UPDATE: I have received a reply from Kevin Kulek of Skit-B Pinball. I asked about what has been going on with Predator and it looks like it has been a parts challenge. With that finally getting set aside, they hope that things continue to move along smoothly so the game can finally get a release this coming September/October. I also asked if there have been any major changes made to the game since we last saw it, Kevin’s reply: “ There have been a handful of minor changes to circumvent stuck balls and things like that, but everything is still the same for all functional purposes.“
Here is a recent video of Predator as shown at the Texas Pinball Festival:
I also got some more information on Experts of Dangerous Pinball. Here is that info. There was a video posted to Youtube showing the art package but it has since been put into Private status. I caught it just before then and it has a strong focus on the crash test dummies as the source of conflict, as mentioned by Kevin below.
SkitB – Experts of Dangerous is very far along. The art package has been mostly shown already, and our prototype over here has been flipping for about 6 months now and is on its fourth revision. Barring any crazy breakdowns or slip-ups that may come up, the iteration of the game we have here at the workshop is at least close to final layout, if not final already.
– Mythbusters is undeniably awesome and with how long it has been on-air there is certainly enough content to make something out of, but there just isn’t any conflict in the show, and a good pinball machine thrives on conflict in the story. Using the apocalyptic approach really gives the game a TON of conflict to thrive on, but using dummies as the enemies allows us to keep it somewhat silly and humorous when it needs to be. Once we opened the door on a brand new IP starring Adam and Jamie in such a wild situation, we knew we couldn’t back out; it was just too perfect to leave behind. There are still “tests” that need to be performed in the game, but instead of testing for the validity of an idea like Mythbusters is infinitely famous for, the player must perform certain “tests” to find weaknesses in the construction of the dummies to better the chances of victory. The personality of the stars is being meticulously recreated for the pin not only through careful observation from the designers, but from personal input from the stars themselves, as well. Long time lovers of the Mythbusters TV show will feel right at home with the game by hearing familiar banter and causing tons of mayhem and explosions, just like Adam and Jamie are famous for.
Original Story: It has been a while since we have heard of Skit-B Pinball, they have been attended some pinball expos recently and they have also been working on a new pinball machine. As a refresher, they first popped onto the scene with Predator Pinball, which unfortunately has not been released yet. I reached out to them to see if there was an update to share on that but I have not received a reply as of this time.
Here is their new project, called Experts of Dangerous Pinball, which stars the two primary “Mythbusters”, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. It also will probably involve crash-test dummies in some form if we go by this trailer [EDIT: the trailer has been removed for the moment]
Could be fun with a lot of crashing going on and if they have Savage and Hyneman on board with some voice overs, that would be a touch I think fans would assume to be there. I’m guessing the licensing would cost a bit more to do a Mythbusters Pinball. That all said, I really do wonder what is up with Predator Pinball, if that has been shelved for some reason and now the focus is on this. We first heard about Predator in 2012. I want to see new blood succeed in the pinball sector but this is a product-driven business, we need games need to be produced and delivered for people to get really excited. Same idea goes for any of the new companies joining the pinball fray. I know it is a huge challenge to get started in pinball as you have to not only design a good table but you need parts that work under duress, there are patent issues at play, nailing down distribution and after-market support and you need the funding to make this all work. Here’s hoping it all works out.
Great to see fellow p-roc guys get their games done and out to customers. Not a small feat when starting from 0. Uk customers are expecting their games shortly I believe