XPin Pinball Part Supplier to Close; Beetlejuice Pinball Gets Dante's Inferno Room; First Barrels Reserve Meetup

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jul 20, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.013

TL;DR

XPin parts supplier closing after 15 years; Beetlejuice code update; Barrels of Fun Reserve meetup announced.

Summary

XPin, a major pinball parts supplier operating since 2011, is closing due to health, financial, and personal circumstances, though founder Brett Davis commits to ongoing support via GitHub documentation and authorized resellers. Spooky Pinball released a significant code update for Beetlejuice featuring a new 'Dante's Inferno Room' mode and Dead Ring support. Barrels of Fun announced its first official Barrels of Fun Reserve member meetup at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo in Atlanta (July 31–Aug 2, 2026), featuring a private gameroom with all company games.

Key Claims

XPin has been in operation for more than a decade (specifically since 2011, totaling 15 years)
high confidence · Brett Davis statement in XPin closure announcement: 'Since 2011, it has been my privilege to serve the pinball community'
XPin is closing due to health, financial, and personal circumstances
high confidence · Brett Davis closure statement: 'Due to a combination of health, financial, and personal circumstances, I am no longer able to continue operating the business'
XPin Store will remain fully operational for 6 months before shutdown
high confidence · Closure statement: 'The site will be fully turned off in 6 months'
Technical resources and documentation will be maintained on GitHub after XPin closes
high confidence · Closure statement: 'a GitHub repository will be maintained containing schematics, assembly drawings, and other documentation'
Beetlejuice received a code update with new 'Dante's Inferno Room' mode
high confidence · Spooky Pinball announcement embedded in article
Beetlejuice code update adds support for Spooky Dead Ring product
high confidence · Spooky Pinball code announcement: 'including more support for the Dead Ring'
Barrels of Fun is hosting the first official Barrels of Fun Reserve meetup at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo
high confidence · Article statement: 'Barrels of Fun recently announced the first official meetup for its new Barrels of Fun Reserve program'
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo takes place July 31 through Aug 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia
high confidence · Article: 'The event takes place from July 31 through Aug 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia'

Notable Quotes

“Since 2011, it has been my privilege to serve the pinball community. I would like to sincerely thank my customers, friends, and the many enthusiasts who have supported XPin throughout the years.”
Brett Davis @ XPin closure announcement (late July 2026) — Emotional closing statement from XPin founder acknowledging 15 years of community service
“Due to a combination of health, financial, and personal circumstances, I am no longer able to continue operating the business.”
Brett Davis @ XPin closure announcement — Official explanation for closure; hints at serious personal challenges driving the decision
“Although the XPin Store has closed, I remain committed to supporting existing XPin products.”
Brett Davis @ XPin closure announcement — Reassurance to existing customers that support will continue despite business closure
“Descend into Dante's Inferno Room, an all-new mode packed with fiery casino chaos. Along with the new mode, this update also adds Vanity Awards, expanded Spooky Speak features, and new lightshows (including more support for the Dead Ring).”
Spooky Pinball @ Beetlejuice code update announcement (July 2026) — Details of major Beetlejuice code update showing continued post-launch development commitment
“The private room will enable Barrels of Fun Reserve members to get ahead of the lines and play the Company's games in a quieter environment.”
Knapp Arcade @ July 20, 2026 — Describes exclusive benefits for Barrels Reserve members, supporting premium membership tier strategy

Entities

XPincompanyBrett DavispersonSpooky PinballcompanyBeetlejuicegame Barrels of FuncompanyBarrels of Fun ReserveproductSouthern-Fried Gaming ExpoeventBugpersonIndie Gamer Chickperson

Signals

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supply_chain_signal: XPin, a major pinball parts supplier operating for 15 years, is closing operations due to owner health and financial circumstances. Critical infrastructure for pinball repair and maintenance is being lost.
high · Brett Davis announcement: 'XPin is winding down its business' due to 'health, financial, and personal circumstances'
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product_strategy: XPin founder committing to ongoing GitHub documentation and support through authorized resellers despite business closure, showing attempt to minimize community impact
high · Closure statement: 'a GitHub repository will be maintained containing schematics, assembly drawings, and other documentation' and 'Products purchased...will continue to be supported'
?
code_update: Spooky Pinball released substantial Beetlejuice code update with new mode (Dante's Inferno Room), Vanity Awards, expanded Spooky Speak, and Dead Ring support
high · Official Spooky announcement: 'Descend into Dante's Inferno Room, an all-new mode packed with fiery casino chaos. Along with the new mode, this update also adds Vanity Awards, expanded Spooky Speak features, and new lightshows'
?
product_strategy: Barrels of Fun rolling out exclusive Barrels Reserve membership tier with early access and private gameroom privileges at major gaming expos
high · Article: 'Barrels of Fun recently announced the first official meetup for its new Barrels Reserve program' with 'private gameroom featuring all of its games' enabling members to 'get ahead of the lines'
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event_signal: Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (July 31–Aug 2, 2026 in Atlanta) becoming significant pinball industry event with manufacturer-exclusive programming

Transcript

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News XPin Pinball Part Supplier to Close; Beetlejuice Pinball Gets Dante's Inferno Room; First Barrels Reserve Meetup k knapparcade July 20, 2026 I hate to start the week off with sad news, but it's definitely relevant to the hobby. For more than a decade, pinball operators and collectors have relied on alphanumeric displays and replacement boards from XPin to fix their pinball machines. Unfortunately, late last week word broke that XPin is winding down its business. Since 2011, it has been my privilege to serve the pinball community. I would like to sincerely thank my customers, friends, and the many enthusiasts who have supported XPin throughout the years. Your trust, loyalty, and encouragement have made this journey both rewarding and memorable. Due to a combination of health, financial, and personal circumstances, I am no longer able to continue operating the business. While this decision was not made lightly, it is the right one at this time. Although the XPin Store has closed, I remain committed to supporting existing XPin products. Products purchased through the XPin Store, the XPin eBay Store, the Pinside Store, and all authorized XPin resellers will continue to be supported. Authorized Resellers: Pinball Wizard Free Play Pinball Heaven To ensure continued access to technical resources, a GitHub repository will be maintained containing schematics, assembly drawings, and other documentation to assist with product repair and ongoing support. When it is fully setup, I will post the appropriate link in this thread and the closure message on the site. The site will be fully turned off in 6 months. For technical support or general inquiries, please contact: brett\davis\pinball@proton.me When you do, leave your phone number. I will return your call because I love talking to everyone. Thank you again for your support over the past fourteen years. It has been an honor to contribute to the pinball community and hope to continue in other ways, and I am grateful for the relationships and experiences that Xpin has made possible. Sincerely, Brett Davis Owner and Designer of all things Xpin" Late last week, Spooky Pinball launched a new code update for its latest game, Beetlejuice. The code includes a brand new mode called "Dante's Inferno Room" as well as new light shows with support for Spooky's new Dead Ring product and more. Bug streamed the new code on YouTube. I have embedded it below. !Advertisement Ad 1 of 3 " BEETLEJUICE CODE UPDATE - Descend into Dante's Inferno Room, an all-new mode packed with fiery casino chaos. Along with the new mode, this update also adds Vanity Awards, expanded Spooky Speak features, and new lightshows (including more support for the Dead Ring). Download the latest update at https://www.spookypinball.com/game-support/" New Beetle code and a Dead Ring giveaway! - YouTube Tap to unmute Bug's Scream N' Stream Bug's Scream N' Stream Next up we have a new article by Indie Gamer Chick on the history of video pinball. Wow, this was a massive undertaking. She literally wrote up every classic video pinball game from 1979 through 2009. The article is huge. Kudos to her for such amazing work. Classic Pinball Video Games from 1979 to 2009: The Definitive Review – 130 Full Reviews and Rankings of Pinball Video Games for over 40 Different Platforms New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Barrels of Fun recently announced the first official meetup for its new Barrels Reserve program. They are hosting a member meetup at the upcoming Southern-Fried Gaming Expo. The event takes place from July 31 through Aug 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. On Friday afternoon, Barrels is opening up a private gameroom featuring all of its games. The private room will enable Barrels Reserve Get to get ahead of the lines and play the Company's games in a quieter environment. Last up, I have a look at a really cool homebrew pinball machine called "Tornado Ralley." The game, themed after the state of Oklahoma, was originally a digital pinball "table." The maker took two years to bring it to real life. Tornado Rally Homebrew Pinball Machine - YouTube Tap to unmute Tornado Rally Homebrew Pinball Machine eric3dee eric3dee Posted 28 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 XPin Pinball Part Supplier to Close; Beetlejuice Pinball Gets Dante's Inferno Room; First Barrels Reserve Meetup 28 minutes ago Barrels of Fun Production Update; Dune Run Almost Complete...For Now; IPDB is Fine; New Arcade Documentary 4 days ago First Peek at American Pinball's Cirqus Voltaire Reimagined, Featuring Sculpts from It's New Exclusive Partner The Art of Pinball 6 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 2 of 3 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.