Wow, it's been a HUGE week for pinball news and the hits just keep on coming...minutes ago, the European pinball manufacturer Pinball Brothers officially announced that it is revealing a brand a new version of its popular Alien pinball machine at the upcoming Chicago Pinball Expo...Alien Pinball - Ellen Ripley Version. Below is an exclusive interview that I conducted with the company that contains all of the details:
Are you bringing the new version of Alien to Chicago Pinball Expo?
Yes
What is different about the Ripley version of Alien?
It comes with new Cabinet Art, a Loader-Battle translite and a Software Package 4.0 that includes a bunch of new Alien movie clips that you have never seen in Alien Pinball before!
(Ripley, duh!)
This version of the game also has some brand new art features. A hand-sculpted Mini-Screen, a hand-painted Xeno-Head and a beautifully designed Apron.
Also in planning is a gorgeous interactive Topper, which we hope to include in our Expo showcase.
We are manufacturing these with the artistic support of Lior Rajwan aka The Art of Pinball. So heads up to that collab, too!
The addition of Ripley to the game is something that Alien fans have been clamoring for for quite some time.
Yes I think that everyone involved has always dreamt of a Ripley Version. We see this wish among the community with almost every code update we issued.
And with the new Fede Alvarez Movie and a series coming out in 2024, it seemed perfect like timing to accomplish our dream.
Who did the graphics?
It was all Aurich Lawson who already made the artwork for the first two versions of Alien.
He once again did a tremendous job.
The extra motion design was again beautifully executed by Kelly Mazurowski, as always.
What will pricing for the new Ripley version of Alien be like?
There have been discussions, as prices are going up everywhere. but manufacturing at our new facility at EPC allows us to calculate differently in some areas, too. So this model comes at a special price, mainly to celebrate our collab with Disney! It’s a limited production run. Let’s see where it takes us.
When will the Ripley version of Alien begin shipping?
The games are already on the production line. Some of the extras will take longer than others, but we are working on it with all force to get you great quality. The good thing is that this is not an entirely new product. We already know it.
Now that Pinball Brothers has worked with Disney on this project, do you have plans to work with them again in the future?
Well, a lot of ideas were thrown around the office while we were working on this collaboration. Nothing precise yet, but of course it’s nice to have an open channel now.
Do you know how many of the new limited Alien model will be made? Is it completely replacing the original and the LV models or will they all still be made?
It is a limited run, but not a limit to numbers, more along the lines of production capacity. We are building them now, but we also have another license in the pipeline that will be announced early next year.
Internally, we are discontinuing the SV on the factory line.
Do you have pricing for all of the new mods and machine yet?
We are celebrating the extension of this collaboration, so the pricing for the machine is reflecting that. We want to bring the new package to all who have been hesitant, so far.
Where will the mods be sold?
We rather think of these extras as artist components. They will be available for Alien Pinball users via our parts shop pbusasales.com and our US distributors, as the license is US only, right now.
Are you bringing anything else to Expo?
Yes, we have been working on alternate Artwork for Queen Pinball. We may bring a first glimpse of a new translite for Queen if it is ready.
When will Pinball Brothers show off its next game?
Well, we are not quite there yet, but we will present another brand new license at the beginning of 2024. Either at the EAG Expo in London, or for Texas Pinball Festival at the latest. So stay tuned for more!
The new Alien code will be available as a free update for owners of all versions of the game, so this is a big win for all Alien owners. The ability to buy more cool mods from The Art of Pinball is neat too. I can't wait to see all the new stuff unveiled at Expo!
