American Pinball Lands Top Talent; Pokémon Thrives
Top storyline: American Pinball hires Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel from The Electric Playground, signaling strategic remake-focused pivot under new owner Bryan Vincent (3 sources)
New this week: First mentions of Rob Rath/Nick Neitzel at AP; Melvin Williams confirmed as Creative Director; Pokémon LE secondary market crash ($20K → $15.5K median)
American Pinball hired Rob Rath (Electric Playground founder) as Product Director and Nick Neitzel (Tony Hawk homebrew designer) as Product Designer. TEP remains independent while serving as AP's embedded topper vendor. AP's first title confirmed as Bally/Williams remake licensed from Planetary Pinball, with strong Circus Voltaire speculation.
New owner Bryan Vincent executing aggressive talent acquisition (Rob Rath, Nick Neitzel) and remake-focused strategy; Melvin Williams confirmed as Creative Director
Week-over-week shift: American Pinball narrative changes from "sold to new owner" to "aggressive talent acquisition and remake strategy"
Novelty flags: First official confirmation of Melvin Williams at AP; first Pokémon Pro machines arriving on location; first Beetlejuice units in collector hands with QC concerns
“Rob has been designing and selling pinball toppers and mods through his company TEP for four years. He is joining the AP team as Product Director, where he will 'oversee the planning, budgeting, marketing and go-to-market strategy for many of their upcoming titles. He will also assist with game story and rules design.'”
— Knapp Arcade (reporting American Pinball announcement), Knapp Arcade· Official description of Rob Rath's new role at American Pinball
“a slate of remakes and original titles”
— American Pinball / TEP announcement, Kineticist· Official description of AP's game development pipeline under new leadership
“That's an unusual arrangement — not a clean acquihire, not a standard employment deal where Rob and Nick leave TEP behind.”
— Kineticist (author), Kineticist· Highlights the unconventional structure of this deal in the pinball industry
highRob Rath is joining American Pinball as Product Director, overseeing planning, budgeting, marketing, go-to-market strategy, game story, and rules design for upcoming titles.— American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade
highNick Neitzel is joining American Pinball as Product Designer and is already working on an upcoming game.— American Pinball official announcement via Knapp Arcade
First mention of Rob Rath/Nick Neitzel since their hiringTEP hybrid arrangement unprecedented in pinball industryContradicts earlier speculation that AP would pursue original IP first
Story angle:American Pinball is betting on remakes and established talent to prove operational viability under new owner Bryan Vincent. The unusual TEP partnership (independent but embedded vendor) mirrors Dutch Pinball Exclusive's model. Community speculation centers on Circus Voltaire as first title, supported by TEP's CV topper demo at Expo 2025. Newsletter angle: talent consolidation reflects industry maturation; remake strategy is lower-risk path for proving new management competence before 'bigger swings' on originals.
Pokémon Defies Skeptics, Ships to Locations
5 sources
Pokémon Pro machines shipping to arcades (North End Pub, ULEK Pinball, RLM Amusements confirmed). Official gameplay premiere showcased 182+ collectible Pokémon, story modes, and Insider Connected integration. LE secondary market volatile: asking prices dropped from $32K high to $15.5K median on Pinside; only one confirmed sale disclosed at $20,102 on eBay. Game exceeding early skepticism about kid-friendly IP.
“Pokemon Location Pro games are shipping. Woohoo! Everywhere. So many of those games. You're going to see those things everywhere.”
— The Pinball Show host, The Pinball Show· Confirms location deployment scale; comparable to Godzilla and Star Wars rollouts
“We have 182 of them in there right now. More coming.”
— Dev team member (name unclear), Stern Pinball· Confirms the current roster size and signals ongoing Pokémon additions post-release.
“I could see them sitting at 20 for a year or longer and do the Pirates of the Caribbean thing. I could see them coming back down to MSRP.”
— The Pinball Show host, The Pinball Show· Articulates secondary market pricing scenarios tied to code quality
highPokémon games have started leaving Stern's Elk Grove Village factory and arriving at arcade locations— Jason Knapp, citing social media posts and confirmed location reports
highThe game currently contains 182 Pokémon with more coming— Dev team member states '182 of them in there right now. 182 right now. More coming.'
mediumPokémon LE secondary market prices will likely settle in the $20,000 range for a year or longer, unless exceptional code drives them higher (Pirates of the Caribbean model) or they depreciate back to MSRP— Host speculation based on code quality as determining factor; references Flip N Out Pinball Patreon discussion mentioning potential six/seven figure values for certain numbered units
First Pokémon Pro machines arriving on locationLE secondary market prices dropping $5K in daysOfficial gameplay premiere shows deeper rule set than expected
Story angle:Pokémon is exceeding low expectations set by skeptics who dismissed it as kid-friendly IP. Pro models already shipping to locations; LE secondary market volatile but stabilizing around $20K (not the $30K+ early asks). Game features 182+ Pokémon (growing), story modes, type matchups, and Insider Connected integration. Newsletter angle: community underestimated Stern's ability to make licensed IP work for adults; George Gomez/Jack Danger co-design delivering depth. LE pricing will hinge entirely on code quality.
Beetlejuice Shipping with Mixed Early Reviews
4 sources
Spooky Beetlejuice shipping to collectors and locations. Cary Hardy documented first-day setup, praising theme integration and lighting but flagging serious UX issues: Wi-Fi password entry is painful (single-letter scroll, no QWERTY, masked input), Spooky Speak voice recognition unreliable (not 100% success rate), and missing safety interlock switch. Kaneda predicts $20K secondary market pricing and scarcity exceeding Evil Dead. Early gameplay praised for mechanical depth.
“The way I've done it and the way I'm doing it going forward is that I'm using my phone as a hotspot and I've got the password set to the same character just eight times in a row so I don't have to scroll through.”
— Cary Hardy, Cary Hardy· Reveals workaround for Spooky's poor Wi-Fi UX, indicates severity of usability frustration
“I don't want to say I rest my case, but it doesn't work 100% of the time. So, that is a little bit aggravating for something that kind of comes with the purchase of the topper.”
— Cary Hardy, Cary Hardy· Critical assessment of Spooky Speak reliability across multiple conditions; signals design flaw
“Mark my words, Beetlejuice will be much harder to get than Evil Dead. Mark my words, Beetlejuice prices will hold very, very strong around $20,000 forever.”
— Canada or place name, Kaneda Pinball Podcasts YouTube Lives· Major market prediction for Beetlejuice secondary market pricing and scarcity
highSpooky Speak voice recognition feature does not work 100% of the time across multiple machines and streams— Cary Hardy, observed across his own machine and multiple streamer demonstrations
highSpooky Pinball machines lack an interlock safety switch (unlike other manufacturers) that normally kills high voltage when the coin door opens— Cary Hardy, hardware inspection and comparison to Stern/JJP standards
mediumBeetlejuice will hold market value around $20,000 and be harder to get than Evil Dead.— Kaneda speaking directly about Beetlejuice secondary market predictions
First Beetlejuice units in collector handsSpooky Speak reliability concerns confirmed across multiple machinesWi-Fi UX issues forcing workarounds
Story angle:Beetlejuice is shipping with excellent theme integration and mechanical design (worm mech, upper playfield, Magna Save) but serious QC/UX concerns. Wi-Fi password entry is so painful that Cary Hardy resorted to 8-character repeated-letter passwords. Spooky Speak voice recognition is unreliable. Missing safety interlock switch raises operator concerns. Despite issues, Kaneda predicts $20K secondary market pricing and scarcity exceeding Evil Dead. Newsletter angle: Spooky's mechanical ambition outpacing software/UX polish; early adopters act as beta testers.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Hype Reaches Fever Pitch
2 sources
DCC pinball rumor gaining unprecedented community enthusiasm despite no official confirmation. Author Matt Deniman publicly mentioned pinball adaptation during book tour. 6M+ book sales, Amazon top rankings, Seth MacFarlane TV adaptation in development, Playmates action figures announced. Community speculation fueled by Karl DeAngelo (Barrels of Fun designer) Halloween costume photos, but anonymous tip contradicts Barrels rumor. This Week in Pinball notes 'nearly universal positive reaction' rarely seen for rumored IP.
“I have only – so Tony, my co-host on Eclectic Gamers Podcast is a big Dungeon Crawler Carl fan. And on the way to TPF last year, I listened to the unabridged audio book of the first book.”
— Dennis (co-host), The Pinball Show· Establishes personal familiarity with source material via audiobook
“I don't know if I've ever seen this kind of nearly universal positive reaction to a rumored pinball IP”
— This Week in Pinball editorial, This Week in Pinball· Highlights unprecedented community enthusiasm for DCC pinball
mediumDungeon Crawler Carl has sold over 6 million copies as of late last year and is ranked #2 in action/adventure fantasy and #5 in sci-fi on Amazon Books— Host cites AI summary; sourced from book rankings
highDungeon Crawler Carl pinball machine rumors have generated unprecedented positive community enthusiasm and purchase intent— This Week in Pinball website traffic analysis, community engagement observation
First public acknowledgment by author Matt Deniman during book tourAnonymous tip contradicts Barrels of Fun speculationCommunity enthusiasm unprecedented for rumored IP
Story angle:DCC is generating rare universal positive community sentiment with genuine purchase intent, attracting non-traditional buyers (book fans rather than nostalgia/IP fans). Author publicly acknowledged pinball adaptation. 6M+ book sales, TV adaptation, action figures signal mainstream viability. Karl DeAngelo costume photos fuel Barrels speculation, but anonymous tip contradicts. Newsletter angle: IP enthusiasm stems from genuine fan base (not just brand recognition); community wants story-driven pinball to match source material's depth.
IFPA Expands Staff with Christina Capra and Emily Cosson
IFPA announced two new staff members: Christina Capra (NC women's state representative, Cape Fear Flipper/Abari league player) and Emily Cosson (Australian Pinball Open host, Belles & Chimes league founder). Both have competitive backgrounds and community organizing experience. Signals IFPA's focus on women's representation growth and international expansion.
“Christina Capra started playing competitive pinball 6 years ago in Wilmington, NC with the Cape Fear Flipper club before moving to Charlotte, NC and joining the Abari league.”
— IFPA, IFPA· Establishes Christina Capra's competitive pinball background and state representation credentials.
“Emily Cosson has been a pinball enthusiast since the ripe age of 3 from playing her Dad's home pinball collection!”
— IFPA, IFPA· Highlights Emily Cosson's lifelong engagement with pinball and family connection to the hobby.
highChristina Capra is the IFPA state representative for women's NC— IFPA official announcement
highEmily Cosson hosts Australian Pinball Open and founded Belles & Chimes women's league in Brisbane— IFPA official announcement
First IFPA staff additions announced in 2026First Australian staff memberBoth hires focused on women's pinball growth
Story angle:IFPA expanding international representation (Emily Cosson, Australia) and women's pinball infrastructure (Christina Capra, NC women's state rep). Both hires bring competitive experience and event organizing backgrounds. Signals IFPA priority on geographic expansion and gender diversity. Newsletter angle: staffing reflects IFPA's strategic focus on underserved demographics and regions.