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HEXA Pinball has revealed its second title: The 3 Musketeers, based on the famous Alexandre Dumas novel. The game was scheduled to be unveiled simultaneously at the Texas Pinball Festival in Frisco, Texas, and at HEXA's factory near Bordeaux today, March 20, 2026, however customs issues stateside may have complicated that plan. That said, a coordinated dual reveal across two continents, even if interrupted, is a clear step up in how HEXA is presenting itself.
If you're not familiar with HEXA, here's the short version: it's the only active pinball manufacturer in France, it debuted with Space Hunt in 2023, and it builds everything in-house near Bordeaux. Playfields, electronics, software, audio.
The 3 Musketeers is drawn directly from the public domain source material. No film license, no franchise tie-in, just the original story premise. Players take on the role of d'Artagnan, progressing through duels, royal missions, and conspiracies involving Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Two editions: a Classic at €7,890 and an Elegance limited to 200 numbered units at €10,390 (both excluding VAT). HEXA is targeting a total run of around 800 machines, with first shipments expected within three months.
Dos Santos is a graphic designer by training who taught himself pinball design and built the original Space Hunt as a solo homebrew before HEXA co-founder Alexandre Mak approached him about manufacturing it. Romain Fontaine, who designed HEXA's custom control boards, was an early mentor through Team Pinball.
Colin is the chief pixel pusher at Kineticist. He's a lifetime gamer who became enamored with pinball after taking in a family copy of the 1979 classic Joker Poker (the EM version). Since then he's bought, sold and repaired many machines, competed in all kinds of tournaments, and contributes to This Week in Pinball, the New England Pinball League, and Pin-Masters of New England. Previously, Colin spent over a decade working in marketing for agencies and tech startups. He also started and ran a music blog, happy hour website, and wrote a regular craft beer review column for Central Track in Dallas. Once aspired to be an artsy film director.
HEXA was founded in 2022 by Christophe André (CEO) and Alexandre Mak (CTO). The name is a nod to l'Hexagone, the common nickname for France's roughly hexagonal shape. The company operates from a factory near Bordeaux, and everything about The 3 Musketeers leans into that French identity. A foundational French novel. Birch wood playfields handcrafted using local suppliers. An accessibility program developed with French disability charities.
So it would be easy to frame HEXA as a company building for France first — and we almost did. But when we asked, the company pushed back. "We are not focused on [the] European market," a representative told Kineticist. "We are still building things at the moment as we are a young company, so of course we have more connections in France, but we would love to have more partners abroad." The dual reveal, TPF and Bordeaux simultaneously, reflects where HEXA is right now: deeply French in identity, actively reaching outward.
The distributor list is growing, with U.S. dealers Mad Pinball and Pinball Star added ahead of The 3 Musketeers debut.
Space Hunt introduced HEXA's core tech stack: Pinsound audio, custom Team Pinball control boards, and software running on Mission Pinball Framework. Reception split along geographic lines. French coverage was positive, while English-language forums, particularly in the UK, were more skeptical.
The 3 Musketeers is where HEXA proves whether it has staying power. The team says the theme "felt almost obvious," a story about friendship, camaraderie, and overcoming obstacles. There's a d'Artagnan parallel they're clearly aware of: "a small player who can grow into someone extraordinary." It's also quintessentially French, and the team leans into that. "We're proud of the French approach in general," they told us, "one that prioritizes quality, craftsmanship, and an almost obsessive attention to detail."
And it's public domain, which means no licensing fees and no approval process. HEXA says they wanted to treat the machine as a work of art, with Fallon and Coussillan given full creative latitude.
HEXA has also built credibility outside the hobby. A Louis Vuitton collaboration produced custom Space Hunt reskins as luxury pieces for LV's 2025 menswear collection. Not something you'll find on the show floor, but projects like these gave HEXA more time on the manufacturing line, helping the team refine its build process and improve quality ahead of its second title.
The press kit stands out. It's one of the most polished presentation packages we've seen from any pinball manufacturer, boutique or otherwise. HEXA did release a brief trailer on Facebook, though it's more of a teaser: glimpses of gameplay action rather than a full walkthrough. A dedicated gameplay video would have been nice.
HEXA includes an accessibility program called AdaptiveFlip with every machine, developed with three French organizations: Des Lumieres dans les Yeux, Retrosmile, and Association des Paralyses de France. The kit is free on request and includes Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit compatibility, a Simple game mode with a two-minute infinite ball and gentler visuals, and reduced sensory intensity options.
Asked what's motivating the focus, HEXA said the team met disability charities at its first shows in France and immediately wanted to help. "[It] was actually quite easy to do on a technical point of view, so why nobody did it? We don't know, but we do."
HEXA says first shipments are expected within three months, roughly June 2026. The company is expanding production capacity at its Bordeaux workshop. As of reveal day, the TPF demo units were still stuck in customs after a weeklong delay, adding some drama to the debut.
Both editions include the full PlayShield birch playfield, AtmosLight system with 400+ RGB LEDs, Pinsound 2.1 sound system with 48V amplifier, PLUNGR connectivity, pause mode, and all mechanical features. Gameplay is identical across editions — the Elegance is a cosmetic and tactile upgrade, not a mechanical one.
The centerpiece shot. Themed to the Battle of La Rochelle, a physical cannon fires the ball from its own platform, with a dedicated diverter routing shots into it.
A swinging ship representing the English fleet. It moves, so you have to time your shots to connect. A physical challenge tied directly into the siege storyline.
A sculpt of the novel's antagonist, positioned as a repeatable bash target.
The densest area on the playfield. The upper section packs in three bank drop targets, a ramp, a diverter, and a hidden mini-ball shot, with a VUK feeding up to the mansion roof. The main playfield is single-level (unlike Space Hunt's elevated mini-playfield with its pendulum shot), so this multi-level section stands out as the mechanical showpiece.
Three-ball lock themed to the harbor, feeding into multiball.
HEXA's patented playfield technology. Handcrafted birch wood with Ultra HD printed artwork, artisan metalwork on ramps and targets, and a proprietary glossy varnish applied by hand in multiple layers. The AtmosLight inserts, resin pieces bonded to the wood with epoxy, are integrated directly into the playing surface.
Full rules haven't been published yet. Based on the press materials, players progress through the d'Artagnan storyline, completing missions, dueling enemies, and unlocking modes tied to the novel: duels in Parisian streets, the siege of La Rochelle, court intrigue around the Queen's diamonds. Integrated video modes put narrative sequences and interactive missions on screen.
Three game modes: Normal, Competition, and Simple (the accessibility mode with infinite ball and reduced visual intensity).
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