The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·May 8, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Big Bang Bar remake project confirmed to have existed but collapsed; Pedretti-Team Pinball dispute surfaces.

Summary

Team Pinball issued a public statement confirming that a Big Bang Bar remake project existed, involving collaboration between Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software/electronics), and Melvin Williams (prototyping/redesign) starting in 2022. The project reportedly fell apart due to disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti Gaming. Pedretti denies wrongdoing and claims they are upgrading to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for better code quality, while Team Pinball expresses disappointment about the abandoned project.

Key Claims

A Big Bang Bar remake project began in 2022 with three parties: Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software/electronics), and Melvin Williams (prototyping/redesign)
high confidence · Team Pinball official Facebook statement cited by Knapp Arcade
The collaboration stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti Gaming
high confidence · Team Pinball official Facebook statement
Melvin Williams completed the prototypes and holds all related paperwork for the Big Bang Bar remake
high confidence · Team Pinball official Facebook statement
Pedretti Gaming is switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games for programming on future projects
high confidence · Pedretti Gaming response to Knapp Arcade
Pedretti Gaming's next announcement is expected within two weeks showing a new Bally Williams remake
medium confidence · Knapp Arcade editorial assessment

Notable Quotes

“In 2022, three parties began working together on the Big Bang Bar remake project: Pedretti Gaming / Manufacturing – manufacturing Team Pinball – software and electronics Melvin Williams – all prototyping and redesign work for the game”
Team Pinball (official statement) @ May 7, 2026 (issued late afternoon, reported May 8) — Official confirmation of the Big Bang Bar remake project structure and participants
“The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti. At that point, Melvin Williams had completed the prototypes and held all related paperwork.”
Team Pinball (official statement) @ May 7, 2026 — Clarifies why the project collapsed and who controls the intellectual property and prototypes
“they are continually trying to improve the quality of the games that they produce and that switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games (the company that programmed the Chicago Gaming Company remakes) for programming is a significant upgrade”
Pedretti Gaming (via Knapp Arcade) @ May 7-8, 2026 — Pedretti's rationale for the split and their strategic direction for future projects
“I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible.”
Knapp Arcade @ May 8, 2026 — Editorial stance on responsible reporting in the pinball community

Entities

Team PinballcompanyPedretti Gamingcompany Melvin Williamsperson Big Bang BargameAthyrio GamescompanyChicago Gaming Companycompany Illinois Pinball

Signals

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industry_signal: Public dispute between Pedretti Gaming and Team Pinball over Big Bang Bar remake project; escalating to legal involvement with lawyers mentioned by Pedretti
high · Team Pinball issued public statement; Pedretti Gaming confirmed legal action is possible; long-standing project now openly disputed
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product_concern: Big Bang Bar remake project collapsed after initial 2022 start; prototype and redesign work held by Melvin Williams; no clear path to completion
high · Team Pinball statement: 'The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti'
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machine_intel: Big Bang Bar remake rumors confirmed to be true but project is now defunct; Pedretti Gaming shifting focus and strategy for future remakes
high · Team Pinball and Pedretti Gaming both acknowledged the project existed and fell apart
?
announcement: Pedretti Gaming expected to announce new Bally Williams remake within two weeks according to industry tracking
medium · Knapp Arcade: 'the most likely next new game announcement in the pinball hobby is from Pedretti Gaming, which is expected to show off its new Bally Williams remake at some point in the next two weeks'
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content_signal: Knapp Arcade chose to wait for Pedretti's response before reporting story, contrasting with other media that published Team Pinball's statement immediately; editorial stance on balanced reporting
high · Knapp Arcade: 'I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible... So I wasn't first. I waited until after speaking with Pedretti Gaming'

Transcript

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News The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of k knapparcade May 8, 2026 Good morning everyone. News is a tricky thing. There's always a silent battle to be the first to report or talk about something. However, doing so often comes at the expense of not hearing both sides of a situation. That's exactly what we are running into today — or last night, to be more specific. Late yesterday afternoon, the UK pinball company Team Pinball, creator of the 2018 pinball machine "Mafia" and coder for Pedretti Gaming's first remakes, issued a statement on its Facebook page. To me, the most interesting part of that statement was the following: " In 2022, three parties began working together on the Big Bang Bar remake project: Pedretti Gaming / Manufacturing – manufacturing Team Pinball – software and electronics Melvin Williams – all prototyping and redesign work for the game The original collaboration eventually stopped after disagreements between Melvin Williams and Pedretti. At that point, Melvin Williams had completed the prototypes and held all related paperwork." https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Wh5TFkSc/ The Big Bang Bar remake rumors that we've heard for years were indeed true! I knew that they were, but now we have proof. Unfortunately, it certainly sounds as though the project has fallen apart. !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 That sort of stuff is right up my alley. For me, the rest of the post falls into the category of two sides — Pedretti and Team Pinball — having different opinions about why the project fell apart and what happened afterward. I have no special insight as to who to believe. I spoke with Pedretti last night and they strongly deny any wrongdoing to the point that lawyers are getting involved. Their short take on it is that they are continually trying to improve the quality of the games that they produce and that switching from Team Pinball to FAST boards and Athyrio Games (the company that programmed the Chicago Gaming Company remakes) for programming is a significant upgrade. I actually completely agree with that. Team Pinball is understandably disappointed that the Big Bang Bar project that they had invested time and money in fell apart. I can't blame them. I would be too. However, I don't have any way of knowing the veracity of their accusations. I personally think that a media entity just instantly sharing one side of the story on their Facebook page or in an article without context is somewhat irresponsible. I'm not the journalism police — that's just not the way I want to do things. So I wasn't first. I waited until after speaking with Pedretti Gaming to mention this situation. We'll see how this plays out. In the meantime, the most likely next new game announcement in the pinball hobby is from Pedretti Gaming, which is expected to show off its new Bally Williams remake at some point in the next two weeks. For now, the hobby is left without a remake of an extremely rare pinball machine, Big Bang Bar. Below are pictures that I took of the Illinois Pinball Big Bang Bar remake when I visited the personal collection of Joe Newhart of the distributor PinballSTAR Amusements. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Posted 12 minutes 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 The Big Bang Bar Remake Rumors Were True...Sort Of 12 minutes ago New Stern Pinball Pokémon Code is Here 2 days ago Van Halen Pinball is Coming; New Stern Speaker Lights; Big Winchester Update... 2 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 2 of 2 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.