The French Connection

The French Connection is a solid-state electronic pinball machine that began life as Game Plan's 1980 release Super Nova before being re-themed under this new name. It's a 4-player game, but beyond the retheme itself, little else about its production history — including who carried out the conversion or how many units exist — is documented.

The machine's most notable claim to fame is its appearance in the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, where a unit branded The French Connection was seen on screen. It's possible that this re-themed cabinet was created specifically as a prop for the movie, and that only one example was ever made.

As a re-theme of an existing Game Plan title rather than an original design, The French Connection's gameplay and hardware would closely mirror Super Nova's solid-state electronics and rule set, even as its cabinet art and name were changed for its new identity — whether for film use, a private commission, or another purpose that remains unclear.