In a ballsy move (yes, I did), Zen Studios announced today that they have licensed the entire Williams and Bally pinball collections and that the first four tables will be launching in Pinball FX3 soon. That’s soon, as in the “coming weeks” according to this delicious FAQ that Zen Studios posted alongside the announcement. This news comes just two months after the same collection of 60 tables was removed from The Pinball Arcade but this won’t count as a re-listing of that title.
Volume 1 of the Pinball FX3 collection will include Fish Tales, Junk Yard, Medieval Madness, and The Getaway: High Speed II. Initially, the tables will be released on all modern console platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10, Steam, and Zen Pinball 2 on Mac. According to the post the tables won’t be coming to iOS or Android right away but they may eventually appear in the mobile versions of Pinball FX.
The major sticking point with a lot of pinball fans is that the physics in Pinball FX has never felt quite realistic enough. It’s a point that the FAQ quickly addresses by stating “we have invested a lot of time and energy adjusting the physics simulation for the Williams tables, so they play true to form – it feels like real pinball. Early feedback suggests physics are spot on.”
You can read some more details in the official post and also find out how to start playing the beta versions of these tables right now on Steam.