Fraser Valley Flipout pinball tournament overloaded with entrants
One of Canada's largest pinball tournaments has been postponed after registration eclipsed venue capacity
Pinballers set to attend the fourth annual Fraser Valley Flipout will have to wait to prove they're the best between the bumpers.
The tournament — which organizers claim is Canada's largest — has been growing in leaps and bounds since its inception in 2012. Registration for the 2015 competition finally dwarfed capacity at Nitro Amusements.
Organizer Tommy Floyd says pinball is enjoying renewed popularity due to new, emerging pinball companies and modern, innovative pinball machines. Mobile games are also driving people back to the arcade standby.
"Kids that actually have never been exposed to a real life pinball machine … can play this app with all these really great classic pinball machines like Adams Family, Twilight Zone," said Floyd, "Then they start looking for real machines."
While attendance was in the dozens for the tournament's first run, this next tilt could see as many as 400 pinballers compete. But they'll have to wait to get behind the paddles while organizers search for a bigger venue that can accommodate the increased interest.