Australian pinball manufacturer, Haggis Pinball, has ceased trading and appointed liquidators as the business failed to secure financing to continue its operations.
The Melbourne-based company was run and majority-owned by Damian Hartin and began in 2018 with a game originally called Ghosts.
That name was changed to Wraith and the design was developed alongside a second title called Celts. Celts went on to be the company’s first commercial release but, despite positive reviews, only sold in modest numbers.
The company moved away from original designs for their second title which was a remake of the classic Bally game, Fathom. Fathom Revisited was launched in April 2021 with two versions offered, a Classic Edition and a Mermaid Limited Edition. Deposits were required initially, with the balance to paid closer to the time of manufacture.
Concerns began to be raised as production numbers and delivery dates were repeatedly missed with little communication about what was happening.
When the company started, Damian was very active on social media, producing video updates on their development of Celts on a near daily basis. Gradually, the gaps between the updates turned from days to weeks, and then to months.
The launch of the company’s third title, a remake of the Bally Centaur game, took place mid-way through production of Fathom Revisited.
Production of the Fathom remake appeared to have slowed amid rumours of parts availability issues and lack of funding. Many cautioned that the Centaur Revisited pre-order funds might be needed to finance ongoing Fathom Revisited production, a suggestion which appeared to gain traction as full payment requests were sent out with no indication the buyers’ games were about to be built.
Monetary concerns increased in February this year when, after a prolonged silence, Damian contacted buyers of Fathom Revisited and Centaur Revisited games to advise them that the company needed to refinance and reorganise their processes. He warned that machine production, which had already slowed to a trickle, would need to be reduced further as the company restructured and ditched their just-in-time parts delivery method which was no longer fit for purpose.
Since then, no further communication has been received from Damian or Haggis Pinball.
Today the company closed their social media presences on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and removed their website on WordPress. Their X account is still active at the time of writing, although it hasn’t been updated since January 2022.
At a general meeting of the company’s shareholders today, a special resolution was passed to wind up the business’s operations as insolvent, and appoint a liquidator.
The appointment of Cathro & Partners as liquidators spells the end of Haggis Pinball, as any remaining assets are sold in an attempt to raise money for creditors of the company.
Those creditors are likely to include the tax authority and banks who will be deemed secured creditors and receive preference when allocating any monies recovered. Buyers of the company’s pinball machines who purchased directly with Haggis are classed as unsecured creditors and are amongst the last to be paid back. In effect this means they will be very unlikely to receive any of their payments back.
Buyers who paid either a deposit or the full purchase price through one of Haggis’s distributors (Flip N Out Pinball, Nitro Pinball, RS-Pinball, Pinball Heaven) should have some level of protection as their contract is with the distributor and not Haggis. It will then be up to the distributor to offer refunds.
The landlord of Haggis Pinball’s factory also confirmed operations there have ceased and that the premises will shortly be available to rent.
The failure of Haggis Pinball demonstrates the difficulties building pinballs machines at scale, especially in a country where the cost and reliable supply of the necessary parts can be problematic. It should serve as a salutary lesson about the dangers of pre-paying, either in part or in whole, for a machine from a new manufacturer.
At the time of writing there had been no statement from the company about the reasons for the failure of the business, the fate of any completed but as-yet unshipped machines, or the prosects of a refund in part or in full of pre-order payments.
If that changes, we’ll bring you the details right here at Pinball News.
