Episode 94 - Pinball Hindsight Awards 1985

Wedgehead's 1985 Pinball Hindsight Awards crowns Sorcerer GOTY amid industry contraction.

Synopsis

In this episode of the Wedgehead A Pinball Podcast, hosts Alan and Alex conduct the second edition of their Pinball Hindsight Awards, evaluating games released in 1985: a year marked by industry downsizing and the emergence of new manufacturer Gameplan. Through categories spanning art, mechanics, software, and design, the hosts award Sorcerer (Williams) as Game of the Year, with standout winners including Andromeda for best art package, Fireball Arcade Classic for best mechs, and The Comet for best sound and theme integration. The episode provides historical context on 1985 as a challenging year for pinball manufacturers and discusses the lasting impact of various titles.

Highlights

• 1980 was the peak of the pinball market; by 1985, manufacturers had massively downsized operations
• Steve Ritchie left pinball for the first time in 1985
• Gameplan started in 1978 making cocktail machines, then ramped up full-size production in 1984-1985 during industry contraction
• The Comet sold over 8,000 units and was the best-selling game of 1985
• The Comet launched a trilogy (later corrected to quadrilogy) of successful games
• Fireball Arcade was a massive hit that spawned multiple versions and sequels
• Sorcerer has grown in popularity since its 1985 release and is now highly sought-after
• John Trudeau designed three Gottlieb/Premiere games released in 1985: Tag Team, Ice Fever, and Rampage
• Larry Day created art packages for three Premiere games in 1985: Tag Team, Bounty Hunter, and Ice Fever
• Only one licensed game was released in 1985: Chicago Cubs Triple Play

Entities

• Bally/Bally Midway· company
• Gameplan· company
• Gottlieb/Premiere· company
• Wedgehead American Pinball· company
• Williams· company
• AJ· person
• Alan· person
• Alex· person
• Barry Ousler· person
• Bill Futzenruder· person
• Brian Bolatowski· person
• Dave Orozska· person
• Doug Watson· person
• Ed Suchocki· person
• John Burris· person
• John Trudeau· person
• Larry Day· person
• Mark Ritchie· person
• Pam Erickson· person
• Paul Faris· person
• Python Anghelo· person
• Steve Ritchie· person