deeproot Pinball was a boutique pinball manufacturer founded around 2018 with teams in San Antonio and Salt Lake City, staffed by veterans from Disney, Lucasfilm, Weta, and EA. The company designed and manufactured multiple licensed and non-licensed pinball games including Alice (500-unit limited run, sold-out), Dune, Predator, and co-designed RAZA with John Popadiuk. Despite ambitious plans to release 5-7+ titles in 2019 and significant investment ($58.8M-$61M reported), the company became known for production delays, communication gaps, and financial mismanagement, ultimately filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with SEC fraud charges; their IP and assets were subsequently acquired by Melvin Williams and other parties.
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deeproot Pinball burned through $58.8 million in investor funds, faced SEC fraud charges, and filed Chapter 7 without shipping a finished machine
Deeproot Pinball had planned games including John Popadiuk's RAZA and Barry Oursler's Food Truck before bankruptcy
Deeproot Pinball was developing a game called 'Men In Black Alien Crisis' before the company's demise
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Expert: merged definition Expert: merged definition
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Deeproot Pinball website is now back online
Hexadecimal code on Deeproot website translates to 'Check Back Soon For Something Interesting'
Something may be rising from the Deeproot mess
Deeproot Pinball had at least 9 distinct game projects in development (Black Hole 2, Fire & Brimstone, Food Truck, Gladiator, Machine Age, Magic Girl, Yukon Yeti, The Who, Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland)
Deeproot Pinball had whitewood prototypes for The Goonies and The Who pinball machines
Deeproot probably never secured licenses for The Goonies or The Who
Deeproot Pinball has working prototypes of Merlin's Magic and The Who games
Deeproot was working on a The Who themed pinball game
The Who game never had confirmed license acquisition
Multiple Deeproot whitewoods are being auctioned in mismatched cabinets
Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland prototype was previously assumed missing
Multiple whitewoods in various stages of development are included in the Deeproot Pinball bankruptcy auction
Deeproot Pinball is undergoing a bankruptcy auction
The second auction listing contains pinball machine parts and equipment
If the SEC obtains an injunction, deeproot Pinball's funding would be cut off, halting all operations and employee payments
Deeproot Pinball RAZA Arcade model priced at $5,899, at low end of market expectations
RAZA is Deeproot Pinball's first commercial release game
Xtra model production is limited to exactly 300 units
Arcade model pricing starts at $5,899
Xtra model pricing starts at $9,499
Adding all optional extras to Arcade model brings total to around $7,900
Orders were only taken through Deeproot's website between December 8-30, 2020
Several distributors have signed agreements to sell RAZA beyond the December 30 deadline
Deeproot initially vowed not to take pre-order payments but changed policy to allow full payment or deposit options
Pinbar lockbar corners were redesigned from sharp to rounded for improved ergonomic comfort
No manufacturing facilities or partners have been announced for RAZA production
Deeproot Pinball's rootAccess subscription includes insider access, branded merchandise, preferential shipping, and exclusive digital content
Two prototype models (Arcade and Extra variants) were demonstrated at What's Brewing on November 21, 2020
RAZA Arcade model features hinged backbox design while Extra model includes stacking backbox, illuminated topper, and backlit side-panels
Deeproot Pinball postponed their planned RAZA launch event indefinitely, with intent to conduct online launch when feasible
The design has changed significantly from the original Zidware version with much more emphasis on theme park elements
Production will begin by the end of June 2020
A more final version of RAZA can be expected at the Texas Pinball Festival in March 2020
Deeproot Pinball promised five new game reveals at Texas Pinball Festival 2019 but had to cancel due to slower-than-anticipated progress
Deeproot Pinball sponsored the Bumper Blast buffet meal
Deeproot Pinball has a new digital production suite allowing single playfield production runs