# TEP's Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel Join American Pinball's Growing Team

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

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/post/rob-rath-nick-neitzel-join-ap

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## Analysis

Rob Rath (co-founder of The Electric Playground) and Nick Neitzel (TEP product engineer) have joined American Pinball as Product Director and Product Designer respectively, working on remakes and original titles alongside Creative Director Melvin Williams. This marks a hybrid arrangement where TEP remains independent in St. Louis while becoming a key vendor for AP, with TEP expanding to 4,000 sq ft and doubling production lines. Community speculation points to Cirqus Voltaire as AP's first release, though officially unconfirmed.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel are joining American Pinball as Product Director and Product Designer — _Official joint announcement by AP and TEP on March 12, 2025_
- [HIGH] TEP will continue independent operations while serving as key vendor for AP topper work — _Kineticist article analysis of the hybrid arrangement_
- [HIGH] Neitzel is already working on an upcoming AP game release — _Official AP/TEP announcement quoted in article_
- [HIGH] TEP is expanding to 4,000 square feet and doubling production lines from one to two — _Kineticist reporting on TEP's facility expansion_
- [HIGH] AP has secured licensing for seven classic Bally and Williams titles through Planetary Pinball Supply partnership — _Kineticist article on AP's recent moves under owner Bryan Vincent_
- [MEDIUM] Community speculation has settled on Cirqus Voltaire as AP's first release, though not officially confirmed — _Kineticist notes this rumor predates the announcement and is not sourced to AP or TEP_
- [HIGH] Nick Neitzel won TWIPY Award for Homebrew Game of the Year with Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball — _Kineticist article citing Neitzel's credentials_
- [HIGH] TEP's Attack from Mars topper won Best Aftermarket Topper at 2024 TWIPY Awards — _Kineticist biographical details on Rob Rath_
- [HIGH] TEP is expanding headcount to 12 employees through promotion and new hires — _Kineticist reporting on TEP facility expansion and staffing_
- [HIGH] TEP demoed a licensed Cirqus Voltaire topper with mechanical shooting cannons at Pinball Expo 2025 — _Kineticist direct observation of topper demo_

### Notable Quotes

> "a slate of remakes and original titles"
> — **American Pinball / TEP announcement**, March 12, 2025
> _Official description of AP's game development pipeline under new leadership_

> "TEP becomes a key vendor for AP while Rath and Neitzel contribute to game development in Palatine"
> — **Kineticist (author analysis)**
> _Clarifies the hybrid nature of the arrangement—TEP remains independent but embedded in AP's operations_

> "That's an unusual arrangement — not a clean acquihire, not a standard employment deal where Rob and Nick leave TEP behind."
> — **Kineticist (author)**
> _Highlights the unconventional structure of this deal in the pinball industry_

> "It's just a little strange to picture an AP-affiliated topper company continuing to make products for competitors' games — and those competitors being happy about it."
> — **Kineticist (author)**
> _Identifies potential tension or ambiguity in TEP's position making aftermarket mods for non-AP machines_

> "The people are in place. The licensing is in place. Now they have to ship — and ship consistently."
> — **Kineticist (author)**
> _Summarizes the key challenge facing AP going forward: execution and delivery consistency_

> "I'm personally more excited to see what AP does with original titles than remakes, but leading with remakes makes business sense: easier to sell, lower risk, and a way to prove the operation works before taking bigger swings."
> — **Kineticist (author)**
> _Author's strategic assessment of AP's go-to-market approach with remakes first, originals later_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Rob Rath | person | Co-founder of The Electric Playground, now Product Director at American Pinball; co-hosts In Before the Lock podcast with Davey Price; served on 2024 TWIPY Awards committee |
| Nick Neitzel | person | Product Engineer at The Electric Playground, now Product Designer at American Pinball; creator of Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball homebrew that won 2024 TWIPY Homebrew Game of the Year |
| American Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer under new owner Bryan Vincent; hiring established industry talent; securing licensing deals for classic Bally/Williams remakes |
| The Electric Playground | company | Custom topper and aftermarket manufacturer in St. Louis, Missouri; expanding to 4,000 sq ft with doubled production lines; becoming key vendor for AP while maintaining independent operations |
| Melvin Williams | person | Creative Director at American Pinball; former Dutch Pinball Exclusive employee; owns IP for RAZA, Magic Girl, and Space Mission X (from deeproot Pinball bankruptcy) |
| Bryan Vincent | person | Owner of American Pinball; driving recent hiring and partnership strategy |
| Alec Gleason | person | Co-founder of The Electric Playground; stepping into larger role as Creative & Brand Manager during expansion |
| Planetary Pinball Supply | company | Partner with American Pinball for manufacturing, selling, and distributing classic Williams and Bally remakes; licensing agreement covers seven titles |
| John F. Schwarz Jr. | person | Houston-area pinball collector and businessman; added to American Pinball Board of Advisors as Independent Director on March 10, 2025 |
| Davey Price | person | Co-host of In Before the Lock podcast with Rob Rath; associated with Stumblor Pinball |
| Dutch Pinball Exclusive | company | Former company where Melvin Williams worked; ceased operations; had prior arrangements with The Art of Pinball and Stumblor Pinball for mods/accessories |
| deeproot Pinball | company | Bankrupt company whose IP assets (RAZA, Magic Girl, Space Mission X) were acquired by Melvin Williams |
| John Popadiuk | person | Designer of RAZA, Magic Girl, and Space Mission X; IP now owned by Melvin Williams |
| Stumblor Pinball | company | Pinball modification and aftermarket company; previously worked with Dutch Pinball Exclusive; co-host Davey Price associated with In Before the Lock podcast |
| Cirqus Voltaire | game | 1997 Bally classic; subject of community speculation as potential AP first release; TEP demoed licensed topper with mechanical cannons at Pinball Expo 2025 |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball | game | Homebrew game created by Nick Neitzel; debuted at TEP's Pinball Expo 2024 booth; won 2024 TWIPY Award for Homebrew Game of the Year |
| Attack from Mars | game | Classic game; TEP's topper for this game won 2024 TWIPY Best Aftermarket Topper award |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | game | Classic game; TEP created licensed topper through partnership with Planetary Pinball and Dutch Pinball Exclusive |
| Magic Girl | game | John Popadiuk design; IP owned by Melvin Williams via deeproot Pinball bankruptcy acquisition |
| RAZA | game | John Popadiuk design; IP owned by Melvin Williams via deeproot Pinball bankruptcy acquisition |
| Space Mission X | game | John Popadiuk design; IP owned by Melvin Williams via deeproot Pinball bankruptcy acquisition |
| Pinball Expo 2025 | event | Event where TEP demoed Cirqus Voltaire topper; part of AP's public-facing activities |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Upcoming event later in March 2025; John F. Schwarz Jr. will represent AP; potential venue for next public AP update |
| TWIPY Awards | organization | Annual community awards; 2024 awards recognized TEP's Attack from Mars topper and Nick Neitzel's Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball |

### Topics

- **Primary:** American Pinball leadership and hiring strategy, The Electric Playground expansion and vendor relationship with AP, Remakes of classic Bally and Williams titles via Planetary Pinball licensing, Rumored Cirqus Voltaire remake as AP's first release
- **Secondary:** Hybrid business arrangements in pinball industry, Aftermarket topper and mod ecosystem, Personnel moves and talent consolidation in pinball manufacturing
- **Mentioned:** Pinball industry licensing and IP acquisition

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[personnel_signal]** Rob Rath (TEP co-founder) and Nick Neitzel (TWIPY-winning homebrew designer) hired by American Pinball in significant roles; represents influx of established aftermarket and homebrew talent into manufacturing (confidence: high) — Official announcement March 12, 2025; Rath as Product Director overseeing planning, budgeting, marketing, and rules design; Neitzel as Product Designer already working on upcoming release
- **[product_strategy]** American Pinball positioning remakes of classic Bally/Williams titles as primary market entry before original titles; described as lower-risk, easier-to-sell approach to prove operations (confidence: high) — AP partnership with Planetary Pinball for seven licensed classic titles; author notes remakes make business sense before 'bigger swings' on originals; Rath and Neitzel brought on for 'slate of remakes and original titles'
- **[business_signal]** Hybrid arrangement where TEP remains independent in St. Louis while becoming embedded vendor for AP; breaks traditional acquihire model; precedent exists with Dutch Pinball Exclusive relationships with The Art of Pinball and Stumblor (confidence: high) — TEP expanding to 4,000 sq ft with R&D lab for AP work; Rath continues as TEP GM; TEP designs toppers for AP releases while maintaining aftermarket work for competitors
- **[manufacturing_signal]** TEP nearly tripling facility size to 4,000 sq ft, doubling production lines from 1 to 2, expanding headcount to 12 employees, and adding R&D lab for AP collaboration (confidence: high) — Kineticist reporting on facility expansion; Alec Gleason promoted to Creative & Brand Manager; internal promotions and new hires to support increased workload
- **[rumor_hype]** Community speculation strongly points to Cirqus Voltaire (1997 Bally classic) as AP's first release; predates announcement; fits within Planetary Pinball licensing deal covering seven titles (confidence: medium) — TEP demoed licensed CV topper with mechanical cannons at Pinball Expo 2025; CV fits squarely within licensing deal; speculation settled on this title but not officially confirmed by AP
- **[licensing_signal]** AP secured long-term licensing partnership with Planetary Pinball Supply to manufacture, sell, and distribute seven classic Williams and Bally titles with both traditional and 'reimagined' versions (confidence: high) — Official partnership with Planetary Pinball Supply; covers seven titles; plans include traditional remakes and updated versions with new mechanics, code, and audio/visual elements
- **[industry_signal]** Pattern of established aftermarket and homebrew designers moving into manufacturing roles; TEP losing key co-founder to AP while maintaining business relationship; reflects industry trend toward integration (confidence: high) — Rath moving from TEP co-founder to AP Product Director; Neitzel moving from homebrew creator to AP Product Designer; similar pattern with Melvin Williams from DPX to AP; Popadiuk IP consolidation
- **[product_concern]** Structural ambiguity around TEP making aftermarket mods for competitors' games while being AP-affiliated vendor; potential competitive tension with other manufacturers (confidence: medium) — Author notes 'it's just a little strange to picture an AP-affiliated topper company continuing to make products for competitors' games — and those competitors being happy about it'
- **[personnel_signal]** American Pinball added John F. Schwarz Jr. (Houston collector/businessman) to Board of Advisors as Independent Director on March 10, 2025; will represent AP at Texas Pinball Festival (confidence: high) — Official AP announcement March 10, 2025; Schwarz is Houston-area pinball collector and businessman; attending Texas Pinball Festival later in March representing company
- **[community_signal]** Nick Neitzel's Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball homebrew and TEP's Attack from Mars topper both won 2024 TWIPY Awards, reflecting community validation of these creators before joining/working with AP (confidence: high) — Neitzel won 2024 TWIPY Homebrew Game of the Year; TEP's Attack from Mars topper won Best Aftermarket Topper; demonstrates credibility of talent AP is hiring
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival (late March 2025) positioned as potential venue for next AP public-facing update; TEP promised first collaborative AP topper project 'later this year' (confidence: medium) — Article notes TPS 'could provide the next public-facing update, with Schwarz and others from the AP team on the show floor'; TEP newsletter references collaborative topper project timing
- **[design_innovation]** TEP's licensed Cirqus Voltaire topper features mechanical shooting cannons, representing technical advancement in topper design; would pair naturally with potential CV remake (confidence: high) — TEP demoed the topper at Pinball Expo 2025; described as 'licensed topper featuring mechanical shooting cannons'; author notes it would 'pair naturally with a CV remake, if one materializes'

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## Transcript

Rob Rath, co-founder of topper manufacturer The Electric Playground, and TEP product engineer Nick Neitzel are joining American Pinball. Rath will serve as Product Director and Neitzel as Product Designer, working alongside Creative Director Melvin Williams on what they describe as "a slate of remakes and original titles."
The announcement, made jointly by AP and TEP on March 12, is the latest in a string of moves by AP under new owner Bryan Vincent. Since taking ownership, Vincent's AP has hired a Creative Director, secured licensing rights to seven classic Bally and Williams titles through a partnership with Planetary Pinball Supply, added a new member to its Board of Advisors, and now brought on two established names from the pinball aftermarket and homebrew world.
According to the announcement, Neitzel is already working on an upcoming AP game release.
The Roles
As Product Director, Rath will oversee planning, budgeting, marketing, and go-to-market strategy for AP's upcoming titles, plus game story and rules design. Beyond TEP, he co-hosts In Before the Lock, a mod-focused livestream with Davey Price of Stumblor Pinball (which will continue, with plans to make it more regular), and served on the TWIPY Awards committee for the 2024 awards — the same year TEP's Attack from Mars topper won Best Aftermarket Topper.
Neitzel joins as Product Designer. He first gained community recognition for Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball, a homebrew he debuted at TEP's Pinball Expo 2024 booth that won the TWIPY for Homebrew Game of the Year. Rath discovered him on social media in late 2023 and hired him as a full-time Product Engineer at TEP in January 2025. His engineering background extends beyond pinball — in a Kineticist interview last year, Rath said Neitzel's prior work was in "other even more complex industries."
TEP Isn't Going Anywhere
To my surprise, this isn't a straight acquisition. It's a hybrid arrangement that will see TEP continue independent operations out of St. Louis, Missouri, designing and manufacturing toppers for classic games, new industry releases, and — notably — upcoming AP releases. TEP becomes a key vendor for AP while Rath and Neitzel contribute to game development in Palatine.
Rath will continue to serve as General Manager for TEP alongside his new AP role. That's an unusual arrangement — not a clean acquihire, not a standard employment deal where Rob and Nick leave TEP behind. AP's Product Director is also the GM of an independent vendor that AP is contracting for topper work.
Most pinball manufacturers handle accessories and toppers in-house, though there's some precedent — DPX had similar arrangements in spirit with The Art of Pinball and Stumblor, who continued producing mods and accessories for non-DPX products while doing work for Dutch. The mechanics of how these relationships work in an industry this small remain a little fuzzy to me.
TEP's existing catalog also gets interesting under this arrangement. Some of TEP's licensed topper work has been through Planetary Pinball — the same company that now has a licensing deal with AP. Their Alice's Adventures in Wonderland topper expansion was a partnership with DPX, Melvin Williams' former company that no longer exists because AP hired Williams. Those threads were already converging before today's announcement.
TEP's unlicensed toppers for other manufacturers' games — the ones that operate in the aftermarket grey area — are a trickier fit. It's just a little strange to picture an AP-affiliated topper company continuing to make products for competitors' games — and those competitors being happy about it.
To handle the increased workload, TEP is nearly tripling its facility to 4,000 square feet and doubling its production lines from one to two. The new space will house an R&D lab for AP work. TEP co-founder Alec Gleason is stepping into a larger role as Creative & Brand Manager, and the company has promoted from within and added new hires, bringing its total headcount to 12.
The Bigger Picture at American Pinball
The hires land differently when John Youssi what AP has been assembling under Vincent.
AP first named Melvin Williams as Creative Director. Williams came from Dutch Pinball Exclusive after DPX ceased operations, and he owns the intellectual property for several John Popadiuk designs — RAZA, Magic Girl, and Space Mission X — acquired from the deeproot Pinball bankruptcy. Williams was also involved with Pedretti Gaming's Funhouse 2.0 conversion kit — relevant experience for a company about to produce remakes.
AP then announced a long-term partnership with Planetary Pinball Supply to manufacture, sell, and distribute classic Williams and Bally pinball machines under license. The deal covers seven titles, with AP planning both traditional remakes and "reimagined" versions featuring updated mechanics, code, and audio/visual elements.
On March 10, AP added John F. Schwarz Jr. to its Board of Advisors as an Independent Director, a Houston-area pinball collector and businessman who will be at the Texas Pinball Festival later this month representing the company.
What's the First Game?
None of today's announcements address the obvious question: what is AP actually making? The TEP newsletter references "a slate of remakes and original titles" and notes that Neitzel is "already working on an upcoming game release," but no specific title has been confirmed.
Separately, community speculation has settled on Cirqus Voltaire, the beloved 1997 Bally classic, as AP's first release. That rumor predates today's announcement and is not sourced to AP or TEP. But CV would fit squarely within the Planetary Pinball licensing deal, which covers seven Bally and Williams titles. And TEP demoed a licensed Cirqus Voltaire topper featuring mechanical shooting cannons at Pinball Expo 2025 — a product that would pair naturally with a CV remake, if one materializes.
As of publication, AP has not announced its first title.
What to Watch
AP is building a team. The question now is timeline. TEP promises a first collaborative topper project with AP "later this year." Texas Pinball Festival later this month could provide the next public-facing update, with Schwarz and others from the AP team on the show floor
The people are in place. The licensing is in place. Now they have to ship — and ship consistently. I'm personally more excited to see what AP does with original titles than remakes, but leading with remakes makes business sense: easier to sell, lower risk, and a way to prove the operation works before taking bigger swings.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e1844e07-4689-4513-8a71-859942a1abd1*