I’ve been a big fan of the custom pinball machines that Brian Soares designs through his company Gameroom Pinball for several years now. He has created some amazing custom pinball games for themes ranging from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to The Hangover to Happy Gilmore. He’s done work for a number of major clients, including the San Diego Padres baseball team and Pacifico beer. So it was no surprise to me when I found out that he had yet another famous client reach out to him to create a custom game. Brian’s latest work was done for Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz, two of the creators of the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai. He built not just one, but two Cobra Kai custom pinball machines for them.
Brian was kind enough to sit down for a Q & A session with me and was even able to get the creators of the show to answer a few questions for us. Without further ado, I present to you the exclusive reveal of Cobra Kai pinball.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: How did you get involved in creating a Cobra Kai custom pinball machine?
Brian Soares: Josh Heald, one of the creators of Cobra Kai, reached out to me back in the spring of 2023. He like my work and was wondering if I would be interested in making a game about the show. After a little back and forth we had a plan and one of the shows co-creators, Jon Hurwitz, was also interested in a game as well.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: How long did it take you to make the game?
Brian Soares: This has been the longest project I’ve ever worked on, roughly 2 ½ years in total. There were a number of things that affected the timing. The writers strike, season 6, graphics artist (who was actually a “super fan” of the show, studio approvals for images and sound, competing timelines for my other games, etc.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Did you work with anyone else to create the game?
Brian Soares: Mark Kerr a Cobra Kai “super fan” from the UK. He’s a graphic artist who actually crafted the entire graphic design package as well as compiled list of audio soundbites.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: What machine is it originally based upon?
Brian Soares: Both games are based on Gottlieb Cactus Jacks
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Tell me about the game. Which seasons are in it?
Brian Soares: The game includes images or audio from all (6) seasons. This was one of the reasons for the extended build time. There could be no “spoilers” included on the game, so graphics couldn’t be completed until season 6 was live on Netflix.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Does the game have any music or songs from the show?
Brian Soares: The game is packed with both quotes and songs from the show. Many of the playfield switches include a dozen or so quotes that play at random upon activation. There is a background track plays instrumental music from all the seasons and 18 different songs when the ball enters the top multiball hole.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: What are your favorite aspects of the machine?
Brian Soares: My overall favorite is the graphic design on both games which came out terrific. Jon and John each wanted the exterior to look different so there are two completely different design packages and metal trim colors. Both playfields are the same though.
I also love the custom diecast cars on the playfield. I work with a shop that creates a lot of my toys. These cars were actually Hot Wheels that were disassembled, decaled and painted to match the cars on the show.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Are you building more than one copy of the machine?
Brian Soares: There are and only will be (2) copies on Cobra Kai pinball. (1) for the Heald family and (1) for the Hurwitz family.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Where is it going to end up?
Brian Soares: Each of the games will end up in the creators home on the west coast.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Will it ever be available for the public to see or play?
Brian Soares: That is totally up to them, but my guess is that they won’t be out in the public. Then again, who knows, maybe they will eventually bring them to a Cobra Kai event in the future. Time will tell.
Cobra Kai Creator Josh Heald:
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: How did you hear about Gameroom Pinball?
Josh Heald: I first heard about Gameroom Pinball from through Ryan Saghian, the talented designer who helped decorate our home. His earliest renderings included a nook that said “custom pinball machine.” He thought it would be fun to commission a bespoke game to honor both my fandom of The Karate Kid and my decade of making Cobra Kai. I lit up at the possibility, and Ryan set about finding the right person to bring this creation to life.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Were you already pinball fans ?
Josh Heald: I was already a huge pinball fan. I played virtually every machine I encountered in my youth, from bowling alley arcades to friend’s garages. Other than Street Fighter II, there was no greater threat to my allowance than pinball machines. Well, maybe candy. But then pinball machines.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: What do you plan on doing with the game?
Josh Heald: This game will hold a place of honor in our home. It will be plugged in and enjoyed lovingly and often. I imagine guests might want to try it too, but they’ll have to pry me off it first.
Cobra Kai Creator John Hurwitz:
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: How did you hear about Gameroom Pinball?
John Hurwitz: I actually heard about Gameroom Pinball through Josh.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: Were you already pinball fans?
Jon Hurwitz: I’ve enjoyed pinball for as long as I can remember, but my love fully solidified when my dad bought an old Bally’s Harlem Globetrotters machine for our basement while I was in middle school. I spent hours upon hours playing that machine with my friends. I’ve missed having a regular machine in my adult life, so when Josh mentioned there may be an opportunity for us to create custom Cobra Kai machines for our homes, I was immediately all in.
Pinball Machine Sales Australia: What do you plan on doing with the game?
Jon Hurwitz: Much like the machine I grew up with, this Cobra Kai machine will be the centerpiece of my basement. But the fact that it’s a pinball representation of a series I poured my heart and soul into for a decade makes it that much more special. Collaborating on all the visuals and the sound design alongside Josh and our favorite Cobra Kai fan artist, Mark Kerr, was an absolute blast! It was almost as much of a labor of love as the show itself!
If you’re interested in having a custom pinball machine built yourself or just want to check out Brian’s amazing game portfolio, make sure to check out the Gameroom Pinball website: