This thread blew up so I thought something was announced...

rats!

Prediction - might blow up for real late this month or in August. #4 can't be too far away from being ready .....

I’m also I’m the camp that these will be ready to ship day 1.

Who is their main designer, now? Dennis Nordman? Anyone else noteworthy they have on staff?

He's their only in-house design guy and is supposedly training / mentoring at least one new designer but they have hired a couple of industry veteran people including a mechanical engineer and a new art director. Details on those hires can be found here: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/

Balcer was to be working as a contract designer but now that he's at Homepin we're just speculating if the game he was nearly done with ever gets made or not.

I think Dennis has 3 staff designers he is helping and mentoring along with his own designs. Joe Balcer became a contract designer - but yeah, don't know if that effected the game he was working on and it's status for release - go or no go for the future as far as working now for Homepin. Didn't know about the Joe Balcer Homepin news. Is he full on with them or contracting with them too ?

Any other streams/videos of LOV besides what's already linked here in Pinside? Would love for first NIB to be American Pinball but not entirely sold on what I've seen of LOV.

Per Kaneda and Ben Heck (for what that's worth), a re-titled LOV is gonna be the next AP release. If that's the case, my hope is not too much else changes from the original layout and mechs.

Interesting if accurate. What ever it is I don't think the wait will be too much longer. August maybe ??

Just looked up the Legends of Valhalla, looks a fun machine. I would seriously consider it, and i',m not really shopping for pinballs lately.

This has been the leading rumour for months so I'm not surprised one or both of those guys have picked up on it. I guess we'll see how true it is "pretty soon", I hope.

Followed up a bit more on the Kaneda rumor that Two Steps From Hell are on music for whatever LOV ends up being. They're apparently a pretty big deal in music production? Could be interesting, but their top 5 tracks on Spotify were all very heavy and orchestral on a quick scrub through. My hope is they'll polish the existing LOV tracks but add better production value/more juice to them. I liked the uptempo rock in a lot of the modes and felt they fit the theme pretty well.

LOV would be a theme I’m finally interested in from AP. Hopefully they don’t focus on the “family friendly” aspect as much as previous titles though.

I'd take LOV re-themed as How To Train Your Dragon but would 1000% be in the minority on that.

I’d have to buy it for my son….I couldn’t pass that up especially if it’s a fun playing pin

Wait Legends of Valhalla “LOV” isn’t that by Riot pinball ? So if they partnered with them didn’t they claim that “Alice In Wonderland” is coming soon ?!

3434AC13-E556-4629-A219-FB7A1559A1C0 (resized).jpeg

That has been coming soon since well before Wrath of Olympus was released. I wish it would, as it looks to be a great layout. I have not read or seen anything about a whitewood made to date. Hopefully, it will see the light of day.

I am still thinking we will be surprised on the title for game #4. Much like Hot Wheels was a surprise, and that turned out to be a very good one. #4 has to be in the home stretch to release. Bring it on AP.

I'd still like to see a Sherlock Holmes sometime so hope that hasn't been removed from the possible future titles. But after seeing what AP did with Hot Wheels I am confident whatever is in the pipeline should be good.

Fix said the company wants to produce a couple pins per year if my recall is correct. Chances for 2 pins released between now - say August and plus 6 months - Februrary ?

I think it would be cool to run two games at once. Have the lesser popular unlicensed theme for the sugars fans, then a killer licensed theme to get the hype and FOMO going.

That Alice in Wonderland layout looks amazing and really hope they build it.

I do wonder what the calculus is like right now for AP in terms of generating excitement for the next release. We're out of the Spooky announcement window and in a lull for Stern, which really only leaves CGC to compete with for attention over the next few weeks (til the next Stern announcement lol). I really hope they can take advantage and get something out the door.

As a marketing guy myself, I definitely understand the desire to only want to deliver something when it's ready. But for a company of this size that some would say needs to make a splash, I'd love to see them get into the teaser game. There's too much excitement about pinball right now to pass up the hype machine.

I think it would also be cool for them to do two versions. Their regular version, then one LE version that has different trim, unique cabinet art and backglass and unique art blades only to that mode. Everything else is the same.

My hot take is that Spooky isn't that great at the teaser game, it's just that they stand out because no one else in the pinball industry really does it.

That said, from listening to podcasts I've definitely gotten the vibe that AP is much more traditional and buttoned up than Spooky, and it shows in their marketing. I would like to see AP modernize a bit in that respect and just get people talking about the company more. Radio silence and then a drop can work for Stern because they consistently churn out games. But for a brand like AP, a bit more action would help. There are like 4 people in this thread talking and hoping amongst themselves (guilty as charged!) but it'd be awesome to get that number higher.

I've thought about this more than I'm proud to admit over the last couple weeks because it's a nice diversion from work, and I think AP could benefit by tagging in some influencers. "Leak" a couple pieces to streamers or distros and get them talking. Send a random photo or two to Zach Meny or Jack Danger and have them post (even if it costs a little money). It'll generate that external excitement and traction while looking more organic.

My last thought here is I say all of this not to be critical of AP, but instead as someone who wants them to be successful. I've been impressed with what they've brought to the table and want more people to feel the same. They just need a little more enthusiasm from the marketplace, and there are some seemingly logical steps to take toward making that happen.

I'm the market for AP. Next purchase likely to be NIB given the skyrocketing secondary market prices. Willing to pay for higher quality. Want something unique/quirky tied closely to theme. Enjoy a challenge but more interested in being entertained; casual player. Intrigued by what they've done with limited inventory - willing to take a chance on the reputation.

That said, I don't need the tease but I do want to plan my next purchase. There are just two titles (TOM and TOTAN) that I'd be interested in from Chicago, so until I hear from either company regarding their plans, my money stays in my pocket. I'd like to spend it...

I was really nervous buying Oktoberfest after only a couple of plays, but after changing awards to extra balls (I’m not a good player) I’m having tons of fun. The build quality is awesome! It’d be an LE if it was a stern.

Special request from avid player. Ditch the rough coating on your lock bars. I’ve been playing a ton of Oktoberfest. After going from Oktoberfest to Dialed In it is so much nicer to put your hands on a smoother surface.

I'm the opposite. I have always loved the crinkle coat on bars both for grip and lack of fingerprints. Games with smooth bars constantly have to be cleaned to get oils and fingerprints off. Don't even get me started on chrome...

I like the look of it but I didn’t realize how much better it is on the hands going from one to the other. It does seem like Oktoberfest is much more rough than even Hot Wheels which has the same coating. I hear ya though with the fingerprints. If I am just playing they don’t get wiped as often but if people come over they get cleaned afterwards.

Any news about API going to any of the upcoming shows? Perhaps to make some announcements?

Actually if you really think about it, that grossness is still there you just can’t see it. And worse yet a rough surface is harder to clean and keep clean. There is a reason a lock down bar is a smooth, easy to clean surface.

Wrong thread, but yeah the sandpaper powdercoat is a bit too much on AP games. I can tell an AP game blindfolded. Not a deal breaker but feels a little too mechanical and boutique for my liking. I think for houdini/steampunk it works when I figured out what it was.

Holy crap. I was so focused on CGC and Stern's next release that I forgot about AP.

This is why you gotta leak stuff!

I’m 1000% onboard with a HTTYD theme!

How to train your dragon would be awesome.

Are we getting closer ??

Stern's blockbuster is right around the corner.

The time to release this game was pretty much January through June. Might as well wait until October now.

Whatever else comes out I’m waiting to see what AP brings before deciding on pin #2.

I normally would agree with you but if it is Godzilla the Legends of Valhalla may only be a legend for me. Or at least I will play it on locations .

I’m in on LOV if they add all the polish to it my imagination has conjured up

Let's go American Pinball.!!

Actually to me their competition is really not Stern. They need to strike now while Jersey Jack has their back against the ropes with all this quality and customer support nonsense.

Damn right, i'll never buy another JJP while this attitude exists.

I just don't have any interest in JJP's Toy Story as a theme and it'll probably be 2023 before there's another JJP title...