Weekend Update: The Programmers for the Rumored Pokémon Pinball Machine Are; New Product From Spooky Pinball

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Dec 20, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.022

TL;DR

Pokémon Pinball programmers confirmed; Spooky launches Dead Bar lighting mod.

Summary

Knapp Arcade reports that the rumored Pokémon Pinball machine is being programmed by Tanio Klyce, Josh Henderson, and Andrew Wilkening, confirmed by George Gomez in a Pinball Roundtable interview. Spooky Pinball released a new 'Dead Bar' RGB lighting mod for Evil Dead, Pinball Brothers announced a new multiball mode for Predator, and Barrels of Fun's alternate Dune backglass sold out quickly.

Key Claims

Tanio Klyce, Josh Henderson, and Andrew Wilkening are programming the rumored Pokémon Pinball machine co-designed by Jack Danger and George Gomez
high confidence · George Gomez confirmed in Pinball Roundtable interview; Klyce is established programmer in Stern ecosystem
George Gomez designed the new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire topper
high confidence · Direct statement from George Gomez in Pinball Roundtable interview
Spooky Pinball released 'Dead Bar' RGB lighting mod for Evil Dead at $94 price point with 150 units in stock
high confidence · Official Spooky Pinball announcement with product link and inventory details
Pinball Brothers' Predator is receiving Version 0.95 code update with new 'Full Loot Multiball' mode
high confidence · Official Pinball Brothers social media announcement
Barrels of Fun's alternate Dune backglass sold out and is now on back order with 10-14 day restock timeline
high confidence · Official Barrels of Fun statement posted on product page

Notable Quotes

“The young programmers were very excited by the theme and that it is a 'big license.'”
George Gomez @ Pinball Roundtable Episode 80 — Confirms programmer enthusiasm for Pokémon IP and validates it as major licensing deal
“This full RGB LED lighting kit is an affordable and easy-to-install mod that will transform the entire look of your game!”
Spooky Pinball @ Official announcement — Marketing language for Dead Bar product launch; emphasizes accessibility and ease of installation
“SOUND THE ALARM !!! 'Full Loot Multiball' is coming soon to Predator Pinball !!!”
Pinball Brothers @ Social media announcement — Enthusiastic tone signals confidence in code update reception
“Spooky feels as though its Evil Dead pinball machine is too dark in the back left corner of the playfield and this mod specifically addresses that issue.”
Knapp Arcade (reporting Spooky's statement) @ Weekend Update — Identifies specific design concern prompting aftermarket solution; suggests playfield lighting optimization feedback

Entities

George Gomezperson Jack Dangerperson Tanio KlycepersonJosh HendersonpersonAndrew WilkeningpersonPinball RoundtableorganizationStern PinballcompanySpooky PinballcompanyPinball Brotherscompany

Signals

?
community_signal: Pinball Roundtable conducting 3-hour marathon interview with George Gomez generates significant industry intel; Stern executives participating in extended community content
high · Pinball Roundtable Episode 80 featuring George Gomez; multiple announcements directly confirmed through this interview
?
licensing_signal: Pokémon confirmed as 'big license' for Stern; programmers described as 'very excited by the theme' suggesting significant IP relevance to game design
high · George Gomez statement: 'The young programmers were very excited by the theme and that it is a "big license"'
$
market_signal: Predator by Pinball Brothers receiving positive social media reception and continued code support with new multiball modes in 0.95 update
high · Author notes: 'The game has gotten a number of very positive reviews lately from people on social media'; Pinball Brothers announces Full Loot Multiball mode in Version 0.95
?
personnel_signal: George Gomez confirmed as having design input on Star Wars: Fall of the Empire topper, indicating his continued active role in Stern's product development beyond overall creative direction
high · Direct statement from George Gomez in Pinball Roundtable interview: 'George Gomez designed the new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire topper'
?
announcement: Spooky Pinball officially launches Dead Bar RGB lighting mod for Evil Dead with immediate availability (150 units in stock) at $94 price point
high · Official announcement with product link, pricing, inventory, and installation videos from Spooky Pinball website

Topics

Pokémon Pinball announcement and developmentprimarySpooky Pinball Dead Bar lighting mod product launchprimaryCode updates and new modes for existing gamessecondaryStern Pinball production and new releasessecondaryAftermarket pinball modifications and accessoriessecondaryJersey Jack Pinball rumored Sonic projectmentionedPinball designer interviews and industry historysecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Generally enthusiastic tone about new product launches and announcements; positive reception of Predator reviews; successful sales of Dune backglass. Minor negative note about Jersey Jack rumor being retracted as 'absurd.'

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

News Weekend Update: The Programmers for the Rumored Pokémon Pinball Machine Are; New Product From Spooky Pinball k knapparcade December 20, 2025 Good morning everyone. Surprise! A weekend update. I have Good News and Bad News. The Good News is that, an update to the Knapp Arcade website that restores the much-requested e-mail alerts for new articles is close to being rolled out. The Bad News is that in the process of testing the site update the second blog post from yesterday was deleted. Frustrating, but when something like that happens, you pick yourself up, dust off and do it again. So here is my attempt to recreate yesterday's news update. The folks of the Pinball Roundtable, Jamie Burchell, Cale Hernandez and Retro Ralph recently released a fantastic three-hour long marathon interview with pinball industry legend and current Stern Pinball leader George Gomez. To me, the most interesting piece of information from the chat is that we were told who is programming the upcoming Stern game that is being co-designed by Jack Danger and George Gomez, rumored to be Pokémon. The machine has Tanio Klyce on code, along with Joshua Henderson and Andrew Andrew Wilkening. George said that the young programmers were very excited by the theme and that it is a "big license." Here are the rest of my notes from the interview: ⦁ George told an interesting story about when Bally and Williams merged. In the middle of designing Elvira, Dennis Nordman was seriously injured in a dirt bike accident and hospitalized. Steve Ritchie stepped in to finish the game. ⦁ George Gomez designed the new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire topper ⦁ George came into the design of the next game after the second whitewood. Speaking of Stern Pinball, yesterday was "Factory Friday." In this week's episode of its regular social media post series we got a look at JAWS 50th Anniversary on the production line this week. Pinball Roundtable with George Gomez - Episode 80 - YouTube The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell Pinball Roundtable with George Gomez - Episode 80 The JBS Show with Jamie Burchell Search Info Shopping 0:00 / •Live • Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. Yesterday afternoon, Spooky Pinball revealed a surprise new product called the "Dead Bar." This new light bar that attaches to the backboard of Spooky's pinball machines will be included in all future Spooky games. The Dead Bar adds cool ambiance and lighting effects to games. Spooky feels as though its Evil Dead pinball machine is too dark in the back left corner of the playfield and this mod specifically addresses that issue. The new mod is available for sale right now on Spooky Pinball's website for $94. They currently have 150 of the product in stock and ready to ship with many more scheduled to arrive at the factory at the beginning of the new year. "Introducing the "Dead Bar" Lighting Mod Kit for your Evil Dead Pinball Machine! This full RGB LED lighting kit is an affordable and easy-to-install mod that will transform the entire look of your game! Once installed, the lighting kit is fully integrated into all the modes, multiballs, hurry-ups, everything in your Evil Dead! Available RIGHT NOW at https://www.spookypinball.com/product... we have 150 of these bad boys in stock, ready to ship! And hundreds more are on their way for the new year! Upgrade the entire experience of your Evil Dead machine today, for just $94" Check out the before and after shots of Evil Dead with the mod. Impressive. Below are the launch and installation videos. "Dead Bar" Evil Dead Lighting Mod - YouTube SpookyPinball "Dead Bar" Evil Dead Lighting Mod SpookyPinball Search Info Shopping 0:00 / •Live • Dead Bar Lighting Mod Installation Tutorial - YouTube SpookyPinball Dead Bar Lighting Mod Installation Tutorial SpookyPinball Search Info Shopping 0:00 / •Live • Earlier this week, Pinball Brothers showed off a new mode for its latest game, Predator. The upcoming code update, Version 0.95, includes a new "Full Loot Multiball." I have yet to play Predator pinball, but I really want to. The game has gotten a number of very positive reviews lately from people on social media. SOUND THE ALARM !!! "Full Loot Multiball" is coming soon to Predator Pinball !!! Game update 0.95 is just around the corner. Enjoy your first taste of the chaos here! Pure arcade madness straight out of 1987 !!! #predatorpinball #predator #eighties #action #richardchaves #shaneblack #schwarzenegger #arcade Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. I recently wrote here about Barrels of Fun's cool new topper and mirrored backglass for its Dune pinball machine. Apparently, the new backglass is selling great. The Company has already sold out of its available inventory. Please be aware that we have had so many orders for the alternate Dune backglass that it is now in back order status. We have shipments coming in every week so put your order in now and they will ship in sequence. Also we will have enough backglasses to cover all current orders in the next 10-14 days. Dune Alternate Backglass Page Yesterday's article contained one more item, a rumor about Jersey Jack Pinball. In retrospect, it was absurd and I have decided that I don't believe it. I have to do some more digging on that one. In the meantime, I have found the perfect location for Jersey Jack's rumored next title, Sonic the Hedgehog by Steve Ritchie. This morning, a new pop-up restaurant called the "Sonic Speed Cafe" opens in Chicago, right in JJP's backyard. The new cafe sells cool Sonic-themed merchandise and food. The first 35 customers who visit the new spot today and tomorrow will receive prizes. https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-n9c42s4jyuj6xnc0 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SPEED CAFE Website Posted about 2 months ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Stern Officially Reveals New Pokémon Pinball Machine 3 days ago Dutch Pinball is NOT Working with Stern to Release Back to the Future 3 days ago Pokémon Reveal Tomorrow?; Beetlejuice Pinball on Location 5 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe StripeM-Inner