This afternoon, I was catching up on pinball podcasts and I checked out the latest episode of the Pinball News & Pinball Magazine monthly show. They shared some very interesting information about Dutch Pinball that I wanted to pass along.
According to the episode, Dutch Pinball's license to produce The Big Lebowski pinball machines is scheduled to expire at the end of 2024 and Dutch is "highly unlikely" to renew the license. Dutch continues to produce Lebowskis for "Early Achiever" customers who ordered the game during its launch ten years or so ago as well as games for customers who have ordered the game more recently. Dutch is still accepting orders for the game, but that will likely change in the not so distant future.
Perhaps more interestingly, Dutch Pinball recently acquired space in a second building across the street from its current factory. This new space as well as the continued hiring of new employees will enable Dutch to increase its production in the future. Since The Big Lebowski pinball's license is expiring, the question is what will they use all of this new production capacity for?
There's two possible answers to that question. The first is the Company's rumored next title (according to Kaneda) Back to the Future. However, this may also tie in with the story that I wrote this morning about the possibility of a small run of a very high-end boutique pinball machine based on John Popadiuk's Alice in Wonderland.
It is possible that Dutch is going to produce both Back to the Future and Alice in Wonderland? I think so, but I have no firsthand knowledge on the subject. This is all assumptions based upon tons of reading and listening to podcasts. I can't wait to see what Dutch Pinball has up its sleeve.
RUMOR: Some Manufacturer Will Launch a John Popadiuk-Designed Pinball Machine in 2024 - UPDATED
