# American Pinball Announces New Team Members, Partnership with The Electric Playground

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-03-12  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/american-pinball-announces-new-team-members-partnership-with-the-electric-playground

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## Analysis

American Pinball announces the addition of Rob Wrath (Product Director) and Nick Neitzel (Product Designer) from Electric Playground, who will oversee game strategy and design while Electric Playground continues as an official vendor and expands its St. Louis facility. AP's first game under new management will be a Bally/Williams remake licensed from Planetary Pinball, with Cirqus Voltaire rumored as a possibility, and the company is holding a contest at Texas Pinball Festival and announcing the final shipments of Hot Wheels.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Rob Wrath is joining American Pinball as Product Director, overseeing planning, budgeting, marketing, go-to-market strategy, game story, and rules design for upcoming titles. — _American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] Nick Neitzel is joining American Pinball as Product Designer and is already working on an upcoming game. — _American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] Electric Playground will continue to develop toppers and become an official vendor for American Pinball while expanding its St. Louis facility. — _American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] American Pinball's first game under new management will be a Bally/Williams remake licensed from Planetary Pinball. — _Knapp Arcade reporting, confirmed as 'know for a fact'_
- [MEDIUM] Cirqus Voltaire (1997 Bally game) is rumored to be the first remake, though not confirmed. — _Knapp Arcade speculation; 'There has been some talk that the first game will be the 1997 Bally game Cirqus Voltaire. I don't know that is the case for a fact, but it does make a lot of sense.'_
- [MEDIUM] Pedretti Gaming reportedly has the rights to remake Tales of the Arabian Nights and Theatre of Magic. — _Knapp Arcade reporting_
- [HIGH] Hot Wheels pinball machine is in its final shipment to dealers. — _American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade_

### Notable Quotes

> "Rob has been designing and selling pinball toppers and mods through his company TEP for four years. He is joining the AP team as Product Director, where he will 'oversee the planning, budgeting, marketing and go-to-market strategy for many of their upcoming titles. He will also assist with game story and rules design.'"
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting American Pinball announcement)**
> _Official description of Rob Wrath's new role at American Pinball_

> "Nick Neitzel is well-known in the pinball and homebrew community for his creation of the awesome 'Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball' homebrew game. Nick officially joined The Electric Playground as a full-time Product Engineer last February. He is joining the AP team as a Product Designer."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting American Pinball announcement)**
> _Background and new role of Nick Neitzel_

> "Even though Rob and Nick are doing work for American Pinball, The Electric Playground will continue to develop toppers for new and classic pinball machines. It will also become an official vendor for AP."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting American Pinball announcement)**
> _Clarification that Electric Playground maintains independence while partnering with American Pinball_

> "We know for a fact that AP's first game under new management will be a Bally / Williams remake under license from Planetary Pinball."
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Confirmed information about American Pinball's near-term product strategy_

> "There has been some talk that the first game will be the 1997 Bally game Cirqus Voltaire. I don't know that is the case for a fact, but it does make a lot of sense."
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Rumored speculation about the specific Bally remake title_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pinball | company | Pinball machine manufacturer announcing new leadership and product strategy |
| Electric Playground | company | Custom pinball topper manufacturer and vendor expanding facility and becoming official American Pinball vendor |
| Rob Wrath | person | Founder of Electric Playground, hired as Product Director at American Pinball |
| Nick Neitzel | person | Creator of Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball homebrew, hired as Product Designer at American Pinball |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball news media outlet publishing this announcement |
| Planetary Pinball | company | Rights holder licensing Bally/Williams remakes to American Pinball |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Company reportedly holding remake rights for Tales of the Arabian Nights and Theatre of Magic |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball show March 20-22, 2026 where American Pinball is hosting a contest booth |
| Hot Wheels | game | American Pinball title entering final shipment phase |
| Cirqus Voltaire | game | 1997 Bally game rumored as candidate for American Pinball's first remake |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball | game | Homebrew game designed by Nick Neitzel |
| Tales of the Arabian Nights | game | Classic pinball game with remake rights reportedly held by Pedretti Gaming |
| Theatre of Magic | game | Classic pinball game with remake rights reportedly held by Pedretti Gaming |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Personnel and Leadership Changes, Strategic Partnerships and Vendor Relationships, Product Pipeline and Game Announcements, Bally/Williams Remakes and Licensing
- **Secondary:** Texas Pinball Festival, American Pinball New Management, Hot Wheels End-of-Life

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Rob Wrath (Electric Playground founder) hired as Product Director at American Pinball, bringing topper design expertise and community reputation to leadership (confidence: high) — Official announcement of Rob Wrath joining AP as Product Director overseeing planning, budgeting, marketing, and rules design
- **[personnel_signal]** Nick Neitzel (Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball designer) hired as Product Designer at American Pinball, already working on upcoming game (confidence: high) — Official announcement that Nick Neitzel joined AP as Product Designer and is already working on an upcoming game
- **[business_signal]** Electric Playground expanding St. Louis facility, promoting team members, and becoming official American Pinball vendor while maintaining independent topper business (confidence: high) — Electric Playground expanding facility in St. Louis, promoting team members and hiring new staff while becoming official AP vendor
- **[product_launch]** Hot Wheels pinball machine entering final shipment phase to dealers, indicating product lifecycle conclusion (confidence: high) — American Pinball announcement: 'The last Hot Wheels are shipping to dealers!!!'
- **[product_strategy]** American Pinball committing to Bally/Williams remakes as core product strategy under new management, starting with first game licensed from Planetary Pinball (confidence: high) — Confirmed that AP's first game under new management will be a Bally/Williams remake under license from Planetary Pinball
- **[rumor_hype]** Cirqus Voltaire (1997 Bally game) rumored as first American Pinball remake, driven by strong secondary market values and cultural relevance (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade speculation: 'There has been some talk that the first game will be the 1997 Bally game Cirqus Voltaire...it does make a lot of sense'
- **[licensing_signal]** Planetary Pinball holding master licensing rights for Bally/Williams remakes, with other titles (Tales of the Arabian Nights, Theatre of Magic) reportedly in Pedretti Gaming's portfolio (confidence: medium) — AP first game licensed from Planetary Pinball; Pedretti Gaming reportedly has rights to Tales and Theatre of Magic remakes
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival (March 20-22, 2026) positioning as major industry event with American Pinball booth contest and potential new game reveals (confidence: high) — TPF described as 'next major show' with American Pinball hosting contest booth; article mentions 'New Game Reveals at TPF?'
- **[community_signal]** Electric Playground community credibility elevated through American Pinball partnership, formalizing homebrew/mod community integration into commercial manufacturer (confidence: high) — Rob Wrath and Nick Neitzel (both Electric Playground/homebrew figures) hired into leadership; EP becomes official AP vendor
- **[industry_signal]** Emerging pattern of homebrew designers and mod creators being brought into commercial manufacturing leadership (Nick Neitzel's Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball prominence driving AP hire) (confidence: medium) — Nick Neitzel described as 'well-known in the pinball and homebrew community' for Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball before AP hire

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## Transcript

News American Pinball Announces New Team Members, Partnership with The Electric Playground k knapparcade March 12, 2026 Finally an article. I hate going tor a couple of days without writing anything, but it's been pretty quiet out there. We're in the calm before the storm. There always seems to be a lull in pinball news prior to a big show and the next major show is rapidly approaching, the Texas Pinball Festival - March 20 - 22. Having said that, here's something interesting to talk about. American Pinball (AP) just announced the addition of two new team members...Robin Rath and Nick Neitzel from The Electric Playground (TEP). Rob has been designing and selling pinball toppers and mods through his company TEP for four years. He is joining the AP team as Product Director, where he will "oversee the planning, budgeting, marketing and go-to-market strategy for many of their upcoming titles. He will also assist with game story and rules design." Nick Neitzel is well-known in the pinball and homebrew community for his creation of the awesome "Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball" homebrew game. Nick officially joined The Electric Playground as a full-time Product Engineer last February. He is joining the AP team as a Product Designer. He is already working on an upcoming game and will be involved in the development of future machines. Even though Rob and Nick are doing work for American Pinball, The Electric Playground will continue to develop toppers for new and classic pinball machines. It will also become an official vendor for AP. In fact, The Electric Playground is actually expanding its facility in St. Louis, Missouri, promoting several team members and hiring new ones. I can't wait to see what the folks at the new American Pinball are working on. We know for a fact that AP's first game under new management will be a Bally / Williams remake under license from Planetary Pinball. There has been some talk that the first game will be the 1997 Bally game Cirqus Voltaire. I don't know that is the case for a fact, but it does make a lot of sense. Pedretti gaming reportedly already has the rights to remake Tales of the Arabian Nights and Theatre of Magic. Cirqus Voltaire is another machine that has strong resale values. Congratulations to Rob, Nick and the folks at American Pinball. !Advertisement In other American Pinball News, the company recently announced the last call for its Hot Wheels pinball machine: " This is your last chance to get a NEW IN BOX HOT WHEELS…..👇👇👇 The last Hot Wheels are shipping to dealers!!!" They also announced that they are holding a contest to give away a pinball machine to Texas Pinball Festival attendees who visit their booth and enter: " American Pinball is coming to Texas Pinball Festival Come to our booth & play one of our games to Enter our sweepstakes to win a Pinball Machine!!! -FREE to enter -One entry per day -Must be present to win" Rob and Nick New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Nick talking with Nate & Bryan @ AP about a secret game A pic of the new Electric Playground team members: From the left: Michael, John, Keith, Troy, and Dustin. Posted 7 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles American Pinball Announces New Team Members, Partnership with The Electric Playground 7 minutes ago American Pinball's New Logo; Stern Pinball's Pokemon Now On Location + Official Gameplay Video; New Game Reveals at TPF? 6 days ago Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball Is Not Next from Barrels of Fun; Beetlejuice Pinball Production Update; Pinball Videos 7 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d92cf1fc-a29a-4f97-bf84-117809266aff*