Ep 165: Dune Pinball with David Van Es and Brian Savage | Barrels of Fun!
David Van Es and Brian Savage join us to talk about Barrels of Fun and their newest release, Dune!
Kineticist’s take
Barrels of Fun details Dune Pinball design philosophy, Legendary licensing deal, and mechanical innovations.
Synopsis
David Van Es and Brian Savage from Barrels of Fun discuss their second game, Dune Pinball, revealing their design philosophy rooted in film/TV production methodology. They explain how they secured the Dune license from Legendary Entertainment before Dune Part Two was even filmed, their iterative 'blue sky' design process, and specific mechanical innovations including the signature pain box one-handed recovery mechanic and the Shai-Hulud sandworm toy that consumes and regurgitates the ball. The conversation emphasizes their focus on storytelling 'under glass,' licensing complexity, and how community feedback shaped design evolution from Labyrinth to Dune.
Entities
- Barrels of Fun· company
- Flip N Out Pinball· company
- Legendary Entertainment· company
- Dune Pinball· game
- Jim Henson's Labyrinth· game
- LoserKid Pinball Podcast· organization
- Brian Savage· person
- David Van Es· person
- Josh Roop· person
- Paul Sulse· person
- Phil· person
- Scott Larson· person
- Travis Moseman· person
- Zach Minney· person
- Harvester· product
- Pain Box· product