Deep Cuts

This Week in Pinball·article·analyzed·May 8, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

Pokémon .82 update minimal; Team Pinball-Pedretti dispute public; PAPA 23 tickets May 15

Summary

This Week in Pinball covers two weeks of industry news including a Pokémon code update (.81 to .82) with minimal changes, a public dispute between Team Pinball and Pedretti over a defunct Big Bang Bar remake project involving €90,000 in losses, PAPA 23 registration details (Sept 10-13, capacity 250), recovery in IFPA event counts, and closure of Toronto's Antisocial Pinball venue.

Key Claims

Pokémon by Stern released code version 0.82 (up from 0.81), a marginal .01 step focused on smaller items and polish rather than substantial features
high confidence · This Week in Pinball newsletter editorial on Pokémon code update
Stern seemingly punted on major updates to Pokémon, notably avoiding IC (Insider Connected) integration in the latest code release
high confidence · TWIP commentary on Pokémon 0.82 release
Team Pinball purchased an original Big Bang Bar prototype from Melvin Williams in October 2024, shipped it to Italy for finishing, and Pedretti refused to return it after communication broke down
high confidence · Team Pinball Facebook post, reported by TWIP
Team Pinball estimates approximately €90,000 in losses from the Big Bang Bar prototype dispute and will not pursue legal action
high confidence · Team Pinball statement via TWIP reporting
PAPA 23 World Pinball Championships will be held September 10-13 at The Pinball Capital in Stone Park, Illinois with a 250-player capacity
high confidence · Official PAPA 23 announcement in TWIP
IFPA event counts recovered in March and April 2026, with April 2026 showing the highest number of IFPA events since October 2025
medium confidence · TWIP data tracking analysis (note: timeline appears inconsistent with publication date)
Toronto's Antisocial Pinball, a 65-machine free-play venue that opened in late 2024, is closing with final day June 14
high confidence · TWIP venue news section
IFPA added three new leadership team members: Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman
high confidence · TWIP IFPA news update

Notable Quotes

“Stern seemingly punted on major updates, releasing a marginal .01 step (0.81 to 0.82) focused on smaller items and polish over anything substantial (cough IC integration cough)”
This Week in Pinball editorial — Indicates frustration with Pokémon code update prioritizing polish over feature development, particularly lack of Insider Connected integration
“Team Pinball bought one of Melvin Williams' original BBB prototypes in October 2024 with Pedretti's knowledge, shipped it to Italy to be finished, and watched communication go dark. When they asked for the prototype back, Pedretti's answer shifted from 'yes, if you cover the modifications' to 'no, it's our property.'”
Team Pinball (via TWIP reporting) — Central dispute summary showing escalation and property ownership disagreement
“Team Pinball estimates ~€90,000 in losses, won't pursue legal action, and is out of all future Pedretti-branded projects”
This Week in Pinball reporting — Quantifies financial impact and signals Team Pinball's exit from Pedretti collaboration

Entities

This Week in PinballorganizationStern PinballcompanyPokémon (Stern)gameChris KrentzpersonBig Bang BargameTeam PinballcompanyPedrettipersonMelvin WilliamspersonPAPA 23eventThe Pinball Capital

Signals

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code_update: Pokémon by Stern released version 0.82 (0.81 → 0.82), described as a marginal .01 step focused on polish rather than substantial feature additions
high · TWIP explicitly states 'releasing a marginal .01 step (0.81 to 0.82) focused on smaller items and polish over anything substantial'
?
product_concern: Pokémon code update conspicuously avoided IC (Insider Connected) integration despite expectations for substantial update
high · TWIP notes '(cough IC integration cough)' indicating frustration with lack of IC feature in code release
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industry_signal: Public dispute between Team Pinball and Pedretti over Big Bang Bar remake prototype ownership and €90,000 in losses; Team Pinball exiting future collaborations
high · Team Pinball published Facebook post detailing dispute; refusing to pursue legal action but ending partnership
?
venue_signal: Antisocial Pinball in Toronto (65-machine free-play venue, opened late 2024) closing June 14
high · TWIP venue news section reporting closure with specific date
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competitive_signal: PAPA 23 World Pinball Championships scheduled September 10-13 at The Pinball Capital in Stone Park, Illinois with 250-player capacity and charity focus
high · Official PAPA 23 announcement with ticket sales beginning May 15 at noon Central
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Transcript

web_scrape · $0.000

This Week in Pinball, it's been two weeks in pinball. We've been on an every-other-week cadence the last few issues, and as much as that pains me — given our newsletter is called "this week in pinball," not "every other week in pinball" — it's a call I have to make sometimes. Two weeks of material to cover today, so let's get into it. Song of the Week Telehealth's Things I've Killed, off their upcoming Sub Pop debut, Green World Image, is on the surface a very Millennial-coded track. The premise: the band lists things they've killed — like baseball and mayonnaise — which, according to recent interviews, was inspired by a Reddit thread listing all the things Millennials are responsible for killing. As a fellow Millennial who has always been amused by the generational discourse, it spoke to me. But go a couple of layers deeper, and Things I've Killed is also very Gen-X coded — echoes of early Devo, and lyrics that are a noted play on REM's "End of the World as We Know It." Their album drops next week, May 15. For the first time in the history of this newsletter, I had the chance to both see the band live (at my local combination pinball parlor/music venue/brewery/record shop, Deep Cuts) AND sample a pre-release copy of their full album before writing this. And let me tell you, reader, I enjoyed both immensely. So if you like danceable post-punk in sort of a modern Devo mold, give Telehealth a listen. We Rebuilt Kineticist — And Paid TWIP Members Get Ad-Free Browsing The new Kineticist has been live for a few weeks, and one of the features we shipped in the rebuild is ad-free browsing for paid TWIP subscribers. Every article, every page, no ads. If you've been paying for TWIP, you already earned this. Here's how to turn it on: Link it to your TWIP subscription from your profile Browse ad-free for as long as your subscription is active Not a paid member yet? TWIP is free to read but not free to write — a paid subscription starts at $25/year, unlocks ad-free Kineticist, exclusive content, our Discord, and helps keep an independent pinball publication running. Most people join at $60/year. Pokémon by Stern: A Pokéfessional's Take Fellow newcomer Chris Krentz is a true Pokéfessional, having played every variation of the game and maintaining a living Pokédex. We rushed to publish his take on the current state of Pokémon's release code ahead of what we expected to be a substantial code update. Turns out we could have waited: Stern seemingly punted on major updates, releasing a marginal .01 step (0.81 to 0.82) focused on smaller items and polish over anything substantial (cough IC integration cough). We still recommend reading our piece, of course… Chris has some fun ideas and added an update with his thoughts on the new code. Top Ten WORST Video Modes of the 1990s solar_espeon returns for her second piece with a look at the worst video modes of the 90s. Turns out some of her picks were controversial. Maybe next time we'll do a "best video modes" piece — but where's the fun in that? Nutter's Pinball Restoration Spotlight: mrm_4 Michael Swanson puts the spotlight on prolific pinball restorer Matt (mrm_4) in the second edition of his restoration series. I don't know that I've ever heard anyone describe themselves as addicted to being overwhelmed like Matt does here, but it's pretty cool. Kind of interesting, too — for a guy who puts so much effort into publicly documenting his projects, just so others don't have to feel that way in theirs. The Score Card 14: Europe's Champion and April Intensity Rounding out the past two weeks of Kineticist work: Matt Owen's latest entry in The Score Card series, covering major tournaments from Pintastic to the European Pinball Championship, plus a look at what's on the calendar ahead. Team Pinball Goes Public on Pedretti Dispute Late last night, Team Pinball published a lengthy Facebook post going public on a long-simmering dispute over a now-defunct Big Bang Bar remake project. In their telling: Team Pinball bought one of Melvin Williams' original BBB prototypes in October 2024 with Pedretti's knowledge, shipped it to Italy to be finished, and watched communication go dark. When they asked for the prototype back, Pedretti's answer shifted from "yes, if you cover the modifications" to "no, it's our property." Team Pinball estimates ~€90,000 in losses, won't pursue legal action, and is out of all future Pedretti-branded projects. We won't have a more complete Kineticist writeup ready before this newsletter goes out — but we hope to publish one pending discussions with both Team Pinball and Pedretti. PAPA 23 Returns September 10-13 — Tickets May 15 The PAPA 23 World Pinball Championships is set for September 10-13 at The Pinball Capital in Stone Park, Illinois. The event also serves as the 3rd annual Memorial for Suicide Awareness in memory of Lyman F. Sheats, Jr. Proceeds benefit mental health charities. Capacity is capped at 250 players. Tickets go on sale May 15 at noon Central — early buyers in the first week get a free raffle entry. Past memorials have raised nearly $100,000 for charity and given out over $80,000 in prizes. IFPA Event Counts are Back on Trend I've been tracking a few data points on the IFPA and the organization's health. After a few slower-than-normal months (Dec, Jan, Feb), a recovery seems to be unfolding. Looking at my numbers, that recovery started in earnest in March and continued through April, which had the highest number of IFPA events since October 2025. If the trends hold, 2026 will show YoY growth in the number of events held compared to 2025. Related (maybe in more ways than one), the IFPA keeps adding to its leadership team — three additions this week: Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman. Two Goodbyes In venue news: Toronto's Antisocial Pinball, a 65-machine free-play spot that opened in late 2024, is set to close. Last day is June 14 — if you're local, plan accordingly.