Ep 36: Hot Wheels with Josh Kugler
Let's talk some Hot Wheels with the one and only Josh Kugler! Not only does Josh answer all our questions about Hot Wheels, he also tells us what got him to American Pinball and the fun adventure it's been so far. Enjoy!
Kineticist’s take
Josh Kugler details Hot Wheels design, tachometer mechanics, and American Pinball licensing strategy.
Synopsis
Josh Kugler from American Pinball discusses Hot Wheels, their first officially licensed game, with co-hosts Scott Larson and Josh Roop. He details the game's design philosophy balancing appeal across casual, collector, and tournament players; explains the tachometer-based scoring system and RPM progression through five gears; and describes how the theme incorporates car collecting, track building, and creature battles. The conversation covers the game's development process, delayed TPF reveal due to COVID-19, and American Pinball strategic shift toward licensing.
Entities
- American Pinball· company
- Flippin' Out Pinball· company
- Lit Frames· company
- Mattel· company
- Amusement Expo· event
- Texas Pinball Festival (TPF)· event
- Hot Wheels· game
- Houdini· game
- Iron Maiden· game
- Oktoberfest· game
- Pinball Magic· game
- Ed· person
- Eric Pripke· person
- Jim Pat· person
- Joe Balser· person
- Joe Schober· person
- Josh Kugler· person
- Josh Roop· person
- Roger Sherp· person
- Scott Denise· person
- Scott Larson· person
- Hot Wheels City· product
- P-ROC· product