH] JJP now has two production lines running simultaneously (Harry Potter and Sonic the Hedgehog) — _Official JJP announcement via Pinball Magazine_
- [HIGH] Sonic the Hedgehog games are already being built and shipping to distributors — _Official JJP announcement, full reveal scheduled for Tuesday, June 23_
- [HIGH] Jason Zahler won his historic third straight IFPA World Championship, defeating Daniele Acciari in an 80-player field — _IFPA21 World Championship results covered in This Week in Pinball_
- [HIGH] Barrels of Fun's Reserve membership ($75/year) allows members to order additional machines beyond the edition cap if a game sells out in its first week — _Barrels of Fun official announcement; confirmed by Brian Savage_
- [HIGH] Tales of the Arabian Nights 30th Anniversary edition has a typo in early promotional material: 'Lighting Lamp' instead of 'Lightning Lamp' — _This Week in Pinball observed in promotional materials_
- [HIGH] American Pinball is remaking Cirqus Voltaire as one of two announced 2026 remakes of John Popadiuk games — _This Week in Pinball article_
- [HIGH] Pokémon game code update to 0.83 still lacks Insider Connected integration and Pokédex tracking features — _This Week in Pinball coverage of Stern's Pokémon update_
- [HIGH] Slash was inducted into the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame with 30+ years of pinball involvement across multiple games including Data East and Guns N' Roses — _This Week in Pinball; induction presented by U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame Chairman Gary Flower_

### Notable Quotes

> "games are already being built and shipping to distributors, the same playbook JJP ran for the Harry Potter launch"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Confirms Sonic the Hedgehog is in active production and distribution, mirroring successful Harry Potter launch strategy_

> "The full reveal lands Tuesday, June 23 — Sonic's birthday"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Marks the official reveal date of Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine, creating symmetry with Sonic's official birthday_

> "if a machine sells out in its first week, members get a second window to order, and Barrels builds beyond the edition cap to fill them. Exclusive, but uncapped."
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Explains Barrels of Fun's novel business model combining exclusivity with flexibility for high-demand machines_

> "one of two announced 2026 remakes of Popadiuk games — Cirqus Voltaire, from a revamped American Pinball, is the other"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Confirms American Pinball is remaking Cirqus Voltaire, part of broader 2026 remake trend_

> "You're waiting for the 'but' — it's just the obvious one: we'll see how it actually plays"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Reflects cautious community sentiment about remakes—aesthetic nostalgia must be backed by actual gameplay quality_

> "more than 30 years, going back to the original Guns N' Roses N' Roses and running through JJP's take on Guns N' Roses, The Godfather, and maybe more"
> — **This Week in Pinball**
> _Highlights Slash's deep, sustained involvement with pinball machines spanning multiple decades and manufacturers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Pinball manufacturer announcing Tales of the Arabian Nights remake in Legacy and 30th Anniversary editions |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer officially confirming Sonic the Hedgehog as next title, with two production lines now running |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Boutique manufacturer launching Barrels Reserve membership club with flexible edition caps for high-demand games |
| American Pinball | company | Remaking Cirqus Voltaire as part of 2026 John Popadiuk remake slate; recruiting junior designer |
| Stern Pinball | company | Releasing Pokémon accessories and code updates; recruiting events manager; launching Dungeons & Dragons topper |
| Multimorphic | company | P3 modular pinball manufacturer indicating new game launch coming soon with ramped production |
| Jack Guarnieri | person | Jersey Jack Pinball founder, confirmed Sonic the Hedgehog announcement via staged phone recording with Pinball Magazine |
| Jason Zahler | person | Won historic third consecutive IFPA World Championship title, defeating Daniele Acciari in 80-player field |
| Daniele Acciari | person | Top-ranked competitive player, runner-up in IFPA21 World Championship; featured in Tales of the Arabian Nights gameplay footage |
| John Popadiuk | person | Designer of Tales of the Arabian Nights (1996) and Cirqus Voltaire; subject of two announced 2026 remakes |
| Brian Allen | person | Artwork designer for Tales of the Arabian Nights 30th Anniversary edition |
| Brian Savage | person | CBO (Chief Business Officer) of Barrels of Fun, confirmed details of Barrels Reserve membership program |
| Hilton Jones | person | Madison operator, competitive player, Spooky rules designer (Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), built award-winning Aliens of Destruction arcade game |
| Ed Giardina | person | Creator of IFPA Companion App and Pinventory machine management platform |
| Bruce Sheldon | person | Young creator of Pinball Frenzine, hand-made free zine teaching pinball rules one machine at a time |
| Gary Flower | person | U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame Chairman, presented induction award to Slash |
| Slash | person | Guitarist with 30+ years pinball involvement; inducted into U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame; has connections to Data East and JJP Guns N' Roses games |
| Matt Owen | person | This Week in Pinball contributor covering tournaments and interviews; worked overtime this issue |
| Benjamin Plotkin | person | This Week in Pinball writer who interviewed Bruce Sheldon about Pinball Frenzine |
| Tales of the Arabian Nights | game | 1996 Williams/John Popadiuk classic being remade by Pedretti Gaming in two editions; subject of multiple promotional videos |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | game | Jersey Jack Pinball's next title, based on video game IP, in active production with release reveal on June 23 |
| Cirqus Voltaire | game | John Popadiuk classic being remade by American Pinball in 2026 |
| IFPA21 World Championship | event | 80-player competitive tournament won by Jason Zahler; Team Europe won Epstein Cup; held in Wisconsin |
| Aliens of Destruction | game | Arcade game designed by Hilton Jones; awarded Best New Arcade Game at MGC '26 |

### Signals

- **[announcement]** Pedretti Gaming officially reveals Tales of the Arabian Nights remake with two production tiers (Legacy/30th Anniversary) and specific pricing and unit targets (confidence: high) — Tales of the Arabian Nights remake announced with $10,999 Legacy (500 units soft cap) and $11,999 30th Anniversary (399 hard cap) editions; includes promotional footage with top player Daniele Acciari
- **[announcement]** Jersey Jack Pinball officially confirms Sonic the Hedgehog as next title in staged announcement, with games already in production and shipping (confidence: high) — Official JJP announcement via Pinball Magazine phone recording; games already being built and shipped to distributors; full reveal scheduled June 23; playfield details confirmed via leaked GIF showing inline drops and possible upper playfield
- **[machine_intel]** Sonic the Hedgehog machines are actively being manufactured and distributed ahead of official June 23 reveal, using Harry Potter launch playbook (confidence: high) — This Week in Pinball reports 'games are already being built and shipping to distributors, the same playbook JJP ran for the Harry Potter launch'
- **[business_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball now operates two simultaneous production lines to accommodate both Harry Potter and Sonic the Hedgehog manufacturing (confidence: high) — Official JJP confirmation that 'JJP now has two lines running (Harry Potter on one, Sonic on the other)'
- **[product_strategy]** Barrels of Fun launches Reserve membership ($75/year) that allows members to order beyond edition caps if machines sell out in first week, combining exclusivity with flexibility (confidence: high) — Barrels Reserve launch with CBO Brian Savage confirmation; model allows second ordering window and uncapped production for sold-out machines while maintaining collector exclusivity appeal
- **[competitive_signal]** Jason Zahler wins historic third consecutive IFPA World Championship in 80-player field; Team Europe captures Epstein Cup (confidence: high) — IFPA21 World Championship results: Zahler defeated Daniele Acciari in final; tournament held in Wisconsin
- **[product_concern]** Pedretti Gaming's Tales of the Arabian Nights 30th Anniversary promotional material contains typo: 'Lighting Lamp' instead of 'Lightning Lamp' (missing 'n' in insert name) (confidence: high) — This Week in Pinball identified spelling error in early prototype promotional materials; hopes error will be corrected before production
- **[code_update]** Stern Pokémon code update to v0.83 remains incomplete, missing Insider Connected integration and Pokédex tracking despite accessory line launch (confidence: high) — This Week in Pinball notes 'it still misses Insider Connected integration and Pokédex tracking' despite new code bump and accessory rollout
- **[product_launch]** Stern launches official Pokémon accessory line including Magikarp topper with exclusive Multiball mode; previous leak occurred via unlisted YouTube video (confidence: high) — Pokémon accessories officially released after premature leak; Magikarp topper featured with exclusive multiball
- **[event_signal]** 24-hour endurance tournament format survives venue closure; two new organizations reviving format at different locations (Final Stand 24h at Funspot; Steel Valley's 24 HR Pinball-A-Thon) (confidence: high) — Final Stand 24h Tournament revived by Final Battle 10x veterans with NEPL/Funspot; runs Nov 7-8 in Laconia, NH; Steel Valley's separate 24-hour format Aug 8-9 in Girard, OH
- **[personnel_signal]** American Pinball recruiting junior pinball designer; Stern recruiting events manager as manufacturers expand operations (confidence: high) — This Week in Pinball Links section: 'American Pinball is after a junior pinball designer, while Stern wants an events manager'
- **[machine_intel]** Multimorphic P3 manufacturer indicates new game launch imminent with production ramping for expected demand; title not yet announced (confidence: high) — Multimorphic June update states 'next launch [is] coming soon' and confirms production ramping; no game name revealed yet

---

## Transcript

"Receive" by NYC's youbet, off their self-titled album from early May. This one's been stashed on my "maybe for TWIP" list for a while, and two things finally pushed it over: the record keeps turning up on best-of-2026-so-far lists — Stereogum put it at #11 — and its 90s-alt-rock streak feels right for a week when we're covering a bunch of 90s-era stuff like a remade Tales of the Arabian Nights (1996), World Cup Soccer (1994), and new Sonic the Hedgehog IP (1991). The video's simple but rewards repeat viewing. Pinball News of the Week Pedretti Reveals Its Tales of the Arabian Nights Remake Pedretti Gaming revealed its Tales of the Arabian Nights remake earlier this week, bringing back the 1996 Williams/John Popadiuk classic in two editions: a $10,999 Legacy (500 units, though really 500 in 2026, a soft cap rather than a hard one) and an $11,999 30th Anniversary with new Brian Allen artwork, capped at 399 worldwide. It's one of two announced 2026 remakes of Popadiuk games — Cirqus Voltaire, from a revamped American Pinball, is the other — and Pedretti's second swing at a remake after Funhouse. There's already a fair amount of content out about it, including light gameplay footage with top-ranked Daniele Acciari. I'll admit some of the promo material gave me a real twinge of nostalgia for the original. You're waiting for the 'but' — it's just the obvious one: we'll see how it actually plays. One small slip, though: the 30th Anniversary launch art appears to misspell the Lightning Lamp insert as "Lighting Lamp" — a missing n. Womp. Sometimes these early prototype games have mistakes that don't make it to production, so hopefully this gets fixed. The insert reads "Lighting Lamp" — missing the n in Lightning. Sonic the Hedgehog Is Finally Confirmed; More Next Week It's confirmed: JJP's next game is Sonic the Hedgehog. The reveal came as a "staged" phone recording between Pinball Magazine and JJP founder Jack Guarnieri, locking in a batch of previously-rumored details — the Sonic title, that it's based on the video games rather than the movies, and that JJP now has two lines running (Harry Potter on one, Sonic on the other). The genuinely new-ish bit: games are already being built and shipping to distributors, the same playbook JJP ran for the Harry Potter launch. The full reveal lands Tuesday, June 23 — Sonic's birthday. JJP's also been dropping micro-teasers all week. The most interesting arrived by email — a quick GIF that appears to confirm the leaked unpopulated playfield, with inline drops, what might be an upper playfield, and possibly a looping mechanism. Barrels of Fun rolled out Barrels Reserve, a $75/year collectors' club, and the hook is interesting: if a machine sells out in its first week, members get a second window to order, and Barrels builds beyond the edition cap to fill them. Exclusive, but uncapped. I got the mechanics from CBO Brian Savage ahead of launch. There are other perks, too — access to special events, store discounts, and some to-be-announced custom merch I'm excited to see. I joined! Pinball Machine Management for Operators and Collectors Pinventory keeps everything about your machines in one place. Operators track collections, revenue, and audits across their locations, including public QR codes that link to online issue reporting with no app needed. Collectors catalog their whole lineup with full maintenance history, parts, and manuals on hand. Every machine, repair, and number lives in one place instead of scattered notes and spreadsheets. Your data stays private and secure, visible only to you and the people you invite. Built by Ed Giardina, creator of the IFPA Companion App. Free to use. Matt Owen dropped in with a quick Score Card to cover the latest major: the IFPA21 World Championship and the 2026 Epstein Cup. Jason Zahler won his historic third straight world title, beating Daniele Acciari in the final of the 80-player field in Wisconsin, while Team Europe took the Cup. Hilton Jones has done a bit of everything in pinball: competitive player, Madison operator running 40-plus machines, and rules designer on Spooky's Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Now he's built his own arcade game. Matt Owen, working overtime this issue, talked to him about Aliens of Destruction, his now award-winning (Best New Arcade Game at MGC '26) project — plus the four tenets he designs by and why he wanted a social bar game in the vein of Killer Queen. Moving Units #7: A First Look at Our Production Estimates We promised paid subscribers a fresh Moving Units, and here it is — a big one. Moving Units has always been about how well recent games are actually selling. But #7 debuts a super-preview of something we've never shown publicly: our production-estimation model, which chases a completely different number: how many of each game were ever built. That's a figure few manufacturers print. It's Stern-only for now, with more makers to come. Where does JAWS land among modern Stern's biggest runs? How big is the Pokémon build, really? Has Godzilla surpassed The Addams Family yet? Meet Bruce Sheldon, the Maker of the New Pinball Frenzine Benjamin Plotkin talked to Bruce Sheldon about Pinball Frenzine, the free, hand-made zine he makes to teach pinball rules one machine at a time. Physical copies, a half-letter format, only a few issues in. Here's what gets me: Sheldon's young — well past the era when zines were part of the culture — and when the default move is a TikTok or YouTube account, he's out here printing free paper zines. That's wild, but I love it. Kick Off the Summer with Bally's World Cup Soccer Pinball With the World Cup back in North America this summer, it's the right moment to revisit a classic everybody knows: Bally's 1994 World Cup Soccer — "Dog Soccer," with mascot Striker and some memorable callouts from NBA Jam's Tim Kitzrow. solar_espeon's tutorial walks the Cities progression, multiball, and the road to the Final Match. It's also one of my all-time favorites — the machine in the tutorial photos is literally ours, and it used to live at the Sanctum. There's even a little easter egg hidden in those shots if you know where to look. Stern Launches Its Pokémon Accessory Line After a bit of a false start — a chunk of it leaked early this week in an unlisted YouTube video before getting pulled — we finally have official Pokémon accessories. Honestly, the Magikarp topper looks awesome, and if I were in the market for one, I'd definitely be considering it. It comes with an exclusive Magikarp Multiball. Related: there's also a small code bump (up to 0.83), but it still misses Insider Connected integration and Pokédex tracking. The 24-Hour Endurance Tournament Finds Two New Homes Last issue we noted in our links section that the Sanctum's Final Battle — the brutal 24-hour endurance tournament that ran for a decade — was calling it quits, with the Sanctum stepping away from the considerable effort of running it. Turns out the format isn't going anywhere. At least two different groups are keeping it alive, albeit in different ways. First, the direct heir: Final Battle 10x veterans, teaming with the New England Pinball League and Funspot, are reviving it as The Final Stand 24h Pinball Tournament — same format, same rules, new home. It runs 10 AM November 7 to 10 AM November 8 in Laconia, New Hampshire, with the American Classic Arcade Museum open between rounds. A hundred open spots, cash, and your name on the Swain Cup if you outlast everyone. Registration opens July 11 at 11 AM ET; full details on the NEPL site. And a few months earlier, Steel Valley Pinball runs its own 24 HR Pinball-A-Thon — a full noon-to-noon haul on August 8–9 at Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio. Different organizers, different state, same appeal — if non-stop pinball and no sleep are your things. Tickets on Eventbrite. Slash Enters the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame Slash with U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame Chairman Gary Flower One last thing before you go. This past weekend, Slash — yes, that Slash — was inducted into the U.K. Pinball Hall of Fame, which is a little unusual for what amounts to a side hustle. But his pinball roots run deeper than most people realize: more than 30 years, going back to the original Data East Guns N' Roses and running through JJP's take on Guns N' Roses, The Godfather, and maybe more. Hall of Fame Chairman and friend of the newsletter Gary Flower presented Slash with the award, and we hope to have more from him soon. Links of the Week Stern's latest Ask Jack Anything — Two bits worth flagging: the Dungeons & Dragons topper should ship by the end of Q2 (so, any day now), and Stern's kicking around evolution mechanics for a future Pokémon code update. Multimorphic's June update — The P3 maker says its "next launch [is] coming soon" and is already ramping production for expected demand. No name yet, but a new P3 game looks close. The big makers are hiring — American Pinball is after a junior pinball designer, while Stern wants an events manager. Pinball Junk Drawer hits episode 100 — The crew celebrates their 100th show. A real milestone for any pinball podcast — congrats from all of us. Punk Rock Pinball on starting a collective — A whole episode talking about their experiences with starting a pinball collective. Worth a listen if the concept piques you. “No interest in this IP. Too many other better IPs out there and if push came to shove, I would pick an Insider Connect game.” -Selected “No” “Space Cadet was a utility game that came with the Windows operating system. It wasn't anything special in the '90s. It sure would not be anything special as a fully realized real-world game. Now if any of the "Pro Pinball" tables were brought into the real-world such as "Time Shock" or "Big Race USA", then they might have a buyer!”

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-05 | Item ID: b119ef63-39b4-41f4-a788-e34a5385c70e*