TEAM PINBALL AIRS ISSUES WITH PEDRETTI

TL;DR

Team Pinball disputes Pedretti over €90K Big Bang Bar prototype ownership and development costs

Summary

Key Claims

• Team Pinball has worked with Pedretti Gaming for several years providing coding, animations, and circuit board designs for Funhouse: Rudy's Nightmare and Whirlwind: Total Chaos

  high confidence · Team Pinball Facebook post quoted in Pinball News article

• Team Pinball purchased a Big Bang Bar prototype from Melvin Brouwer-Williams in October 2024 with the understanding they would complete the game with software/electronics support and receive per-machine royalties

  high confidence · Team Pinball's official statement

• Team Pinball estimates their loss at approximately €90,000, including the prototype purchase, custom electronics, DMD frames, PCB development, and software development

  high confidence · Team Pinball's detailed loss accounting in their Facebook statement

• Pedretti Gaming initially agreed to the arrangement but later refused to return the prototype, first claiming it would require payment for modifications, then claiming it was Pedretti's property

  high confidence · Team Pinball's account of events in their public statement

• Pedretti Gaming is expected to announce a remake of Tales of the Arabian Nights in the next few weeks

  medium confidence · Pinball News editorial note at end of article (rumored, not confirmed)

• Team Pinball and Pedretti had worked together for almost four years on 'very good terms' before this dispute

  high confidence · Team Pinball's statement characterizing the prior relationship

• The Big Bang Bar remake project involved three initial parties: Pedretti Gaming (manufacturing), Team Pinball (software and electronics), and Melvin Brouwer-Williams (prototyping and redesign)

  high confidence · Team Pinball's description of the original collaboration structure

• Pedretti informed Team Pinball in 2025 that Big Bang Bar would be postponed to 2026, and later claimed they decided not to manufacture it at all

  high confidence · Team Pinball's account of Pedretti's shifting communications

Notable Quotes

• “We always believed our relationship was more than just business and considered them friends as well as partners. Even during stressful periods and difficult production times, we always remained respectful and friendly.”

  Team Pinball — Establishes the prior trust and collaborative nature of the relationship before the dispute

• “The answer regarding the return of our prototype was NO. This came as a complete shock to us, especially because Pedretti at this point stated that they had decided not to manufacture Big Bang Bar at all.”

  Team Pinball — Critical turning point where Pedretti refused to return the prototype and abandoned the project

• “Considering how events unfolded, we cannot help but wonder whether we were only expected to recover the prototype and finish the machine before being pushed out of the project entirely.”

  Team Pinball — Suggests Team Pinball suspects they were used as development contractors and then excluded from the finished product

• “At this point, we do not intend to continue with expensive legal action. However, we believe the community deserves to know our experience and why we are no longer involved in this project as well as other Pedretti branded projects.”

  Team Pinball — Explains their decision to go public rather than pursue litigation, emphasizing transparency

• “We have agreements, screenshots, photographs, and development records supporting our statements.”

  Team Pinball — Team Pinball claims to have documentation to back their version of events

• “This post is not about creating drama. It is simply about transparency and explaining our side of the story to the pinball community.”

  Team Pinball — Frames the public disclosure as community transparency rather than reputation attack

Entities

Signals

• ?

  industry_signal: Major dispute between Team Pinball and Pedretti Gaming over prototype ownership and project IP, revealing tensions in the pinball remake manufacturing ecosystem

  high · Team Pinball's public disclosure of €90,000 loss and refusal to return prototype; represents significant breakdown in long-term partnership

• ?

  product_concern: Big Bang Bar Remake project status now highly uncertain; Pedretti claims they will no longer manufacture it, leaving the game's future unclear

  high · Pedretti informed Team Pinball the project would be postponed to 2026, then claimed they decided not to manufacture it at all

• ?

  business_signal: Unresolved questions about ownership of Big Bang Bar remake prototype and development assets; suggests lack of clear contractual frameworks in remake development agreements

  high · Team Pinball and Pedretti have contradictory claims about who owns the prototype; Pedretti first asked for payment for modifications, then claimed full ownership

• ?

  community_signal: Team Pinball's public disclosure reflects desire for community transparency and questions about fair dealing in remake manufacturing partnerships

  high · Team Pinball chose to air dispute publicly rather than pursue legal action, emphasizing community's right to know about the breakdown

• ?

  personnel_signal: Melvin Brouwer-Williams's transition from Dutch Pinball Exclusive to American Pinball follows his involvement in the disputed Big Bang Bar project

  medium · Melvin joined American Pinball in February 2026, shortly after the Big Bang Bar dispute became public; may indicate search for more stable partnerships