Jersey Jack Pinball – Cover Story – August 2026

Replay Magazine·article·analyzed·Aug 1, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.016

TL;DR

Jersey Jack Pinball announces Sonic the Hedgehog with Steve Ritchie design, three editions starting at $9,999.

Summary

Jersey Jack Pinball formally announced Sonic the Hedgehog on June 23, 2026, coinciding with Sonic's 35th anniversary. The game was designed by Steve Ritchie, with lead programmer Bill Grupp and software engineer Taylor Snyder, featuring innovative mechanics like the Magnetic Accelera-tor Loop Ramp and Spin Dash mechanism. The machine comes in three editions (Arcade at $9,999, Special, and Collector's) and emphasizes speed and accessibility for both casual and experienced players.

Key Claims

Jack Guarnieri has wanted to make a Sonic pinball machine since the late 1990s when he worked at Mondial Distributing
high confidence · Jack Guarnieri quoted directly in the article
Jersey Jack Pinball started work on Sonic the Hedgehog in 2022, with licensing negotiations taking two-and-a-half years
high confidence · Jack Guarnieri quoted in article detailing timeline
The Sonic game features 6,000 speech calls from original voice actors and 2,000 LEDs
high confidence · Jack Guarnieri stated in article
Steve Ritchie describes Sonic the Hedgehog as 'the fastest game I've ever made'
high confidence · Direct quote from Ritchie in article
The game features an upper playfield with nine shots
high confidence · Steve Ritchie quoted in article
Jersey Jack Pinball expects the $9,999 Arcade Edition to be the company's most widely accepted pinball machine to date
high confidence · Jack Guarnieri quoted in article
Taylor Snyder graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 and came directly to Jersey Jack Pinball from a video game background
high confidence · Biographical information provided in article
Bill Grupp started at Williams Electronics in 1992
high confidence · Grupp quoted in article

Notable Quotes

“Every time I looked at a Sega box, the character that was printed on the box was Sonic. They made every game that you could imagine, and every time, I said, 'How come they don't make a Sonic pinball?' Now I know why they didn't make it – it was waiting for me. It was fate that I get this license.”
Jack Guarnieri — Explains the origin story of how Guarnieri came to pursue the Sonic license and his long-standing desire to make the game
“I really started to understand that 'world under glass' you get with the depth of the rules in some of these pin games. It is its own video game in and of itself.”
Taylor Snyder — Articulates how a younger generation of engineers view pinball as a sophisticated rules-based game comparable to video games
“The Magnetic Accelera-tor Loop Ramp is what he's most looking forward to people playing. 'We had to have a loop, it's Sonic.'”
Steve Ritchie — Highlights key mechanical feature design that thematically connects to Sonic's iconic loop-based gameplay
“With Sonic the Hedgehog, you've got to do things fast. I think that's what we best captured about the game. Everything you see in the game makes you feel like you're Sonic the Hedgehog.”
Bill Grupp — Describes the core design philosophy of translating Sonic's signature speed and momentum mechanics to pinball
“Sonic the Hedgehog is 'the fastest game I've ever made.'”
Steve Ritchie — Major design claim from a legendary designer known as the 'King of Flow' about the game's defining characteristic
“The Arcade Edition has exactly the same playfield and the same rules and the same play and the same video in the back. It's the same game at a lower price. It just has a little less complication and a little less bling.”
Steve Ritchie — Explains the differentiation strategy between editions and justifies the $9,999 base price point
“Just the look on their faces when they would come in and see the game... all of the things you think of for Sonic the Hedgehog are things we've tried to get into the game.”
Bill Grupp — Describes player reactions to prototypes and Jersey Jack's commitment to meeting fan expectations

Entities

Jersey Jack Pinballcompany Jack Guarnieriperson Steve RitchiepersonBill GrupppersonTaylor SnyderpersonSonic the Hedgehoggame Segacompany

Signals

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announcement: Jersey Jack Pinball formally announces Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine on June 23, 2026, coinciding with Sonic's 35th anniversary
high · Article headline and opening: 'So too was the team at Jersey Jack Pinball, which formally announced their highly anticipated Sonic the Hedgehog on that day.'
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design_innovation: Introduction of Magnetic Accelera-tor Loop Ramp and Spin Dash mechanism for capturing and accelerating the ball through a loop, with the Spin Dash being developed accidentally during prototyping
high · Steve Ritchie and Bill Grupp both discuss the loop ramp and Spin Dash as signature mechanical features; Grupp states 'It was a total accident as we were developing that. We figured out we could actually catch the ball on the magnet.'
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design_philosophy: Jersey Jack Pinball's design philosophy for Sonic emphasizes translating the video game's signature speed and momentum mechanics into pinball gameplay, with focus on accessibility across generations
high · Bill Grupp: 'With Sonic the Hedgehog, you've got to do things fast. I think that's what we best captured about the game. Everything you see in the game makes you feel like you're Sonic the Hedgehog.'
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licensing_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball secured licensing deal with Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog IP after two-and-a-half years of negotiations starting in 2022, involving 6,000 speech calls from original voice actors
high · Jack Guarnieri describes two-and-a-half years of 'phone calls, approvals, rejections and updates' and states 'With 6,000 speech calls from the original voice actors, there was much work to be done.'
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Transcript

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Feel the Speeeeed! Jersey Jack’s Sonic the Hedgehog “Built for Flow” by Steve Ritchie & Team By Matt Harding It’s been more than 35 years since Sega brought Sonic the Hedgehog to life – first briefly in their arcade game Rad Mobile and then with his star turn in the Sega Genesis game named after him, Sonic the Hedgehog. This year, Sega wasn’t the only company celebrating Sonic’s 35th birthday on June 23. So too was the team at Jersey Jack Pinball, which formally announced their highly anticipated Sonic the Hedgehog on that day. It’s been a long time coming. Jack Guarnieri, the pinball company’s founder, said the idea had been percolating in his head since the late 1990s when he was with Mondial Distributing. “Sega had video games and pinball machines – they made all kinds of games,” he recalled. “Every time I looked at a Sega box, the character that was printed on the box was Sonic. They made every game that you could imagine, and every time, I said, ‘How come they don’t make a Sonic pinball ?’ “Now I know why they didn’t make it – it was waiting for me. It was fate that I get this license.” Guarnieri and team first started working on it in 2022. Once they came to an agreement, it was two-and-a-half years of “phone calls, approvals, rejections and updates.” With 6,000 speech calls from the original voice actors, there was much work to be done. That’s not to mention the 2,000 LEDs and other physical aspects of the pinball cabinet, plus the video elements. “Working with the people at Sega was really a pleasure,” he said. “It’s quite the effort. I’m very proud of the team and what we created. It was a lot of fun.” That team included game designer Steve Ritchie, lead programmer Bill Grupp and software engineer Taylor Snyder, who also worked together on 2023’s Elton John. RePlay was in Chicagoland at the Jersey Jack Pinball factory in June ahead of the Sonic release and spoke with the trio about their work on the iconic IP. Ritchie has nearly a half-century of pinball experience behind him, starting with the Atari widebody machine Airborne Avenger (1977). “I had not played Sonic in a long time – since my children were young,” he explained. “But there were lots of young people here who had and the more I got into it, the more I saw just how popular Sonic is.” One of those younger people, and “the biggest Sonic fan on the team,” was Snyder, who graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 and went straight to work for Jersey Jack Pinball, coming from a video game background. “I really started to understand that ‘world under glass’ you get with the depth of the rules in some of these pin games. It is its own video game in and of itself. I thought that was really cool.” For Sonic, Snyder wrote the code and rules, among other engineering tasks. “Sonic games were such an important part of my life growing up. The first Sonic game I played was Sonic Adventure 2: Battle on the Nintendo GameCube. It’s been such a huge passion of mine, so getting to work on this pinball was an honor.” For his part, Grupp said his work as the lead programmer is to make all the software that “tells the game what to do.” Mostly, he added, “My job is to make the game fun.” Grupp started at Williams Electronics in 1992, found his way into engineering and has been making pinball and coin-op games ever since. “These two are incredible,” Ritchie said of Grupp and Snyder. “I watched them work together. Bill’s the maestro and taught a tremendous amount of stuff. Taylor came in green and ended up becoming a very good pinball player after just a short while.” Each of their skills – and those of the entire team – were well-suited to build a game that players of all generations can enjoy. Ritchie said the Magnetic Accelera-tor Loop Ramp is what he’s most looking forward to people playing. “It speeds up the ball and makes it go into a loop – we had to have a loop, it’s Sonic.” Just below the 27” LCD screen playing the video elements, there’s the upper playfield with nine shots on it, which Ritchie said is his favorite part, adding, “It’ll probably be everyone’s favorite part once they experience it. It’s fun to keep the ball up there and it’s not always easy.” Important to that loop ramp is the Spin Dash mechanism that stops the ball and then accelerates it through the loop. “It was a total accident as we were developing that,” Grupp said. “We figured out we could actually catch the ball on the magnet.” He noted that, like Sonic himself, the game is fast. “With Sonic the Hedgehog, you’ve got to do things fast. I think that’s what we best captured about the game. Everything you see in the game makes you feel like you’re Sonic the Hedgehog.” Grupp mentioned that many of the people who came by the factory to preview the new game also happened to be Sonic fans. “Just the look on their faces when they would come in and see the game. I pushed them to talk about their expectations for a Sonic game, and that’s been the thing for me – all of the things you think of for Sonic the Hedgehog are things we’ve tried to get into the game. We really worked hard to meet those expectations.” The game features art and animation from Sonic Generations, and comes in three editions – Arcade, Special and Collector’s. The pricier two games feature special cabinet artwork, haptic feedback, non-reflective “Invisiglass” and more. “Jersey Jack” Guarnieri said he expects the $9,999 Arcade Edition to be the company’s most widely accepted pinball machine to date. “Sonic is everywhere – on basketball games, air hockey tables, racing games and everything.” While the home market continues to be the driving force behind today’s successful pinball industry, arcade bars and other such gathering locations are usually where the hobbyist is introduced to new games – and where new players are altogether introduced to the hobby. “The other models have a lot of cool stuff – a shaker motor, topper and lots of other stuff,” Ritchie explained. “But the Arcade Edition has exactly the same playfield and the same rules and the same play and the same video in the back. It’s the same game at a lower price. It just has a little less complication and a little less bling.” He’s also said that Sonic the Hedgehog is “the fastest game I’ve ever made.” Coming from the “King of Flow” himself, that’s saying something. Catch up with Sonic and the whole cast of characters – Tails, Dr. Eggman, Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Big the Cat and Froggy – and learn more about the new game at www. jerseyjackpinball.com.