# Case Against John Popadiuk Dismissed; Turner Pinball Wins Deeproot Assets

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-11-30  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/case-against-john-popadiuk-dismissed-turner-pinball-wins-deeproot-assets

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## Analysis

John Popadiuk's lawsuit was dismissed in Northern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court. Deeproot Pinball's remaining assets, including IP for unreleased games (Magic Girl, RAZA, Alice in Wonderland), were auctioned and purchased by Turner Pinball (Chris Turner) for $50,000. The RAZA prototype was likely destroyed at Intertek during UL testing. American Pinball did not bid on the assets.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Case against John Popadiuk and Zidware was dismissed in Northern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court — _Stated as fact; article references court documents below_
- [HIGH] Turner Pinball purchased Deeproot Pinball assets at Texas Bankruptcy Court auction for $50,000 — _Direct statement with specific dollar amount and court jurisdiction_
- [HIGH] Chris Turner (Turner Pinball owner) also owns Turner Logic, which did programming for Deeproot — _Explicitly stated relationship between entities_
- [MEDIUM] RAZA prototype was left at Intertek beyond contractually allowed period and believed to be destroyed — _Article states 'now believed' — indicates inference rather than confirmed fact_
- [HIGH] American Pinball (David Fix) did not bid on Deeproot assets despite prior podcast interest — _Stated as direct fact about auction non-participation_
- [HIGH] Zidware customers will not be made whole from the lawsuit dismissal — _Direct statement about customer recovery prospects_
- [HIGH] Turner Pinball also purchased life insurance policies held by Deeproot — _Explicitly stated as part of asset purchase_

### Notable Quotes

> "The original Zidware customers definitely will not be made whole, but there may be some relief for them with more announcements on this subject later this week."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, N/A
> _Indicates potential partial recovery for defrauded customers despite lawsuit dismissal; suggests developing story_

> "Despite expressing interest in potentially manufacturing the pinball machines that were designed by Deeproot during its short life numerous times on various podcasts, David Fix and American Pinball did not place a bid for Deeproot's assets during the bankruptcy auction."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, N/A
> _Indicates American Pinball's public interest did not translate to actual investment; notable given David Fix's history with Deeproot designer Papa Duke_

> "Many had assumed that the prototype RAZA pinball machine that had been given to a company called Intertek for UL testing and certification was part of the bankruptcy assets, but it was not."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, N/A
> _Clarifies a common misconception about what assets were available in bankruptcy; explains why RAZA prototype is inaccessible_

> "The ball is now in Chris Turner and Turner Pinball's court."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, N/A
> _Final statement passing control and future responsibility to Turner Pinball; indicates uncertainty about whether games will be manufactured_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| John Popadiuk | person | Founder of Zidware/Deeproot Pinball; designer behind unreleased pinball games Magic Girl, RAZA, Alice in Wonderland; subject of lawsuit that was dismissed |
| Zidware | company | Defunct pinball game company founded by John Popadiuk; failed to produce games; collectors lost money; assets subsequently acquired by Deeproot |
| Deeproot Pinball | company | Now-defunct pinball manufacturer that acquired Zidware assets; Robert Mueller's company; assets auctioned in Texas Bankruptcy Court and purchased by Turner Pinball for $50,000 |
| Robert Mueller | person | Owner of now-defunct Deeproot Pinball; his company's assets went to bankruptcy auction |
| Chris Turner | person | Owner of Turner Pinball and Turner Logic; acquired Deeproot assets and related IP for $50,000 at bankruptcy auction |
| Turner Pinball | company | Pinball company owned by Chris Turner; purchased Deeproot Pinball assets, IP (Magic Girl, RAZA, Alice in Wonderland), and life insurance policies at bankruptcy auction for $50,000 |
| Turner Logic | company | Programming company owned by Chris Turner; provided programming services for Deeproot Pinball while it operated |
| American Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; did not bid on Deeproot assets despite David Fix's public interest in manufacturing Deeproot-designed games |
| David Fix | person | Associated with American Pinball; expressed interest in manufacturing Deeproot-designed games on podcasts but did not bid on assets |
| Magic Girl | game | Unreleased Zidware/Deeproot pinball game; IP now owned by Turner Pinball |
| RAZA | game | Unreleased Zidware/Deeproot pinball game (full title: Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland); prototype likely destroyed at Intertek; IP now owned by Turner Pinball |
| Alice in Wonderland | game | Unreleased Zidware/Deeproot pinball game; IP now owned by Turner Pinball |
| Food Truck | game | Unreleased Deeproot-designed pinball game; IP now owned by Turner Pinball |
| Northern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court | organization | Court jurisdiction where Popadiuk lawsuit was dismissed |
| Texas Bankruptcy Court | organization | Court jurisdiction where Deeproot Pinball assets were auctioned |
| Intertek | company | Testing/certification company; held RAZA prototype for UL testing beyond contractual period; prototype believed destroyed |

### Topics

- **Primary:** John Popadiuk / Zidware / Deeproot Pinball litigation and bankruptcy, Unreleased pinball game IP and asset ownership, Turner Pinball acquisition and future manufacturing prospects
- **Secondary:** Customer recovery and restitution for defrauded collectors, American Pinball's strategic non-involvement in acquisition
- **Mentioned:** UL testing and certification process challenges

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0.35) — Article is factual reporting of legal/business resolution. Slightly negative undertone regarding customer losses and RAZA prototype destruction, but balanced with acknowledgment of partial resolution and future possibility under Turner ownership.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Original Zidware customers will not be made whole from lawsuit dismissal, indicating total loss of investment in failed pinball game ventures (confidence: high) — 'The original Zidware customers definitely will not be made whole'
- **[business_signal]** Deeproot Pinball's bankruptcy auction resulted in asset sale to Turner Pinball for $50,000, transferring IP for four unreleased games (Magic Girl, RAZA, Alice in Wonderland, Food Truck) (confidence: high) — Assets were 'put up for auction by a Texas Bankruptcy Court last week and sold to Turner Pinball for $50,000'
- **[community_signal]** Zidware/Deeproot saga represents major community controversy involving failed game production, customer fraud, bankruptcy, and uncertain future of promised machines (confidence: high) — Entire article documents years-long dispute resolution; 'At long last the story of John Popadiuk, Zidware and Deeproot Pinball may have come to a conclusion'
- **[market_signal]** American Pinball's non-participation in Deeproot asset acquisition despite publicly expressed interest suggests either financial constraints, strategic deprioritization, or internal disagreement about Deeproot game viability (confidence: medium) — 'David Fix and American Pinball did not place a bid for Deeproot's assets during the bankruptcy auction' despite 'expressing interest...numerous times on various podcasts'
- **[community_signal]** Chris Turner (Turner Logic founder/programmer) expanded from software services into hardware/IP ownership by acquiring Deeproot assets and operating Turner Pinball (confidence: high) — 'Chris Turner, the company that did programming for Deeproot while it was still in business' and 'Chris Turner also purchased several life insurance policies'
- **[product_strategy]** RAZA prototype destruction at Intertek testing facility due to exceeding contractual storage period indicates manufacturing/certification process failure with long-term consequences (confidence: medium) — 'the prototype RAZA pinball machine that had been given to a company called Intertek for UL testing and certification was part of the bankruptcy assets, but it was not. It is now believed that that specific machine was left at Intertek for longer than the contractually allowed period of time and destroyed'

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## Transcript

At long last the story of John Popadiuk, Zidware and Deeproot Pinball may have come to a conclusion.

Last month, the case against John Popadiuk aka J Pop and his defunct pinball company, Zidware, brought by a group of pinball collectors who lost money in his failed attempt to produce pinball machines like Magic Girl, Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland (RAZA) and Alice in Wonderland was dismissed in the Northern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court (see below). The original Zidware customers definitely will not be made whole, but there may be some relief for them with more announcements on this subject later this week.

The majority of the remaining Zidware and Popaduik-related assets were in the possession of Robert Mueller's now defunct company Deeproot Pinball. They were put up for auction by a Texas Bankruptcy Court last week and sold to Turner Pinball for $50,000. Turner Pinball is owned by the same individual, Chris Turner, as Turner Logic, the company that did programming for Deeproot while it was still in business. Along with the Deeproot Pinball intellectual property, Chris Turner also purchased several life insurance policies that the Deeproot companies had possession of.

Despite expressing interest in potentially manufacturing the pinball machines that were designed by Deeproot during its short life numerous times on various podcasts, David Fix and American Pinball did not place a bid for Deeproot's assets during the bankruptcy auction.

Many had assumed that the prototype RAZA pinball machine that had been given to a company called Intertek for UL testing and certification was part of the bankruptcy assets, but it was not. It is now believed that that specific machine was left at Intertek for longer than the contractually allowed period of time and destroyed.

Lots of loose ends in the J Pop / Zidware saga have been tied up. Is this the end of the story or will games like Magic Girl, RAZA and Food Truck pop back up at some point in the future? Time will tell. The ball is now in Chris Turner and Turner Pinball's court.

Below are the documents related to the Deeproot bankruptcy auction:

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e71ed66d-5b12-4e0d-88db-02e03ce705dc*