# Updated Pokémon Pinball Production Schedule; Winchester Update, Free Sonic; Barrels of Fun Rumors

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-02-20  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/updated-pokmon-pinball-production-schedule-winchester-update-free-sonic-barrels-of-fun-rumors

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade reports Stern's Pokémon Pinball first run completely sold out with production ramping March–April 2026 and a second run scheduled for June. Barrels of Fun released a major code update for Winchester Mystery House adding Thirteenths Wizard Mode. Dutch Pinball reopened pre-orders for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland after prior sellout. Rumors circulate about Barrels' next title, with speculation on The NeverEnding Story and Big Trouble in Little China.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pokémon Pinball first run (all Pro/Premium/LE) is completely sold out — _Official Stern production schedule reported by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] Dealers are not being allocated Pokémon machines for showroom display due to high demand — _Knapp Arcade reporting on typical dealer allocation practices_
- [HIGH] Stern has a second Pokémon production run scheduled for June 2026 — _Official Stern production schedule_
- [HIGH] Barrels of Fun released Winchester Mystery House Thirteenths Wizard Mode code update on 2/19/26 — _Official Barrels announcement quoted in article_
- [HIGH] Dutch Pinball reopened limited production slots for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland after prior sellout — _Official Dutch Pinball Facebook announcement quoted_
- [MEDIUM] Cale Hernandez believes Barrels of Fun's next game is based on The NeverEnding Story (1984 film) — _JBS Show Roundtable discussion, secondhand report by Knapp Arcade_
- [LOW] Big Trouble in Little China may be back in play as a Barrels of Fun title — _Knapp Arcade personal speculation with explicit low confidence disclaimer_
- [HIGH] Dutch Pinball has not released official statement on Dutch Pinball Exclusive division departure or Melvin Brouwer-Williams departure — _Knapp Arcade reporting on lack of official communication despite multiple outreach attempts_

### Notable Quotes

> "The entire first run of the game...all Pros, Premiums and Limited Edition machines is sold out."
> — **Knapp Arcade**, Introduction
> _Confirms massive demand for Pokémon Pinball and record sellout of first production run_

> "Machines will be built in the following order: Pro machines for Locations: Early March; Limited Edition machines: Mid- to Late March..."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting Stern schedule)**, Production Schedule section
> _Official production timeline reveals Stern's location vs. consumer prioritization strategy_

> "Thirteenths spoken, Thirteenths done, Yet darker games have just begun!"
> — **Barrels of Fun official announcement**, Winchester Update section
> _Creative flavor text for new Wizard Mode, indicates thematic coherence with Winchester design_

> "Cale still believes that the next pinball machine from Barrels is based on the 1984 film 'The NeverEnding Story.'"
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting JBS Show Roundtable)**, Barrels Rumors section
> _Notable industry speculation about Barrels' unrevealed next title from credible source_

> "For reasons that I can't publicly discuss yet, I personally think that the previously rumored Barrels of Fun theme 'Big Trouble In Little China' may actually be back in play."
> — **Knapp Arcade**, Barrels Rumors section
> _Insider hint at potential licensing developments with intentional opacity about source_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Released Pokémon Pinball with sold-out first run; scheduled second run for June 2026 |
| Pokémon Pinball | game | Stern's latest release; first run completely sold out, second run in June; Pro/Premium/LE production ramping March-April |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Released Winchester Mystery House; rumors about next title (The NeverEnding Story or Big Trouble in Little China) |
| Winchester Mystery House | game | Barrels of Fun title; received major code update 2/19/26 with Thirteenths Wizard Mode |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Reopened limited pre-orders for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; communication gap regarding Exclusive division and personnel changes |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | game | Dutch Pinball title; was previously sold out, now has limited production slots available |
| Melvin Brouwer-Williams | person | Associated with Dutch Pinball Exclusive division; departure unannounced officially despite media inquiry |
| Knapp Arcade | media | Independent pinball news outlet; published production schedule and industry rumors |
| JBS Show | media | Pinball podcast; published Roundtable discussion featuring speculation on Barrels' next title |
| Jamie Burchell | person | Guest on JBS Show Roundtable; pinball industry figure |
| Cale Hernandez | person | Guest on JBS Show Roundtable; speculates Barrels' next game is The NeverEnding Story |
| Retro Ralph | person | Guest on JBS Show Roundtable; pinball content creator |
| Rob Berk | person | Owner of Past Times Arcade; Guinness World Record holder for largest pinball collection; featured with rare 1979 Bally Supersonic with 1985 Geiger Fly High conversion |
| Past Times Arcade | location | Massive pinball arcade owned by Rob Berk with world record collection |
| The NeverEnding Story | media_ip | 1984 film; rumored to be basis for next Barrels of Fun pinball game |
| Big Trouble in Little China | media_ip | Previously rumored Barrels of Fun theme; speculated to potentially be back in development |
| Fly High | game | Unlicensed 1985 Geiger conversion of 1979 Bally Supersonic; NeverEnding Story-themed; only 150 kits produced |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pokémon Pinball production and demand, Barrels of Fun next title speculation, Winchester Mystery House code updates, Dutch Pinball Alice reopening and communication gaps
- **Secondary:** Pinball manufacturing supply and allocation, Community rumors and insider information

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Positive regarding Pokémon demand and new content (Winchester code update); neutral-to-negative regarding communication gaps at Dutch Pinball and persistent rumor nature of Barrels announcements; optimistic tone about future potential titles

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Dutch Pinball reopened pre-orders for Alice after prior sellout, indicating strong secondary demand or production capacity recovery (confidence: high) — Official Dutch Pinball announcement of limited production slots reopening after previous sold-out status
- **[community_signal]** Dutch Pinball Exclusive division departure and Melvin Brouwer-Williams exit remain unannounced; media outreach unsuccessful (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade explicitly stating no official statement released despite multiple outreach attempts
- **[leak_detection]** Knapp Arcade indicates private knowledge constraining public disclosure about potential Barrels licensing developments (confidence: medium) — Quote: 'For reasons that I can't publicly discuss yet, I personally think that...Big Trouble In Little China may actually be back in play'
- **[market_signal]** Second Pokémon production run scheduled June 2026 with dealer backlog orders; status of sell-out still unclear (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade reporting June second run scheduled with many dealer backlog orders pending clarity on current allocation status
- **[market_signal]** Pokémon Pinball first run completely sold out with no showroom allocation; demonstrates extraordinary demand and potential supply constraint (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade reporting first run sold out and dealers not receiving showroom allocation, contrasting with typical dealer allocations
- **[product_strategy]** Winchester Mystery House received major code update including new Thirteenths Wizard Mode, indicating ongoing post-launch support and development (confidence: high) — Official Barrels announcement dated 2/19/26 detailing new Wizard Mode plus additional enhancements, polish, and improvements
- **[product_strategy]** Stern executing staged production schedule prioritizing Location Pro machines before Premium/LE tiers, then non-Location machines by April (confidence: high) — Detailed production schedule: Pro locations Early March, LE Mid-Late March, Premium locations Late March, Non-location Premium Early April, Non-location Pro April
- **[rumor_hype]** Strong community speculation on Barrels of Fun's next title focused on The NeverEnding Story (1984) with secondary speculation on Big Trouble in Little China (confidence: medium) — Cale Hernandez belief in The NeverEnding Story from JBS Roundtable; Knapp Arcade low-confidence speculation on Big Trouble in Little China with explicit caveat about reasons not yet public

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## Transcript

News Updated Pokémon Pinball Production Schedule; Winchester Update, Free Sonic; Barrels of Fun Rumors k knapparcade February 20, 2026 Happy Friday everyone! I bring news of Stern Pinball's latest production schedule for its hot new Pokémon pinball machine. The entire first run of the game...all Pros, Premiums and Limited Edition machines is sold out. The demand for Pokémon is so great that dealers are not even being allocated games for their showrooms as they typically are. Machines will be built in the following order: \- Pro machines for Locations: Early March \- Limited Edition machines: Mid- to Late March \- Premium machines for Locations: Late March \- Non-Location Premium machines: Early April \- Non-Location Pro machines: April Stern currently has a second production run of Pokémon scheduled for June. Many dealers have a backlog of orders that will come from that build. It is unclear at the moment if that run is sold out yet. Next up we have Barrels of Fun. Yesterday, Barrels announced that it has launched its first major code update for its newest game Winchester Mystery House, which includes a new Wizard Mode. " WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE® CODE UPDATE! 2/19/26 The first major code update for Winchester Mystery House® Pinball features the inclusion of Thirteenths Wizard Mode! Just as construction on Sarah's sprawling estate was never quite complete, we're always adding enhancements and fixes to the Winchester Mystery House® pinball machine code! THIRTEENTHS WIZARD MODE Thirteenths spoken, Thirteenths done, Yet darker games have just begun! The new Thirteenths Wizard Mode is now available after completing all five Thirteenth tasks! plus ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS, POLISH, & IMPROVEMENTS!" The gaming news website Time Extension ran a great article earlier this week about SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog games. SEGA is delisting the current Sonic 1 and 2 from mobile stores soon. Prior to its delisting, anyone who is interested can download the games for FREE! Sega did something similar with another batch of games last year. At the time, I grabbed a free copy of Golden Axe for my iphone...one of my favorites. Another Set Of Sega Classics Are Being Discontinued On Mobile New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Several days ago, Dutch Pinball announced on Facebook that it now has slots available for its previously sold out Alice's Adventures in Wonderland pinball machine. The company has still not released an official statement on its Dutch Pinball Exclusive division or the departure of Melvin Brouwer-Williams. I have reached out to them multiple times on the subject with no response. "Dutch Pinball is pleased to share that a limited number of production spots have become available for their latest title, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a machine recognized for its striking design and craftsmanship. If you are interested in securing an Alice for your collection, please contact your local distributor for availability and ordering details. Spots are limited, so early inquiry is recommended. A list of our distributors can be seen at https://www.dutchpinball.com/distributors " Earlier this week, the JBS Show podcast published its latest Roundtable video, featuring Jamie Burchell, Retro Ralph and Cale Hernandez. During the great hour-and-a-half talk about pinball, the subject of future games from Barrels of Fun came up. Barrels is notoriously secretive about its future titles, so the second I heard this my ears instantly perked up. Cale still believes that the next pinball machine from Barrels is based on the 1984 film "The NeverEnding Story." New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today NeverEnding story seems like a very Barrels-like theme to me, but I have no personal insider knowledge on whether we are getting a pinball machine based on it other than what I heard on the Roundtable. For reasons that I can't publicly discuss yet, I personally think that the previously rumored Barrels of Fun theme "Big Trouble In Little China" may actually be back in play. I say this with a low level of confidence, but recent events have happened that give me hope that it might still happen. We'll see. Speaking of The NeverEnding story, here's a few pictures of Rob Berk, the owner of the massive location Past Times Arcade and the current Guinness Book of World Record holder for the largest pinball collection, showing me a recent addition to his collection that is not on the floor of his arcade yet...a 1979 Bally Supersonic that contains a 1985 Geiger conversion kit that transformed it into a game called "Fly High" - which is essentially an unlicensed version of The NeverEnding Story, complete with Falkor the flying Lukdragon dog guy. Only 150 of this kit were produced by the German company. So cool. Pinball Roundtable - Is Stern Back on Top? Pokémon Pinball, Rumors & Why 2026 Might Be the Best Year - YouTube The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell Search Info Shopping / •Live • Posted 32 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 Updated Pokémon Pinball Production Schedule; Winchester Update, Free Sonic; Barrels of Fun Rumors 32 minutes ago Coverage of the First Public Appearance of Stern Pinball's Pokémon - The 2026 NY Toy Fair about 22 hours ago Turner Pinball Merlin's Arcade Production Update 2 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e229c77b-3dcf-4204-a561-d9707c7c53f6*