There are only so many different pinball tables in the world, and many of them have already been recreated in digital form by Farsight, the developers of The Pinball Arcade. According to the Internet Pinball Database, eight of the top ten pinball games of all time have already been remade into digitized Pinball Arcade tables. But as the ever increasing selection of tables continues to grow, it could eventually become harder to find tables that capture the same interest level of earlier releases.
The good news is that Farsight has announced plans to not only continue to preserve pinball history, but to make some history of their own. In an interview with BBC News, Bobby King, Farsight’s vice president of product development, announced plans to create original table designs for future Pinball Arcade updates, and work with legendary pinball designers to create them.
It’s kind of an amazing thought to realize that some of the best pinball designers ever haven’t been able to share their talents with the world for years, due to the loss in popularity that real pinball tables saw after the mid ’90s. Â And ironically, the same home video game market that arguably was the largest contributor to their downfall has now become their savior.
But beyond simply being able to create again, the ability to make tables for a virtual world will also allow designers unprecedented amounts of freedom and creativity. Previously, pinball designers were always limited by some form of budget, and many of their greatest designs saw various features removed before manufacturing.  As King himself puts it, “…imagine what these guys could do if they were given carte blanche.”
As a fan of The Pinball Arcade, I’ll be looking forward to seeing the answer to that question myself.
