# New Mystery Pinball Company Revealed!

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-04-19  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/new-mystery-pinball-company-revealed

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## Analysis

Bob Nies, creator of the acclaimed homebrew machine Elf, is launching TiltBob Pinball, a new Florida-based pinball manufacturer. The company plans to handle all production in-house (cabinetry, mechanics, software, playfield production) with a focus on family-friendly comedic themes and original IP, plus one potential licensed title. TiltBob aims to debut three to four prototype machines at Texas Pinball Festival 2024.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] TiltBob Pinball is being established in Florida by Bob Nies with a small team including Paul Fusco and an investor — _Direct statement from Bob Nies to Knapp Arcade; corroborated by Paul Fusco involvement_
- [HIGH] Playfield production/printing complaints are 'probably the biggest area of complaints in the industry' and TiltBob is prioritizing in-house playfield work to address this — _Direct quote from Bob Nies to Knapp Arcade about company focus_
- [HIGH] TiltBob's first game has original theme plus a 'potential license' (not Elf) — _Statement from Bob Nies via Knapp Arcade; licensing status described as potential/in-progress_
- [HIGH] Company plans to debut three to four prototype machines at Texas Pinball Festival 2024 (March 15-17) — _Bob Nies statement to Knapp Arcade_
- [MEDIUM] TiltBob's game features 'a lot of cool mechs' that have never been done before — _Secondhand report from Bob Nies via Knapp Arcade; not directly verified_

### Notable Quotes

> "probably the biggest area of complaints in the industry right now"
> — **Bob Nies**
> _Identifies playfield production/quality as primary industry pain point that TiltBob aims to address_

> "They are planning to have three or four prototype pinball machines ready for next year's Texas Pinball Festival, which takes place March 15th through the 17th, 2024."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting Bob Nies statement)**
> _Sets clear timeline and venue for TiltBob's market debut_

> "He plans to do all the work on his upcoming game(s) in-house, including cabinetry, mechanical, software, playfield production & printing."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting Bob Nies statement)**
> _Indicates vertically integrated manufacturing model, differentiating from most current manufacturers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Bob Nies | person | Homebrew pinball designer; creator of award-winning Elf machine; founder of TiltBob Pinball |
| TiltBob Pinball | company | New Florida-based pinball manufacturer founded by Bob Nies; plans in-house production of cabinetry, mechanics, software, and playfields |
| Paul Fusco | person | Content creator (TampaTech YouTube channel); team member at TiltBob Pinball; identified the TiltBob Pinball shirt clue at Texas Pinball Festival |
| Elf | game | Award-winning homebrew pinball machine designed by Bob Nies; won Favorite Homebrew Machine at Texas Pinball Festival TWIPYs |
| Texas Pinball Festival 2024 | event | Scheduled March 15-17, 2024; TiltBob plans to debut three to four prototype machines; location where Elf won TWIPY award |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Content/news outlet; published this article revealing TiltBob Pinball existence |
| TampaTech | organization | YouTube channel run by Paul Fusco; focuses on arcade/pinball content |
| Pinball Adventures | company | Another new pinball company mentioned as having provided an update to Knapp Arcade; details not provided in this article |

### Topics

- **Primary:** New pinball manufacturer entry, Homebrew-to-commercial transition, Playfield production quality and complaints, Vertical integration in pinball manufacturing
- **Secondary:** Family-friendly game themes, Texas Pinball Festival and community awards, Licensed IP in pinball

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Knapp Arcade expresses genuine excitement about the new company ('Very cool news'), credibility of founder (award-winning Elf designer), and addresses identified industry pain point. Tone is encouraging and optimistic about TiltBob's prospects.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** New pinball manufacturer entering market with in-house vertical integration model (confidence: high) — TiltBob plans to handle all production in-house: 'cabinetry, mechanical, software, playfield production & printing'
- **[product_concern]** Playfield production and quality identified as major industry pain point (confidence: high) — Bob Nies states playfield production is 'probably the biggest area of complaints in the industry right now' and is prioritizing this in TiltBob's model
- **[design_philosophy]** New manufacturer focusing on family-friendly comedic themes rather than mature or dark themes (confidence: high) — TiltBob's 'initial focus will be family-friendly comedic themes'
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival 2024 positioned as launch venue for new manufacturer's prototype lineup (confidence: high) — TiltBob plans 'three or four prototype pinball machines ready for next year's Texas Pinball Festival, which takes place March 15th through the 17th, 2024'
- **[personnel_signal]** Bob Nies transitioning from homebrew designer to commercial pinball manufacturer (confidence: high) — Bob Nies launching TiltBob Pinball after success with Elf homebrew machine
- **[announcement]** New pinball manufacturer revealing first game with original IP and potential licensed IP (confidence: high) — TiltBob 'is currently working on building a pinball machine with an original theme and it has a potential license for a pin as well - No it's not Elf'
- **[technology_signal]** Homebrew designer bringing custom mechanical innovation to commercial manufacturing (confidence: medium) — TiltBob's game 'supposedly has a lot of cool mechs in it that have never been done before'; Bob's homebrew Elf was award-winning

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## Transcript

A couple of days ago I wrote an article here about potential new pinball companies that may begin producing games later this year. We received an update from one of the companies that I mentioned yesterday, Pinball Adventures. Today I'm going to talk about the new "mystery" company that plans to enter the pinball manufacturing space.

A big clue about this company's existence was right under my and everyone else's noses at this year's Texas Pinball Festival and none of us picked up on it at the time. When he walked up on state to accept the award for "Favorite Homebrew Machine" during the TWIPYs at TPF, the creator of the outstanding homebrew game "Elf," Bob Nies was wearing a shirt that said "TiltBob Pinball."

I didn't even notice the name while watching the show, but yesterday when I asked for information about new pinball companies Paul Fusco of the TampaTech YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfgq9Gn8S041qQFl0C-CEQ) pointed it out to me, so I reached out to our friend Bob (we wrote about Elf in March and August of '22) to see if he would be willing to share any information with us.

Bob is setting up a pinball Company called "TiltBob Pinball" in Florida. He currently has a small team of people, including Paul, working with him and an investor. He plans to do all the work on his upcoming game(s) in-house, including cabinetry, mechanical, software, playfield production & printing. He's particularly focused on producing his own playfields because this is "probably the biggest area of complaints in the industry" right now.

TiltBob Pinball is currently working on building a pinball machine with an original theme and it has a "potential license" for a pin as well - No it's not Elf. Their initial focus will be family-friendly comedic themes. They are planning to have three or four prototype pinball machines ready for next year's Texas Pinball Festival, which takes place March 15th through the 17th, 2024.

TiltBob currently has a working whitewood of the game, but it's still a little early for them to share pictures with us. The game supposedly has a lot of cool mechs in it that have never been done before. They hope to start showing some teaser images of the game and their shop "in a couple months."

Very cool news. I'm looking forward to following along with Bob and the TiltBob team as they work on creating their first game. Below are links to my previous articles on Bob's Elf pinball machine for anyone who missed them:

The Awesome New Homebrew Pinball Machine - Elf

https://www.knapparcade.org/post/the-awesome-new-homebrew-pinball-machine-elf

Is a Stern Pinball "Elf" Machine in the Works?

https://www.knapparcade.org/post/is-a-stern-elf-pinball-machine-in-the-works

A picture of Bob wearing the TiltBob Pinball shirt during the show

Pictures of the award-winning homebrew game Elf and a link to a short video of it in action

https://youtube.com/shorts/hWiocQj8qRI?feature=share

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c372d689-5ac8-4c76-9a1e-f54a847e7ce6*