# Circus Maximus and Kingpin Pinball are ALIVE!

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-04-01  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/circus-maximus-and-kingpin-pinball-are-alive

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## Analysis

Circus Maximus confirms the Kingpin pinball remake project is active and progressing. The team is standardizing production processes and sourcing parts more efficiently. Company plans to share detailed production timelines at Southern Fried Gaming Expo in July.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Kingpin pinball project is still active and progressing — _Direct communication with Paul from Circus Maximus; article explicitly states 'not only is the Kingpin pinball project still alive'_
- [HIGH] Circus Maximus plans to share specific production plans at Southern Fried Gaming Expo (July 15-19) — _Direct quote from Paul regarding company's hopes to announce plans at the upcoming expo_
- [HIGH] Team is standardizing Capcom-specific parts to more readily available alternatives (e.g., drop targets) — _Direct statement about production optimization work being done by the team_
- [MEDIUM] Circus Maximus is manufacturing some custom parts in-house — _Reference to 'going down some rabbit holes with getting some [parts] produced ourselves' indicates in-house production efforts_

### Notable Quotes

> "not only is the Kingpin pinball project still alive, the Company is hoping to be able to share specific production plans at this year's upcoming Southern Fried Gaming Expo"
> — **Paul (Circus Maximus)**
> _Official confirmation of project status and commitment to transparency with community at upcoming major event_

> "The team has been busy working on improving the game's production process by standardizing certain Capcom-specific parts to ones that are more readily available, such as the drop targets."
> — **Paul (Circus Maximus) / Knapp Arcade reporting**
> _Reveals specific production optimization strategies being deployed to address supply chain challenges_

> "They also have had to 'go down some rabbit holes with getting some [parts] produced ourselves.'"
> — **Paul (Circus Maximus)**
> _Indicates in-house manufacturing solutions being explored to overcome sourcing constraints_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Circus Maximus | company | Pinball manufacturer/developer working on Kingpin remake project; actively optimizing production processes |
| Kingpin | game | Capcom pinball machine remake in active development by Circus Maximus; production optimization underway |
| Paul | person | Representative/team member at Circus Maximus; primary source for project status update |
| Southern Fried Gaming Expo | event | Major pinball event in Atlanta (July 15-19); planned venue for Circus Maximus to announce Kingpin production details |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Content creator/news source; published this update and previously covered Circus Maximus/Kingpin project with community skepticism |
| Capcom | company | Original manufacturer/IP holder of Kingpin pinball game; Circus Maximus is remaking this title |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Kingpin remake project status and progress, Production optimization and supply chain management, Parts standardization and sourcing strategies
- **Secondary:** Southern Fried Gaming Expo announcements, Community skepticism and transparency

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Author is enthusiastic about confirming project viability and appreciates transparency from Circus Maximus. Acknowledges prior community criticism but frames this update as addressing concerns. Tone is upbeat and reassuring.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Circus Maximus actively implementing supply chain optimization strategies including parts standardization and in-house manufacturing (confidence: high) — Team standardizing Capcom-specific parts and manufacturing custom components in-house to improve production efficiency
- **[sentiment_shift]** Prior community skepticism about Kingpin project viability has prompted Circus Maximus to provide transparency and status updates (confidence: medium) — Article acknowledges critics saying prior coverage 'didn't actually say anything' or project was 'completely dead'; this update represents response to community concerns
- **[event_signal]** Southern Fried Gaming Expo (July 15-19) positioned as key announcement venue for Kingpin production details (confidence: high) — Direct statement that Circus Maximus plans to share specific production timelines at this event
- **[product_strategy]** Kingpin project requires ongoing production process optimization, including standardizing parts and establishing in-house manufacturing solutions, suggesting non-trivial timeline challenges (confidence: medium) — References to optimizing production processes and 'going down rabbit holes' with parts manufacturing indicate the project has faced supply chain and production hurdles

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## Transcript

A number of people were critical of my last article about the Circus Maximus Kingpin project, saying that it didn't actually say anything about what was happening or that the project is completely dead, so I figured that I'd provide a quick Friday afternoon update for everyone. I recently was able to speak with Paul from Circus Maximus. I am very happy to report that not only is the Kingpin pinball project still alive, the Company is hoping to be able to share specific production plans at this year's upcoming Southern Fried Gaming Expo, which takes place in Atlanta from July 15th through 19th.

The team has been busy working on improving the game's production process by standardizing certain Capcom-specific parts to ones that are more readily available, such as the drop targets. They also have had to "go down some rabbit holes with getting some [parts] produced ourselves."

I'm pretty swamped today, but I wanted to take a second to share this fun news with everyone.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e4546c28-85ee-4d1b-8a76-42823dac273c*