Ryan McQuaid is a pinball game designer and developer known for creating Cuphead Pinball at American Pinball and designing the Bash Locks mechanism for rolling ball locks. He began as a homebrew designer of Sonic the Hedgehog pinball using Visual Pinball before being brought to American Pinball by David Fix. His tenure at American Pinball was marked by employment instability (laid off December 2024, rehired June 2025 without contract, presented unfavorable terms July 2025) and project uncertainty around Cuphead's completion. He is also an accomplished competitive player, winning Pincinnati 2025 A Division.
No aliases
Ball save length and grace periods are more important to perceived difficulty than playfield design
Ryan McQuaid secured his first Stern Pro Circuit victory at Pincinnati
Ryan McQuaid won Pincinnati 2025
Ryan McQuaid won Pincinnati on Stars with 170,000+ points on ball 4 using clutch nudges
Competitive player who won Pincinnati 2025
Designer who departed American Pinball during recent turbulent period
Designer of Sonic the Hedgehog homebrew, spoke at homebrew seminar about Sega IP licensing
Pinball player; participated in best-in-play contest at Pentastic; early podcast guest
Reportedly associated with American Pinball; unconfirmed if let go; designer role makes potential departure notable
Known as 'Mr. Spinball'; pinball personality; scheduled speaker at Pintastic 2022
Formerly associated with a company (no longer with them as of podcast); discovered through Pintastic homebrew program and hired by major manufacturer; past seminar participant
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No linked glossary terms
David Fix was not responsible for American Pinball's strategic failures; he was a victim of upper management decisions
Cuphead licensing decisions were made by management, not David Fix or the development team
Ryan McQuaid was laid off in December
Ryan was rehired in June 2024 but only with a verbal contract
Ryan attended multiple unpaid meetings while laid off to stay involved with Cuphead
Cuphead has 2-3 mechs significantly more interesting than those on Alice in Wonderland
All developers, playtesters, and content creators who saw Cuphead praised it
Ryan McQuade created a Sonic homebrew based on Sega Genesis before being hired at American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid created the Sonic Spinball homebrew and may have been hired by American Pinball to develop Sonic the Hedgehog
Ryan McQuaid may have been let go from American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid's limited experience as an entry-level designer is insufficient to guarantee Cuphead's success
Ryan McQuaid spends most of his workday playing video games at American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid from American Pinball participated in the treadmill event
Ryan McQuaid used a digital-first approach (Virtual Pinball to CAD) for Sonic homebrew pinball development
Sonic the Hedgehog has a homebrew version by Ryan McQuaid and a possible new commercial pin from an unknown manufacturer
Ryan McQuaid created Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball
Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball intentionally excludes video modes to maintain pure pinball gameplay
Homebrew machines can be fully repaired and reconstructed by their builders if damaged
Ryan McQuaid started pinball restoration around 2016-2017
Ryan McQuaid designed the popular homebrew Sonic Spinball and now works for American Pinball
VR technology will not be tournament-ready or able to truly compete with physical pinball physics for many years
Ryan McQuaid confirmed that American Pinball does not have the Sonic the Hedgehog license.
Ryan McQuaid created the Sonic Spinball homebrew machine
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball homebrew game designed by Ryan McQuaid won the Popular Choice Award at a recent show
Ryan McQuaid is now a designer at American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid's Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball will be the best-selling American Pinball game of all time if successfully made.
Ryan McQuaid has been officially hired as a designer at American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid created a homebrew Sonic Spinball pinball game over several years
Ryan McQuaid created Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball homebrew machine
Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball won People's Choice for best custom game at Pintastic
McQuaid began restoring pinball machines in 2016
McQuaid is an IFPA-ranked competitive player with New Hampshire state championship and two New England Pinball League titles
Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball development began in 2019
Ryan McQuaid has been hired by American Pinball
Ryan McQuaid designed the Sonic Spinball homebrew pinball machine
Ryan McQuaid has refused offers of $75,000 and insured Sonic the Hedgehog for more than $77,000
Sonic the Hedgehog took approximately 1,000-1,500 hours to build with ~$5,000-6,000 in material costs
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball homebrew held up well under extended play at Expo
Ryan McQuaid was able to use primary source Sonic assets for his homebrew because Sega is friendly with hobbyist IP use
Ryan McQuaid created a Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball homebrew machine on display at Expo
I learned almost everything I know from YouTube videos, vids guides on Pinside, shout-outs to him and all of his amazing knowledge, and personal help.
A replacement playfield for Black Knight 2000 was being made by Mirko
Classic Arcades vectorizes playfield images causing loss of detail
American Pinball designer; designer of Sonic Spinball rumor; Kaneda expresses skepticism about his upcoming original game
Tournament competitor; scored eight points in round seven against Bruce
American Pinball leadership blamed for poor stewardship during Cuphead development; Kaneda doubts he can deliver Keith Elwin-level experience
American Pinball team member; seen at Topgolf with David Fix and others post-layoffs announcement
Designer; designing American Pinball's October 2024 Cuphead game
Game designer at American Pinball; credited with work mentioned in conversation (speaker suggests Sonic, but context unclear)
Pinball player who defeated George in Battle Stations head-to-head game at Tentastic
Contact for Sonic the Hedgehog licensing; Kaneda urges American Pinball to call him about Sonic Spinball
Homepin award winner and designer of Sonic Spinball; recently hired by American Pinball
Newcomer designer at American Pinball; designing Cuphead machine rumored for Chicago Pinball Expo release
Designer associated with Cuphead pinball project; next American Pinball title contingent on Galactic Tank Forces sales
Reportedly no longer at American Pinball; noted in Facebook post as departing company
Custom pinball artist bringing Sonic-themed custom pinball to Pintastic 2021; has won Twippy award
Homebrew builder of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball custom machine; bringing to Pintastic 2021; prior tournament winner in 2019
Restoration artist from Franklin, New Hampshire; triple Best in Play winner at Pintastic with Bally Playboy, Black Knight 2000, and Roller Coaster Tycoon
American Pinball designer. Rumored to be designing Cuphead and/or next American Pinball title after Galactic Tank Force.
Designer of Cuphead pinball; Kaneda predicts it will never reach market
Engineer/leadership at American Pinball; accused of spending work time playing video games; reportedly works on Cuphead pinball
Mentioned alongside David Fix and Steven Bowden at American Pinball; context unclear from episode
Created Sonic the Hedgehog homebrew pinball game; longtime community member associated with Sonic licensing speculation
Former designer at American Pinball; departed company; was working on Sonic, lost it to another manufacturer
American Pinball game designer who lost employment; worked on Cuphead pinball
Competitive player; brought restored Black Knight 2000 to Pintastic 2 years ago; featured in earlier podcast episodes
American Pinball designer; Kaneda speculates he may be working on Altered Beast game based on love of Sega titles
American Pinball employee featured in Galactic Arcade Tank Force cutscenes alongside Steven Bowden
American Pinball founder/leader; referenced in Sonic license discussion; Kaneda critical of company's recent output
Game designer at American Pinball hired to develop Sonic Spinball without (allegedly) securing license first; Kaneda questions this hiring strategy
Developer/designer of Sonic Spinball homebrew pinball machine
Homebrew designer known for Sonic; hired by American Pinball as announced designer; rumored Stern may have acquired Sonic license instead
Designer who created unofficial Sonic the Hedgehog pinball concept; now hired by American Pinball; confirmed lack of Sonic license
Non-designer at American Pinball marketing Galactic Tank Force publicly while designer Dennis Nordman remains absent
American Pinball designer; working on Cuphead per Kaneda's exclusive leak
Homebrew pinball designer who built Sonic Pinball in garage; rumored to be in talks with American Pinball; not publicly confirming deal
Representative of American Pinball, interviewed on Saturday Morning Spectacular podcast regarding Sonic license loss and game design
Designer; acquired by American Pinball; developing Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball; previously worked on Big Lebowski
Mentioned by Franchi as someone Orby wanted to interview about Cuphead video game.
From American Pinball; referenced as 'basically pinball Jesus at TNA' for achieving nine reactors on TNA Pinball
Game designer at American Pinball; hired to design Sonic the Hedgehog pinball but lost license; known for Sonic era design expertise; emotional response to being retained post-license loss
New designer from New England; scheduled to be introduced at Pintastic New England event
Homebrew pinball developer; creator of Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball; formerly worked in video game industry; panel speaker at Pintastic New England 2022
Homebrew designer; created Sonic the Hedgehog pinball; considered most polished homebrew ever built; valued at $75,000+; spent ~1,000-1,500 hours and ~$5,000-6,000 in materials
Designer at American Pinball; Kaneda identifies his upcoming licensed game as key to American Pinball's future viability
American Pinball; rumored working on licensed arcade video game IP pinball machine (not Sonic); needs to deliver and show humility
American Pinball executive; scheduled for Kaneda's podcast but communication became 'really weird' when David Fix wanted to co-appear
Newly hired designer at American Pinball; creator of the homebrew Sonic Spinball pinball game; spent years building and coding the game
Current sole designer on American Pinball payroll; entry-level designer with Sonic Spinball homebrew experience; Cary Hardy suggests he lacks veteran-level experience to guarantee Cuphead's success
Homebrew developer of 'Sonic the Hedgehog' pinball machine; credited as inspiration alongside Mark Seiden for encouraging other developers to build homebrew machines
Graduate of Pintastic New England School of Homebrew Gaming; co-host and demonstrator of gameplay mechanics for Dick Hamill's Black Knight recoding
Homebrew designer hosting 'How to Build a Pinball Machine' session at Expo; designed Sonic pinball
Homebrew pinball designer; created Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball game; hired by American Pinball as a result of homebrew project; brought rethemed Spirit Halloween version to Expo.
Created Sonic homebrew pinball game based on Sega Genesis; hired by American Pinball to work on Cuphead game
Created Sonic Spinball homebrew; formerly employed by American Pinball; game may have won best in show at an expo
Developer of Sonic homebrew pinball; recommended digital-first design approach (Virtual Pinball to CAD) that Kyle adopted
American Pinball representative who competed in the treadmill event and nearly fell during his run
Homebrew Sonic Spinball designer; newly hired at American Pinball as designer
American Pinball game designer who guided tank-shaped Galactic Tank Force cabinet into exhibition hall
Homebrew pinball designer and restoration specialist; newly hired as Game Designer by American Pinball; creator of Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball
American Pinball team member, contributed to game design
Game Designer at American Pinball
American Pinball employee; appearing on gameplay stream
American Pinball representative participating in official GTF livestream on April 4th
Creator of Sonic the Hedgehog homebrew pinball game
American Pinball representative; appeared in Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast interview
Designer of homebrew Sonic Spinball, now employed by American Pinball; unable to work on Sonic the Hedgehog pinball due to licensing complications
Designer of the Sonic Spinball homebrew pinball machine; recently hired by American Pinball
Newest American Pinball employee; created Sonic Spinball homebrew machine
Designer of Sonic Spinball homebrew pinball machine; newly hired by American Pinball
Homebrew pinball machine builder; created award-winning Sonic Spinball custom machine featured at Pintastic 2021
Designer/creator of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball homebrew machine on display at Expo
Pinball designer, competitive player, homebrew machine creator (Sonic Spinball), now employed at American Pinball as designer; won NEPL Championships twice and NH State Championship
Tournament competitor; won 2025 Stern Pro Circuit victory at Pincinnati
American Pinball designer who asked question on panel about design differences between companies
Designer at American Pinball working extensively on Cuphead; created popular Sonic homebrew game that generated industry interest at Expo
Homebrew designer; created Sonic game with interactive roller coaster element and lights activation during modes
Designer of Cuphead Pinball; formerly of American Pinball; interviewed by Orby in previous episode
American Pinball designer; never got fair shake launching completed machine; career stalled by company collapse
American Pinball staff member who was laid off
Home Pin award winner and Sonic Spinball designer; hired by American Pinball then affected by loss of Sonic license to Stern
Creator of homebrew Sonic the Hedgehog pinball game using Sega Genesis assets; works at American Pinball; subject of industry speculation on Stern potential competition
Designer; brought to American Pinball for Sonic game development; featured in Super Awesome Pinball Show interview
Newcomer designer hired by American Pinball for Cuphead license adaptation
Team member on Barry's Barbecue Challenge, responsible for bash locks and game opening mechanisms
American Pinball designer; next scheduled game (title unspecified) reportedly moved up in production queue ahead of Dennis Nordman's game.
Game designer appointed at American Pinball; created Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball homebrew that won Popular Choice Award
Homebrew Sonic Spinball designer hired by American Pinball; passion and work ethic cited as primary hiring reasons; Sonic license went to unnamed competitor
Homebrew creator of Sonic pinball machine; now works with American Pinball as commercial designer.
Designer of American Pinball's new unannounced game; has departed the company
Homebrew designer of Sonic the Hedgehog pinball; candidate for American Pinball Dream Contest
Homebrew designer of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, uses Visual Pinball for prototyping
Designer who departed American Pinball during turbulent period; contributed to company's recent struggles
Developer credited with inventing the 'Bash Locks' mechanism for rolling ball locks
Game designer at American Pinball; mentioned as key R&D staff member by Fix
Pincinnati 2025 A Division winner; scored 170,000+ points on ball 4 of Stars to win finals
Game designer at American Pinball; laid off end of 2024
Homebrew creator of Sonic the Hedgehog pinball; game design earned him designer position at American Pinball
Graduate of school of homebrew gaming; plays/demonstrates the recoded Black Knight during presentation
Homebrew builder of Sonic pinball machine; inspirational figure for Brad Leutko
Formerly of American Pinball; won Expo Topper Contest with Roller Coaster Tycoon animated topper (211 votes)
Former Cuphead designer associated with American Pinball; conversation leak suggested negative experience; questioned whether to rehire for project revival
Designer/lead at American Pinball who sent Orbital Albert clarification messages about Cuphead and David Fix's role, exonerating Fix from blame
Designer/creator of Cuphead at American Pinball; laid off December, rehired June without contract, presented unfavorable terms July; maintained commitment to project despite employment turmoil; key subject of episode interview
Creator of Cuphead Pinball (American Pinball); provided clarification on AP management issues in recent communication with host
American Pinball designer; Facebook post mentioned as sad news; Cuphead project status uncertain
Mentioned in passing context of American Pinball discussion; unclear specific role
Associated with American Pinball/Cuphead; recent post suggests project is in difficulty
Designer brought to American Pinball by David Fix; trapped in Cuphead limbo; lost Sonic theme due to Fix's mismanagement
Pinball designer associated with Sonic the Hedgehog home version that lost its license; Kaneda references his work as context for Jersey Jack picking up Sonic.
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