Black Hole

Manufacturer	Gottlieb
Release date	October 1981
System	Gottlieb System 80
Design	Jerry Yingst, Joe Cicak, John Buras, Adolf Seitz Jr.
Artwork	Terry Doerzaph
Production run	8,774

Black Hole is a pinball game released in 1981 by Gottlieb. It is notable for having two playfields: one on top with a conventional slope, and one mounted underneath, sloping away from the player. It has no connection with the 1979 film of the same name.

Description

Black Hole was the first machine to feature a lower playfield viewed through a window in the upper playfield. It was touted as the highest-grossing pinball game of all time shortly after its release, partly due to (or despite) the fact that it was the first pinball game which cost 50¢ to play (although many argue that Williams Black Knight, and Firepower were already at 50¢ before the release of Black Hole).^[1] Black Hole's robotic speech is generated by a Votrax SC-01.^[2]

Features

• 2 playfields^[3]
• 6 flippers^[3]
• 6 pop bumpers^[3]
• 4 drop target banks^[3]
• 1 spinner^[3]
• Rotating disc animated backglass^[3]
• Infinity backglass lighting
• Multiball^[3]
• Speech (Votrax SC-01)^[3]

Game quotes

• "Do you dare to enter the Black Hole?"
• "Re-entry attempt has FAILED."
• "No one escapes the Black Hole!"
• "Captured."
• "Re-entry success."

Design team

• Game Design: Adolf Seitz Jr., John Buras
• Artwork: Terry Doerzaph

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Black Hole on their June 1, 1983 issue as being the eighth most-successful flipper unit of the year.^[4]

Upon its release, the game 'Black Hole' was deemed challenging to maintain and did not gain popularity among operators.^[5]

Appearances in pop culture

• Black Hole in the films Les Compères (1983),^[6] Strange Brew (1983),^[6] Next Of Kin (1989).^[6]
• The phrase "Do You Dare To Enter The Black Hole?" which the machine says during attract mode was etched in the vinyl runout grooves on LP versions of the band Hovercraft's 1997 album, Akathisia.

Digital versions

Black Hole is available as a licensed table of The Pinball Arcade for several platforms. The game is also included in the Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection.