# Heighway Pinball Announces New Name, Theme and Designer

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2012-10-18  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/fullthrottle.html

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## Analysis

Heighway Pinball announces a significant pivot from their originally planned first game, Circe's Animal House, to a new motorcycle racing-themed title called Full Throttle. The redesign was driven by whitewood testing feedback and operator input suggesting a more recognizable theme. Designer John Trudeau joins the company, marking his return to mainstream pinball manufacturing.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Circe's Animal House theme required explanation to potential buyers and players, making it a less ideal choice — _Andrew Heighway stated at Pinball Expo that the Greek goddess theme required explanation and was not a viable first product theme_
- [HIGH] Whitewood testing of the first game indicated the game lent itself to a faster-paced theme — _Andrew Heighway directly stated this during the Pinball Expo announcement_
- [HIGH] Operator feedback suggested a more recognizable theme would be a better choice — _Andrew Heighway cited this as driver for theme change at Pinball Expo_
- [HIGH] Full Throttle has been redesigned with new toys, additional shots, and an extra ramp exit compared to Circe's Animal House — _Andrew Heighway distributed a flyer showing the redesigned game specifications_
- [HIGH] John Trudeau is joining Heighway Pinball's design team after several years out of the mainstream pinball manufacturing industry — _Andrew Heighway announced Trudeau's hiring at Pinball Expo_

### Notable Quotes

> "the Greek goddess introduced numerous possibilities, the theme required some explanation to potential buyers and players"
> — **Article summarizing Andrew Heighway's statement**, 18th October, 2012
> _Explains the strategic rationale for abandoning the Circe theme_

> "the whitewood testing of the first game lent itself to a much faster-paced theme"
> — **Andrew Heighway**, Pinball Expo, Chicago
> _Demonstrates how playtesting drove the design direction change_

> "feedback from operators suggested a more recognisable theme would be a better choice"
> — **Andrew Heighway**, Pinball Expo, Chicago
> _Shows market feedback directly influenced the pivot decision_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Heighway Pinball | company | British boutique pinball manufacturer announcing their first game and design team changes |
| Andrew Heighway | person | Founder of Heighway Pinball making the announcement at Pinball Expo |
| Full Throttle | game | Heighway Pinball's first game, motorcycle racing-themed, redesigned from original Circe concept |
| Circe's Animal House | game | Original first game concept for Heighway Pinball, Greek goddess theme, cancelled in favor of Full Throttle |
| John Trudeau | person | Pinball designer joining Heighway Pinball team, returning to mainstream pinball manufacturing after years away |
| Pinball Expo | event | Industry event in Chicago where Andrew Heighway made the announcement |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game redesign and theme pivot, Operator feedback influencing product development, Heighway Pinball's first commercial release
- **Secondary:** Personnel moves in boutique pinball manufacturing, Whitewood testing methodology

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Announcement is framed as a strategic improvement based on market feedback. The pivot is presented as positive and well-considered rather than reactive or problematic. Hiring of experienced designer Trudeau adds credibility and momentum.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Heighway Pinball responding to whitewood testing feedback and operator input to refine first game concept (confidence: high) — Andrew Heighway stated both testing and market feedback drove the redesign decision
- **[personnel_signal]** John Trudeau joins Heighway Pinball design team, returning to mainstream manufacturing after years away (confidence: high) — Direct announcement by Andrew Heighway at Pinball Expo
- **[announcement]** Heighway Pinball officially announces Full Throttle as their first game at major industry event (confidence: high) — Andrew Heighway announced at Pinball Expo; flyer distributed

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## Transcript

Date: 18th October, 2012

Andrew Heighway of Heighway Pinball today announced a change in both the name and the theme of their first pinball product.

Circe's Animal House had previously been announced as their first release, but while the Greek goddess introduced numerous possibilities, the theme required some explanation to potential buyers and players.

Andrew Heighway

Speaking at Pinball Expo in Chicago, Andrew today revealed that the Circe theme has been pushed back, and the game redesigned with a motorcycle racing theme, called Full Throttle.

Andrew said the whitewood testing of the first game lent itself to a much faster-paced theme. He also said feedback from operators suggested a more recognisable theme would be a better choice.

Andrew distributed a flyer of the new game which has been redesigned from the Circe's Animal House model, with new toys, additional shots and an extra ramp exit.

The flyer front

The flyer back

We'll have much more about Heighway Pinball's Full Throttle game very soon here at Pinball News.

Meanwhile, Andrew also announced the joining of a new member of the design team - John Trudeau. John will be designing games for the company, marking his return to mainstream pinball manufacturing after several years out of the industry.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: db1fae63-8e26-4aa8-8d88-060628f5a946*