# Josh Kugler is No Longer With American Pinball **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-05-03 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/josh-kugler-is-no-longer-with-american-pinball --- ## Analysis Josh Kugler has departed American Pinball after programming Houdini, Oktoberfest, and Hot Wheels. The article notes Frank Gigliotti programmed Legends of Valhalla, Steve Bowden is now involved in rules design, and a Dennis Nordmann design is expected to be revealed in fall. Ryan McQuaid's Sonic Spinball homebrew has no immediate plans for commercial production at American Pinball. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Josh Kugler is no longer with American Pinball — _Verified on LinkedIn; reported on The Pinball Show podcast_ - [HIGH] Josh Kugler programmed Houdini, Oktoberfest, and Hot Wheels for American Pinball — _Stated directly in article_ - [HIGH] Frank Gigliotti programmed Legends of Valhalla — _Stated as Riot Pinball's Frank Gigliotti_ - [HIGH] Steve Bowden is a new American Pinball employee involved in rules design — _Stated directly in article_ - [MEDIUM] Next American Pinball game will be a Dennis Nordmann design revealed in fall — _Author states 'I'm hearing' this, subject to change_ - [HIGH] Ryan McQuaid created Sonic Spinball homebrew machine — _Described as 'amazing homebrew machine'_ - [MEDIUM] American Pinball has no immediate plans to manufacture Sonic Spinball commercially — _Author's assessment based on current information_ ### Notable Quotes > "Unfortunately, it appears as though Josh Kugler, the American Pinball programmer for Houdini, Oktoberfest and most recently Hot Wheels, is no longer with the company." > — **Knapp Arcade author** > _Lead statement announcing key personnel departure from American Pinball_ > "This news was recently reported on The Pinball Show podcast and I verified its accuracy on LinkedIn." > — **Knapp Arcade author** > _Source verification for the departure announcement_ > "At this point I'm hearing that the next AP game will be a Dennis Nordmann design that will be revealed this fall, but these things are always subject to change." > — **Knapp Arcade author** > _Forward-looking intel on unreleased American Pinball title_ > "the company has no immediate plans to manufacture the amazing homebrew machine, Sonic Spinball that was created by its newest employee Ryan McQuaid" > — **Knapp Arcade author** > _Addresses community speculation about homebrew-to-commercial conversion_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Josh Kugler | person | Former American Pinball programmer for Houdini, Oktoberfest, and Hot Wheels; no longer with company | | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer undergoing personnel changes and game pipeline shifts | | Frank Gigliotti | person | Programmer from Riot Pinball; programmed Legends of Valhalla for American Pinball | | Steve Bowden | person | New American Pinball employee involved in rules design for future games | | Ryan McQuaid | person | Newest American Pinball employee; created Sonic Spinball homebrew machine | | Dennis Nordmann | person | Designer of next announced American Pinball game, expected fall reveal | | The Pinball Show | organization | Podcast that originally reported Josh Kugler's departure | | Houdini | game | American Pinball title programmed by Josh Kugler | | Oktoberfest | game | American Pinball title programmed by Josh Kugler | | Hot Wheels | game | American Pinball title programmed by Josh Kugler | | Legends of Valhalla | game | American Pinball title; last release; programmed by Frank Gigliotti | | Sonic Spinball | game | Homebrew pinball machine created by Ryan McQuaid; no immediate plans for commercial production | | Riot Pinball | company | Company Frank Gigliotti is associated with | ### Topics - **Primary:** Personnel changes at American Pinball, American Pinball game pipeline and future releases - **Secondary:** Homebrew to commercial pinball conversion, Programmer and rules designer roles in pinball development ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0) — Article is factual and measured; author expresses sympathy for departing employee while providing industry intelligence; no negative commentary toward American Pinball specifically ### Signals - **[business_signal]** American Pinball not pursuing commercial production of Ryan McQuaid's Sonic Spinball homebrew (confidence: medium) — Author states 'the company has no immediate plans to manufacture the amazing homebrew machine' but leaves open possibility for distant future - **[personnel_signal]** Josh Kugler departure from American Pinball after programming three recent titles (confidence: high) — Verified on LinkedIn and reported on The Pinball Show podcast - **[personnel_signal]** Staff turnover and programmer changes at American Pinball suggests ongoing operational instability (confidence: high) — Multiple programmer changes (Kugler departure, Gigliotti on prior release, new hire Bowden) indicate flux in technical leadership - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball planning Dennis Nordmann design reveal for fall (confidence: medium) — Author states 'I'm hearing that the next AP game will be a Dennis Nordmann design that will be revealed this fall, but these things are always subject to change' --- ## Transcript Unfortunately, it appears as though Josh Kugler, the American Pinball programmer for Houdini, Oktoberfest and most recently Hot Wheels, is no longer with the company. This news was recently reported on The Pinball Show podcast and I verified its accuracy on LinkedIn. It remains to be seen who the programmer for the next American Pinball release will be. Riot pinball's Frank Gigliotti was the programmer for American's last release, Legends of Valhalla. The new AP employee Steven Bowden will likely be involved in rules design for future games. At this point I'm hearing that the next AP game will be a Dennis Nordman design that will be revealed this fall, but these things are always subject to change. I wish Josh well in his future endeavors. While we're on the subject of American Pinball, as far as I can tell, the company has no immediate plans to manufacture the amazing homebrew machine, Sonic Spinball that was created by its newest employee Ryan McQuaid. This doesn't mean that it won't get made at some point much further down the road, but if it does happen it won't be for a long time. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c6f6b06e-64d5-4377-85a9-a7363e4a98df*