So thinking about this new company some more....
Based on those weird job postings, it's like they ARE a completely new pinball start up. And not an "investor" in zidware or John.
Obviously John is involved in some way, because they've even said so, but it could be as a consultant, which is a position he likes (being paid to share his "35 years of pinball blah blah blah").
They are posting these job listings publicly, and have an office, yet are still acting all weird and covert. The people behind it are unknown to the pinball world, which is odd, considering every other pinball startup was a passion project by known people inside of pinball. It sort of has to be, there is no easy money to be made here and is such a high risk business normal investment doesn't apply.
Adding to it is the mystery of what exactly has John been doing this past year+ when everything has failed. He is not bankrupt, his business still exists, outside of the occasional story of "new investors" coming to look at his stuff.