We've been on a massive rumor roll this week. This pinball rumor isn't mine though (at least not the latest version of it). It comes from the cool blog of the UK pinball retailer Pinball Heaven. According to an article published on the site this week:
Big Bang Bar Pinball Machine: Rumours are starting to circulate that a remake of the legendary 1990’s pinball machine, Capcom’s Big Bang Bar, is in pre-production and set be released this summer.
I personally have been hearing rumblings about a Capcom Big Bang Bar remake for years, though nothing has ever materialized. The Pinball Heaven article theorizes that either Chicago Gaming Company or Stern Pinball may be producing a new version of the game.
I personally am very skeptical of both. It can't be Chicago Gaming Company. CGC is still making long-overdue Cactus Canyons for customers and it is scheduled to begin producing the super hot Pulp Fiction game that it developed in conjunction with Play Mechanix later this year. At the rate CGC produces games, their plate is almost certainly full.
I highly doubt that Stern would remake BBB either. Why would Stern bother? They have their pick of almost any new intellectual property they want (apparently other than Harry Potter...too soon?). Stern almost certainly has Venom all ready to go and likely an Elwin Jaws and an Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark only?) pin in the pipeline for 2024. Stern does have that mysterious hole in its production schedule in late 2023 and some have speculated that it might be used for a Vault game, but if you're Stern and can vault existing games in your catalog like TRON, Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man or Ghostbusters, why on Earth would you screw around trying to remake Big Bang Bar? I just don't see it. It's possible, but very unlikely.
I'd love to see a remake of Big Bang Bar come out. Why not? I hope that all rare pinball machines get remakes. I just don't see either CGC or Stern doing one this summer. If not either of those Companies, then who? Given what I know about their upcoming titles, it's not coming from American Pinball, Pinball Brothers, Spooky Pinball or Jersey Jack. Dutch Pinball is working on another game, but it probably won't come out in 2023 AND it's not this.
If not the existing players, perhaps Big Bang Bar is being remade by a brand new one. As I wrote here earlier this year, Planetary Pinball, the current license holder for Bally / Williams intellectual property did register a trademark for the terms "Big Bang Bar" and "Big Bang" in late 2022 (see link below). Also, I received a tip in the Knapp Arcade Inbox earlier this year that the game is indeed being remade by an unexpected company this Spring...obviously that didn't happen (link below), but as we know pinball and production delays often go hand in hand
Planetary Pinball Filed Trademarks for Big Bang Bar at the End of 2022
RUMOR: Unexpected Company to Remake One of the World's Rarest Pinball Machines This Spring
That's a LOT of smoke surrounding the rumor. So is a new Big Bang Bar coming from a mysterious new company? Time will tell. Either way, it's a cool thing to talk about and the history of the original Big Bang Bar and its subsequent Illinois Pinball remake is fascinating. Below are links to the recent Pinball Heaven article and an article that I did on the history of Big Bang Bar here a while ago for anyone who's interested:
Big Bang Bar Pinball Machine – Pinball Rumour Mill
Porn and Punching Bags...The Collapse of Capcom Pinball
I’ve got this game on my VP. It’s weird and not particularly good. IDK if there’s really any demand for this. The only thing going for it is it’s rarity. It’s like Magic Girl. Fun to put in an arcade though.