RUMOR: Unexpected Company to Remake One of the World's Rarest Pinball Machines This Spring

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jan 18, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Rumor: Unknown manufacturer remaking rare Big Bang Bar pinball this spring

Summary

Knapp Arcade reports a rumor that an unexpected manufacturer is remaking Capcom's Big Bang Bar pinball machine with extended code, with a pre-production version allegedly ready in March and public reveal in June. The author speculates it's not Chicago Gaming Company (who are focused on Cactus Canyon and Pulp Fiction) and questions which company could be behind the project.

Key Claims

An unexpected company is updating and reengineering Big Bang Bar with extended code, with pre-production ready March and public reveal June
low confidence · Anonymous tip to Knapp Arcade inbox; author presents as unconfirmed rumor
Chicago Gaming Company is working on Cactus Canyon Remakes and has a single-level Pulp Fiction pinball ready to go next
medium confidence · Author cites 'very good source' for Pulp Fiction claim; Cactus Canyon delays are industry knowledge
Big Bang Bar is extremely rare and seldom appears on location for public play
high confidence · Author's documented experience photographing thousands of machines over years with no BBB photos; aligns with known scarcity
Chicago Gaming Company's remakes have all used the Bally/Williams license
medium confidence · Author's industry observation; accurate for known CGC releases
Big Bang Bar would sell well if remade with expanded code
low confidence · Author's speculation and opinion

Notable Quotes

“The rare pinball machine with one of the most interesting backstories ever told, Capcom's Big Bang Bar (BBB), is currently being updated and reengineered with extended code by an unexpected company.”
Anonymous tipster (via Knapp Arcade author) @ N/A — Core claim of the rumor; identifies the machine and alleged update scope
“I have heard rumblings for a while now that Chicago Gaming Company (CGC) is going to remake Big Bang Bar. That rumor never really made a lot of sense to me because all of CGC's remakes so far have used the Bally / Williams license.”
Knapp Arcade author @ N/A — Author's reasoning for dismissing CGC as the manufacturer; contextualizes industry expectations
“If BBB is really coming out this spring / summer, it probably isn't from CGC. They still have their hands full trying to get out all of the ordered Cactus Canyon Remakes”
Knapp Arcade author @ N/A — Establishes known constraints on CGC's production capacity
“You almost never see that game on location for the public to enjoy.”
Knapp Arcade author @ N/A — Establishes Big Bang Bar's rarity and demand signal for a remake

Entities

Big Bang Bargame Chicago Gaming CompanycompanyCapcomcompanyCactus Canyongame Pulp Fictiongame Knapp Arcadeorganization

Signals

?
leak_detection: Possible leak of upcoming pinball project details through unofficial channel (anonymous tipster)
low · Mysterious tip to Knapp Arcade inbox with specific timeline (March pre-production, June reveal); author unable to verify source credibility
$
market_signal: Big Bang Bar remake would likely sell well due to extreme rarity of original; potential market demand for previously inaccessible Capcom title
high · Author's observation of zero Big Bang Bar sightings in extensive collection photography; historical scarcity of original Capcom production
?
product_strategy: Chicago Gaming Company remains focused on Cactus Canyon Remake production, indicating ongoing delays or extended timeline for that project
medium · Author: 'They still have their hands full trying to get out all of the ordered Cactus Canyon Remakes'; corroborates known industry delays
?
rumor_hype: Unconfirmed report of Big Bang Bar remake by unknown manufacturer, allegedly with pre-production ready March and public reveal June
low · Anonymous tip to Knapp Arcade; author explicitly notes this is unverified and presents significant uncertainty about manufacturer identity

Topics

Big Bang Bar remake rumorprimaryPinball machine rarity and scarcityprimaryChicago Gaming Company production statussecondaryBally/Williams license constraintssecondaryCapcom pinball historysecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0.5)— Author is measured and skeptical about rumor ('that's still a big if') while expressing enthusiasm about the possibility of a BBB remake. Tone is journalistic and exploratory rather than promotional or dismissive.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

It has been a couple of days since I had something noteworthy to write about here, so I was thrilled this morning when a mysterious tip came into the Knapp Arcade inbox. The message said the rare pinball machine with one of the most interesting backstories ever told, Capcom's Big Bang Bar (BBB), is currently being updated and reengineered with extended code by an unexpected company. A pre-production version of the game will supposedly be ready in March and revealed to the public in June of this year. I have heard rumblings for a while now that Chicago Gaming Company (CGC) is going to remake Big Bang Bar. That rumor never really made a lot of sense to me because all of CGC's remakes so far have used the Bally / Williams license. If BBB is really coming out this spring / summer, it probably isn't from CGC. They still have their hands full trying to get out all of the ordered Cactus Canyon Remakes and I've heard from a very good source is that the company already has a single-level Pulp Fiction pinball machine ready to go next. So if a Big Bang Bar remake is actually happening (and that's still a big if) and it's not being done by Chicago Gaming Company, then who is making it? A new company? An existing game manufacturer who doesn't normally make pins? Hmmmmm. A remake of Big Bang Bar would be fantastic. You almost never see that game on location for the public to enjoy. If you follow Knapp Arcade here or on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KnappArcade/ or Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/knapparcade, you know that I have shared pictures of literally thousands of pinball machines that I've taken over the years. When I looked for some of my own pics of Big Bang Bar to use for this article there wasn't any. Not one. Now that's a rare game. For those of you who aren't familiar with the story of Big Bang Bar or Capcom pinball, I wrote about both in an post here last spring. The tales of this machine and the company are some of the most fascinating in the history of pinball. Here's a link to that article if you want to check it out: Porn and Punching Bags...The Collapse of Capcom Pinball https://www.knapparcade.org/post/porn-and-punching-bags-the-collapse-of-capcom-pinball So there's today's rumor. What do you think? Is Big Bang Bar a good game to remake and is this really happening? I think that a remake of BBB would sell well, especially if it's going to have expanded code. Whether it's really happening, time will tell. Has anyone else heard this? If you ever have any interesting pinball news or rumors that you want to share, make sure to send an e-mail to knapparcade@gmail.com. I'd love to hear them and always like to correspond with others in the hobby.