Pinball Magazine & Pinball News PINcast January 2026 recap

<p>The first month of 2026 certainly brought us plenty of excitement in the pinball world, even though we didn’t get any of the eagerly anticipated new game launches. So, join Jonathan from Pinball Magazine and Martin from Pinball News as they bring you all the details in the January 2026 edition of the Pinball Industry News PINcast.</p><p>After many months of inactivity, American Pinball jumped into the spotlight as the business was sold by previous owners, Aimtron. The new owner has been sharing his plans for the company with an ambitious production schedule and the need to rebuild trust in the brand.</p><p>Those production plans took shape a few days later when a licensing deal with Planetary Pinball saw American Pinball secure the rights to build ‘re-imagined’ versions of seven classic Williams/Bally titles. Find out when we might get to see the first of those.</p><p>Stern Pinball traditionally launches their first ‘cornerstone’ title of the year in early January so they can promote it at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Not this year though, as the game has been pushed back until at least February, with the Texas Pinball Festival in mid-March saying they will showcase the first publicly-available games.</p><p>With no new Stern game to show and the company’s current title, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, not available in Europe, London’s EAG Expo show needed something to lift the spirits of pinball fans. </p><p>So, Jonathan and Martin sat down with Gary Stern and John Buscaglia to talk about Stern Pinball’s plans, the state of the licensing business, how they plan to expand European sales, and much more, including a couple of their favourite recipes.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jersey Jack Pinball have launched a new 3D Game Viewer tool to let you explore the Harry Potter Collectors Edition game close up and from every angle. You can even use Augmented Reality to see how one look in your home or gameroom.</p><p>There are big changes taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as Classic Playfield Reproductions downsize their business following the retirement of their President and co-founder. A month-long clearance sale has launched on their website too.</p><p>To find out more, Jonathan and Martin interview co-founder and new President, Kevin Wayte, to explore the past two decades’ rollercoaster ride of reproducing playfields, backglasses and plastic sets, and discover the plans for CPR’s future.</p><p>There’s also news of new team members at Pedretti Gaming,