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Planetary Pinball Filed Trademarks for Big Bang Bar at the End of 2022

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Feb 2, 2023
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.015

TL;DR

Planetary Pinball trademarked Big Bang Bar, fueling remake rumors.

Summary

Planetary Pinball filed U.S. trademarks for "Big Bang Bar" and "Big Bang" in November-December 2022, suggesting the company believes it holds remake rights to the rare Capcom pinball machine. The trademark filing supports earlier rumors of a Big Bang Bar remake by an unexpected manufacturer (possibly Dutch Pinball or a new entrant), with speculation that potential friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming over Cactus Canyon delays may have prompted the search for an alternative manufacturer.

Key Claims

  • Planetary Pinball filed for trademark protection for 'Big Bang Bar' and 'Big Bang' with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November-December 2022

    high confidence · Knapp Arcade article, directly stated as filing evidence

  • Big Bang Bar is being remade

    medium confidence · Knapp Arcade author's January 18th post (referenced but not provided); author frames this as rumor they reported

  • Some people reached out claiming Planetary Pinball never had the rights to Big Bang Bar before the trademark filing

    medium confidence · Knapp Arcade author paraphrasing community feedback; unverified hearsay

  • There appears to be friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming Company over Cactus Canyon production timelines

    low confidence · Knapp Arcade author's speculation: 'from an outsider's perspective, there definitely seems to have been some friction'

  • Big Bang Bar remake will be manufactured by an unexpected/unexpected company (not Chicago Gaming)

    low confidence · Knapp Arcade author's rumor reporting; described as 'second part of the rumor'

  • Some have hinted that Big Bang Bar might be Dutch Pinball second game

    low confidence · Knapp Arcade author: 'Some have hinted to me that it might be Dutch Pinball second game. I have no idea if that's true'

Notable Quotes

  • “This new news, ties in very nicely with my January 18th post that I wrote here on Knapp Arcade about how Capcom's rare pinball machine Big Bang Bar is being remade.”

    Knapp Arcade (author) @ N/A — Establishes connection between trademark filing and earlier rumors of Big Bang Bar remake

  • “some people reached out to me stating that Planetary Pinball never had the rights to the game, but this Trademark news clearly makes it look like they believe they do”

    Knapp Arcade (author) @ N/A — Indicates community skepticism about Planetary Pinball's claim to Big Bang Bar rights, contradicted by trademark filing

  • “From an outsider's perspective, there definitely seems to have been some friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming Company (CGC) over how long it has taken to produce the Cactus Cactus Canyon (Remake) machines.”

    Knapp Arcade (author) @ N/A — Speculates on potential business relationship strain that may drive manufacturer selection for remake

  • “There has been other rumblings about new players entering the pinball manufacturing scene, so maybe one of them?”

    Knapp Arcade (author) @ N/A — Hints at possibility of new/emerging manufacturers entering space for Big Bang Bar remake

  • “There's definitely some smoke here. Will there be fire?”

    Knapp Arcade (author) @ N/A — Summarizes speculative tone and open questions about trajectory of Big Bang Bar remake project

Entities

Planetary PinballcompanyBig Bang BargameChicago Gaming CompanycompanyDutch PinballcompanyCapcomcompanyBallycompanyWilliamscompany

Signals

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Planetary Pinball filed U.S. trademarks for Big Bang Bar (Nov-Dec 2022), indicating assertion of remake rights or defensive IP positioning

    high · Direct trademark filing records cited in article

  • ?

    machine_intel: Big Bang Bar remake in development; manufacturer identity unconfirmed but rumored to be non-Chicago Gaming entity

    medium · Trademark filing + author's January 18 rumor report linking to remake announcement

  • ?

    industry_signal: Potential friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming over Cactus Canyon production timeline may influence manufacturer selection for future remakes

    low · Author's speculative observation: 'from an outsider's perspective, there definitely seems to have been some friction'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Planetary Pinball actively pursuing remake licenses beyond Williams/Bally library (Capcom's Big Bang Bar), expanding licensing strategy

    high · Trademark filing for non-Williams/Bally IP; author notes this ties to earlier remake rumors

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Community speculation about who will manufacture Big Bang Bar remake; Dutch Pinball and new entrants mentioned as possibilities

    low · Author reports: 'Some have hinted to me that it might be Dutch Pinball's second game' but notes 'I have no idea if that's true'

  • $

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

In late 2022, specifically November and December, Planetary Pinball - the license holder of Bally / Williams pinball machines, filed for Trademark protection for the phrases "Big Bang Bar" and "Big Bang" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This new news, ties in very nicely with my January 18th post that I wrote here on Knapp Arcade about how Capcom's rare pinball machine Big Bang Bar is being remade. After I posted that, some people reached out to me stating that Planetary Pinball never had the rights to the game, but this Trademark news clearly makes it look like they believe they do. The second part of the rumor that I reported was that Big Bang Bar was going to be manufactured by an unexpected company. From an outsider's perspective, there definitely seems to have been some friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming Company (CGC) over how long it has taken to produce the Cactus Canyon Remake machines. Could this friction lead to Planetary turning to another manufacturer to produce a run of Big Bang Bars? Time will tell, but it wouldn't surprise me. Even if there isn't any friction between the two companies, CGC seems to have its hands full with Cactus Canyon and Pulp Fiction pinball at the moment. The question is, if Big Bang Bar is being remade and it's not by CGC, then who? Some have hinted to me that it might be Dutch Pinball's second game. I have no idea if that's true. There has been other rumblings about new players entering the pinball manufacturing scene, so maybe one of them? There's definitely some smoke here. Will there be fire? Here's a link to my previous article on this subject for anyone who's interested: RUMOR: Unexpected Company to Remake One of the World's Rarest Pinball Machines This Spring https://www.knapparcade.org/post/rumor-unexpected-company-to-remake-one-of-the-world-s-rarest-pinball-machines-this-spring
Cactus Canyon
game
Pulp Fictiongame
Knapp Arcadeorganization

market_signal: Chicago Gaming Company described as having hands full with Cactus Canyon and Pulp Fiction, potentially limiting capacity for additional remake projects

medium · Author's observation: 'CGC seems to have its hands full with Cactus Canyon and Pulp Fiction pinball at the moment'

  • ?

    leak_detection: Trademark filing for Big Bang Bar appears to be earliest public evidence of remake project; filed in late 2022, article published after January 18 rumor post

    high · Trademark filing predates article but author received community tips before public filing