Everything that I have heard about Pokémon pinball from people who have seen it so far has been positive. I don't know exactly how many characters are in the game yet, but supposedly there is quite a few, including favorites like Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander. Players will have to train their characters to get them ready for battle with RIVAL trainers.
I mentioned yesterday how the playfield somewhat resembles the 1996 Williams game Junkyard. Instead of a wrecking ball int the upper center of the playfield, Pokémon has a Meowth Balloon bash toy that descends.
If everything goes according to play and Stern receives the necessary licensor approvals, I suspect that the public reveal of the game will be tomorrow. If there is a licensing delay it may get pushed until Friday. The game should make its first somewhat public appearance at an industry trade show this Saturday.
A little while ago, The game's co-designer George Gomez shared this picture from today's event on his Instagram account :).
Speaking of brand new games, the first Spooky Pinball Beetlejuice is now on location! One just went on the floor at the Oviedo Bowling Center in Oviedo, Florida. It looks like a really cool place.
I assume that this is one of the show games from last weekend's Pinball at the Beach show. Has anyone seen any other Beetlejuices out there yet?
Ovito Bowling Center Facebook Page
Yesterday, I wrote here about the letter that Dutch Pinball sent to its distributors. Dutch's first and largest distributor, Cointaker, recently shared the text of that letter on Pinside. I have included it below for anyone who is interested:
"Dear Dutch Pinball partner,
We would like to update you directly on a few important developments at Dutch Pinball.
Dutch Pinball confirms that its collaboration under the working name DPX, involving an external creative partner, has come to an end.
While the first title was successfully brought to market, discussions around a potential second title revealed a misalignment on commercial terms, specifically regarding margin structure and long-term sustainability for all parties involved. As a result, both sides mutually agreed to discontinue not only the second project, but the collaboration as a whole.
Based on this experience, Dutch Pinball has concluded that this type of external collaboration introduces a level of complexity and dependency that does not align with how we want to build and scale the company going forward.
Dutch Pinball will therefore refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles, where creative control, production planning, and commercial execution are fully integrated within the company.
We are pleased to share that Dutch Pinball has recently welcomed two Dutch entrepreneurial investors, both with a strong passion for pinball, who strengthen the company financially and strategically. Their involvement enables Dutch Pinball to operate in a more professional, stable, and well-capitalized manner.
Dutch Pinball is fully committed to completing the remaining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland machines and continues to work diligently toward final delivery. A short update regarding the toppers will be shared in a few days.
An announcement regarding new Dutch Pinball projects will follow in the next couple of months.
We thank our distributors, partners, and customers for their continued trust and support.
Hartelijke groet, Herzliche Grüße, kind regards,
Barry Driessen"
The YouTube channel Empire Pinball recently shared a great video walkthrough of the aforementioned Pinball Beach show:
Last up, I have another cool video from the Lost Pins series. It talks about the Deeproot Pinball debacle:
