Hobbit fans have more than just the final installment of The Hobbit trilogy to look forward to this year. Jersey Jack Pinball are working on their next big project–The Hobbit: Motion Picture Trilogy pinball machine!
We first reported on this project back in 2012, and since then, the artwork and game design has coming along nicely (watch a video of an early whitewood being played here), and the machines are already available for preorder. The Hobbit Pinball Machine will be released in a time-frame consistent with the third Hobbit movie in late 2014 as the game will embody all three movies.
According to Jersey Jack Pinball, “Unlike The Wizard of Oz where everyone knew the story line and characters, The Hobbit has had many closely guarded secrets […] Thankfully our Design Team has access to assets from the Trilogy and must work in secret. This obviously limits what we can show but we are making great progress on the game.”
Game Designer Joe Balcer says, “The Hobbit has so many unique characters, iconic objects, places, weapons, and story content that our team is sorting through everything to have the right mix as a finished product in a timely manner. Believe me, it is a huge challenge to top [Wizard of Oz] as a complete package, but the goal we have set for ourselves is to do just that! The Hobbit is coming along just as I imagined it would from the day we signed the contract. This is an incredible title that needs an awesome game to go with it, and our team will undeniably accomplish that. Smaug lives…you’ll see!”
This video from Graphic Designer JP De-Win is an early work-in-progress compilation and should give everyone an idea of what to expect to see on that big HD LCD in the backbox of The Hobbit pinball machine. Music done by Nick Phoenix.
I absolutely love playing pinball, but I have to admit, usually I’m paying way too much attention to the game than to the graphics on the screen. I hope I can find a friend who is willing to take turns playing so I can get a chance to check out all of the cool movie tie-ins.
