History TroubledProduction / Pinball

** Right from the starting gate, the increased prices generated major outcry (the game had no base Pro model, and the top-tier "Super LE" had a hefty price tag of ''$15,000''). Furthermore, those wanting the most expensive version of the game were required to fill out a form and submit a video explaining why they'd be worthy of getting a "Super LE"...with Stern allowed to incorporate said videos for marketing purposes and buy back a "Super LE" from a customer if necessary. Outraged fans found Stern's decision to be in bad taste, but -- unsurprisingly -- video submissions were posted on YouTube left and right ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMC5xt-VT3o including this sarcastic one]]), and all "Super LE" games were accounted for.

** The project immediately faced conflict from Ride/UniversalStudios, whose ExecutiveMeddling rejected the initial playfield artwork [[{{Bowdlerize}} over offensive imagery]] (and an unauthorized usage of the ''Kahula'' brand) and the film soundtrack removed. [[note]]The only way Dutch Pinball could include music from the film would be to show associated videos from the film in their entirety, which the manufacturer ultimately deemed "impossible" to do.[[/note]] Yet the seams in Dutch Pinball and Universal's relationship burst when the former brought an unapproved prototype to New York City, where members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) [[https://vimeo.com/114374943 played it on video]]. Shortly after, Universal threatened to pull the license.

** If 2000 was bad, then 2008 almost ''killed'' Stern. The year brought more mediocre titles, including ''Pinball/IndianaJones'', ''CSI'' and ''Pinball/BatmanStern''. Stern's low prices kept them from turning a profit in their expensive-to-produce machines. CEO Gary Stern nearly sold his company if it had not been for investor Dave Peterson's intervention; the following year saw vast improvements to Stern's infastructure, marketing, social media presence, and a new business model consisting of a stripped-down "Pro" model geared toward arcade operators and more expensive, fully-featured "Premium" and "Limited Edition" variants for collectors.

** The project immediately faced conflict from UniversalStudios, whose ExecutiveMeddling rejected the initial playfield artwork [[{{Bowdlerize}} over offensive imagery]] (and an unauthorized usage of the ''Kahula'' brand) and the film soundtrack removed. [[note]]The only way Dutch Pinball could include music from the film would be to show associated videos from the film in their entirety, which the manufacturer ultimately deemed "impossible" to do.[[/note]] Yet the seams in Dutch Pinball and Universal's relationship burst when the former brought an unapproved prototype to New York City, where members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) [[https://vimeo.com/114374943 played it on video]]. Shortly after, Universal threatened to pull the license.

** Later, production was [[ScheduleSlip delayed]], which the company claimed was due to circuit board problems...[[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623849 only for it to be revealed in February 2017]] that ARA -- the contract manufacturer overseeing production -- were embargoing finished machines and refusing to build any more out of claims that Dutch Pinball had not met payment obligations. [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623497 Finger-pointing ensued]] between both parties, while outraged customers accused Dutch Pinball of lying to them. ** Dutch Pinball refused to reimburse ARA and began taking orders on $13,000 ''Bride of Pinbot: 25th Anniversary'' games to finance manufacturing the remaining ''Big Lebowski''s themselves; the effort was quickly stalled amongst fierce derision from the 130 customers still yet to receive their machines. ARA offered to produce the machines in exchange for investing 51% into Dutch Pinball, but the latter declined ([[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-values-your-advice-on-tbl-vote-here despite customers voting against this decision when asked for feedback]]). A new manufacturer -- XYTECH Modules Technologies -- stepped forth to aid production, and a redesign of the circuit boards was also announced.

* As of 2016, the Vonnie D Pinball trademark is abandoned, and the company's social media pages have become ghost towns. Some hobbyists postulated that things could've been ''much'' worse if the project had progessed further.

Small pinball manufacturers--and would-be manufacturers--over the 2010s have had so many problems, they've cast a shadow over its entire fanbase. Not that the big manufacturers weren't immune either.

Plenty of budding pinball companies have attempted to bring their dream games to reality. Unfortunately, many have fallen victim to a myriad of problems in the process.
* Dutch Pinball's ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'' has dealt with this ''in spades.''
** The sheer amount of no-nonsense ExecutiveMeddling from UniversalStudios caused the most trouble; they rejected the initial playfield artwork because of unapproved images ([[{{Bowdlerize}} which were then removed, per request]]), and in similar fashion ordered the film soundtrack in the game to be replaced with different musical pieces.[[note]]The only way Dutch Pinball could include music from the film would be to show associated videos from the film in their entirety, which the manufacturer ultimately deemed "impossible" to do.[[/note]]
** Because of assets that were yet to be approved, the game was to be kept from public eye until Universal gave everything the green light. However, Dutch Pinball brought the unapproved prototype to New York City, where members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) [[https://vimeo.com/114374943 were filmed playing the game]]. This didn't go well with Universal's executives, who threatened to pull the license from Dutch Pinball.
** In February 2015, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game several Dutch Pinball customers claimed]] that they had received refund notices for the game...despite never actually ''requesting'' them in the first place. It wound up that Dutch Pinball's Director of Marketing and Communications, Philip Weinberg, had been issuing refunds to reduce the company's debt. In [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game?tu=phil-dp-usa a series of posts]], he then [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere publicly announced his resignation]], detailed the project's licensing troubles, and accused a game designer of financial fraud. The incident [[note]](referred to as [[ScandalGate "Philgate"]] by the pinball community)[[/note]] left Dutch Pinball's reputation hanging in the balance. Fortunately, however, licensing guru Creator/RogerSharpe came to their rescue.
** Production (thought to be going fine afterwards) was then beset by delays, which Dutch Pinball claimed were due to problems with the game's circuit boards. After months of silence, however, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623849 it came to light in February 2017]] that ARA, the manufacturer, had halted production and delivery of ''The Big Lebowski'' machines because Dutch Pinball had not met payment obligations. Finger-pointing ensued between ARA and Jaap Nauta, Dutch Pinball's Project Manager, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623497 the latter alleging that]] ARA had demanded more money than what was originally agreed and threatened legal action. Meanwhile, outraged customers lambasted Dutch Pinball for lying to them about the situation.
** Refusing to reimburse ARA, Dutch Pinball attempted manufacturing the games on their own. To finance their efforts, they began taking orders on a second game: ''[[Pinball/TheMachineBrideOfPinbot Bride of Pinbot]]: 25th Anniversary'', based upon their previous ''Bride of Pinbot 2.0'' kit and with a hefty $13,000 price tag. Those who still hadn't gotten their ''Big Lebowski'' machines derided this bit of news. In a move which further hinted Dutch Pinball's financial turmoil, ARA offered to produce the games in exchange for letting them invest in 51% of Dutch Pinball. Despite [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-values-your-advice-on-tbl-vote-here gauging feedback from customers on what to do]] (who voted ''overwhelmingly'' in favor of them taking the deal), Dutch Pinball turned down ARA's offer and announced that a new manufacturer would aid production.

* Classic Playfield Reproductions, which reproduces pinball playfields and other parts, started two original projects. Both were cancelled, needless to say.
** Their first project, ''Lost Vegas'', was announced in 2010 as a conversion kit for Bally's ''Music/DollyParton'' pinball machine, replacing the original artwork and sounds to a DarkerAndEdgier theme of strippers in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. About a year later, rough sketches of the backglass art were publicly released, though to vitriol and mockery among pinball enthusiasts (despite assurances that this ''wasn't'' the final product). The team quietly axed their initial artist, Stephanie, setting their eyes on Creator/GregFreres. However, when he was approached to join the project, Freres was too busy producing ''Pinball/WhoaNellieBigJuicyMelons'' for Whizbang Pinball, Creator/JerseyJackPinball's ''Pinball/WizardOfOz'' and later joining Stern Pinball's team. Despite the software apparently finished, the prolonged search for an artist dragged the project to DevelopmentHell, and -- later, without much fanfare -- cancellation.
** The second project, ''Hammer of the Godz'', was a conversion kit announced in 2015 for Bally's ''Vector'' game. The game was loosely themed around Music/LedZeppelin (with images of band members, but original public domain artwork elsewhere to avoid licensing costs). Much like with ''Lost Vegas'' above, the art direction was immensely criticized ([[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hammer-of-the-godz-led-zep-pinball-finally as shown in its Pinside thread]]). CPR's Art Director Stuart Wright didn't take the negative reception too kindly, which turned off customers as much as the game itself. The project was later canned due to lack of interest.
* Production on ''The Crocodile Hunter Outback Adventure'', which was supposed to be Australian-based The Pinball Factory's first game, slowed to a crawl following the untimely death of Steve Irwin in 2006, who had provided speech and starred in the artwork. Even though a whitewood playfield was finished, there has since been no further updates on the game, which has led many to consider it to be in {{Vaporware}} territory now.

** Rather than joining up with Stern or Creator/JerseyJackPinball, Popadiuk, after a short time with toy company Zizzle, [[StartMyOwn founded his own company]], Zidware, in 2011 with ''Magic Girl'' announced, followed by ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice in Wonderland]]'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'', with prices for each table ''beginning'' at US$16,000. Popadiuk was notoriously secretive about these projects, which was initially welcome, but people started getting suspicious when, by 2014, he still had very little to show for them except empty cabinets.
** Popadiuk then revealed that he had run out of money for the project, despite the large amounts of pre-order money he received. In addition, his artist, Jeremy Packer a.k.a. [=ZombieYeti=], and programmer, Jim Askey (known as "applejuice" on Pinside), both stepped forth and claimed that they had not yet been paid.
** At the end of his rope, Popadiuk had to sell the rights to ''Magic Girl'' to another company, Pintasia, and put ''Alice in Wonderland'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'' on indefinite hold. Upon receiving Popadiuk's work and bringing him in as a consultant, Pintasia realized that ''Magic Girl'' [[ObviousBeta was in such an incomplete state]] that another two years would be required to get it to a condition acceptable enough to bring to customers. After a rushed and ultimately botched attempt to bring an unfinished ''Magic Girl'' prototype to a pinball show, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Pintasia swore off on helping Popadiuk any further]].

** Unsurprisingly, Popadiuk's reputation within the pinball community [[CreatorKiller took a massive nosedive]]. Zidware customers colluded via social media to push for legal action against Popaduik, who was now becoming the target of disparaging nicknames like "Jflop" and "Jpoop". Furthermore, customers on the Pinside Forums edited [[note]](more like vandalized)[[/note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popadiuk Popadiuk's Wikipedia page]] to include mentions of the litigation against Zidware. [[http://www.johnpopadiuk.com/ A website bearing Popadiuk's name]] also materialized to document the fiasco. Popadiuk himself had gone quiet and wouldn't respond to customer emails, though he ''did'' ramble about things [[http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-197-an-evening-with-john-popadiuk_59362 on an episode of Coast 2 Coast Pinball]].

* ''Pinball Gremlins'' by Vonnie D Pinball quickly exploded into a public relations nightmare that has since gained it nearly total isolation from its customers… all in the one week the game was announced.
** The company was founded by Von Davis and Wes Upchurch in 2014, launching [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2065029795/pinball-gremlins-pinball-machine a Kickstarter campaign]] to fund development on the game, set up manufacturing processes and pay the team’s salaries. With a goal of $100,000, after a sluggish start, at the last minute the campaign finally reached its goal in the end of July. Creator/BarryOursler joined the team to provide guidance with his vast experience in pinball design.
** People began to get skeptical, however, when they learned that Vonnie D’s Kickstarter program required a full payment of the game, with no mention of refunds. To further the discontent of fans, the team provided very few visuals of the game to the public outside a 3D rendering of the playfield and some sketches. Davis said that it was all a misunderstanding, claiming that Vonnie D Pinball didn’t want pre-orders at all, but rather wanted a way to get the pinball community involved with the project in the hopes of avoiding delays that other boutique manufacturers have dealt with. However, this baffled everyone, because the team had such large stretch goals and yet was expecting to reach them by selling things like Vonnie D Pinball t-shirts and key chains.
** People continued to express concern and post questions via social media, but very rarely got replies back from the team. Eventually, accusations of the Kickstarter campaign being filled with fake pledges cropped up, which were then continuously shot down and met with harsh responses from Upchurch. Things didn’t get any better when it was revealed that he was heading to court on a charge associated with the distribution of synthetic drugs.
** Years later, in 2016, doubts regarding the project's future were proven true; the Vonnie D Pinball trademark was abandoned, and the company's social media pages have become practical ghost towns. Many pinball hobbyists admitted that they were relieved that the project ended up being dead in the water -- they postulated that things could've been ''a lot'' worse, on par with or potentially exceeding the other examples here.

** The project began in 2011, before many other companies and groups decided to make their own pinball machines, and they got a lot of support for being, at the time, the only possible competition to Stern. Skit-B had shown prototypes of ''Predator'' with its own gimmick: dark modes lit by ultraviolet light, a la Creator/{{Sega}}'s ''Viper Night Drivin''', and they announced they could make 250 machines for roughly $6,000 each. Hype was so big that pre-orders quickly ran out.

** By this point, Kulek was the only person left on the team, the others having quit in frustration or to distance themselves from Kulek, who by now had become a persona non grata among every pinball company and infuriating fans, particularly those who had already paid Skit-B thousands of dollars and were unlikely to get it back. Most eventually settled on pursuing legal action against Kulek en masse (the process of which is currently ongoing). Pinball News had a talk with Kulek about this situation from his point of view [[http://www.pinballnews.com/comment/predatorpinball2.html here.]]
** At the same time the bombshell was dropped, [[https://predatorpinball.wordpress.com/ a Wordpress page]] surfaced with more details. The anonymous authors -- identifying themselves as some of Skit-B's customers -- claimed responsibility for alerting Fox about the project's licensing violations. Moreover, they suggested that Kulek was insistent on continuing production on the game despite the looming threat of legal action from Fox, who apparently ''had no idea'' about the project's existence until it was later brought to their attention.

** 2000 consisted of a poor-selling game lineup, including ''Pinball/SharkeysShootout'', ''Pinball/HighRollerCasino'', and ''Pinball/AustinPowers''. To reciprocate the situation, Stern utilized several cost-cutting measures (such as reducing their planned number of games from four to three per year, straying from developing unlicensed titles, and laying off twelve hourly-paid workers and three game design team members). In an effort to improve matters, Stern brought in Creator/PatLawlor Design to produce ''Pinball/{{Monopoly}},'' although it shows signs of the cost-cutting of the time.
** If 2000 was bad, then 2008 almost ''killed'' Stern. The year brought more mediocre titles, including ''Pinball/IndianaJones'', ''CSI'' and ''Pinball/BatmanStern''. The main culprit to most of the troubles was that the games were highly-expensive to produce, and Stern's low prices prevented them from turning a profit in sales. CEO Gary Stern -- unbeknownst to the public -- was preparing to sell the company (which would've left the fate of pinball in the hands of rival Creator/JerseyJackPinball and several boutique pinball companies). All hope seemed lost...until investor Dave Peterson stepped forth to put the struggling Stern in a different direction. The following year saw vast changes in Stern's infrastructure, marketing (including a bigger presence on social media and a revised logo), and the introduction of a new business model consisting of a stripped-down "Pro" model geared toward arcade operators and more expensive, fully-featured "Premium" and "Limited Edition" variants for collectors.
** During this time, a controversial figure became Stern's new Director of Marketing: Jody Dankberg. He ran Stern's presence on social media with an iron fist, [[CantTakeCriticism deleting any comment that was remotely critical]] and banning their authors from Stern's Facebook page. Furthermore, during live streams Dankberg had an arrogant demeanor and -- [[https://youtu.be/kFUDYo6VK7w?t=1800 on at least one occasion]] -- was confrontational to chat log users.[[note]]Apparently, when Stern changed as a company, he was put in charge of handling customer feedback and lending prizes to pinball tournaments. The overwhelming nature of the job allegedly made Dankberg develop a bitter grudge towards pinball as a whole.[[/note]] It reached the point where Jared Guynes (a marketing/advertising guru from Texas) pushed Stern to make him to new social media manager, having gotten fed up with Dankberg's actions.

* In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Stern unveiled ''Pinball/Batman66'', based upon [[Series/{{Batman}} the classic 1966-86 television adaptation of the comic]] starring Creator/AdamWest and Burt Ward. To say that the announcement was controversial (as much as it was exciting) is putting it mildly.

* In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Stern unveiled ''Batman 66'', based upon [[Series/{{Batman}} the classic 1966-86 television adaptation of the comic]] starring Creator/AdamWest and Burt Ward. To say that the announcement was controversial (as much as it was exciting) is putting it mildly.

** Production -- while believed to have been going smoothly afterwards -- was then beset by delays, which Dutch Pinball claimed were due to problems with the game's circuit boards. After months of silence, however, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623849 it came to light in February 2017]] that ARA, the manufacturer, had halted production and delivery of ''The Big Lebowski'' machines because Dutch Pinball had not met payment obligations. Finger-pointing ensued between ARA and Jaap Nauta, Dutch Pinball's Project Manager, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623497 the latter alleging that]] ARA had demanded more money than what was originally agreed and threatened legal action. Meanwhile, outraged customers lambasted Dutch Pinball for lying to them about the situation.
** Refusing to reimburse ARA, Dutch Pinball instead sought for another manufacturer, and -- to finance their efforts -- began taking orders on a second game: ''Bride of Pinbot: 25th Anniversary'', based upon their previous ''Bride of Pinbot 2.0'' kit with a hefty $13,000 price tag. The announcement, unsurprisingly, was met with vast outcry from those who were yet to receive their ''Big Lebowski'' machines. In June 2017, ARA offered Dutch Pinball a way out in the form of an investment of 51% into the company. Dutch Pinball asked customers on whether or not they should take the deal -- the response was ''overwhelmingly'' in favor of it, speaking volumes on the number of people who've lost their patience and respect of the company. The process is still ongoing as of this year.

** Rather than joining up with Stern or Creator/JerseyJackPinball, Popadiuk, after a short time with toy company Zizzle, [[StartMyOwn founded his own company]], Zidware, in 2011 with ''Magic Girl'' announced, followed by ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice in Wonderland]]'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'', with prices for each table ''beginning'' at US$16,000.
** Popadiuk was notoriously secretive about these projects, which was initially welcome, but people started getting suspicious when, by 2014, he still had very little to show for them except empty cabinets. He then revealed that he had run out of money for the project, despite the large amounts of pre-order money he received. In addition, Popadiuk's artist, Jeremy Packer a.k.a. [=ZombieYeti=], and programmer, Jim Askey (known as "applejuice" on Pinside), both stepped forth and claimed that they had not yet been paid.
** At the end of his rope, Popadiuk had to sell the rights to ''Magic Girl'' to another company, Pintasia, and put ''Alice in Wonderland'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'' on indefinite hold. Pintasia, upon receiving Popadiuk's work and bringing him in as a consultant, found out that ''Magic Girl'' [[ObviousBeta was in such an incomplete state]] that Pintasia would require another two years to get it to a condition good enough to bring to consumers. After a rushed and ultimately botched attempt to bring an unfinished ''Magic Girl'' prototype to a pinball show, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Pintasia swore off on helping Popadiuk any further]].
** During this time, Popadiuk had undergone a CreatorBreakdown, writing a long, somewhat angry, somewhat coherent plea not to sue him and giving the people who pre-ordered his other two projects an ultimatum to switch to ''Magic Girl'' at a loss. Nate Shivers, of the Coast 2 Coast Pinball Podcast, [[http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-167-help-me-help-you-or-this-plan-aint-magic_48514 was livid over this statement]] (though Pintasia would then step in and ease up on those pre-orderers, canceling out the loss to switch over and providing Popadiuk with legal defense).

** In September 2016, an ambitious startup named American Pinball assisted Popadiuk in the production of a new game, ''Creator/{{Houdini}}: Master Mystery'', which was believed to be all three Zidware projects cobbled together. A working prototype and 25 copies of ''Houdini'' were reached, though the project quickly became shrouded in secrecy like the trio prior to it. It was also announced that customers would be receiving their ''Magic Girl'' machines (with ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'' and ''Alice in Wonderland'' forthcoming). This ended up happening in 2017, though what customers wound up getting was a very clear ObviousBeta of a machine-- unfinished software, design flaws, and mechanisms that were either not functioning or completely absent from the playfield.

** There was then a major scare in 2014, when several Dutch Pinball customers [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game claimed]] that they received refund notices for the game...despite never actually ''requesting'' them in the first place. It was then revealed that Dutch Pinball's Director of Marketing and Communications, Philip Weinberg, had done so to reduce the company's debt. [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere He publicly announced his resignation]], as well as shedding light on the licensing troubles and accusing a game designer of financial fraud. The incident -- referred to as [[ScandalGate "Philgate"]] by the pinball community -- left Dutch Pinball's reputation hanging in the balance. Fortunately, licensing guru Creator/RogerSharpe came to the rescue.
** Production was believed to have been going smoothly afterwards. However, it was quickly beset by delays, which Dutch Pinball claimed were due to problems with the game's circuit boards. After months of silence, it came to light in February 2017 that ARA, the manufacturer, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623849 had halted production and delivery of the machines because Dutch Pinball had not met payment obligations]]. Jaap Nauta -- Dutch Pinball's Project Manager -- [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/70#post-3623497 rebutted]] with claims that ARA was demanding more money than originally agreed, and suggested that legal action was imminent (which ARA then refuted). Regardless of whoever's in the wrong, customers are rightfully outraged and have accused Dutch Pinball of flat-out lying to them about the situation.

** Their first project, ''Lost Vegas'', was announced in 2010 as a conversion kit for Bally's ''Dolly Parton'' pinball machine, replacing the original artwork and sounds to a DarkerAndEdgier theme of strippers in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. About a year later, rough sketches of the backglass art were publicly released, though to vitriol and mockery among pinball enthusiasts (despite assurances this ''wasn't'' the final product). The team quietly axed their initial artist, Stephanie, setting their eyes on Creator/GregFreres. However, when he was approached to join the project, Freres was too busy producing ''Pinball/WhoaNellieBigJuicyMelons'' for Whizbang Pinball, Creator/JerseyJackPinball's ''Pinball/WizardOfOz'' and later joining Stern Pinball's team. Despite the software apparently finished, the prolonged search for an artist dragged the project in DevelopmentHell, and -- later, without much fanfare -- to cancellation.

* ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'', produced by Dutch Pinball, dealt with this ''in spades.''

** Rather than joining up with Stern or Creator/JerseyJackPinball, Popadiuk, after a short time with toy company Zizzle, [[StartMyOwn founded his own company]], Zidware, in 2011 with ''Magic Girl'' announced, followed by ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice in Wonderland]]'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'', with prices for each table ''beginning'' at US$16,000. Popadiuk was notoriously secretive about these projects, which was initially welcome, but people started getting suspicious when, by 2014, he still had very little to show for them except empty cabinets. He then revealed that he had run out of money for the project, despite the large amounts of pre-order money he received. In addition, his artist and his programmer both stepped forth that Popadiuk had not yet paid them.

** Unsurprisingly, Popadiuk's reputation within the pinball community [[CreatorKiller took a massive nosedive]]. Zidware customers colluded via social media to push for legal action against Popaduik, who was now becoming the target of disparaging nicknames like "Jflop" and "Jpoop". Furthermore, customers on the Pinside Forums edited [[note]](more like vandalized)[[/note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popadiuk Popadiuk's Wikipedia page]] to include mentions of the litigation against Zidware. [[http://www.johnpopadiuk.com/ A website bearing Popadiuk's name]] also materialized to document the fiasco. Popadiuk himself had gone quiet and wouldn't respond to customer emails.
** In September 2016, an ambitious startup named American Pinball assisted Popadiuk in the production of a new game, ''Creator/{{Houdini}}: Master Mystery'', which was believed to be all three Zidware projects cobbled together. A working prototype and 25 copies of ''Houdini'' were reached, though the project quickly became shrouded in secrecy like the trio prior to it. It was also announced that customers would be receiving their ''Magic Girl'' machines (with ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'' and ''Alice in Wonderland'' forthcoming). This ended up happening in 2017, though what customers wound up getting was [[ObviousBeta a game with unfinished software, design flaws, and mechanisms that were either not functioning or completely absent from the playfield]].

* ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'', produced by Dutch Pinball, dealt with this ''in spades'' before getting released in 2016.
** The sheer amount of no-nonsense ExecutiveMeddling from UniversalStudios caused the most trouble; they rejected the initial playfield artwork because of unapproved images ([[{{Bowdlerize}} which were then removed, per request]]), and in similar fashion ordered the film soundtrack in the game to be replaced with different musical pieces.[[note]]The only way Dutch Pinball could include music from the film would be to show associated videos from the film in their entirety, which the manufacturer ultimately deemed "impossible" to do.[[/note]] Because of assets that were yet to be approved, the game was to be kept from public eye until Universal gave everything the green light. However, Dutch Pinball brought the unapproved prototype to New York City, where members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) [[https://vimeo.com/114374943 were filmed playing the game]]. This didn't go well with Universal's executives, who threatened to pull the license from Dutch Pinball.
** There was then a major scare in 2014, when several Dutch Pinball customers [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game claimed]] that they received refund notices for the game...despite never actually ''requesting'' them in the first place. It was then revealed that Dutch Pinball's Director of Marketing and Communications, Philip Weinberg, had done so to reduce the company's debt. [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere He publicly announced his resignation]], as well as shedding light on the licensing troubles and accusing a game designer of financial fraud. The incident -- referred to as [[ScandalGate "Philgate"]] by the pinball community -- left Dutch Pinball's reputation hanging in the balance. Fortunately, licensing guru Creator/RogerSharpe came to the rescue, and production went smoother from there.

** Rather than joining up with Stern or Creator/JerseyJackPinball, Popadiuk, after a short time with toy company Zizzle, [[StartMyOwn founded his own company]], Zidware, in 2011 with ''Magic Girl'' announced, followed by ''Alice in Wonderland'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'', with prices for each table ''beginning'' at US$16,000. Popadiuk was notoriously secretive about these projects, which was initially welcome, but people started getting suspicious when, by 2014, he still had very little to show for them except empty cabinets. He then revealed that he had run out of money for the project, despite the large amounts of pre-order money he received. In addition, his artist and his programmer both stepped forth that Popadiuk had not yet paid them.

** Unsurprisingly, Popadiuk's reputation within the pinball community [[CreatorKiller took a massive nosedive]]. Zidware customers colluded via social media to push for legal action against Popaduik, who was now becoming the target of disparaging nicknames like "Jflop" and "Jpoop". Furthermore, customers on the Pinside Forums edited [[note]](more like vandalized)[[/note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popadiuk Popadiuk's Wikipedia page]] to include mentions of the litigation against Zidware. [[http://www.johnpopadiuk.com/ A website bearing Popadiuk's name]] also materialized to document the fiasco.
** Things are looking up for Popadiuk though: As of September 2016, American Pinball, an ambitious startup with connections around the world, has agreed to take what Popadiuk and Pintasia have collectively worked on and combined Popadiuk's three projects together into ''Houdini: Master Mystery''. With guidance from American Pinball, Popadiuk has reached a working prototype of ''Houdini'' and 25 copies thereof, albeit no one is allowed to play them yet.

** At the Pinball Expo 2016, all three versions of ''Batman 66'' were showcased. Unfortunately, they were unplayable throughout the entire show because George Gomez and programmer Lyman Sheats thought the software was unfeasible to show off publicly. In a case of bad timing, other pinball manufacturers showed off their newest offerings in playable format (including ''Alien'' from Creator/HeighwayPinball and bitter rival Jersey Jack Pinball's ''Dailed In!'').

* Production on ''The Crocodile Hunter Outback Adventure'', which was supposed to be Austrialian-based The Pinball Factory's first game, slowed to a crawl following the untimely death of Steve Irwin in 2006, who had provided speech and starred in the artwork. Even though a whitewood playfield was finished, there has since been no further updates on the game, which has led many to consider it to be in {{Vaporware}} territory now.

** Unsurprisingly, Popadiuk's reputation within the pinball community [[CreatorKiller took a massive nosedive]]. Zidware customers colluded via social media to push for legal action against Popaduik, who was now becoming the target of disparaging nicknames like "Jflop" and "Jpoop". Furthermore, customers on the Pinside Forums edited [[note]](more like vandalized)[[/note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popadiuk Popadiuk's Wikipedia page]] to include mentions of the litigation against Zidware, and created a website -- [[http://www.johnpopadiuk.com/ www.johnpopadiuk.com]] -- documenting the fiasco. Some of them [[{{Determinator}} further displayed their dedication to the cause]] by leaving negative comments referencing Popadiuk's controversy on his wife's business page (most of which were quickly deleted, per her request).

* The Skit-B project, which is to make a pinball adaptation of ''Film/{{Predator}}'', pretty much ''imploded'' over the first half of 2015.

* Classic Playfield Reproductions, which reproduces pinball playfields and other parts, started a handful of original projects, but encountered some roadblocks and troubles.
** Their first project, ''Lost Vegas'', was announced in 2010 as a conversion kit for Bally's ''Dolly Parton'' pinball machine, switching out the original artwork and sounds to a DarkerAndEdgier theme of strippers in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. About a year later, sketches of the backglass art were released to the public, but many people were not impressed and criticized the art style. The team ended up having to let their original artist go in favor of another, Creator/GregFreres, but he was too busy with work on ''Pinball/WhoaNellieBigJuicyMelons'' for Whizbang Pinball and later joining Stern Pinball's team to help. The software for the game is apparently complete, but the trouble with the artwork has since been keeping it in DevelopmentHell.
** Another project, ''Hammer of the Godz'', was a conversion kit for Bally's ''Vector'' game, and was announced in 2015. The game ''sort of'' was based off of Music/LedZeppelin, but not really, according to Stu, Classic Playfield Reproduction’s Art Director (the playfield had images of the band members, but everywhere else, the game had more of an original theme to it, due to the potential costs of licensing the band). Of course, [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hammer-of-the-godz-led-zep-pinball-finally as chronicled on its Pinside thread]], the game was criticized because it looked too generic and the artwork was not what many expected from a Led Zeppelin game. The kit is still in development, though the prospect of the game turned some consumers off, along with a handful of Stu's comments on the thread, who lashed out to those who gave constructive criticism to the game.

* Dutch Pinball’s production of ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'' has dealt with this ''in spades'' before finally getting released in 2016.
** UniversalStudios was extremely dominant over Dutch Pinball's usage of the film assets, [[ExecutiveMeddling constantly requesting specific changes made and strictly enforcing rules]]. They rejected the original playfield artwork, forcing Dutch Pinball redo it and [[{{Bowdlerize}} remove several images]]. Additionally -- as shown with the game's appearance at the 2015 Pinball Expo -- they demanded that, if the company wanted to use music from the film, then they were required to show the associated video from the film in its entirety -- something that Dutch Pinball deemed as "impossible" to do. Despite poor feedback from the pinball community, the film's music in the game was replaced by newly-created musical pieces.
** During the game's development, Universal asked for the game to be kept away from the public until the entire art package was finally approved. That didn't stop the game from making an appearance in New York City, where it was played by members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA), and subsequently filmed and posted online. Despite the fact that the new playfield artwork was eventually accepted, the premature display of the unapproved assets naturally put Dutch Pinball in some ''serious'' hot water with Universal.
** Then, there was the [[FanNickName fan-dubbed]] [[ScandalGate "Philgate".]] Several customers in 2014 [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game reported]]that they received refund notices for the game -- yet they never actually ''requested'' refunds. Shortly after, Dutch Pinball's Director of Marketing and Communications, Philip Weinberg, publicly announced his departure from the company and made a series of accusatory and revealing statements about them, including pointing fingers at one of the team's designers for stealing money and claiming that Universal was apparently close to pulling the license from Dutch Pinball after one infringement too many. Apparently, he had tried to refund customers' money to reduce Dutch Pinball's debt -- the company of which subsequently having to with some truly ''ugly'' backlash from customers and fans. Later, licensing guru Creator/RogerSharpe joined the company's roster to iron out any further issues with Universal.

** At the Pinball Expo 2016, all three versions of ''Batman 66'' were showcased. Unfortunately, they were unplayable throughout the entire show because George Gomez and programmer Lyman Sheats thought the software was unfeasible to show off publicly. In a case of bad timing, other pinball manufacturers showed off their newest offerings in playable format (including ''Alien'' from Creator/HighwayPinball and bitter rival Jersey Jack Pinball's ''Dailed In!'').

** 2016 became a year of quality control issues which plagued the production of various games, including ''Pinball/GameOfThrones'' and ''Pinball/{{Ghostbusters}}''. Playfields were shipped with "insert ghosting"[[note]]a defect in which the playfield clearcoat separates from the insert, leaving behind a cloudy white line on it[[/note]] and cabinet decals which were wrinkled, improperly installed or peeling. Stern remained mum about the issues whenever they were asked about them by customers, resulting in the same pissed off folks who brought us ''Where's the Code?'' returning with another movement to protest against the former: ''Fix My Playfield Stern''. Gary Stern announced at the Pinball Expo 2016 that a program was to be created, helping those with defected playfields...but that's not to say the situation hasn't alienated even the most loyal of Stern customers.
* ''Pinball/{{Ghostbusters}}'' was plagued with multiple quality control issues upon release. The Slimer mechanism was faulty and replaced with a more reliable one, and -- most notably -- many playfields were shipped with "insert ghosting" (a defect in which the playfield clearcoat separates from the insert, leaving behind a cloudy white line on it). The latter pissed off customers just enough to put another movement against Stern in upswing: ''Fix My Playfield Stern''. At the Pinball Expo 2016, Gary Stern assured customers that a program was being designed to help those with defected playfields...but that's not to say the situation hasn't alienated some Stern buyers.

*** During this time, a controversial figure became Stern's new Director of Marketing: Jody Dankberg. He ran Stern's presence on social media with an iron fist, [[CantTakeCriticism deleting any comment that was remotely critical]] and banning their authors from Stern's Facebook page. Furthermore, during live streams Dankberg had an arrogant demeanor and -- [[https://youtu.be/kFUDYo6VK7w?t=1800 on at least one occasion]] -- was confrontational to chat log users.[[note]]Apparently, when Stern changed as a company, he was put in charge of handling customer feedback and lending prizes to pinball tournaments. The overwhelming nature of the job allegedly made Dankberg develop a bitter grudge towards pinball as a whole.[[/note]] It reached the point where Jared Guynes (a marketing/advertising guru from Texas) pushed Stern to make him to new social media manager, having gotten fed up with Dankberg's actions.

*** Stern battened down the hatches, [[ScrewedByTheLawyers issuing a cease and desist order against "flashinstinct"]] when he created t-shirts featuring [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a parodic logo too similar to theirs]], as well as deleting any comment on social media requesting for code updates. In hindsight, [[GoneHorriblyWrong both wound up drawing more attention to the movement and Stern's handling of negative feedback]]. Eventually, Stern began churning out frequent code updates as requested (even producing a massive one in 2016 for ''Pinball/TheAvengersStern'', a title released four years prior). The ''Where's the Code'' movement nonetheless remains on the lookout for any moment the company returns to their old ways, prepared to speak out to Stern again whenever need be.

** 2000 wound up consisting of a poor-selling game lineup, which included ''Pinball/SharkeysShootout'', ''Pinball/HighRollerCasino'', and ''Pinball/AustinPowers''. To reciprocate the situation, Stern was forced to utilize several cost-cutting measures, such as reducing their planned number of games from four to three per year, deciding to stick with strong licenses, and laying off twelve hourly-paid workers and three members of Stern's game design time. In an attempt to reciprocate the situation, Stern brought in Creator/PatLawlor Design to produce ''Pinball/{{Monopoly}},'' although it shows signs of the cost-cutting of the time.
** But if 2000 was bad, then 2008 nearly ''killed'' Stern. The year brought another slew of mediocre titles, including ''Pinball/IndianaJones'', ''CSI'' and ''Pinball/BatmanStern''. Compounding things was the fact that Stern's low sales prices meant that they couldn't salvage losses from expensively-designed machines. The company was about to go belly-up, and -- unbeknownst to the public -- CEO Gary Stern was on the verge of selling off the company (which would leave the fate of pinball in the hands of rival Creator/JerseyJackPinball and various boutique manufacturers. Investor Dave Peterson came to the rescue, offering to put the struggling company in a different direction. The following year saw major improvements in Stern's marketing and new business model consisting of a stripped-down "Pro" model geared toward arcade operators and "Premium" and "Limited Edition" variants for the home market.
** During this time, a controversial figure came into the foray as Stern's new Director of Marketing: Jody Dankberg. He ran Stern's presence on social media with an iron fist, deleting any comment that was remotely negative (no matter how validly critical it was) and banning their authors. Additionally, during live streams Dankberg had a rather arrogant demeanor and -- on at least one occasion -- was confrontational to users in the chat log.[[note]]Apparently, when Stern changed as a company, he was put in charge of handling customer feedback and lending prizes to pinball tournaments. The overwhelming nature of the job allegedly made Dankberg develop a bitter grudge towards pinball as a whole, hence his personality.[[/note]] It eventually got to the point where Jared Guynes (a marketing/advertising guru from Texas) pushed Stern to make him the social media manager, having been fed up with Dankberg's treatment of Stern Pinball fans.
** With such a miniscule roster of programmers and a tight schedule, some of Stern's games were left unfinished. This reached the boiling point when, in 2015, Pinside user "flashinstinct" led an online movement called ''Where's the Code?'', demanding Stern to support older machines with much-needed code updates. Stern wanted no association with the vitriolic and negative Pinside Forums, but Guynes convinced Stern to let him reach out to the forum's community anyway. Needless to say, he quickly left the site upon Pinside's occupants viciously lashing out at him.

** But if 2000 was bad, then 2008 nearly ''killed'' Stern. The year brought another slew of mediocre titles, including ''Pinball/IndianaJones'', ''CSI'' and ''Pinball/BatmanStern''. The company had invested too much money into these games and couldn't salvage any losses because of their low sales prices. Stern was on the verge of bankruptcy, and -- unbeknownst to the public -- CEO Gary Stern was prepared to sell off the company, bringing pinball back to extinction. Investor Dave Peterson came to the rescue, offering to put the struggling company in a different direction. The following year saw major improvements in Stern's marketing, as well as a new business model of offering a stripped-down "Pro" model geared toward arcade operators and "Premium" and "Limited Edition" variants for the home market.
** Peterson also brought in Jody Dankberg as Stern's Director of Marketing, who handled customer feedback and provided prizes to pinball tournaments. Unsurprisingly, he was bombarded with critical, extremely demanding phone calls and emails about Stern from customers, with an overwhelmed Dankberg developing a bitter grudge towards pinball as a result. Moreover, he deleted negative comments and banned users from Stern's Facebook page, and had a rather arrogant personality during live streams. Stern's most fiercest critics were outraged by this, including those in the infamous Pinside Forums. It got to the point where a new social media manager, Jared Guynes, forced himself into the role upon getting fed up with Dankberg's actions.

** At the end of his rope, Popadiuk had to sell the rights to ''Magic Girl'' to another company, Pintasia, and put ''Alice in Wonderland'' and ''Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland'' on indefinite hold. Pintasia, upon receiving Popadiuk's work and bringing him in as a consultant, found out that ''Magic Girl'' was in such an incomplete state that Pintasia would require another two years to get it to a condition good enough to bring to consumers. After a rushed and ultimately botched attempt to bring an unfinished ''Magic Girl'' prototype to a pinball show, Pintasia [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere swore off]] on helping Popaduik any further.

** Peterson also brought in Jody Dankberg as Stern's Director of Marketing, who was put in charge of handling customer feedback through phone calls and email, as well as providing pinball tournament prizes to show organizers. Unsurprisingly, he was bombarded with criticism and demands to the company from customers, with Dankberg eventually developing a bitter grudge towards the entire pinball hobby. On Stern's Facebook page, he constantly deleted negative comments and banned users from accessing the page, and during live streams he had a rather arrogant personality. Stern's most fiercest critics were outraged by this, including the users of the infamous, vitriolic Pinside Forums

* Some ExecutiveMeddling from AMC made ''Pinball/TheWalkingDead'' a real hassle for Stern in development. Stern initially had video clips and speech from the show, but shortly before the games shipped, AMC stepped in to request the removal of them. Stern then had to rush to replace the video clips with hand-drawn animations and the show callouts with [[NotQuiteStarring generic speech]] at the last minute, the latter of which fans widely criticized. Additionally, Stern's lead programmer Lyman Sheats had little time to work on the game because he was sent off to develop the company's new Spike system. Consequently, this led to slow development on code for the game and he made [[http://m.imgur.com/ZyhhDtc a post on Facebook]] bemoaning the whole thing. [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/walking-dead-le-sound-replacement-v-09/page/1 An update]] via third-party software was released by fans to add in speech from the show back into the gam, and Lyman finally finished several code updates to give the game the polishing that it needed.

* Dutch Pinball’s production of ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'' has dealt with this ''in spades''.
** UniversalStudios was extremely dominant over Dutch Pinball's usage of the film assets, [[ExecutiveMeddling constantly requesting specific changes made and rules to be followed]]. They rejected the original playfield artwork and made Dutch Pinball redo it and remove several images. While this was going on, Universal asked for the game to be kept away from the public until the entire art package was finally approved. That didn't stop the game from making an appearance in New York City, where it was played by members of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA), and subsequently filmed and posted online. Despite the fact that the new playfield artwork was eventually accepted, the premature display of the unapproved assets naturally put Dutch Pinball in some serious hot water with Universal.
** Then, there was the [[FanNickName fan-dubbed]] [[ScandalGate "Philgate".]] Several customers in 2014 [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dp-usa-refund-still-want-the-game reported]]that they received refund notices for the game -- yet they never actually ''requested'' refunds. Shortly after, Dutch Pinball's Director of Marketing and Communications, Philip Weinberg, publicly announced his departure from the company and made a series of accusatory and revealing statements about them, including pointing fingers at one of the team's designers for stealing money and stating that Universal was apparently close to pulling the license from Dutch Pinball after one infringement too many. Weinberg later claimed that he tried to refund customers' money to reduce Dutch Pinball's debt - the company of which subsequently having to with some truly ''ugly'' backlash from customers and fans. Later, licensing guru Creator/RogerSharpe was then revealed to be helping Dutch Pinball clear out any further issues with Universal.
** When the game appeared at the Pinball Expo 2015, it was revealed that much of the music from the movie would be removed and replaced with newly-created musical pieces and songs. This was in response to a licensing restriction which demanded that if Dutch Pinball used music from ''The Big Lebowski'', then the associated video from the movie would have to be shown in its entirety - something that the company deemed as "impossible" to do.

* Stern's new Spike operating system that debuted in 2015 to a rocky start. Its new placement of the power button from the bottom of the cabinet to underneath the backbox faced poor reception among fans, and to make matters worse, the system's first game -- ''Wrestlemania'' -- sold very poorly and has since been regarded as one of Stern's weaker games. Furthermore, when ''[[Pinball/KissStern Kiss]]'' was released, customers experienced constant issues with the Spike system that "froze" their games and rendered them unplayable. Luckily Stern released code updates to prevent these problems and openly assisted owners of the game with their troubles.
* Some ExecutiveMeddling from AMC made ''Pinball/TheWalkingDead'' a real hassle for Stern in development. Stern initially had video clips and speech from the show, but shortly before the games shipped, AMC stepped in to request the removal of them. Stern then had to rush to replace the video clips with hand-drawn animations and the show callouts with [[NotQuiteStarring generic speech]] at the last minute, the latter of which fans widely criticized. Additionally, Stern's lead programmer Lyman Sheats had little time to work on the game because he was sent off to develop the company's new Spike system. Consequently, this led to slow development on code for the game and he made [[http://m.imgur.com/ZyhhDtc a post on Facebook]] bemoaning the whole thing. [[https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/walking-dead-le-sound-replacement-v-09/page/1 An update]] via third-party software was released by fans to add in speech from the show back into the game.

** The company was founded by Von Davis and Wes Upchurch in 2014, launching [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2065029795/pinball-gremlins-pinball-machine a Kickstarter campaign]] to fund development on the game, set up manufacturing processes and pay the team’s salaries. With a goal of $100,000, after a sluggish start, at the last minute the campaign finally reached its goal in the end of July. People became skeptical, however, when they learned that Vonnie D’s Kickstarter program required a full payment of the game, with no mention of refunds. To further their discontent, the team provided few visuals of the game to the public besides a 3D rendering of the playfield and some sketches.
** Davis explained that Vonnie D Pinball didn’t want pre-orders at all, but rather wanted a way to get the pinball community involved with the project. Thus, he said that there was a large misunderstanding. However, this was baffling to people that the team had such large stretch goals and was expecting to reach them by selling things like Vonnie D Pinball t-shirts and key chains. People continued to express concern and posted questions via social media, but very rarely got answers from the team. Eventually, accusations of the Kickstarter campaign being filled with fake pledges were continuously met with harsh responses from Upchurch. Things didn’t get any better when it was revealed that he was heading to court on a charge associated with the distribution of synthetic drugs. Needless to say, all of this was enough to turn many of Vonnie D Pinball’s customers away from the project altogether.