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This Week in Pinball·article·held·Mar 13, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

Pinball industry hiring surge signals growth; TPF outlook quiet; Pokémon (Pro) has ball guide issue.

Summary

This Week in Pinball reports on a surge in talent recruitment across the pinball industry, with American Pinball hiring Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel, Barrels of Fun bringing on Kyle Smet, and Multimorphic hiring Kevin Manne—signaling industry growth rather than decline. Texas Pinball Festival in March may see quiet announcements despite speculation around potential reveals from JJP, Turner, and others. Pokémon (Pro) machines are experiencing a left feed issue with the Bulbasaur lane, though Stern has internally addressed the problem.

Key Claims

Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel are joining American Pinball as Product Director and Product Designer respectively
high confidence · This Week in Pinball editor, official announcement covered earlier in the week
Nick Neitzel's homebrew Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball won the 2024 TWIPY Homebrew Game of the Year
high confidence · This Week in Pinball, official TWIPY award
The Electric Playground is expanding to 4,000 square feet and doubling production lines
high confidence · This Week in Pinball, TEP official information
Kyle Smet, creator of Big Trouble in Little China homebrew, was brought on by Barrels of Fun
high confidence · This Week in Pinball
Multimorphic hired Kevin Manne from Buffalo Pinball
high confidence · This Week in Pinball
Pokémon (Pro) machines have a left feed issue with a misinstalled orbit ball guide on Bulbasaur lane
high confidence · This Week in Pinball, based on operator reports and George Gomez public statement
George Gomez has publicly stated the Pokémon (Pro) lane issue has been addressed internally at Stern
high confidence · This Week in Pinball
American Pinball has 'a slate of remakes and original titles' in development
high confidence · This Week in Pinball, American Pinball official description

Notable Quotes

“Rath, co-founder of The Electric Playground, takes on a Product Director role while Neitzel — whose homebrew Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball won the 2024 TWIPY Homebrew Game of the Year — steps in as Product Designer.”
This Week in Pinball — Major personnel move signaling American Pinball's leadership expansion and growth strategy
“Homebrew has always been a solid pipeline into the industry, but the rate of hiring activity seems to be increasing — and we're seeing more people get pulled in from other areas, too, like mods, accessories, and content creators.”
[name withheld pending review] — Observation about industry talent war and shifting recruitment patterns
“For anyone pushing the 'pinball is dying' narrative (counter-narratives, right?), this looks a lot more like an industry that's ramping up.”
[name withheld pending review] — Direct counter to decline narratives; frames hiring surge as growth signal
“This year? Could be quiet. Here's what I'm watching.”
[name withheld pending review] — Tempers expectations for Texas Pinball Festival announcements despite speculation
“George Gomez has publicly stated that the issue has been addressed internally at Stern, but obviously, that fix hasn't had time to get out into the market yet.”
[name withheld pending review] — Acknowledges Pokemon Pro manufacturing issue but indicates internal resolution

Entities

American Pinballcompany Rob RathpersonNick NeitzelpersonThe Electric Playgroundcompany Barrels of FuncompanyKyle SmetpersonMultimorphiccompanyKevin Manneperson

Signals

?
personnel_signal: Multiple manufacturers actively recruiting from homebrew scene and adjacent industries (mods, accessories, content creators). American Pinball hiring Rath and Neitzel, Barrels of Fun hiring Smet, Multimorphic hiring Manne from Buffalo Pinball.
high · Explicit hiring announcements and observation that 'the rate of hiring activity seems to be increasing' across the industry
?
business_signal: The Electric Playground expanding to 4,000 square feet and doubling production lines, indicating confidence in growth and market demand
high · Direct statement: 'TEP expanding to 4,000 square feet and doubling production lines'
~
sentiment_shift: Industry hiring surge and expansion being positioned as counter-evidence to 'pinball is dying' narrative; framed as industry ramping up rather than declining
high · 'For anyone pushing the "pinball is dying" narrative (counter-narratives, right?), this looks a lot more like an industry that's ramping up.'
?
product_concern: Pokemon Pro experiencing ball guide issue on Bulbasaur lane left feed; misinstalled orbit ball guide protrudes into lane affecting playability
high · George Gomez public statement about issue; pattern similar to Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Death Star shot fix
?
event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival (March 20-22) expected to be 'quiet' for major announcements despite speculation about potential reveals; subdued compared to typical year
medium · 'This year? Could be quiet.' Speculation about potential announcements tempered with caveats like 'could be' and 'might'

Transcript

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Pinball News of the Week Is a Pinball Talent War Heating Up? Rob Rath and Nick Neitzel are joining American Pinball. We published the full story earlier this week. The short version: Rath, co-founder of The Electric Playground, takes on a Product Director role while Neitzel — whose homebrew Tony Hawk's Pro Pinball won the 2024 TWIPY Homebrew Game of the Year — steps in as Product Designer. They'll work alongside Creative Director Melvin Williams on what AP describes as "a slate of remakes and original titles." Unusually, Rath also stays on as GM of TEP simultaneously, with TEP expanding to 4,000 square feet and doubling production lines to handle the increased workload. But the AP news might be indicative of a bigger trend in the industry. Granted, AP is in startup mode, but there's a quiet war for talent happening at the fringes. Barrels of Fun recently brought on Kyle Smet, the creator of the Big Trouble in Little China homebrew. Multimorphic hired Kevin Manne from Buffalo Pinball. Homebrew has always been a solid pipeline into the industry, but the rate of hiring activity seems to be increasing — and we're seeing more people get pulled in from other areas, too, like mods, accessories, and content creators. I'm way more networked than I used to be, but it sure does feel like a lot of people in my orbit are getting industry jobs lately. For anyone pushing the "pinball is dying" narrative (counter-narratives, right?), this looks a lot more like an industry that's ramping up. Who's next? What to Expect at Texas Pinball Festival TPF runs March 20-22 in Frisco, and normally, this is where we see a wave of new reveals and announcements for the first part of the year. This year? Could be quiet. Here's what I'm watching. HEXA is launching Three Musketeers — we got an invite to their release event in France, and I wish I could have made that work, but they will be stateside at TPF with their new game too. American Pinball has real energy heading into the fest, and if they're ready to announce their first title under new ownership (the rumor mill points to a Cirqus Voltaire remake), this is the stage for it. Could we see something from Turner? Maybe the rumored Whitewater sequel from Dennis Nordman? Jack Guarnieri loves a surprise reveal — he pulled it off with Harry Potter — and the Steve Ritchie / Sonic the Hedgehog rumors haven't died down. If Guarnieri has something up his sleeve, this is where we could hear about it. On the other hand, World Pinball isn't on the exhibitor floor map, so I wouldn't expect their rumored Resident Evil game to be there. I don't think we'll get anything new from Barrels of Fun. I'd heard whispers of CGC trying to be ready with a Halo reveal at TPF, but I wouldn't put much weight on it. Pedretti is due for an announcement, but they're not on the exhibitor list either. What might happen instead is a quieter TPF where people get quality time with the hyped new releases — Beetlejuice, Pokémon — rather than chasing a dozen new announcements. Pokémon's Bulbasaur Lane Problem Operators receiving Pokémon Pro models have been reporting a left feed issue — a misinstalled orbit ball guide on the Bulbasaur lane that protrudes into the lane itself. George Gomez has publicly stated that the issue has been addressed internally at Stern, but obviously, that fix hasn’t had time to get out into the market yet. If it's something that requires a more serious fix, look to recent history with Star Wars: Fall of the Empire and the Death Star shot fix for how things could play out. New Pokémon Tutorial Is Live Not all Pokémon news is ball guides and production snafus. Noah Crable published a full tutorial over on Kineticist — skill shots, story modes, catching mechanics, Team Rocket multiball, the works. If you’re heading out to your local spot to play the game this weekend and want to know what to shoot for, start there. TWIPY Behind the Scenes (and Nudge 6 Is Here) I joined the BASH crew and Ian from Nudge on the BASH Pinball podcast this week to talk TWIPY behind the scenes and share some Pokémon impressions. Fun hang as always. Speaking of Ian — Nudge 6 dropped this week. The limited edition ($40) comes signed and numbered with a screen-printed Bad Cats poster by Ryan Tanner Petch, a joke book from Ian, and a sticker pack. Pinball horoscopes, a travel piece on Dutch pinball, an Akira game feature, and the usual Nudge weirdness. I’ve already got my copy on order. IFPA Adds Two New Team Members The IFPA announced two new staff additions this week. Christina Capra, the North Carolina state representative for women's competitive pinball, comes from the Cape Fear Flipper club and Charlotte's Abari league. Emily Cosson is an Australian competitive player who hosts the Australian Pinball Open alongside her dad, John Cosson (and Kineticist contributor!), and started a Belles & Chimes league in Brisbane. More people doing the work of growing the competitive scene — fits the theme of the week. A Note for Paid Subscribers I'm hoping to have a new Moving Units update for you next week. I've been doing a ton of tech work behind the scenes — improving our data collection and tracking for the series — and I'm still getting on top of it. I'm also in the middle of migrating and rebuilding all of Kineticist onto a new platform and tech stack, which is eating a lot of my time, but I'm really excited about what it should enable. There are things I've always wanted to do with this site that technical limitations have held back. More soon (I hope — tech work rarely goes as planned). We're Looking for More Writers So in the years I’ve been running Kineticist, I’ve never actually put out a formal call for contributors like this. Usually, they come in through friends or general word of mouth. That said, we're looking to expand our writer pool at Kineticist. We love our current team of contributors, but there's always an opportunity to do more, and it’s always good to know who is out there and interested in these things. What we're looking for: pinball and arcade culture coverage with a business lens. Location pinball, homebrew, the mod scene, interviews. We're also open to new beats in adjacent spaces — toys, gaming, music, movies, pop culture. If you've got a creative pitch, we want to hear it. This is paid work — we start at a flat rate of $50 per post, and we're open to discussing custom arrangements as needed. We prefer writers who can commit to a regular schedule over one-offs, though we'll consider those too. If any of this sounds like you, email [email protected] (prior writing samples appreciated).