Dutch Pinball Exclusive (DPX) Is No More

Kineticist·article·analyzed·Feb 10, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Melvin Williams departs DPX; claims IP ownership of Alice and planned games.

Summary

Melvin Williams has departed Dutch Pinball Exclusive (DPX) effective February 9, 2026, citing disagreements with new investors and a shift in company vision. DPX ceases operations as a sub-brand, though Dutch Pinball will continue fulfilling Alice's Adventures in Wonderland orders and toppers. Williams claims ownership of Alice, the announced RAZA remake, and other unspecified titles, along with his development team, and plans to bring future games to other U.S. manufacturers.

Key Claims

DPX launched in May 2024 as a spinoff focused on smaller-run collector machines
high confidence · Article states factual launch date and business model
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was plagued by production delays and fulfillment issues, particularly with the game's included topper
high confidence · Article documents known customer complaints; pre-order customers requested refunds
New investors entering Dutch Pinball had a different vision, driving the split
medium confidence · Melvin's statement attributes decision to 'new investors party that have a different vision'; characterized as Dutch Pinball's decision, not his own
Alice, the announced RAZA remake, and other unspecified titles are Melvin's own IP and designs, not Dutch Pinball property
medium confidence · Melvin claims ownership directly in his statement; significant legal/business implication but unverified by Dutch Pinball
Melvin's development team, including coders and key contributors, will move with him
medium confidence · Melvin's statement indicates team transition; implementation details unclear
DPX was working on a RAZA remake and a rumored Back to the Future machine as of 2025 Pinball Expo
medium confidence · Article reports this activity; Back to the Future remains rumored/unconfirmed
Dutch Pinball will continue fulfilling Alice orders and outstanding topper issues
high confidence · Both article and Melvin's statement confirm this commitment
Melvin will continue supporting Alice with code updates, though at a slower pace
medium confidence · Melvin's statement indicates intent but notes pace will be slower; dependent on community contacts/forums

Notable Quotes

“This decision is an unfortunate result of a new organizational structure within Dutch Pinball and also because of a new investors party that have a different vision then me.”
Melvin Williams @ February 9, 2026 — Direct explanation of the split; implicates investor involvement in strategic disagreement
“I tried my best to build the brand to certain point that I now can no longer control to my standards.”
Melvin Williams @ February 9, 2026 — Reveals loss of creative control as core issue; suggests quality/direction concerns
“Alice and the planned game that was announced and other titles are my own IP and or design.”
Melvin Williams @ February 9, 2026 — Critical claim asserting IP ownership; implies games remain his property post-DPX
“This was unfortunately never in my control, nor some of the other structural issues that many are aware off.”
Melvin Williams @ February 9, 2026 — Distances himself from fulfillment problems; implies systemic Dutch Pinball operational failures
“I have my own team (coders, Lior, tech and other great people) that will move with me and will handle upcoming projects with me.”
Melvin Williams @ February 9, 2026 — Confirms talent migration; names specific team members (Lior identified) moving with Williams

Entities

Melvin WilliamspersonDutch Pinball Exclusive (DPX)companyDutch Pinballcompany Alice's Adventures in WonderlandgameRetro Atomic Zombie Adventureland (RAZA)gameBack to the FuturegamedeeprootcompanyLiorperson

Signals

?
business_signal: New investors entering Dutch Pinball with fundamentally different strategic vision from DPX founder; investor disagreement driving sub-brand dissolution
high · Melvin explicitly states 'new investors party that have a different vision' as direct cause of split; characterized as Dutch Pinball's decision, not his own
?
community_signal: DPX dissolution and IP ownership claims create uncertainty for Alice customers regarding future support, code updates, and game legitimacy
high · Melvin's departure statement explicitly addresses Alice customer concerns; promises continued code support but notes slower pace; IP ownership assertion may trigger disputes
?
licensing_signal: Back to the Future pinball title status uncertain; associated with departing DPX leadership; unclear if licensing agreements remain with Dutch Pinball or transfer with Melvin
medium · Back to the Future listed as 'rumored' game in development; Melvin's IP claims suggest he may retain design but manufacturing/licensing pathway unclear
$
market_signal: Boutique pinball sub-brand business model (DPX) proves unsustainable after ~8 months, suggesting challenges in collector-focused smaller-run strategy
medium · DPX launched May 2024, defunct February 2026; only one game (Alice) shipped; characterized as 'rocky road'; investor intervention suggests profitability/direction concerns
?
community_signal: Creative conflict driving designer departure and sub-brand dissolution; suggests misalignment between investor financial expectations and Melvin's design/quality standards

Topics

Business restructuring and investor conflictsprimaryDPX sub-brand closureprimaryAlice's Adventures in Wonderland fulfillment and support statusprimaryIP ownership disputes and retentionprimaryTalent migration and team restructuringsecondaryOperational and structural issues at Dutch PinballsecondaryProduction delays and quality control in boutique manufacturingsecondaryFuture game pipeline uncertaintymentioned

Sentiment

negative(-0.72)— Melvin expresses disappointment ('heavy heart,' 'heartbroken,' 'uncertain') about departure and dissolution of DPX, though maintains professional tone and commitment to pinball industry. Frustration evident regarding loss of creative control and fulfillment issues. Tone attempts to balance diplomatic separation from Dutch Pinball with defense of his own work quality.

Transcript

web_scrape · $0.000

Melvin Williams, formerly of Dutch Pinball Exclusive, announced last night that the sub-brand associated with Dutch Pinball would cease operations and that he would no longer be involved with the company. DPX launched in May 2024 as a spinoff focused on selling smaller-run pinball machines targeted at collectors. It's been a rocky road since. Their first game, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was plagued by production delays and fulfillment issues — particularly with the game's included topper. Some pre-order customers were eventually able to request refunds after DPX failed to meet promised delivery dates. As recently as the 2025 Pinball Expo, Melvin and DPX were reportedly working on a remake of deeproot's failed Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland (RAZA), presumably to keep the Dutch Pinball manufacturing line busy while development continued on a rumored Back to the Future machine. According to Melvin's statement, the split was driven by new investors entering Dutch Pinball with a different vision for the company. He characterized the decision as Dutch Pinball's, not his own. Notably, Melvin claims that Alice, the announced RAZA remake, and other unspecified titles are his own IP and designs — meaning they leave with him, not with Dutch Pinball. He says his development team, including coders and other key contributors, will also be moving with him. He indicated he's looking to bring his future games to other manufacturers in the U.S. when the opportunity arises. Melvin also distanced himself from the fulfillment problems that have frustrated Alice customers, saying the topper issues and other "structural issues" were never within his control. It appears Dutch Pinball still plans to fulfill existing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland orders, including all outstanding toppers. Melvin said he plans to continue supporting the game with code updates, though he noted they may come more slowly. On Pinside, Melvin shared the following statement: Amsterdam, The Netherlands February 9, 2026 Dear all, It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that, effective as of today, I Melvin Brouwer-Williams will be stepping away from DPX (Dutch Pinball Exclusive) . This decision is an unfortunate result of a new organizational structure within Dutch Pinball and also because of a new investors party that have a different vision then me. Therefore Dutch Pinball has decided that it will be continuing on its own path without my involvement. I fully understand that this announcement may raise many questions…. And at this moment, I do not yet have all the answers myself, and I must admit that this transition leaves me feeling somewhat uncertain. As many may know my next game was on its scheduled to be released. Nevertheless, I remain confident in the future of the pinball industry and in my own continued journey within it ,unfortunately that won’t be with the Dutch Pinball family .DPX will be defunct as of today for upcoming releases from my involvement. I tried my best to build the brand to certain point that I now can no longer control to my standards. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported and believed in me and in Alice throughout this journey. Your trust, encouragement, and shared passion have meant more to me than words can adequately express. I’m heartbroken that it came to this point as I also expected many more things to come from the DPX brand. While this chapter comes to a close, my commitment to pinball does NOT. I have to look forward in my own way to see what the future holds and hope our pinball paths in the community may cross again, as my plan with my upcoming game/games will have to shift to other MFG party’s in the USA when that possibility arrives. Rest assure that I will still do my best to help where ever needed on Alice. Although that will be through community contacts,forums,etc. Code updates will be a bit slower at times but rest assure it won’t be forgotten. As I have my own team (coders,Lior,tech and other great people) that will move with me and will handle upcoming projects with me . As alice and the planned game that was announced and other titles are my own IP and or design. I expect that Dutch Pinball will take care of there customers with the promises that where made and build all the final Alice’s and solve the outstanding topper related issues . This was unfortunately never in my control , nor some of the other structural issues that many are aware off. As you also might understand by now that some situations may have lead to this outcome I present today. Any questions regarding AAIW and or this writing please contact your local distributor and or dutch pinball support to keep this separation as professional as possible. With sincere thanks and respect, Melvin Brouwer-Williams