First they built a Bally, then they built a Williams. It wasn't really any more complicated than that.

At first they maintained different cabinets but changed that before Dr. Who was released. The boards themselves were all Williams after the merger.

Truck Stop was the first game released after the merge (under the Midway label) and it uses a mix of Bally and Williams parts. For example, the upper flippers are Bally mechs and the lower flippers are Williams' design.

And the CPU was Bally 6803 but the Sound board was WMS (as I recall).

Well, that one was designed at Bally and was ready to go.

I remember I started a thread asking pretty much the same question not too long ago.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/who-had-the-better-games-after-the-williamsbally-merge

Seems like the consensus is that Bally/Williams just flip flopped on slapping each other's name on a design as it rolled out of the factory.

Why don't we start a little earlier? I've noticed that Bally and Williams make slot machines today. I assume that they're separate companies. Was Bally pinball separate from Bally slots? When did that happen?

OK. Harry Williams worked for Bally in the 1930s.

I don't know how it ties into development or release, but one thing I've always liked about the Williams games was how they integrated the W-ball logo into the cabinet art. Whereas on Ballys, they just kind of slap-crammed the name on as an afterthought.

So it seems possible some games were designed with the branding intent almost right from the start, at least as far as the art goes. Some title licenses might have offered more flexibility to integrate the W-ball, while others did not and thus became Bally's?

Scientific Game Corp. acquired WMS and Williams Interactive in 2013 and Bally Technologies in 2014 and they make the slots now! ahhh the insanity of it all. ps SGMS stock went up 6.47% today. holla

The beginning of the end..................

Bally Pinball & slots were the same company (Bally Manufacturing Corporation) until the pinball division was sold to Williams/WMS. In 1992 Bally Gaming International was formed by spinning off the slot machine assets of Bally Manufacturing Corporation.

Williams slots were once "Seeburg Slots" by Gaming Devices, Inc. after that fiasco was closed up, Williams got back into it several years later and never looked back. Eventually Williams/Bally Pinball was shut down and Williams slots survived. Eventually becoming WMS Slots. Now that Scientific Games owns both WMS Industries and Bally Technologies, it's one happy family these days. Well, unless you're an employee there....

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Thanks. That was the info I was looking for.

Now we can argue about the superiority of Bally/Williams slot machines for the next 10 years!

I love me some Jackpot Party with spinning reels!

Hello 1999!

Here is the head of my truckstop.

edit for some reason the upload is failing. here is a link
https://goo.gl/photos/4jnKaWmxnhRaiJ4u6

That certainly looks like a sys11 era WMS sound board ...

Compare to : http://www.beerorkid.com/pin/System%209-11/Part1/index1_files/bk2ks.jpg

I am really developing a love for the late B/W pins. Looking to change up my lineup a bit and go to more B/W. Those guys could really make games.

For some reason, I want a Dotmation Slot so bad.

They use the larger "Sega" display and put it to great use. They're all done by former pinball people so naturally they're great.