Pinball FX 3

Pinball FX 3 is a pinball simulator video game developed and published by Zen Studios and is the sequel to Pinball FX 2. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 in September 2017 and then released for the Nintendo Switch in December 2017. A followup called Pinball FX was released in February 16, 2023.

Pinball FX 3
Developer(s)	Zen Studios
Publisher(s)	Zen Studios
Platform(s)	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One September 26, 2017 Nintendo Switch December 12, 2017
Genre(s)	Pinball
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Pinball FX 3 allows players to play one of several simulated pinball tables, and includes online scoreboard support for informal competition with other players. The game is aimed to provide a more engaging multiplayer experience than previous titles; the game will provide support for asynchronous competitive multiplayer options, and tournament-style play.^[1] There will be shared leaderboards and multiplayer options among platforms, although PlayStation 4 players can only compete with users playing through Steam on Windows due to Sony's initial decision to prohibit cross-platform play between its PlayStation 4 and other consoles.^[2]

Development

Zen's prior games have been split across consoles. The Pinball FX games typically have been released on Microsoft platforms, while the Zen Pinball games were released on non-Microsoft platforms. Pinball FX 3 will be the first game in the series to target both Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms, and Zen intends that any future titles in the series will do so as well. Zen has stated that a "majority" of the previous downloadable content pinball tables that a player has purchased for either Pinball FX 2 or Zen Pinball 2 will be available in Pinball FX 3 at no cost; Zen cited issues with licensing that prevents some tables from being brought to the new version.^[1] Zen Studios has affirmed that more than fifty tables will carry over, with only about half a dozen that will not.^[2]

Pinball FX 3 launched with three new tables based on movie properties from Universal Pictures that includes E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and Jaws. Additional tables are in development with new intellectual property holders.^[3][2]

A version for the Nintendo Switch was released in December 2017, with one free table and 29 additional tables that can be purchased as DLC. The Switch version takes advantage of the unit's portability; the game can be played in portrait mode and the player can tilt the device to simulate tilting of the pinball table.^[4] However, following release, players reported issues with low frame rates and poor graphics on some of the tables; while Zen Studios has said they were working on a patch to fix these as well as make other display improvements, the studio later announced in March 2018 that they had to forgo the patch citing that there was no universal fix as the issue was one done table-by-table; they can optimize tables going forward but could not justify the time and cost to fix the existing ones.^[5] Reacting on the negative backlash of this announcement, the studio later reverted on this stance and is now committed to releasing a performance update during summer 2018 that will increase handheld performance to 60fps and will raise docked resolution to 1080p Full HD for all existing tables.^[6] The Switch version also omits Zen Studios' Marvel and Star Wars pinball tables, with the latter being made available separately as a single, standalone compilation game exclusive to that platform, titled Star Wars Pinball, in 2019.^[7]

In September 2018, Zen Studios announced that it has received the license to recreate several real Bally and Williams tables for the game.^[8] This marks the first time in the Pinball FX series that real world tables are recreated in the game. This announcement came a few months after FarSight Studios, the developers of The Pinball Arcade, lost the same license.^[8] These tables can be played in two visual modes that otherwise do not impact the game: one based on the more realistic appearance of the actual pinball games, and another that added Pinball FX 3's simulated elements like animated characters, and unique ball trail colors.^[9] However, as to retain the game's overall ESRB Everyone 10+ rating and to avoid the cost and difficulties of re-rating the game, original graphical elements of the pinball tables had to be censored or altered, such as altering innuendo that was present on the Fish Tales backboards.^{[10][11][N 1]} Zen Studios' Mel Kirk said that while these tables had been released in The Pinball Arcade under its E10+ ESRB rating, Zen Studios' internal review believed that there was no way that the tables could have fallen within E10+. Kirk stated that he believed that with The Pinball Arcade, "somehow they flew under the radar and it was not caught".^[11] Further, Zen Studios had had past issues with ESRB content ratings with games such as Infinite Minigolf and wanted to exercise caution.^[11] The first of these tables were released on October 9, 2018.^[10]

Tables

Table	Pack	Collection
Sorcerer's Lair	N/Azp1fx2	Zen Studios
Secrets of the Deep	Core Collectionfx2	Zen Studios
Biolab	Core Collectionfx2	Zen Studios
Pasha	Core Collectionfx2	Zen Studios
Rome	Core Collectionfx2	Zen Studios
Earth Defense	Sci-Fi Packfx1,zp1	Zen Studios
Mars	Sci-Fi Packzp1	Zen Studios
Paranormal	Sci-Fi Packzp1	Zen Studios
Excalibur	Medieval Packfx1,zp1	Zen Studios
Epic Quest	Medieval Packfx2,zp1	Zen Studios
Shaman	Zen Classicszp1	Zen Studios
Tesla	Zen Classicszp1	Zen Studios
El Dorado	Zen Classicszp1	Zen Studios
V12	Zen Classicszp1	Zen Studios
The Walking Dead	N/Afx2,zp2	Zen Studiosip
CastleStorm	Iron & Steel Packfx2	Zen Studios
Wild West Rampage	Iron & Steel Packfx2	Zen Studios
Portal	N/Afx2	Zen Studiosip
Wolverine	Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2	Marvel Pinball
Spider-Man	Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2	Marvel Pinball
Iron Man	Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2	Marvel Pinball
Blade	Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2	Marvel Pinball
Captain America	Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2	Marvel Pinball
Fantastic Four	Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2	Marvel Pinball
Doctor Strange	Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2	Marvel Pinball
Venom	Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2	Marvel Pinball
Civil War	Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2	Marvel Pinball
Deadpool	Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2	Marvel Pinball
Thor	Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2	Marvel Pinball
Ghost Rider	Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2	Marvel Pinball
Moon Knight	Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2	Marvel Pinball
X-Men	Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2	Marvel Pinball
The Avengers	Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2	Marvel Pinball
Fear Itself	Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2	Marvel Pinball
The Infinity Gauntlet	Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2	Marvel Pinball
World War Hulk	Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2	Marvel Pinball
Guardians of the Galaxy	Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2	Marvel Pinball
Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron	Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2	Marvel Pinball
Ant-Man	Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2	Marvel Pinball
A-Force	Marvel Pinball Women of Power fx2	Marvel Pinball
Champions	Marvel Pinball Women of Power fx2	Marvel Pinball
The Empire Strikes Back	Star Wars Packfx2	Star Wars Pinball
Boba Fett	Star Wars Packfx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Star Wars Packfx2	Star Wars Pinball
Return of the Jedi	Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Darth Vader	Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Starfighter Assault	Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2	Star Wars Pinball
A New Hope	Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Han Solo	Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Droids	Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Masters of the Force	Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Rebels	Star Wars Pinball: Unsung Heroesfx2	Star Wars Pinball
Rogue One	Star Wars Pinball: Unsung Heroesfx2	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Might of The First Order	Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens fx2	Star Wars Pinball
Family Guy	Balls of Gloryfx2*	Fox Pinball
Bob's Burgers	Balls of Gloryfx2*	Fox Pinball
American Dad!	Balls of Gloryfx2*	Fox Pinball
Archer	Balls of Gloryfx2*	Fox Pinball
Aliens	Aliens vs. Pinballfx2	Fox Pinball
Alien: Isolation	Aliens vs. Pinballfx2	Fox Pinball
Alien vs. Predator	Aliens vs. Pinballfx2	Fox Pinball
DOOM	Bethesda Pinballfx2	Bethesda Pinball
Fallout	Bethesda Pinballfx2	Bethesda Pinball
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	Bethesda Pinballfx2	Bethesda Pinball
Adventure Land Pinball	Carnivals & Legends Pack	Zen Studios
Son of Zeus	Carnivals & Legends Pack	Zen Studios
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Universal Classics	Universal Pinball
Back to the Future	Universal Classics	Universal Pinball
Jaws	Universal Classics	Universal Pinball
Jurassic World	Jurassic World	Universal Pinball
Jurassic Park	Jurassic World	Universal Pinball
Jurassic Park Pinball Mayhem	Jurassic World	Universal Pinball
Star Wars: The Last Jedi	Star Wars Pinball: The Last Jedi	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Ahch-To Island	Star Wars Pinball: The Last Jedi	Star Wars Pinball
Solo: A Star Wars Story	Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack	Star Wars Pinball
Calrissian Chronicles	Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack	Star Wars Pinball
Star Wars: Battle of Mimban	Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack	Star Wars Pinball
Fish Tales	N/A	Williams Pinball
The Getaway: High Speed II	Volume 1	Williams Pinball
Junk Yard	Volume 1	Williams Pinball
Medieval Madness	Volume 1	Williams Pinball
The Party Zone	Volume 2	Williams Pinball
Black Rose	Volume 2	Williams Pinball
Attack from Mars	Volume 2	Williams Pinball
Theatre of Magic	Volume 3	Williams Pinball
The Champion Pub	Volume 3	Williams Pinball
Safe Cracker	Volume 3	Williams Pinball
White Water	Volume 4	Williams Pinball
Hurricane	Volume 4	Williams Pinball
Red & Ted's Road Show	Volume 4	Williams Pinball
Tales of the Arabian Nights	Volume 5	Williams Pinball
Cirqus Voltaire	Volume 5	Williams Pinball
No Good Gofers	Volume 5	Williams Pinball
FunHouse	Volume 6	Williams Pinball
Space Station	Volume 6	Williams Pinball
Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray	Volume 6	Williams Pinball
Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure	N/A	Williams Pinball
Creature from the Black Lagoon	Universal Monsters Pack	Williams Pinball
Monster Bash	Universal Monsters Pack	Williams Pinball

^fx1 Table originally from Pinball FX
^fx2 Table originally from Pinball FX 2
^zp1 Table originally from or was also released on Zen Pinball
^zp2 Table also released for Zen Pinball 2
^ip Non-Disney-owned IP(s) licensed to Zen Studios
^* The Balls of Glory pack was delisted on August 28, 2024.^[15]

Accolades

The game was nominated for the Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game at the New York Game Awards 2018,^[16] and won the award for "Game, Special Class" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.^[17][18]

Notes

1. The Steam version and the stand-alone Williams Pinball mobile app available on iOS and Android will feature the uncensored, unaltered versions of the tables,^[12] the latter which consequently was issued higher content age ratings (17+ on the Apple App Store and the ESRB's Teen rating on the Google Play Store, respectively).^[13][14]

References

1. Matulef, Jeffrey (June 28, 2017). "Zen Studios says goodbye to last-gen with Pinball FX3". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
2. Fahey, Mike (August 17, 2017). "Pinball FX 3 Is All About Cross-Platform Competition". Kotaku. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
3. Makuch, Eddie (June 28, 2017). "Pinball FX3 Aims To "Redefine" The Video Game Pinball Experience". GameSpot. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
4. Glagowski, Peter (November 1, 2017). "Pinball FX3 is tilting on to Switch soon". Destructoid. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
5. "Zen Studios ditches plans to patch Pinball FX3 Nintendo Switch performance". Eurogamer. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
6. "Pinball FX3 – Nintendo Switch Update". Zen Studios. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
7. Good, Owen (11 April 2019). "Entire Star Wars Pinball collection coming to Switch, with new modes". Polygon. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
8. McWhertor, Michael (September 4, 2018). "Classic Bally/Williams pinball tables coming to Pinball FX3". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
9. Moyse, Chris (September 20, 2018). "Pinball FX 3's Williams tables will feature Classic and all-new Remastered modes". Destructoid. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
10. Moyse, Chris (October 10, 2018). "Pinball FX 3's Williams tables are available now, feature censored elements". Destructoid. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
11. Orland, Kyle (October 12, 2018). "Zen Studios alters classic pinball art to protect family-friendly rating". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
12. "Pinball FX 3 Williams Pinball - Frequently Asked Questions". Pinball FX 3. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
13. "App Store listing for Williams Pinball". Apple App Store. Retrieved 18 May 2019. Rating: Rated 17+ for Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, Gambling and Contests, Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity, Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling, Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
14. "Google Play Store listing for Williams Pinball". Google Play Store. Retrieved 18 May 2019. Rating: Rated Teen for Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes and Simulated Gambling (ESRB)
15. "Pinball FX3 is Delisting Balls of Glory DLC – Lords of Gaming". Retrieved 2025-01-09.
16. Whitney, Kayla (January 25, 2018). "Complete list of winners of the New York Game Awards 2018". AXS. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
17. "Nominee List for 2017". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
18. "Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 13, 2018. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.