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Song of the Week
BALACLAVA is a lo-fi punk band out of Ridgewood, Queens, that started as Dylan Joyce's solo project. "What a Regular Day" is the lead single from their first full-length album, MONEY GLITCH, which comes out January 22 on Mothland. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's got some low-budget Viagra Boys vibes if you're into that kind of thing (I am!).
Pinball News of the Week
American Pinball Looks to 2027
After a significant change in company leadership at the start of 2026, American Pinball has been regaining its footing in the industry, mostly by promising and delivering new and improved machines at a reasonable pace. Following their success with the reimagined Cirqus Voltaire, we caught up with them at Pinball Expo, where they were very open about what to expect in 2027.
Paul Melio has the scoop: two machines are currently planned for the next calendar year, including a licensed IP title with a limited run, as well as another reimagined game later on. They also detailed their plans for upcoming pinball shows, giveaways, and factory tours. Time will tell if American Pinball can claw their way back, but at the very least, they've clearly upped their production pace.
Spooky Pinball Teases The Goonies
The Goonies is a theme that has been riding high in our Hype Index for a long time, rarely leaving the top 10 throughout 2026. Advancing from a longstanding rumor to an official machine coming soon, Spooky Pinball recently announced that they'll be helming the project. Though no concrete details are available yet, Spooky whet our appetite with a brief teaser video, promising that all will be revealed on November 13. Rumors also point to a 1,300-machine run with a very small batch of 85 SLE machines: a large chunk of which have already been allotted to distributors and friends, a decision that has drawn the ire of collectors who feel left out of the loop and stricken by FOMO (a similar tale to the release of Beetlejuice).
Exploring EMs: Steve Kordek, An Icon of Longevity
Known as one of the hardest-working designers in pinball history, Steve Kordek had a massive career from 1937–1999, and solar_espeon reflects on his storied past in her Exploring EMs column. From his start at Genco to his eventual retirement under Williams, discover how he popularized such timeless mechanics as the drop target, multiball, and more.
On Location: Tycoon Arcade
Dan Yarrington is the owner and operator of Tycoon Arcade in Manchester, New Hampshire, and The Arcade Hunters sat down and chatted with him about his experience in the industry. What started as a game room in an office during the pandemic has exploded into one of the best locations in the state, offering a variety of machines that showcase his immense passion for gaming. He chats about the challenges of maintaining a modern arcade, how he grew his pinball collection, and his thoughts on everything from redemption games to arcade classics.
The Southwestern Belle Pinball Rodeo Sells Out
The sold-out flyer. (Belles & Chimes San Antonio)
The Southwestern Belle Pinball Rodeo is full, with a waitlist behind it. The fourth annual Rodeo runs January 29–31 in San Antonio, with five IFPA-sanctioned tournaments over three days. Organizers raised the cap to 150 players, and women from 25 states filled it. Belles & Chimes San Antonio, the organizer, bills it as the largest women's pinball event in the world (and I think it might be the biggest women's pinball event ever?). If you can't make it, What's Brewing is streaming the whole weekend.
Star Wars FOTE 0.98 Erupts with Ewoks
Stern released Star Wars: Fall of the Empire code 0.98.0 for the Pro, Premium, and LE on November 3. This update adds a slew of changes, including remastered speech, new film clips, scoring tweaks, and bug fixes. The biggest addition is the Ewok Encounter mini-wizard mode, which becomes available after playing eight unique characters (fewer if you successfully complete bonus missions). This four-phase mode includes a multiball and some hurry-up sections, with scaling scoring based on the total points earned in previous missions. As FOTE nears 1.0, consistent code updates like this have given it a serious boost in fun factor and replayability since launch.
Sonic 0.960 Adds Boss Rush and QR Score Entry
Sonic the Hedgehog got its 0.960 code update, which adds the Boss Rush feature mode, putting players in a gauntlet of boss battles. Win four boss battles to qualify the multiball mode, where more balls in play equals more points, and it's a race against the clock to clear seven of Dr. Eggman's creations. Clearing Boss Rush faster than anyone else will earn you the coveted title of Boss Rush Champion.
Speaking of high scores, code 0.960 also adds an interesting new feature to Sonic: QR score tracking. After obtaining a high score on a machine, it will display a QR code that saves the name you enter. You can then snap a photo of the QR and use that image in the future when you obtain another high score by showing it to the JJP player camera, bypassing the need to manually enter your name. A clunky procedure, it seems, but it's still a step toward pinball connectivity popularized by Stern Insider Connected.
Links of the Week
Viggo Löwgren Wins 2025-26 Stern Pro Circuit — Fresh off his first IFPA Major win, Viggo took home another victory by clutching the 2025-26 Stern Pro Circuit Finals. Facing off in the grand finals against Preston Currie, he sped through several challenge runs, winning a brand-new Stern pinball machine and a hefty sum of cash.
Tanner Petch Hypes Homebrew Roots — Stern Pinball's newest designer, Tanner Petch, discusses his philosophy of design and his roots in homebrew in this short video from Pinball Expo.
'Clawcades' on the Rise in US — This intriguing report from The Claw Machine Buddy shows that arcades dedicated to claw machines are booming, with 335 locations in the United States. Texas is the claw capital with 22% of the national total of locations. Wacky prizes, trade-ups, and trends like Labubu mania are helping the market grow substantially.
Pinball Expo's No Flip Area — The Arcade Hunters gives us a close-up look at the "No Flip" zone of Pinball Expo 2026, a collection of historic 1930s machines and a highlight of the show.
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast #130: Portland Pinball & The Mob — Wedgehead whips up a dramatic tale of Portland's past with the mob and their risky pinball routes.
The Pinball Show Ep 199: Goonies, SLE Rumors, Scalpers — Dennis & Zach discuss The Goonies and Stern's possible January cornerstone, along with scalping concerns and other rumors.
Jack Guarnieri Wants Operators to Clean Games — In a short piece for RePlay Magazine, Jack Guarnieri of Jersey Jack Pinball reminisces about visiting a resort, and how the cleaning practices of the staff reflect on the arcade business. Basically, Jack wants you to clean your games.
Poll of the Week
After the release of Cirqus Voltaire, do you have more or less confidence in the new leadership at American Pinball?
Last Week’s Results
“I love Star Trek Next Generation and Terminator 2. Great pinball action.”
“The dot-matrix era just barely edges out the late-80s for me. Ritchie will be missed!”
“For my money, the best era of pinball is the DMD 90s. So many fantastic games, including those from the great, Steve Richie.”
“In my current collection of 10, I own 3 Steve Ritchie games - High Speed, No Fear and AC/DC Premium. One from each of the middle three generations made this a hard choice. My grandson plays AC/DC the most so this reflects his vote. ”
“Tough one. I am a die hard system 11 fan but some of Ritchie's WPC games are on my favorites list. ”
“An incredible career. ”
“Love my Elton John”
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