- Feb 19, 2012
- 1,991
- 3
1. Why has the license not been renewed? Whose decision was it?
The company that controls the WMS IP chose not to renew our agreement.
2. When will the Williams/Bally tables stop being sold?
June 30th
3. Will there be discounts on the tables before the contract expires? If not, why?
No, our agreement with WMS prohibits there being any sales on their tables before we have to take them off the market.
4. Will there be any updates/bug fixes for the tables before/after the contract expires?
Yes, we will continue to support all of the tables in Pinball Arcade.
5. What will happen to the tables that are already owned (or unlocked, as with the Kickstarter rewards) once the contract expires?
Everyone who owns a WMS table will still own it, and have full access to it. We will modify the game via updates before June 30th on each platform so that players can no longer buy WMS tables if they haven’t already. In most cases, if you don’t own a WMS you won’t be able to see that table in the game at all.
6. Would future hardware (iPhones/iPads, Android devices) be updated to allow the Williams/Bally tables to work correctly, or will there be a time when these are completely unplayable?
We will continue to support all of the tables in Pinball Arcade for customers who bought them. This includes support for users who need to re-download tables they’ve already bought.
7. With the loss of the Williams/Bally tables, what's the future of the app? Will we see it continued with new non-Williams/Bally tables?
Our “Season 8” release will include all of the Stern tables that we’ve done to date for SPA plus a couple more. We will continue to develop and release non-WMS tables. Once the WMS tables are removed from sale, the remaining tables for sale in the game (Stern, Gottlieb, and Alvin G) will be restructured into different packs based primarily on the table manufacture.
8. What's happening with the staff at FarSight? Will there be layoffs?
There are no plans to lay off any FarSight staff.
9. Is FarSight working on other projects?
Yes, in addition to developing many more digital versions of Stern tables, more Gottlieb tables, possibly more tables from other manufactures, and an awesome 2D pinball experience for mobile, we’re working on a couple new cross-platform games that are yet to be officially announced – primarily for console.
10. This sucks, right?
We are very disappointed by the WMS license holder’s decision – so it’s not great. But we’ll be working to enhance the players’ enjoyment of all of the tables in Pinball Arcade for years to come.
The company that controls the WMS IP chose not to renew our agreement.
2. When will the Williams/Bally tables stop being sold?
June 30th
3. Will there be discounts on the tables before the contract expires? If not, why?
No, our agreement with WMS prohibits there being any sales on their tables before we have to take them off the market.
4. Will there be any updates/bug fixes for the tables before/after the contract expires?
Yes, we will continue to support all of the tables in Pinball Arcade.
5. What will happen to the tables that are already owned (or unlocked, as with the Kickstarter rewards) once the contract expires?
Everyone who owns a WMS table will still own it, and have full access to it. We will modify the game via updates before June 30th on each platform so that players can no longer buy WMS tables if they haven’t already. In most cases, if you don’t own a WMS you won’t be able to see that table in the game at all.
6. Would future hardware (iPhones/iPads, Android devices) be updated to allow the Williams/Bally tables to work correctly, or will there be a time when these are completely unplayable?
We will continue to support all of the tables in Pinball Arcade for customers who bought them. This includes support for users who need to re-download tables they’ve already bought.
7. With the loss of the Williams/Bally tables, what's the future of the app? Will we see it continued with new non-Williams/Bally tables?
Our “Season 8” release will include all of the Stern tables that we’ve done to date for SPA plus a couple more. We will continue to develop and release non-WMS tables. Once the WMS tables are removed from sale, the remaining tables for sale in the game (Stern, Gottlieb, and Alvin G) will be restructured into different packs based primarily on the table manufacture.
8. What's happening with the staff at FarSight? Will there be layoffs?
There are no plans to lay off any FarSight staff.
9. Is FarSight working on other projects?
Yes, in addition to developing many more digital versions of Stern tables, more Gottlieb tables, possibly more tables from other manufactures, and an awesome 2D pinball experience for mobile, we’re working on a couple new cross-platform games that are yet to be officially announced – primarily for console.
10. This sucks, right?
We are very disappointed by the WMS license holder’s decision – so it’s not great. But we’ll be working to enhance the players’ enjoyment of all of the tables in Pinball Arcade for years to come.