When writing about pinball, you’re more or less constantly chasing that first sneak peek behind a curtain, so it’s a bit jarring when talking with a manufacturer like American Pinball to find out there is no curtain. Honest to God, at Pinball Expo this year I walked up to them to ask “hey, so what’s next,” and they told me damn near everything. Now I’m passing that on to you, so you can get ready for a wildly packed year for American Pinball, starting Q1.
But before any of that, I feel obligated to talk about one of the biggest recent changes to their pins, the reworked flippers with their new QuickFlip technology. As we’ve covered previously, the flippers now get their own dedicated board. AP says the new setup also has increased solenoid power and a redesigned filter board with more capacitance and better noise reduction. And yeah, you can absolutely feel it. When I tried Cirqus Voltaire at Expo on Saturday, the flippers felt smooth. Crisp. That’s critical for a Popadiuk pin, because the curve-heavy geometry genuinely suffers if there’s a lack of velocity.
Anyway, I asked the team how the Ringmaster Edition was selling. “Just about sold out to distributors,” is what they told me, with the final sales numbers two weeks out, though you should still be able to snag one. There are roughly only 85 Classics left, and AP closes Classic orders on October 31.
As for the upcoming year, it starts faster than you’d think: new game revealed Q1, a licensed IP title and an incredibly small run at less than 500 units, with a limited edition and a special limited edition, both with a topper and accessories. Sounds like they’re solidifying their Cirqus Voltaire rollout style. I pressed a bit more and found out this release isn’t the anticipated game from Tony Hawk’s Pro Pinball homebrew designer Nick Neitzel. They wouldn’t share the artist or the IP, but we’ll find out surprisingly soon.
Almost immediately after that, we should hear in Q2 what the next reimagined game is, once they’ve wrapped up their run of CV. My personal guess for their next remake in their Planetary Pinball Supply partnership is Creature from the Black Lagoon, Scared Stiff or Fish Tales, taking into consideration various industry rumors.
During Expo, the American Pinball booth drew a hefty crowd for a fairly large-scale raffle. I wasn’t counting but it felt like a high twenty-something people walked away with prizes such as playfields. I asked if this was a one-time thing or something you’d expect from other shows, and with Texas Pinball Festival coming up they told me you can expect to see “special things”: drawings, raffles, games, etc.
Jersey Jack and Stern almost always run factory tours during Expo, and American Pinball used to before its new owners took over, so I asked if it was something they were considering again. Turns out, yes, and, depending on what they have on the line at the time, you can even ask directly for a tour and they’ll accommodate if they can. I’ve been there before and it’s almost like the Backrooms with how deceptively far it goes. I’m starting to wonder what else I can get in pinball by just flat-out asking.
So there it is, no curtain, and coming surprisingly soon. I very much look forward to pestering them again in a few months when all this is revealed, because so far I’m pretty stoked on what they’ve done.
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