The new company in charge of licensing Williams pinball parts and games
If you know a little about pinball then chances are you know about Bally/Williams. For years they dominated the pinball scene and when they decided to move onto other kinds of non-pinball entertainment, it looked as though pinball was dead. Fortunately, Stern Pinball stuck around and has continued to produce machines since but that doesn’t remove the name recognition or nostalgia some feel towards Bally pinball machines.
So this news coming from Pinballnews.com is sure to draw some interest. Planetary Pinball has acquired the rights to manufacture parts AND games using the Bally/Williams name. For now the focus will be on parts but according to the press release, the new company is exploring options “for manufacturing new or re-issued games under the Bally Trademark”. It’s doubtful that we will see any new games sporting a Bally logo anytime soon but just knowing that it’s a possibility is cause for much rejoicing (queue Monty Python “yea!” sound here). That also includes Pinball 2000 technology, which I think deserves another go in arcades and considering the modular nature of existing P2k cabinets, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was one of the first developments they take on, assuming their exploration goes in a positive direction.
[Pinballnews.com – “New company acquires Williams rights”] [Pinball.com]
If this is true, maybe they can get Pat Lawlor and Steve Ritchie away from Stern and do new tables that aren’t based on licenses.
I had that thought too, since they both showed some dissatisfaction with Stern at some point.
First I’ve heard of that… what did they have to say?
Here’s an interview with Pat Lawlor who gets a little into it:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21644
Ritchie:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=98516.0
Ritchie won’t be going back to Stern anytime soon since they laid him off after making 24. Seems weird that they did that to him with his track record
About time ! With all the crappy pinball machines Stern has cranked out over the past few years, it would be a delight to see someone give these guys a run for their money – Perhaps now Stern will start making compelling titles with updated electronics, and that are actually *fun* to play