The Pinball Arcade Launches on iOS and Android

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FarSight Studios, a videogame development company headquartered in Big Bear Lake California, announced today that their new game The Pinball Arcade™ will be released tomorrow February 9^th for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The Pinball Arcade is the most accurate and realistic pinball videogame ever created.  Building on FarSight's critically acclaimed pinball franchise, The Pinball Arcade features licensed pinball tables from Bally®, Williams®, Gottlieb® and Stern®, and includes the most popular historical and modern tables of all time. Four tables will be available at launch: Tales of the Arabian Nights®, Ripley's Believe It or Not®, Theatre of Magic®, and Black Hole™.

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The Pinball Arcade will also be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Macintosh and PlayStation Vita in March of 2012 and will launch on PC and other platforms later in the year.

FarSight will feature the Ripley's Believe it or Not® pinball table in the initial launch. "We are thrilled to expand and build upon the Ripley's Believe it or Not® franchise as it gives our fans another enjoyable way to experience this exciting brand and help solidify Ripley's commitment to family entertainment," said Bill Daley, Director of Online Marketing and New Media from Ripley Entertainment. "FarSight has done an amazing job recreating this popular, but incredibly complex table, in meticulous detail. With more than 500 pages of rules, this was no easy feat!"

Each month two new pinball tables will be added to the lineup and players will be able to sample free versions of each release (including the launch tables). Paid versions of each table will be available individually or in "themed" packs which will be released over the next several years as downloadable content. "With the licenses we're acquiring, we'll be able to re-create nearly all of the highest-ranked tables in pinball history.  Our goal is to make The Pinball Arcade the definitive pinball game franchise of all time!" said Bobby King, FarSight's Director of Development and Lead Designer of The Pinball Arcade. "We are building an online community of virtual pinball players using shared leaderboards, friends leaderboards, and coming later this year, head-to-head online play modes and cross platform tournaments. All tables are recreated and played in stunning 3D, presented as photo-realistically as possible, and played on the most advanced pinball physics engine ever developed. The gameplay, visuals and sound effects are all authentic."

The game is designed to be a rewarding experience for players of all skills. Play sessions can scale from playing a few minutes to competing for a week to qualify for and win an online tournament. The FarSight tournament ladder rankings mean everyone will have a chance to win.  There is also a deep unlockable system of challenging goals that requires many hours to master and complete. An in-depth tutorial is included for each table which teaches players the most important rules and skills needed to beat all the goals and become a Pinball Wizard.

For a sneak peek at the game, visit: http://www.pinballarcade.com.

About FarSight Studios

Based in Big Bear Lake, California, FarSight Studios has been developing videogames since 1989. Among their titles are multimillion unit selling NFL football games, casual mass market games, kid-friendly sports games, and plug-and-play toys. They have made games for every major console from the original NES to the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. FarSight Studio's games have been awarded Editor's Choice awards, Toy of the Year nominations, and Greatest Hits designations on multiple platforms.

About WMS Industries

WMS has been a leader in interactive entertainment since Harry Williams founded the company in 1943. A Stanford University-trained engineer who devised the "tilt" mechanism for pinball machines, Williams changed the nature of pinball in wartime America. In 1988, WMS acquired Bally Midway Manufacturing Company, which was the result of a 1981 merger between Bally's pinball division and Bally's video game company Midway Manufacturing. For over a decade, the company was known in the industry as Williams-Bally-Midway. Williams also continued to manufacture pinball machines (under the Williams® and Bally® brand names), while Midway concentrated on video games. Notable Bally and Williams tables include the Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Monster Bash®, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Scared Stiff, and Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure.

About Stern

Stern Pinball, Inc. ("SPI") designs and manufactures arcade-quality pinball games.  It is the only maker of arcade-quality pinball tables in the world and is located just outside Chicago, Illinois. Through the first decade of the new millennium, SPI has continued to carry the pinball banner and promote the game throughout the world.  The company has released many popular games, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Shrek, Batman, Spiderman, the Simpsons Pinball Party, Lord of the Rings and many more. Its games continue to be enjoyed by both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the world. 

About Ripley's Entertainment

For over 90 years Ripley Entertainment Inc. has entertained visitors around the world, with over 80 exciting attractions in 10 countries, along with best-selling books, a network television series in more than 70 countries, and the longest continuously published newspaper comic in history. Cartoonist and adventurer Robert Ripley started it all in 1918 when he began drawing his daily feature.

About Gottlieb®

Gottlieb® was founded by David Gottlieb in 1927, producing pinball machines and later expanded into other arcade games including pitch-and-bats, bowling games, and video arcade games.

Gottlieb® released their first pinball table in 1931. In 1947, their introduction of player-actuated bats called "flippers" revolutionized the pinball industry. Players now had the ability to shoot the ball back up the playfield and to score more points. The flippers first appeared on a Gottlieb® game called "Humpty Dumpty". Eventually Gottlieb® began designing pinball machines with 3-inch flippers, now the industry standard. Notable tables produced by Gottlieb include, Super Mario Bros., The Amazing Spiderman and Rocky.

FarSight Media Contact

Norman Stepansky
[email protected]
(909) 866-0513

©2012 FarSight Studios, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective holders. Gottlieb Development, LLC. All rights reserved. ©Stern Pinball Inc. All rights reserved. BALLY, BALLY (STYLIZED) and the FLYING PINBALL DESIGN are trademarks of Harrah's Operating Company, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved. WILLIAMS, WILLIAMS (STYLIZED) and the WINGED W DESIGN are trademarks of Williams Electronics Games, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

SOURCE FarSight Studios