Exclusive: Pro Pinball Reboots With Special Guests

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Oct 1, 2013

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Pro Pinball series reboots with Pat Lawlor designing new title, Kickstarter funding sought.

Summary

Pro Pinball, a legendary 1990s computer pinball simulation series, is being rebooted by original creators Cunning Developments (now operating as Silverball Studios). The team has secured legendary designer Pat Lawlor and artist John Youssi to create a new Pro Pinball title, with remasters of the original four games planned. Funding will be sought through Kickstarter with a target release of October 2013.

Key Claims

Pat Lawlor has agreed to design a new Pro Pinball game after being out of professional pinball design since CSI in 2008
high confidence · Direct statement from article; Lawlor quoted as accepting the project
John Youssi will create backglass artwork and reform the design duo with Pat Lawlor from classic titles like The Addams Family and The Twilight Zone
high confidence · Article states Youssi 'has also been brought on board' and identifies his classic collaborations with Lawlor
The original four Pro Pinball games will be remastered for modern resolutions and color depths
high confidence · Article explicitly states plan to 're-master the existing four titles'
New Pro Pinball game is tentatively scheduled for October 2013 release
medium confidence · Article states 'tentatively scheduled for October next year' (written in August 2012)
The new game will be designed such that it could theoretically be built as a physical machine after the digital version releases
high confidence · Article notes 'the intention is to create a design which could actually be built at some point'

Notable Quotes

“After designing The Twilight Zone, Pat said he'd never be allowed to create anything as complex again, but now without the budgetary limitations and bill-of-materials of a real machine, he is free to produce the game he really wants to make.”
Article narrator (referencing Pat Lawlor's prior statement) — Explains Lawlor's motivation for returning to design and the creative freedom offered by digital-first approach
“The Web also broke new ground by offering a single fully-featured concept table, rather than the usual assortment of four or five mixed themes on offer from other developers.”
Article narrator — Highlights Pro Pinball's innovative design philosophy and market differentiation
“Having been out of professional pinball design since his CSI game in 2008, Pat Lawlor has agreed to design the next Pro Pinball game. Yes, that's right - Pat is back creating new pinball designs.”
Article narrator — Major announcement of legendary designer's return after 4-year hiatus

Entities

Pro PinballproductPat LawlorpersonJohn YoussipersonCunning DevelopmentscompanySilverball StudioscompanyAdrian BarrittpersonRichard HorrockspersonThe WebproductTimeshockproductBig Race USAproductFantastic Journeyproduct

Signals

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business_signal: Silverball Studios re-acquires Pro Pinball IP rights and plans franchise revival with remaster plus new title
high · 'having re-acquired the rights to the Pro Pinball series, they plan to not only re-master the existing four titles... but also create a brand new title'
?
design_philosophy: Digital-first approach enabling more complex game design than physical machine constraints would allow, with potential for physical adaptation later
high · 'without the budgetary limitations and bill-of-materials of a real machine, he is free to produce the game he really wants to make' and 'could actually be built at some point'
?
personnel_signal: Pat Lawlor returning to active pinball design after 4-year hiatus; brought into Pro Pinball reboot project
high · Direct statement: 'Having been out of professional pinball design since his CSI game in 2008, Pat Lawlor has agreed to design the next Pro Pinball game'
?
announcement: Official announcement of new Pro Pinball title in development with Pat Lawlor and John Youssi
high · Article explicitly announces new game design by Lawlor with Youssi artwork, scheduled October 2013
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technology_signal: Remastering 1990s pinball simulations for modern gaming platforms with improved resolutions and color depth
high · Article states plan to 'bring them up-to-date and support today's increased resolutions and colour depths'

Topics

Pro Pinball reboot and franchise revivalprimaryPat Lawlor's return to pinball designprimaryGame remasters and modernizationprimaryKickstarter crowdfunding strategysecondaryDigital-first design enabling complexitysecondaryPro Pinball legacy and cultural impactsecondaryComputer pinball simulation historymentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— Enthusiastic tone celebrating the return of a beloved franchise with legendary creators. Emphasis on innovation, talent acquisition, and ambitious scope creates excitement. No criticism or negative sentiment present.

Transcript

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Date: 15th August, 2012 Sitting in the draw next to this desk lie a bunch of CDs bearing titles such as The Web and Timeshock, Big Race USA and Fantastic Journey. For legions of fans around the world, those names mean only one thing - Pro Pinball. Pro Pinball was a series of four computer pinball simulations published by Empire Interactive but created by the team at Cunning Developments based in Oxfordshire, Robert Englunds, headed by Adrian Barritt and Richard Horrocks. Their first game - 1995's The Web - was a total revelation, featuring a level of accuracy in 3D ball physics previously thought impossible. Yet, here it was running on a regular domestic PC. And the hyper-realistic physics were also married to an innovative playfield design, a deep and complex ruleset and rocking music tracks from The Jam's Bruce Foxton and Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers which were so good the disc also worked as a regular audio CD. The Web also broke new ground by offering a single fully-featured concept table, rather than the usual assortment of four or five mixed themes on offer from other developers. Although that single game Ryan Policky attracted criticism from some quarters, anyone who truly appreciated the richness of the product got far more entertainment than they would from a scattering of lesser tables. The Web began by offering a table which, while complex, could theoretically be built using conventional mechanics and electronics. Timeshock and Big Race USA pushed that realism to the limits, with 2000's Fantastic Journey crossing the line into the realm of the physically-impractical - if not impossible - to build. While their last Pro Pinball game was released a dozen years ago, the team have been busy creating more games in the years since, first as Fuse Games and then as Silverball Studios where - amongst other titles - they made Mario Pinball Land for the Game Boy Advance and Metroid Prime Pinball for the Nintendo DS. Now though, having re-acquired the rights to the Pro Pinball series, they plan to not only re-master the existing four titles to bring them up-to-date and support today's increased resolutions and colour depths, but also create a brand new title. And to do that, they've brought on board someone you might have heard of. Pat Lawlor Having been out of professional pinball design since his CSI game in 2008, Pat Lawlor has agreed to design the next Pro Pinball game. Yes, that's right - Pat is back creating new pinball designs. After designing The Twilight Zone, Pat said he'd never be allowed to create anything as complex again, but now without the budgetary limitations and bill-of-materials of a real machine, he is free to produce the game he really wants to make. Pat's game won't be totally off-the-wall however, as the intention is to create a design which could actually be built at some point, once the computer version has been released which is tentatively scheduled for October next year. But that's not all, because famed pinball artist John Youssi has also been brought on board to create the backglass artwork for the game, and reform the duo behind The Addams Family, The Twilight Zone, Red & Ted's Roadshow and Monopoly. John Youssi However, forming this 'dream team' of the best people in real and simulated pinball to create the ultimate Pro Pinball machine, while also re-mastering the four existing tables for today's gaming platforms, comes at a cost. Pat and John Funding to pay the programmers, designers, 2D and 3D artists and musicians who are needed to bring Pat's design alive is about to be sought through Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a method of seeking pledges to help get projects off the ground which might not be possible through more conventional financing, such as loans or the sales of company stock. Those who pledge money to the Kickstarter project will receive various benefits which increase with the amount pledged. Once the target is reached, the project can then go ahead. The Pro Pinball website The Pro Pinball Kickstarter project is expected to list twelve tiers of pledges, ranging from $1 to $10,000 or more. The benefits on offer are planned to include digital downloads of the new game and the re-mastered tables, the opportunity to vote on the theme of the new game, special T-shirts, thanks on the website and in the game credits, special boxed sets, printed manuals for the new game, your own DMD animation, a signed portrait of yourself by John Youssi, and solid bronze, silver, gold and platinum Pro Pinball badges. The planned Pro Pinball Kickstarter page The rewards are thought to be weighted, so there are many more tiers at the lower end of pledge scale, with just $15 getting you a digital download of Pat's new game and $50 getting you all five Pro Pinball games, together with downloads of all the music soundtracks, the five manuals, thanks on the Pro Pinball Website and access to the Kickstarter Pro Pinball forum. You can find out more about the Pro Pinball project and their planned funding at the Pro Pinball website. We will of course keep you updated on their progress towards the target, and the exciting prospect of a new Pro Pinball Lawlor/Youssi game arriving in October 2013. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page