# TEAM PINBALL AIRS ISSUES WITH PEDRETTI
**Source:** Pinball News Website
**Type:** article
**Published:** 2026-05-07
**Beat:** Pinball
**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2026/05/07/team-pinball-airs-issues-with-pedretti/
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## Analysis
Team Pinball, a UK-based software and hardware developer, has publicly disclosed a significant dispute with Pedretti Gaming over the Big Bang Bar Remake project. Team Pinball claims they invested approximately €90,000 in developing the game's code, electronics, and PCBs, and purchased a prototype from Melvin Brouwer-Williams in October 2024 with Pedretti's knowledge. After shipping the prototype to Pedretti in Italy in 2025 for finalization, communication ceased and Pedretti subsequently refused to return the prototype, claiming ownership despite earlier statements. Team Pinball states they have documentation supporting their position and do not intend to pursue legal action, but felt obligated to share their account with the community.
### Key Claims
- [HIGH] Team Pinball has worked with Pedretti Gaming for several years providing coding, animations, and circuit board designs for Funhouse: Rudy's Nightmare and Whirlwind: Total Chaos — _Team Pinball Facebook post quoted in Pinball News article_
- [HIGH] Team Pinball purchased a Big Bang Bar prototype from Melvin Brouwer-Williams in October 2024 with the understanding they would complete the game with software/electronics support and receive per-machine royalties — _Team Pinball's official statement_
- [HIGH] Team Pinball estimates their loss at approximately €90,000, including the prototype purchase, custom electronics, DMD frames, PCB development, and software development — _Team Pinball's detailed loss accounting in their Facebook statement_
- [HIGH] Pedretti Gaming initially agreed to the arrangement but later refused to return the prototype, first claiming it would require payment for modifications, then claiming it was Pedretti's property — _Team Pinball's account of events in their public statement_
- [MEDIUM] Pedretti Gaming is expected to announce a remake of Tales of the Arabian Nights in the next few weeks — _Pinball News editorial note at end of article (rumored, not confirmed)_
- [HIGH] Team Pinball and Pedretti had worked together for almost four years on 'very good terms' before this dispute — _Team Pinball's statement characterizing the prior relationship_
- [HIGH] The Big Bang Bar remake project involved three initial parties: Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software and electronics), and Melvin Brouwer-Williams (prototyping and redesign) — _Team Pinball's description of the original collaboration structure_
- [HIGH] Pedretti informed Team Pinball in 2025 that Big Bang Bar would be postponed to 2026, and later claimed they decided not to manufacture it at all — _Team Pinball's account of Pedretti's shifting communications_
### Notable Quotes
> "We always believed our relationship was more than just business and considered them friends as well as partners. Even during stressful periods and difficult production times, we always remained respectful and friendly."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Establishes the prior trust and collaborative nature of the relationship before the dispute_
> "The answer regarding the return of our prototype was NO. This came as a complete shock to us, especially because Pedretti at this point stated that they had decided not to manufacture Big Bang Bar at all."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Critical turning point where Pedretti refused to return the prototype and abandoned the project_
> "Considering how events unfolded, we cannot help but wonder whether we were only expected to recover the prototype and finish the machine before being pushed out of the project entirely."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Suggests Team Pinball suspects they were used as development contractors and then excluded from the finished product_
> "At this point, we do not intend to continue with expensive legal action. However, we believe the community deserves to know our experience and why we are no longer involved in this project as well as other Pedretti branded projects."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Explains their decision to go public rather than pursue litigation, emphasizing transparency_
> "We have agreements, screenshots, photographs, and development records supporting our statements."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Team Pinball claims to have documentation to back their version of events_
> "This post is not about creating drama. It is simply about transparency and explaining our side of the story to the pinball community."
> — **Team Pinball**
> _Frames the public disclosure as community transparency rather than reputation attack_
### Entities
| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Team Pinball | company | UK-based pinball software and hardware developer; primary claimant in the dispute with Pedretti Gaming |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Italian pinball remake manufacturer; defendant in the dispute; located in Bagnatica, Italy |
| Melvin Brouwer-Williams | person | Pinball game designer and prototype builder; created prototypes for Big Bang Bar remake; sold prototype to Team Pinball in October 2024; co-founder of Dutch Pinball Exclusive; recently joined American Pinball |
| Big Bang Bar | game | Capcom arcade game; subject of the disputed remake project by Team Pinball and Pedretti Gaming |
| Funhouse: Rudy's Nightmare | game | Pedretti remake; one of Team Pinball's successful collaborations with Pedretti Gaming |
| Whirlwind: Total Chaos | game | Pedretti remake; one of Team Pinball's successful collaborations with Pedretti Gaming |
| Tales of the Arabian Nights | game | Upcoming Pedretti remake rumored to be announced in the coming weeks |
| Pinball News | organization | Independent pinball media outlet that published this article and broke the story |
| Dutch Pinball Exclusive (DPX) | company | Company co-founded by Melvin Brouwer-Williams; he has since parted ways with the organization |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; recently hired Melvin Brouwer-Williams following his departure from Dutch Pinball Exclusive |
### Signals
- **[industry_signal]** Major dispute between Team Pinball and Pedretti Gaming over prototype ownership and project IP, revealing tensions in the pinball remake manufacturing ecosystem (confidence: high) — Team Pinball's public disclosure of €90,000 loss and refusal to return prototype; represents significant breakdown in long-term partnership
- **[product_concern]** Big Bang Bar Remake project status now highly uncertain; Pedretti claims they will no longer manufacture it, leaving the game's future unclear (confidence: high) — Pedretti informed Team Pinball the project would be postponed to 2026, then claimed they decided not to manufacture it at all
- **[business_signal]** Unresolved questions about ownership of Big Bang Bar remake prototype and development assets; suggests lack of clear contractual frameworks in remake development agreements (confidence: high) — Team Pinball and Pedretti have contradictory claims about who owns the prototype; Pedretti first asked for payment for modifications, then claimed full ownership
- **[community_signal]** Team Pinball's public disclosure reflects desire for community transparency and questions about fair dealing in remake manufacturing partnerships (confidence: high) — Team Pinball chose to air dispute publicly rather than pursue legal action, emphasizing community's right to know about the breakdown
- **[personnel_signal]** Melvin Brouwer-Williams's transition from Dutch Pinball Exclusive to American Pinball follows his involvement in the disputed Big Bang Bar project (confidence: medium) — Melvin joined American Pinball in February 2026, shortly after the Big Bang Bar dispute became public; may indicate search for more stable partnerships
- **[machine_intel]** Pedretti Gaming expected to announce Tales of the Arabian Nights remake in coming weeks (confidence: medium) — Pinball News editorial note states it is 'rumoured to be' the next Pedretti announcement; not officially confirmed
- **[regulatory_signal]** Uncertainty around Capcom IP licensing for Big Bang Bar remake; dispute highlights risks in licensing negotiations for classic game remakes (confidence: medium) — Big Bang Bar is Capcom property; Melvin Williams held 'original Capcom parts and moulds' suggesting licensing complexity
- **[business_signal]** Team Pinball's experience reveals potential risks for developers partnering with international manufacturers on remake projects without clear IP ownership agreements (confidence: high) — Team Pinball invested €90,000 and lost control of their work; suggests the need for clearer contractual protections in the industry
---
## Transcript
HomeNEWSTEAM PINBALL AIRS ISSUES WITH PEDRETTI UK-based pinball software and hardware developer, Team Pinball, today revealed details of their working relationship with Pedretti Gaming and issues around the planned Big Bang Bar Remake game. Team Pinball have worked with Pedretti Gaming for several years, providing coding, animations and circuit board designs for Pedretti’s series of remakes, starting with Funhouse: Rudy’s Nightmare and continuing through Whirlwind: Total Chaos. They have revealed that they have also been working with Pedretti on a remake of Capcom’s Big Bang Bar. However, according to Team Pinball that project ran into trouble after Pedretti first fell out with Big Bang Bar rights owner, Melvin Brouwer-Williams who had prototype Remake machines built, and then with Team Pinball who developed the code and designed circuit boards for the game and then stepped in to purchase one of Melvin’s prototypes with their own money in order to keep the project alive. Team Pinball claim they developed the prototype further until it was ready to send to Pedretti in Bagnatica, Italy so they could work out how to build it. They then claim Pedretti made some changes to the prototype and now claim it is their property, leaving Team Pinball €90,000 out of pocket. The claims were made in a post on Team Pinball’s Facebook page. | | | --- | | For many years, Team Pinball has worked with Pedretti Gaming to provide hardware and software solutions for their Funhouse and Whirlwind 2.0 kits, and for the Funhouse remake machine.
Team Pinball has also been working on several upcoming titles, including a remake of Capcom’s Big Bang Bar.
After careful consideration, we believe we owe it to the pinball community to publicly explain what happened with the Big Bang Bar remake project from our perspective.
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.
Despite this, Team Pinball continued working with Pedretti on other projects. Team Pinball worked together with Pedretti for almost four years on very good terms. We always believed our relationship was more than just business and considered them friends as well as partners. Even during stressful periods and difficult production times, we always remained respectful and friendly.
In October 2024, Team Pinball purchased one of the original prototypes from Melvin Williams with the agreement and knowledge of Pedretti. The understanding was that we would complete the game with software and electronics support, provide the manufacturing PCB files, and receive royalties per machine sold.
In 2025, we shipped our prototype to Pedretti and travelled there personally to finalize the machine using version 2 PCBs. During this process, Pedretti updated several physical elements of the machine, including the cabinet and replacing the blank whitewood playfield with the final printed version, which had also been designed in collaboration with Melvin Williams back in 2022.
At that stage, the machine was getting very close to completion. Only software polishing and final adjustments remained.
Afterward, we continued working remotely together until communication suddenly stopped. Initially, we believed this delay was related to Predator production. Later, we were informed that the Big Bang Bar remake would be postponed to 2026, which we accepted, as additional time for refinement was not a problem for us.
Following this, we requested the return of our prototype so we could continue polishing and finalizing the software ourselves to prepare the machine for production. Our intention was always to return the machine to Pedretti afterward, exactly as we had done during normal business cooperation.
The answer regarding the return of our prototype was NO.
This came as a complete shock to us, especially because Pedretti at this point stated that they had decided not to manufacture Big Bang Bar at all. We were later told that the prototype could be returned if we paid for the cabinet swap, playfield changes, and other modifications made during development. Although disappointing, we were still willing to pay for the modifications in order to get our prototype back. To us, this indicated that the prototype was still recognised as belonging to Team Pinball.
After another period of silence, we were ultimately informed that the prototype would not be returned because it was considered Pedretti’s property. This directly contradicted the previous statement that they wanted some kind of contributions for the cost they spent on modification on our prototype in order to return it.
Our estimated loss is approximately €90,000, including:
the purchased prototype (the deal was made directly with Melvin Williams),
custom electronics,
coloured DMD frames,
PCB development,
and years of software development.
Considering how events unfolded, we cannot help but wonder whether we were only expected to recover the prototype and finish the machine before being pushed out of the project entirely. We truly hope that was not the case, but from our perspective, it is difficult not to feel that way after everything that happened.
At this point, we do not intend to continue with expensive legal action. However, we believe the community deserves to know our experience and why we are no longer involved in this project as well as other Pedretti branded projects.
We have agreements, screenshots, photographs, and development records supporting our statements.
This post is not about creating drama. It is simply about transparency and explaining our side of the story to the pinball community.
We also hope this explains the rumours surrounding Big Bang Bar throughout the years, and why Melvin Williams’ name was mentioned from time to time, as he created the prototypes and held the original Capcom parts and moulds.
Thank you,
Team Pinball | | | Pedretti Gaming are expected to announce their next remake game in the next few weeks. It is rumoured to be a remake of Tales of the Arabian Nights. The fate of the Big Bang Bar project is now even more uncertain. Pinball News will bring you more developments in this story as they unfold. - Related Articles - More By Pinball News - More In NEWS - !April 2026 PINcast APRIL 2026 PINCAST After all the excitement of new game launches last month, things were a little more sedate… 2 days ago - !March 2026 PINcast MARCH 2026 PINCAST March is often the time for new game announcements, and this year certainly didn’t disappo… 2nd April, 2026 - !February 2026 PINcast FEBRUARY 2026 PINCAST There might only have been 28 days in February, but those four weeks were packed full of e… 2nd March, 2026 Load More Related Articles - !April 2026 PINcast APRIL 2026 PINCAST After all the excitement of new game launches last month, things were a little more sedate… 2 days ago - !March 2026 PINcast MARCH 2026 PINCAST March is often the time for new game announcements, and this year certainly didn’t disappo… 2nd April, 2026 - !The home of the Texas Pinball Festival 2026 TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL 2026 Welcome to the Pinball News coverage of this year’s Texas Pinball Festival. We are b… 21st March, 2026 Load More By Pinball News - !Melvin Brouwer-Williams has joined American Pinball MELVIN JOINS AMERICAN PINBALL Two of our recent news stories have come together with the announcement that Melvin Brouwe… 17th February, 2026 - !Melvin Brouwer-Williams has parted company with Dutch Pinball MELVIN SPLITS WITH DUTCH PINBALL Co-founder of Dutch Pinball Exclusive (DPX), Melvin Brouwer-Williams, has parted company w… 9th February, 2026 - !Changes are coming for Classic Playfield Reproductions CHANGES AHEAD AT CPR One of the pioneers of reproduction parts for pinballs, Classic Playfield Reproductions, i… 1st February, 2026 Load More In NEWS Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked \ Comment \ Name \ Email \ Website Check Also MELVIN JOINS AMERICAN PINBALL Two of our recent news stories have come together with the announcement that Melvin Brouwe… © Text, images and other media are copyright of Pinball News and may not be used without written permission. All trademarks used are the property of their respective owners. You can view our privacy policy here. FacebookTwitterGoogle+YoutubeSkype X reCAPTCHA Recaptcha requires verification.
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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: f438a4f8-f5c8-4cbf-9c92-6b511058e1a1*