Update (Feb. 13): CoinTaker has since provided a statement to Knapp Arcade walking back Marquette's comments, saying "Stern and DP have no connection / partnership or deal." Marquette's original Facebook comments have since been deleted. Dutch Pinball has not commented. The original exchange is screenshotted below.

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Back to the Future might still be happening — and it could be coming alongside a major international partnership.

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In the comments of a recent Dutch Pinball Facebook post, commenter Eric Jackson claimed that BTTF is Dutch Pinball's next game, and that they will be partnering with Stern Pinball to release it in the U.S. Melissa Marquette, owner of CoinTaker — one of Dutch Pinball's key distributors — replied: "it's true."

Neither Dutch Pinball nor Stern Pinball have made an official announcement about this news.

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While rumors of a Dutch Pinball and Stern Pinball partnership have persisted for a while now, this would be the strongest signal yet.

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The news comes on the heels of a turbulent week for Dutch Pinball. Earlier this week, DPX — Dutch Pinball's sub-brand focused on collector-targeted, limited-run machines — shut down, and creative partner Melvin Williams departed the company. That split was driven by new investors entering Dutch Pinball with a different vision for the company's direction.

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Shortly after the news broke, Dutch Pinball owner Barry Driessen sent an update to key partners, which was subsequently shared by CoinTaker on Pinside. In it, Driessen confirmed the end of the DPX collaboration, citing "a misalignment on commercial terms" around a planned second title. He said Dutch Pinball would "refocus fully on developing and producing its own original titles" and announced the addition of two new Dutch investors who "strengthen the company financially and strategically."

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The full statement read:

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‍Dear Dutch Pinball partner,

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We would like to update you directly on a few important developments at Dutch Pinball.

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Dutch Pinball confirms that its collaboration under the working name DPX, involving an external creative partner, has come to an end.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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An announcement regarding new Dutch Pinball projects will follow in the next couple of months.

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We thank our distributors, partners, and customers for their continued trust and support.

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Hartelijke groet, Herzliche Grüße, kind regards, Barry Driessen

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Driessen's letter also mentions that "an announcement regarding new Dutch Pinball projects will follow in the next couple of months" — which, read alongside the Facebook comments, is hard to not read as perhaps a nod toward the Stern partnership and BTTF.

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Pinball fans had mostly been concerned about what the DPX collapse might mean for the often-rumored Back to the Future machine — whether Dutch Pinball still had the license, whether the game was still in development, and whether it would ever see the light of day. Based on what surfaced before the comments were deleted, the answer to all three may still be yes.