Back Gridiron

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  1. By IPDB
    credit
    Joe Kaminkow — Design
    credit
    Jeanine Mitchell — Art
    credit
    Constantino Mitchell — Art
    gameplay_feature
    Hanging Targets ×7
    ipdb.corporate_entity_name
    Williams Electronics, Incorporated
    ipdb_id
    1090
    ipdb.image_urls
    ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-6.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-8.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-5.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-7.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1090/image-1.jpg"]
    ipdb.manufacturer_trade_name
    Williams
    ipdb.model_number
    538
    ipdb.notable_features
    Hanging targets (7), Electromagnet under playfield for three different styles of pitching the ball. Bell rings when credits are added, crowd cheers for touchdowns. The playfield advertises the following three games: Williams' 1984 'Laser Cue' 1984 Mystic Marathon (video game) 1983 Triple Strike (shuffle alley)
    ipdb.notes
    Same playfield layout as the electromechanical Model 376, Williams' 1969 'Gridiron', but with the addition of three outfield scoring pockets. This Model 538 is listed in several Williams documents as "Gridiron II". However, unlike other games on these documents, no production run dates or quantities are ever indicated. According to the book Arcade Treasures, Williams promoted this game on a souvenir NFL game schedule. Reportedly, this game was made as a kit as well as a complete game. We asked Ken Fedesna, Executive VP/General Manager over Williams/Bally/Midway from 1988 until their close of pinball production in 1999, who provided this detailed information:It was referred to as GridIron II in all my notes to differentiate it from the original GridIron, so your assumption regarding this is correct. The first mention in my notes about this game was on 6/1/84 where we were trying to come up with a preliminary cost estimate for building it. A prototype build was released, but nowhere in my notes do I have the number of proto units to be built or what was built. On 10/5/84, my notes indicate that the proto cabinets and playfields were due in the following week. My notes also indicate that it was to use System 8, and that we were building 4 ramp assemblies with the motors we had in stock and had to get more motors to build more. On 10/12/84, my notes mention for the first time that we were considering making this into a conversion kit for Pennant Fever in addition to a dedicated version. On 10/29/84 (after the AMOA Show) we released 150 dedicated units and 10 Conversion kits for Purchasing to buy the parts based upon getting initial orders at the show for 150 dedicated games. Production was scheduled to start 12/17/84 at 5 to 10 per day. On 11/26 my notes indicate that production was still scheduled to start on 12/17/84. Then on 12/20/84, the entire production of this game was canceled and all parts on order were to be held until Spring to build more baseball games. At that time, our cabinet supplier had built 45 cabinets, and 60 backboxes and was told to stop. Same for Ad Poster with regards to screening playfields. If I remember correctly (?), the reason we canceled building this game was due to how late in the football season this game would be being introduced. At 5 or so a day, the 150 units wouldn't be completed until February 1985 when the football season was over. So, the reason there is no record of building any production units of this game (dedicated or kits) is because we never did build production units. We have linked to a video of a game having prototype serial number 538X22005. That game is also pictured here. The flashing bulb on the start button of this game did not work because, although it was wired from the bulb socket to the backbox connector, no wire existed from the connector to the backbox circuit board, reportedly because Williams had maxed out their transistor capacity. We don't know if other games in this run had the same issue.
    player_count
    2
    system
    williams-system-8
    technology_generation
    solid-state
    theme
    Sports
    theme
    Football