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A huge thanks to Dennis Kriesel of the Eclectic Gamers Podcast for this interesting article on the Beginner’s Guide to Manufacturers! Check out the Eclectic Gamers Podcast here, and their Facebook page here!
A Beginner’s Guide to Manufacturers
by Dennis Kriesel
Introduction
Trying to keep track of every manufacturer that ever involved itself in pinball is almost an exercise in futility. Over the decades, many companies have tried their hands at pinball, especially in the early years. However, it is helpful to know several of the current and former manufacturers, due to their impact on the hobby and relevance today when it comes to collecting, competing, and casual play.
For this guide, the focus will be regarding the start of the solid-state era through modernity, as those are the pinball machines most commonly encountered today. The guide is segmented broadly into three categories:
“Modern” Manufacturers
Major Past Manufacturers
Minor Past Manufacturers
For each manufacturer, there is a short summary providing the most basic of information, and a detailed section that gets a bit more specific (though far from comprehensive; this is a guide not a definitive treatise on each manufacturer’s history). This should simplify matters for those who are after more of an outline versus those wanting to understand things in more depth. Where possible, links to additional information sources appear (for those wanting to learn more).
“Modern” Manufacturers
“Modern” here is defined as anything since the year 2000. This section should be useful to those trying to quickly understand the manufacturing scene as it stands today. It does not really distinguish between a major or a minor manufacturer (anything deemed too minor is just not listed).
American Pinball
Short Summary: Incorporated in October 2015, this new company has
