Pedretti Gaming's Next 2.0 Pinball Expansion Kit is Nearing Completion

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Feb 8, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.015

TL;DR

Pedretti Gaming's second 2.0 kit nearing completion; likely for classic Williams game.

Summary

Pedretti Gaming is developing a second 2.0 upgrade kit for a classic Williams pinball game, following their FunHouse 2.0 release. The kit is nearing completion and may debut at Texas Pinball Festival. The author speculates on which high-production-volume Williams game from the late 1980s/early 1990s is most likely to receive the treatment, analyzing production numbers and existing sequels.

Key Claims

Pedretti Gaming is developing a second 2.0 upgrade kit for a Williams pinball game
high confidence · Anonymous source reached out to author; described as 'nearing completion'
The FunHouse 2.0 kit allows players to switch between original and new Rudy's Nightmare rules
high confidence · Author states: 'people who installed the FunHouse kit still have the ability to play the original game using its original rules'
The second 2.0 kit may be revealed at Texas Pinball Festival
medium confidence · Author speculates: 'since it's nearing completion it would be pretty cool if it showed up at next month's Texas Pinball Festival'
High-production Williams games from late 1980s/early 1990s are most viable for 2.0 kits
medium confidence · Author reasoning: 'There's no reason to produce a 2.0 kit for a rare game because there won't be a large enough audience'

Notable Quotes

“Remember, people who installed the FunHouse kit still have the ability to play the original game using its original rules.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Clarifies the 2.0 kit feature set—preserves original gameplay alongside new content
“There's no reason to produce a 2.0 kit for a rare game because there won't be a large enough audience of potential buyers to justify putting all the work into making it.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Explains market logic for selecting target games—production volume is critical to viability
“Probably Gorgar or F-14 Tomcat. Those are my guesses. Am I right? Probably not, but we'll see very soon.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Author's speculation on which game is receiving the kit, hedging confidence

Entities

Pedretti GamingcompanyFunHousegameTexas Pinball Festivalevent Gorgargame F-14 Tomcatgame WhirlwindgameThe Machine: Bride of PinbotgameHigh Speedgame

Signals

?
event_signal: Potential unveiling of new 2.0 kit at Texas Pinball Festival
medium · Author speculates: 'since it's nearing completion it would be pretty cool if it showed up at next month's Texas Pinball Festival'
?
announcement: Pedretti Gaming developing second 2.0 upgrade kit for unannounced classic Williams pinball game, nearing completion
high · Anonymous industry source informed author; kit described as 'nearing completion'; second 2.0 project following successful FunHouse 2.0 release
?
technology_signal: 2.0 upgrade kits as mechanism for preserving and extending lifespan of classic pinball machines with new content while maintaining original gameplay access
high · FunHouse 2.0 model demonstrates dual-mode approach; author notes this gives 'older games additional life with new modes and expanded play'

Topics

2.0 upgrade kits for classic pinball machinesprimaryPedretti Gaming product developmentprimaryClassic Williams pinball game preservation and modernizationprimaryTexas Pinball Festival announcementssecondaryMarket viability analysis for pinball upgrade productssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Author is enthusiastic about the 2.0 kit concept and excited about upcoming reveal. Speculative tone is playful rather than cynical. Community-focused with invitation for reader participation in guessing game.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

In my last post, I briefly mentioned Pedretti Gaming's FunHouse 2.0 Rudy's Nightmare game conversion kit. Afterwards, someone reached out to me to inform me that not only is Pedretti in the process of developing a second 2.0 kit for another Williams game (I'm assuming that it's Williams and not Bally, but I don't know that for a fact), but that kit is actually nearing completion. While I don't personally own a FunHouse or the 2.0 kit (Rudy's too scary for me lol), I've always liked the concept of creating another way to give older games additional life with new modes and expanded play. Remember, people who installed the FunHouse kit still have the ability to play the original game using its original rules. I haven't gotten word on when Pedretti will reveal its next 2.0 kit, but since it's nearing completion it would be pretty cool if it showed up at next month's Texas Pinball Festival. Does anyone have any guesses as to which game Pedretti is launching a kit for next? There's no reason to produce a 2.0 kit for a rare game because there won't be a large enough audience of potential buyers to justify putting all the work into making it. The highest production early 90s / late 80s solid state Williams games include: Firepower (17,410 units though there already is a Firepower II) High Speed (17,080 there's already a sequel for this game as well) F-14 Tomcat (14,502 units) Gorgar (14,000 units yes I realize that this was '79, but that's close) Black Knight (13,075 I don't see this happening given how many BK sequels there are already) Pinbot (12,001 already sequels) Cyclone (9,400 units sort of already has sequels) The Machine: Bride of Pinbot (8,100 units, already has a 2.0 kit) Whirlwind (7,304 units - someone is already sort of doing a 2.0 for it) Taxi (7,303 units. Potential licensing issues with the characters?) Earthshaker (surprisingly only 5,265 units, I thought that it was more popular than that) So of those games, which one would I make a 2.0 kit for if I was Pedretti given the above info? Probably Gorgar or F-14 Tomcat. Those are my guesses. Am I right? Probably not, but we'll see very soon. What game do you think is getting the kit?