World Cup Soccer (pinball)

World Cup Soccer

Manufacturer	Midway
Release date	July 1994
System	Midway WPC-Security
Design	John Popadiuk, Larry DeMar
Programming	Larry DeMar, Matt Coriale
Artwork	Kevin O'Connor
Mechanics	Jack Skalon
Music	Vince Pontarelli
Sound	Vince Pontarelli
Voices	Tim Kitzrow
Production run	8,743 units (confirmed)

World Cup Soccer is a 1994 pinball machine designed by John Popadiuk and Larry DeMar and released by Midway. It is based on the 1994 FIFA World Cup, with gameplay mechanics largely centered around the sport. Though multiple digital versions of the game have been created, they are no longer accessible through normal means.

Gameplay features

The soccer goal and its keeper with the spinning soccer ball [right] and the free kick zone [left].

The playfield's most prominent mechanic includes a soccer goal defended by an articulating goalkeeper and aided by a spinning soccer ball which awards the player 10 million points once scored. To re-light the goal, players must either light four rollover buttons in the center of the playfield or shoot into the free kick zone just below the goal, which shoots the ball directly into the goal after a flipper input.

The main progression path for the game is through multi-ball jackpots, each of which representing a different city whose team the player must defeat. There are 15 ranks total, with Germany ranked first. Players must re-engage multi-ball in order to proceed to the next jackpot.

Players can also complete lanes and ramps in order to travel to nine cities across the United States for points, with Boston, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles each activating their own respective mini-games.

• Boston starts the "Boston Tea Party" mini-game, which counts down from 30 million points and awards players the final amount once the left ramp spinner is activated.
• Washington D.C. lights the "Extra Ball" mechanic.
• Los Angeles initiates the "Final Match" mini-game, in which players have 45 seconds to score more goals than the virtual first-ranked German team. If they succeed, the player earns 500 million points.

Digital versions

This table was formerly available as DLC for The Pinball Arcade until it was removed on June 30, 2018. This was previously published as World Champion Soccer, as FarSight Studios was unable to secure the World Cup license from FIFA. This digital table has many changes; the W-O-R-L-D-C-U-P lights leading to the left loop are replaced by C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N, World Cup USA 94 on the plastics between left in-lanes and out-lanes are renamed to Champion Soccer TPA 17. The back glass was also changed to avoid possible lawsuits from FIFA for using the tournament's mascot Striker, World Cup USA 94 name and any other references to World Cup USA 1994 without required license.

The table was released as DLC for the 2022 mobile game PinballFX by Zen Studios. Unlike the TPA iteration, this version was fully licensed by FIFA, after FIFA's exclusivity agreement with EA expired. As a result, the game now more closely resembled the 1994 original, with the only notable difference being an updated FIFA License notice on the back glass and on the playfield above the lockdown bar. Though it was originally unlocked either through gameplay or purchasing the table outright from the game's digital store, the table has been since removed and is no longer accessible.

Trivia

• Raiden, a character from the Mortal Kombat fighting series, makes a cameo in a bonus round of the game.
• The flyer for the machine depicts an American football field instead of a soccer field in the background. However, the stadium shown is the Soldier Field in Chicago, which held several matches during the 1994 World Cup, among them the opening match.

External links

• World Cup Soccer on Pinside.com
• World Cup Soccer promo video (part 1)
• World Cup Soccer promo video (part 2)
• Recent Auction Results for World Cup Soccer