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Pinball Arcade's Season 3 tables reaching PSN, Addams Family Kickstarter coming
Patrons of Pinball Arcade's PlayStation wing are about to have a few new score tallies to rack up, thanks to an incoming batch of tables for Arcade's PS3, PS4 and Vita versions. A PlayStation Blog update from FarSight Studios' Mike Lindsey states that Black Knight 2000, WHO Dunnit, High Speed and Junk Yard will be available in the PS3 and Vita versions' collections on July 15, with a July 22 arrival for the PS4 version. Even though we're talking about Season 3 content, Season 2 is still coming to PS4, though Lindsey's post didn't offer a release date. Responses to fans did specify that PS4's Season Two tables won't be cross-buy compatible however, so if you're looking to rebuild your collection on your new console, know that you'll pay full price to do so. Lindsey's update also adds that FarSight has "agreed upon terms with all of the major licenses and clearances" needed to add Bally's Addams Family table to Arcade's collection. Cutting through red tape isn't the same as finding a budget though – FarSight expects to launch a Kickstarter for the project sometime this summer. [Image: FarSight Studios]
Pinball Arcade Season 3 tables coming to PS4 April 22
FarSight Studios will launch a pair of new tables for the PlayStation 4 version of Pinball Arcade next week, bringing it up to speed with recent PlayStation 3 and PS Vita table releases. Williams' Fish Tales and Bally's Black Rose are next in line to join Pinball Arcade's PlayStation 4 lineup on April 22. Both games were previously released for mobile platforms, arriving as the inaugural tables in Pinball Arcade's third season of content. The upcoming release skips over Pinball Arcade's second season of content, which isn't yet available on the PlayStation 4. A release date for Pinball Arcade's missing tables on the PlayStation 4 has not been announced. [Image: FarSight / Williams]
Pinball Arcade dev pulls season three pass, cites Apple policy issue
Pinball Arcade has a quite a few tables in its virtual collection of real-world machines, but fans looking for a one-and-done purchase of its third season of content are now out of luck. In a recent newsletter, Farsight Studios explained that it has pulled season three passes across all platforms due to Apple denying Farsight the ability to sell the pass on iPlatforms. "We have come to [the] decision that we will be removing the Season Three Pass from all platforms to preserve consistency of purchasing options," Farsight wrote. "Nothing will change for those that already purchased the Season Three Pass, you will be entitled to the tables just as you were before." While season passes might not be an option, Farsight will continue on with the development of new tables. Farsight also announced last month that it's aiming Pinball Arcade for the ramp to the Wii U eShop, a Linux version on Steam and a relisting on the Xbox Live Arcade in 2014. [Image: Farsight Studios]
Pinball Arcade developer looking to create original tables
Multiplatform pinball sim The Pinball Arcade currently features a lineup of over 40 recreated machines from decades past, but developer FarSight Studios could soon tap veteran industry talent for all-new pinball table designs, according to a BBC News report. "We have talked to some of the famous pinball designers from the past, and they are definitely interested," FarSight's VP of product development Bobby King told BBC News. "Those cost considerations [of the past] are irrelevant when machines are designed only to be built in the virtual world, so imagine what these guys could do if they were given carte blanche." King additionally discussed the possibility of real-world pinball machines being built from new digital table designs, if they prove successful. Pinball machine manufacturer Stern has an established relationship with developer FarSight, and a handful of its recent tables appear digitally in The Pinball Arcade. Developer Silverball Studios previously announced that it would work with The Addams Family and Twilight Zone table designer Pat Lawlor to produce a new digital table design, but plans fell through when the team's Pro Pinball project failed to meet its Kickstarter funding goal. FarSight recently extended its license to produce digital tables based on classic Williams and Bally designs, revealing that Black Knight 2000 and Who Dunnit are next in line for conversion. [Image: FarSight Studios]
Self-publishing rumored for Xbox 360, Microsoft has nothing to announce
Xbox 360 developers may be able to self-publish their games on Xbox Live Arcade starting this August, according to a recent update from The Pinball Arcade developer FarSight Studios. Microsoft, however, maintains that there have been no official changes to the Xbox 360's publishing situation: "We have not announced any changes to our publishing policy for Xbox 360," a representative told Joystiq. Meanwhile: "Microsoft has just announced that indie developers (like FarSight) can now self-publish on Xbox Live Arcade instead of being required to find publishers for their games," FarSight's announcement reads. "Microsoft has stated that the new program will open in August- we will do everything we can to get The Pinball Arcade (and all of the new Table Packs) back on the Xbox 360 as quickly as possible." Microsoft announced earlier this week that indie developers will be able to self-publish on the Xbox One, but no mention was made of the Xbox 360 or the existing Xbox Live Arcade. The Microsoft representative we spoke to said that the company will be "sharing more about self-publishing on Xbox One at Gamescom."
PS Plus weekly: Pinball Arcade, Germinator available for free
Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Plus members in North America can download FarSight's Cross-Buy pinball sim Pinball Arcade and Creat Studios' PS Vita puzzler Germinator free of charge. Pinball Arcade, regularly priced at $10, features the classic tables Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Theatre of Magic, and Black Hole. PlayStation Plus members will have access to both the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of the core four-table download, and 24 additional machines are available as paid DLC. Vita owners also receive free access to Germinator, which originally premiered in March at $10. Similar in premise to Taito's bubble-bursting puzzler Puzzle Bobble, Germinator challenges players to match like-colored germs, causing them to grow and eventually explode in a gooey mess. Member-exclusive discounted items for this week include Metro: Last Light's season pass, the newly released Vita janitor sim Men's Room Mayhem, and Capcom's Darkstalkers Resurrection and Super Puzzle Fighter 2, along with a collection of DLC-bundled Ultimate Editions.
