Often hailed as one of the most popular pinball machines of all time, Pinball Arcade and Firsight Studios are planning to digitise The Addams Family® pinball table bringing it to game consoles and mobile devices for a whole new generation to enjoy!
The group, who have created digital tables for over 50 different pinball games during their time, are turning their skills to the much-loved - and still extremely sought-after - machine (which was manufactured by Midway and released by Bally in 1992) and are seeking to raise funds for the preservation project through kickstarter.
This isn't the first time the group have turned to crowd-funding to support their projects, with other successful kickstarter campaigns behind them such as Terminator 2:Judgement Day (the extra funds from which will be used for the production of Addams Family).
The reason they have turned to crowd-funding is to make the digital version commercially viable, which is a tall order with the cost of the licenses involved. The group explain on the project page:
"We’ve succeeded in negotiating all of the licenses we’d need to digitize The Addams Family® and bring it to the Pinball Arcade. Unfortunately there are several licenses involved: in addition to the Williams license, we need a license for The Addams Family®, the actor likeness of Raul Julia (Gomez Addams) and Anjelica Huston (Morticia Addams), on the backglass and play field, and the right to use the actor voiceovers during gameplay. When we add up the costs of each required license and calculate what we’d have to charge for the table, we’ve concluded that The Addams Family® is just not commercially viable. The more we charge for the table the fewer people will be able to buy it- and our goal is to expose as many people as possible to this great table, not just a select few."
All up, the cost of licensing is approximated to be USD$101,000 and the group is aiming to make up the remainder cost of licensing after deducting the the extra funds from the Terminator campaign. They need $97,640 to be pledged by Mon, Oct 13 2014 - this will cover the licenses for the game, and if this campaign is successful, the group will cover the development cost themselves, significantly lowering the commercial price for customers.
To incentivise interested pledging parties, Pinball Arcade and Farsight Studios have designed some very tempting rewards, the most popular of which so far is the $7-9 pledge from which pledgers will receive the game on a platform of their choice. To check out the range of pledges and rewards, head to the
Kickstarter page.
But why are they taking on such a huge project in the first place?
"What we’re most proud of is that we’re preserving these tables for future generations to enjoy. We can remember when these tables were in every arcade, pizza parlor and bowling alley, but they are becoming increasingly rare. If you find one, chances are it’s not been well-treated and many features are burned out or broken. If you’re a pinball fanatic like us you can buy one and restore it, but they are expensive, maintenance-intensive, and there are fewer of them every year. In fact some of these tables can cost more than $15,000! We want everyone to be able to appreciate these tables, not only people who can afford to spend as much money on a pinball table as a car. Chances are very good that our children will never get the opportunity to appreciate the great pinball table we did- unless these tables are digitally preserved.'
"(...)This time we want to digitize the most popular pinball table of all time! This table was released by Williams in 1992 and is unquestionably one of the greatest pinball tables in the history of pinball with over 20,000 units sold (More than any table ever!). It was designed by the legendary Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar (who also designed Twilight Zone, Banzai Run and Funhouse). This table was integrated more deeply to the movie than any other licensed pinball table of its time. The Addams Family® featured the first ever optical target bank (in the bookcase), and the "Thing Flip" which was the first time a pinball tables flippers could be controlled by the tables CPU. When the "Thing Flip" is active the table can actually make shots for you. Another great feature is "The Power" which causes magnets to dramatically effect the direction of the ball on the playfield. It's one of our favorite tables ever!"
Head to the
Kickstarter page to check out the project or pledge, or check out the video below, courtesy of Pinball Arcade and Farsight Studios:
News and Images via: Highway Entertainment Facebook and Kickstarter - Pinball Arcade/Farsight Studios.
