In late 2022, specifically November and December, Planetary Pinball - the license holder of Bally / Williams pinball machines, filed for Trademark protection for the phrases "Big Bang Bar" and "Big Bang" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
This new news, ties in very nicely with my January 18th post that I wrote here on Knapp Arcade about how Capcom's rare pinball machine Big Bang Bar is being remade. After I posted that, some people reached out to me stating that Planetary Pinball never had the rights to the game, but this Trademark news clearly makes it look like they believe they do.
The second part of the rumor that I reported was that Big Bang Bar was going to be manufactured by an unexpected company. From an outsider's perspective, there definitely seems to have been some friction between Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming Company (CGC) over how long it has taken to produce the Cactus Canyon Remake machines. Could this friction lead to Planetary turning to another manufacturer to produce a run of Big Bang Bars? Time will tell, but it wouldn't surprise me. Even if there isn't any friction between the two companies, CGC seems to have its hands full with Cactus Canyon and Pulp Fiction pinball at the moment.
The question is, if Big Bang Bar is being remade and it's not by CGC, then who? Some have hinted to me that it might be Dutch Pinball's second game. I have no idea if that's true. There has been other rumblings about new players entering the pinball manufacturing scene, so maybe one of them? There's definitely some smoke here. Will there be fire?
Here's a link to my previous article on this subject for anyone who's interested:
RUMOR: Unexpected Company to Remake One of the World's Rarest Pinball Machines This Spring
Respectfully, if Planetary Pinball owned the full rights to Capcom games though the agreement with Gene Cuttingham in 2008, there would not need to have a requirement to file a trademark request patent. It would already be previously established. It is possible, PPS is attempting to negotiate. There are a number of parts that may wish to be produced as a stepping stone. Licensing is not a "one size fits all" circumstance. It is a negotiation consequence which is often disputed.