Weekly arcade/pinball news roundup featuring TPF coverage, Multimorphic Weird Al shipment, and venue updates.
Summary
Knapp Arcade's weekly news roundup from March 25, 2022, covering arcade and pinball industry happenings including the Texas Pinball Festival launch, Multimorphic's Weird Al machine shipment, Haggis Pinball's Fathom Remake gameplay reveal, a rumor about Jersey Jack's Pirates re-run announcement, and various arcade venue openings and closures across North America.
Key Claims
Texas Pinball Festival officially kicked off on March 25, 2022
high confidence · Knapp Arcade explicitly states 'The Texas Pinball Festival officially kicks off today'
Multimorphic shipped its first complete Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilarity machine
high confidence · Headline: 'Multimorphic Ships its First Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilarity Machine'
Jersey Jack Pinball will announce another run of Pirates at Texas Pinball Festival
low confidence · Article explicitly labeled as 'RUMOR: Jersey Jack Pinball Will Announce Another Run of Pirates at TPF'
Haggis Pinball showed gameplay of the Fathom Remake
high confidence · Headline: 'Haggis Pinball Shows Fathom Remake Gameplay'
Flyland Designs released alternate translites and side blades for Cactus Canyon Remake
high confidence · Headline: 'Flyland Designs Alternate Translite & Side Blades for Cactus Canyon Remake Go on Sale'
Notable Quotes
“I cranked out most of this week's arcade and pinball news last night so I have it for everyone bright and early today.”
Knapp Arcade author @ Opening — Meta-commentary about newsletter production
“The Texas Pinball Festival officially kicks off today. I'm not there, but I will keep an eye out for any surprise news updates from the show and share them as soon as I see them.”
Knapp Arcade author @ Opening section — Establishes TPF as major industry event warranting live coverage monitoring
business_signal: Multiple new arcade venue openings across North America (Monsterama in Des Moines, The Local in Schenectady, Galaxy Arcade relocation in Lakeland)
high · Multiple venue announcements and reopenings featured in news roundup; indicates healthy arcade/pinball venue market expansion
?
community_signal: Homebrew pinball development community growth and media coverage; Input Magazine featured long-form article on homebrew scene
medium · Article headline: 'How to build your own pinball machine in 4,761 easy steps' with subtitle emphasizing 'incredibly complicated, utterly obsessive, potentially lucrative world'
?
event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival officially launched March 25, 2022; positioned as major industry news gathering point with expectation of surprise announcements
high · Knapp Arcade explicitly monitoring TPF for 'surprise news updates' despite not being physically present
?
announcement: Haggis Pinball Fathom Remake displaying gameplay at industry events; product in active showcase phase
high · Gameplay video shared by Knapp Arcade; Fathom Remake featured prominently in news coverage
?
announcement: Multimorphic shipped its first complete Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilarity machine; gameplay reveal occurred via Buffalo Pinball
high · Separate headlines confirming shipment and gameplay reveal with topper closeup also featured
?
Topics
Texas Pinball Festival coverage and news monitoringprimaryNew machine releases and shipments (Weird Al, Fathom Remake)primaryProduction rumors and announcements (Jersey Jack Pirates re-run)primaryArcade and pinball venue openings and closuressecondaryAftermarket customization parts (Flyland Designs)secondaryClassic game remakes and updatessecondaryInternational arcade/pinball industry (Sega Tokyo, Australian Ballarama startup)mentionedHomebrew pinball development and culturementioned
Sentiment
positive(0.75)— Knapp Arcade presents news in enthusiastic, celebratory tone with emphasis on exciting announcements, new venues, and industry activity. No critical or negative commentary present; focus on growth and community engagement.
Transcript
raw_text · $0.000
Coffee and pinball news, perfect together. I cranked out most of this week's arcade and pinball news last night so I have it for everyone bright and early today. This is another jam packed issue with updates on the Fathom Remake, This is Spinal Tap, Weird Al, location write-ups and all sorts of other cool stuff.
The Texas Pinball Festival officially kicks off today. I'm not there, but I will keep an eye out for any surprise news updates from the show and share them as soon as I see them.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Wow, this Portland area arcade looks amazing…
Taking pinball to the Next Level: Hillsboro store loves the game
Next Level Pinball Shop & Museum is one of the largest local spots for pinball, in an area that is world famous for it.
https://pamplinmedia.com/ht/117-hillsboro-tribune-news/539880-432456-taking-pinball-to-the-next-level-hillsboro-store-loves-the-game?wallit_nosession=1&fbclid=IwAR2yrCvvnzH9LB4paZGZyriH4zU0slL0p-3XXFnhB8e04rRjRLubHOHfimg
How to build your own pinball machine in 4,761 easy steps
Inside the incredibly complicated, utterly obsessive, potentially lucrative world of homebrew pinball.
https://www.inputmag.com/culture/homebrew-pinball-expo-2021
Lakeland, Florida’s Galaxy Arcade bar has reopened in a new location…
Retro arcade Galaxy Bar reborn on the south side of Lakeland after brief closure
https://www.theledger.com/story/business/2022/03/24/arcade-games-pinball-machines-galaxy-bar-head-south-lakeland/7119286001/?fbclid=IwAR22Wl7DkabJ3Y9EaogQaim13PI0oPqac3Z_-sRAlEb59bEnUifz8Z_9v0I
Sega’s iconic Tokyo arcades are officially no more
TOKYO GAME CENTERS WERE REBRANDED ON FRIDAY, FOLLOWING THE SALE OF SEGA’S ARCADE BUSINESS
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/segas-iconic-tokyo-arcades-are-officially-no-more/?fbclid=IwAR0HP4UDfP2JTK0jt6ash34LlcZ4OauUgp0YCO7YtCqk4XoSmn9F94jN_TU
Level 256 Classic Arcade Bar offers unique bar experience in Asheville
https://wlos.com/community/carolina-moment/level-256-classic-arcade-bar-offers-unique-bar-experience-in-asheville-pinball-video-game?fbclid=IwAR0m7Chf5ILYOnBRsNS2LyHFGW9JA6p02dUjXfF_caeCPtUDW3EKwjPiSqI
Here’s a great local news story on one of my favorite pinball locations, The Pinball Gallery in Malvern, PA.
Pinball Gallery attracting gamers to Malvern
https://6abc.com/pinball-gallery-malvern-pinballers-tournaments/11659345/?fbclid=IwAR0jbhIxlGy6C9rqKefJy32JTUCGGY7iifCnVl5Nh41IpjI2BIwBcPY8uls
A new arcade is coming to Iowa…
Monsterama Arcade opens May 1 with 50 vintage games, pizzeria on the south side of Des Moines
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/dining/2022/03/24/arcade-near-me-des-moines-games-monsterama-pizza-opens-may/9455155002/?fbclid=IwAR1K6dtCfK3NVx-HZmRDFilh-KyObFkm47q8we9t-_PMbz1v1kP2l4VvV6U
Pedretti’s FunHouse 2.0 Rudy’s Nightmare is all set up at Cointaker’s booth at the Texas Pinball Festival. Get over there and check it out!
Revisiting A Mega Arcade - FunSpot
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/revisiting-a-mega-arcade-funspot?fbclid=IwAR1Wl0fLN9G_6NAwLYFMieSet5gux3j9B4Yon-FCkRmc2NaWletcI7T7QOE
Haggis Pinball Shows Fathom Remake Gameplay
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/haggis-pinball-shows-fathom-gameplay?fbclid=IwAR1MsJCGLoXOVPpbCx6GvCaai8iGcT-v6hI3ghC9o-HoBUIeKOmvDm82fs8
Flyland Designs Alternate Translite & Side Blades for Cactus Canyon Remake Go on Sale
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/flyland-designs-alternate-translite-side-blades-for-cactus-canyon-remake-go-on-sale?fbclid=IwAR1Lmo-SP2pXXDFGP539YNyA7ogqab7VRl6YTdo62ERKhE6dUK1-p-27kEo
RUMOR: Jersey Jack Pinball Will Announce Another Run of Pirates at TPF
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/rumor-jersey-jack-pinball-will-announce-another-run-of-pirates-at-tpf?fbclid=IwAR2pxWS6gaTUqfyBaSIKtIKJTVyeWJ7WO4Eh_wtZCXSw86AkJVCE0IA4SBM
Replay of Buffalo Pinball's Reveal of Multimorphic's New Weird Al Pinball Machine
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/replay-of-buffalo-pinball-s-reveal-of-multimorphic-s-new-weird-al-pinball-machine?fbclid=IwAR2Cbokoc_nNe2R7Mj9rXH7SM3FIR9xRSpSQxPLi-G4AJH_3euggRvcKYhw
Multimorphic Ships its First Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilarity Machine
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/multimorphic-ships-its-first-complete-weird-al-s-museum-of-natural-hilarity-machine?fbclid=IwAR2e9mcggyHzefuCQfUngQJAGeUjMrjEk28OZsFS2NngZY-hQihZKg29jwY
Buy This Giant Pinball Inflatable for a Tenth of It's Original Price
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/giant-pinball-inflatable-for-a-tenth-of-it-s-original-price?fbclid=IwAR22Wl7DkabJ3Y9EaogQaim13PI0oPqac3Z_-sRAlEb59bEnUifz8Z_9v0I
Video History of Cinematronics' Space Ace Arcade Game
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/great-video-on-the-history-of-cinematronics-space-ace-arcade-game?fbclid=IwAR1Wl0fLN9G_6NAwLYFMieSet5gux3j9B4Yon-FCkRmc2NaWletcI7T7QOE
Video Tour of Marcade - Dover, NJ
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/video-tour-of-marcade-dover-nj?fbclid=IwAR3xVcUmqesfoQHrudB5vnzv-S9gBvZ83lA4_Wjp2fHgbjkSCy_w-B_0CW8
New Australian Pinball Company Ballarama Shares Teaser
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/new-australian-pinball-company-ballarama-shares-teaser?fbclid=IwAR1y_IdTCFlveGVIOGUE0KBO8ubcLQ33xZQfyPyrxOmSv3X60ojuohb1V8Y
Video Tour of the Legendary Galloping Ghost Arcade
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/video-tour-of-the-legendary-galloping-ghost-arcade?fbclid=IwAR38d1JrQ6hbEyRc1gXWJEd6kZlFjJqJJQpVup5a3ZEYpbTxTnspFV_rr2g
Buy a Real Supreme Pinball Machine for $6
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/buy-a-real-supreme-pinball-machine-for-6?fbclid=IwAR0neb5wZRMgiYA14s6EvOT2r-uFFBA-TM7ttbQrk3uogTo5p0FBUGBS-vY
New Pinball Location...The Local - Schenectady, NY
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/new-pinball-location-the-local-schenectady-ny?fbclid=IwAR2pxWS6gaTUqfyBaSIKtIKJTVyeWJ7WO4Eh_wtZCXSw86AkJVCE0IA4SBM
A Closer Look at Multimorphic’s Weird Al Topper
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/a-closer-look-at-multimorphic-s-weird-al-topper?fbclid=IwAR25tL-rdQJhhjLp1h3_3yEwJBzpqa302eGBiHNHpVzHjHjcoj6iR5yqiCo
The Goonies Pinball…What Might Have Been
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/the-goonies-pinball-what-might-have-been?fbclid=IwAR1jNj783DsJPeZuFV0ZOPW8PRpg3XlRRk7gOs97Sg2jMFcA8xlOZqtl5fY
Planetary Pinball Threats Spur Changes to Updated Whirlwind Code
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/planetary-pinball-threats-spur-changes-to-updated-whirlwind-code?fbclid=IwAR3ogsCruz_q6RPBc__EIaWIecYlKhXOAdmAfoozg9Kd0NBQHlduZKZ9LXQ
Texas Pinball Festival Setup is Underway
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/texas-pinball-festival-setup-is-underway?fbclid=IwAR2fnp_9az8HYHS54-Zc0Sj8PkBr2JoTnAbXovDP4grH5H36EBtLotzNYAg
Homepin’s This Is Spinal Tap Pinball Update
https://www.knapparcade.org/post/homepin-s-this-is-spinal-tap-pinball-update?fbclid=IwAR2sogeGjt8V8W95-oi4QfRUDtMPhoczqKmkmnWgT8H--fwwzDqj9yW81Ro