This weekend, Haggis Pinball released a number of different slides with additional information on its upcoming third pinball machine, Centaur Revisited. A lot of people have spoken publicly and have reached out to me privately about their concerns about Haggis getting games out. Here's my brief thoughts on the subject.
One of the slides was a FAQ about the upcoming game that included a definitive statement about Haggis' production schedule. In it, the Company clearly stated:
"...We are now in a much better position to deliver on our schedule for the remaining Fathom Revisited games by the end of the year and that pace will continue into the production of Centaur Revisited...
We will start shipping games in January 2024 commencing with Series Ticket customers, followed by Oblivion Edition, distributor games then Beast Edition games in order of when initial deposit was placed."
The above is a clearly worded timeline that extends only a couple of months into the future, so missing these target dates would be a very bad optic for Haggis. Has Haggis production been way slower than it should be? Absolutely, if they miss these new clearly stated delivery dates they deserves tremendous criticism. I'll check back with the company and hold them accountable here if they miss a deadline again.
Whether or not one wants to spend five figures on a remake of a classic game is a matter of personal opinion, I personally would not unless I had absolutely unlimited funds. Having said that, If I wanted a Centaur Revisited I personally would have absolutely no problem with putting down a deposit with Haggis' exclusive U.S. distributor Flip N Out pinball or an official distributor in another country. Flip N Out has committed to refunding deposits to its consumers if for some reason Haggis does not fulfil its end of the bargain. Other than time, what does one have to lose by buying through a distributor if they want the game? It seems like a pretty low-risk way for a person to get a game that that want to me.
Some of the other slides that were released by Haggis include a look at the rules structure for the 2.0 Code of Centaur Revisited and a table that shows what time the game officially goes on sale, which is July 11th at 9:00 PM Eastern. Even though the Haggis web store doesn't open until the 11th, distributors are able to take orders for the new game now.
I get that consumers with yet to be fulfilled Fathom orders are frustrated by the game's delays and missed deadlines, I would be too. I ordered a Stern Deadpool that I had to wait over a year-and-a-half for and that was from the largest pinball company in the world by a HUGE margin. Delays happen in pinball. With the option to order a game through a distributor available, I don't personally understand the vitriol aimed at Haggis regarding Centaur. The proverbial "shouting fire in a crowded theater" seems like a good way to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom for a pinball company. Hopefully, the new low-risk purchase option that is available to U.S. customers will prevent that.
Great news to hear Haggis will be done with Fathom remake builds by end of year. Unfortunately Haggis has intentionally lied or acted incompetently with their customers so often that nobody believes them. This is coming from myself and others who purchased and bailed on their Fathom remake. You can choose to do business with a dishonest company and be happy with the end product, but it is not worth sacrificing your self integrity and being strung along with future lies about delays that are sure to come.
If Damian is sincere about delivering all Fathoms by end of year, he should do it first and then brag about it afterwards. Then build Centaurs in batches and sell those…