Pinball FX is known for its incredibly well-known IPs that include everything from Star Wars and Marvel to My Little Pony and Family Guy. Over fifteen years, Zen Studios has built quite a roster, but when we spoke during an interview with COO Mel Kirk, it quickly became clear that there was one particular white whale that was constantly on the run from the ambition of the company.
After discussing our own pinball crossover dream, I felt compelled to ask Kirk about the Internet Age’s favorite Space Cadet, aka 3D Pinball for Windows. We discussed video games as pinball and we also talked about pinball as video games, but I wanted to know if it is possible for us to see video game pinball in a pinball-related video game.
“Most of these games send you on a wild geese hunt to find out where the rights are,” Kirk replies, a little tired in his voice. “I spent two years trying to find the rights to the Space Cadet pinball machine. I came to the end of every road; Complete dead end.”
To be honest, I’m surprised Kirk even got an answer, let alone actively spent two years fulfilling this strange dream. Granted, the potential was huge, and the trailer memes would be truly memorable. It has all the hallmarks of a real internet moment, so maybe this will help you understand why Kirk and his team worked so hard to make it possible.
However, it seems that the beluga has already defeated our Ahab. “I don’t think it’s possible to bring this game back,” he admits. I was very disturbed by this news, like all of a sudden millions of memes were shouting and suddenly shut up. “Everyone who makes the decisions has my phone number, my e-mail address and they can contact me at any time. It’s a pleasure talking to you.”
Kirk then tells a similar story that Williams owns the rights to the Indiana Jones table now featured on the updated Pinball FX. “It took over three years to get all the rights and believe me I got to the point where I thought this game would never come and I could never digitize it. Sometimes there can be pinball miracles.
In order to completely spoil my comparison with Moby Dick, it turns out that our Ahab already had a white whale and finally caught it. After describing his success with Indiana Jones, I found some hope in Kirk. We made Indiana Jones possible, so if we make Indy possible, Space Cadet could one day exist.” Pinball machines are really cool.
The Loadout’s full interview with Kirk will be released on June 18. We also spoke with him about his passion for pinball esports and his 10-year plan for Zen Studios.
Source : The Load Out
