Special Announcement

Hello, fellow gamers and friends. We hope you continue to be safe and healthy in this difficult time.

The Replay Foundation was established in 2011 to promote the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of pinball technology, with an emphasis on the player experience. Replay exists to continue the activities of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association, and it has expanded those activities to encompass many forms of gaming, in particular by operating the world’s largest arcade through the signature Replay FX event.

The Foundation relies on public events to further its mission and support its operations. Being able to play games competitively in person is a key element of both the mission and the events. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic conditions, it has proven nearly impossible to safely and practically operate large public events.

Therefore it was with great sadness and regret that we must discontinue our public events and wind down most of our operations until further notice. We know this is very disappointing, but we have been unable to find any other way to proceed.

While the Foundation is not dissolving, we are liquidating most of our physical assets and cancelling all of our public events. Over the coming months, the Foundation will retire all of its debts, including the refund of prepaid tickets, and will exist solely as an online resource for the foreseeable future.

The tireless commitment and hard work put in by our employees and volunteers will always be immensely appreciated, as well as the support and enthusiasm of our fans and attendees. We hope to play some role in the future of gaming, and we encourage everyone to collect and play these beautiful games whenever possible.

With all our hearts, we thank you for having been on this journey with us, and for creating such wonderful memories together. It is, in fact, more fun to compete. We will see you all in the arcade someday.

Sincerely,

Kevin Martin & Mark Steinman
Cosigned by the Board of Directors

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I receive a refund for prepaid tickets?

We are working through our database of ticket holders to make contact and offer refunds. As a ticket holder, you may instead choose to donate some or all of your prepaid amount to the Foundation, which remains a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We expect to complete this process over the next 12 weeks. If you need to receive a refund more urgently, please contact us at director@replayfx.org.

How will the sale of physical assets be conducted?

We have already received high levels of interest in our collection of pinball machines, video games, consoles, board games, and more, the majority of which consists of games in excellent condition with a high playability factor. We also have a number of rare and unique pieces.

We will be selling the collection through our newly relaunched Web site, as well as through outlets such as eBay. If you are interested in a bulk purchase, please reach out to us at director@replayfx.org.

In accordance with our mission, we are particularly interested in sales to persons or companies who will be operating games for the public to play. That’s what these games are for, after all.

Will the Foundation be dissolved?

No. We are discontinuing our events and daily operations but will preserve the Foundation indefinitely. For now, this means we will have public Web sites with resources related to pinball technology and competitions, as well as our archive of videos.

What will happen to any remaining assets of the Foundation?

Any remaining assets after liquidating inventory and discontinuing operations will be preserved within the Foundation and used solely in accordance with its mission. If the Foundation chooses to liquidate entirely in the future, any remaining assets will be passed on to charity, pursuant to federal and state law.

What about all the money the Foundation has made?

As we have continuously expanded and improved our events over the years, the Foundation has actually never consistently brought in more revenue than its expenses, and has relied on donations and financing. While we were nearing self-sustainability, the pandemic has severely curtailed our options, as it has for many other businesses. None of the Foundation board members, including particularly its chairman, can receive any benefits or proceeds from the Foundation’s operations, as we operate strictly in accordance with relevant federal and state law.

How about raising money to keep the Foundation going?

Believe me, we have very carefully considered our options in this regard, and while we appreciate the immense outpouring of support and offers, we do not feel that raising funds is appropriate at this time. Please consider donating instead to causes related to the pandemic or other crises in the world at this time.

Can somebody else run your events instead?

We strongly applaud any efforts to organize pinball tournaments and gaming events, at any scale, provided the tournaments are run fairly and are fun for all involved. If a person or group wants to put in the work to replicate any part of what we have done, we will applaud that as well. We are huge fans of competitive pinball and gaming.

We are not presently considering offers to license or purchase the rights to any of our pinball-related brands. If this changes, we will let the public know.

What might the Foundation do in the future?

We have not made any decisions other than continuing to maintain the public Web sites and our video archives.

I have treasured memories of hanging out at the old warehouse, or competing in Pinburgh with hundreds of new friends, or watching the PAPA finals on overhead screens, or…

We do too, my friend, we do too. Thank you so much for helping to create those memories. It has been a wonderful journey. Keep on flipping.