# The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-05-08  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/the-big-bang-bar-remake-rumors-were-truesort-of

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## Analysis

Team Pinball issued a public statement confirming that a Big Bang Bar remake project existed, involving collaboration between Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software/electronics), and Melvin Williams (prototyping/redesign) starting in 2022. The project reportedly fell apart due to disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti Gaming. Pedretti denies wrongdoing and claims they are upgrading to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for better code quality, while Team Pinball expresses disappointment about the abandoned project.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] A Big Bang Bar remake project began in 2022 with three parties: Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software/electronics), and Melvin Williams (prototyping/redesign) — _Team Pinball official Facebook statement cited by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] The collaboration stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti Gaming — _Team Pinball official Facebook statement_
- [HIGH] Melvin Williams completed the prototypes and holds all related paperwork for the Big Bang Bar remake — _Team Pinball official Facebook statement_
- [HIGH] Pedretti Gaming is switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for programming on future projects — _Pedretti Gaming response to Knapp Arcade_
- [MEDIUM] Pedretti Gaming's next announcement is expected within two weeks showing a new Bally Williams remake — _Knapp Arcade editorial assessment_

### Notable Quotes

> "In 2022, three parties began working together on the Big Bang Bar remake project: Pedretti Gaming / Manufacturing – manufacturing Team Pinball – software and electronics Melvin Williams – all prototyping and redesign work for the game"
> — **Team Pinball (official statement)**, May 7, 2026 (issued late afternoon, reported May 8)
> _Official confirmation of the Big Bang Bar remake project structure and participants_

> "The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti. At that point, Melvin Williams had completed the prototypes and held all related paperwork."
> — **Team Pinball (official statement)**, May 7, 2026
> _Clarifies why the project collapsed and who controls the intellectual property and prototypes_

> "they are continually trying to improve the quality of the games that they produce and that switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games (the company that programmed the Chicago Gaming Company remakes) for programming is a significant upgrade"
> — **Pedretti Gaming (via Knapp Arcade)**, May 7-8, 2026
> _Pedretti's rationale for the split and their strategic direction for future projects_

> "I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible."
> — **Knapp Arcade**, May 8, 2026
> _Editorial stance on responsible reporting in the pinball community_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Team Pinball | company | UK pinball company that created Mafia (2018) and provided software/electronics coding for Pedretti Gaming's first remakes; was part of Big Bang Bar remake collaboration; issued public statement on May 7, 2026 |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Italian pinball manufacturer specializing in remakes of classic pinball machines; manufacturing partner in Big Bang Bar remake project; switching to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for future software |
| Melvin Williams | person | Pinball enthusiast/designer who completed prototypes and redesign work for the Big Bang Bar remake project; held all related paperwork; disputes with Pedretti Gaming led to project collapse |
| Big Bang Bar | game | Extremely rare classic pinball machine originally designed by Pat Lawlor (Pinball 2000 series); subject of failed remake project; multiple remake attempts documented |
| Athyrio Games | company | Programming company that coded Chicago Gaming Company remakes; being brought in by Pedretti Gaming to replace Team Pinball for future software development |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball manufacturer whose remakes were programmed by Athyrio Games |
| Illinois Pinball | company | Previous manufacturer of Big Bang Bar remake (historical reference); Gene Cunningham led company that produced big bang bar and other classic remakes |
| Joe Newhart | person | Collector/distributor affiliated with PinballSTAR Amusements; owns Illinois Pinball Big Bang Bar remake in personal collection that Knapp Arcade visited and photographed |
| PinballSTAR Amusements | company | Pinball distributor associated with Joe Newhart |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer who originally designed Big Bang Bar |
| Knapp Arcade | person/media | Independent pinball media outlet/blogger; conducted investigation into Big Bang Bar remake situation; interviewed Pedretti Gaming; prioritized balanced reporting |
| FAST boards | product | Pinball electronics platform being adopted by Pedretti Gaming for future projects |

### Signals

- **[industry_signal]** Public dispute between Pedretti Gaming and Team Pinball over Big Bang Bar remake project; escalating to legal involvement with lawyers mentioned by Pedretti (confidence: high) — Team Pinball issued public statement; Pedretti Gaming confirmed legal action is possible; long-standing project now openly disputed
- **[product_concern]** Big Bang Bar remake project collapsed after initial 2022 start; prototype and redesign work held by Melvin Williams; no clear path to completion (confidence: high) — Team Pinball statement: 'The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti'
- **[machine_intel]** Big Bang Bar remake rumors confirmed to be true but project is now defunct; Pedretti Gaming shifting focus and strategy for future remakes (confidence: high) — Team Pinball and Pedretti Gaming both acknowledged the project existed and fell apart
- **[announcement]** Pedretti Gaming expected to announce new Bally Williams remake within two weeks according to industry tracking (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade: 'the most likely next new game announcement in the pinball hobby is from Pedretti Gaming, which is expected to show off its new Bally Williams remake at some point in the next two weeks'
- **[content_signal]** Knapp Arcade chose to wait for Pedretti's response before reporting story, contrasting with other media that published Team Pinball's statement immediately; editorial stance on balanced reporting (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade: 'I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible... So I wasn't first. I waited until after speaking with Pedretti Gaming'
- **[technology_signal]** Pedretti Gaming transitioning from Team Pinball coding to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for programming; described as significant quality upgrade (confidence: high) — Pedretti Gaming: 'switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games (the company that programmed the Chicago Gaming Company remakes) for programming is a significant upgrade'
- **[rumor_hype]** Years-long community rumors about Big Bang Bar remake project confirmed as factual through official statements, though project is now defunct (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade: 'The Big Bang Bar remake rumors that we've heard for years were indeed true!'
- **[collector_signal]** Big Bang Bar remake project failure means community lost opportunity to reproduce extremely rare classic machine; Illinois Pinball's earlier remake remains one of few examples (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade: 'the hobby is left without a remake of an extremely rare pinball machine, Big Bang Bar'

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## Transcript

News The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of k knapparcade May 8, 2026 Good morning everyone. News is a tricky thing. There's always a silent battle to be the first to report or talk about something. However, doing so often comes at the expense of not hearing both sides of a situation. That's exactly what we are running into today — or last night, to be more specific. Late yesterday afternoon, the UK pinball company Team Pinball, creator of the 2018 pinball machine "Mafia" and coder for Pedretti Gaming's first remakes, issued a statement on its Facebook page. To me, the most interesting part of that statement was the following: " In 2022, three parties began working together on the Big Bang Bar remake project: Pedretti Gaming / Manufacturing – manufacturing Team Pinball – software and electronics Melvin Williams – all prototyping and redesign work for the game The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti. At that point, Melvin Williams had completed the prototypes and held all related paperwork." https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Wh5TFkSc/ The Big Bang Bar remake rumors that we've heard for years were indeed true! I knew that they were, but now we have proof. Unfortunately, it certainly sounds as though the project has fallen apart. !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 That sort of stuff is right up my alley. For me, the rest of the post falls into the category of two sides — Pedretti and Team Pinball — having different opinions about why the project fell apart and what happened afterward. I have no special insight as to who to believe. I spoke with Pedretti last night and they strongly deny any wrongdoing to the point that lawyers are getting involved. Their short take on it is that they are continually trying to improve the quality of the games that they produce and that switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games (the company that programmed the Chicago Gaming Company remakes) for programming is a significant upgrade. I actually completely agree with that. Team Pinball is understandably disappointed that the Big Bang Bar project that they had invested time and money in fell apart. I can't blame them. I would be too. However, I don't have any way of knowing the veracity of their accusations. I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible. I'm not the journalism police — that's just not the way I want to do things. So I wasn't first. I waited until after speaking with Pedretti Gaming to mention this situation. We'll see how this plays out. In the meantime, the most likely next new game announcement in the pinball hobby is from Pedretti Gaming, which is expected to show off its new Bally Williams remake at some point in the next two weeks. For now, the hobby is left without a remake of an extremely rare pinball machine, Big Bang Bar. Below are pictures that I took of the Illinois Pinball Big Bang Bar remake when I visited the personal collection of Joe Newhart of the distributor PinballSTAR Amusements. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Posted 12 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 The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of 12 minutes ago New Stern Pinball Pokémon Code is Here 2 days ago Van Halen Pinball is Coming; New Stern Speaker Lights; Big Winchester Update... 2 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 2 of 2 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: dbcdc09e-0af2-4e30-9b4a-f89743f8aa1a*