# Jersey Jack Latest **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2011-01-30 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/jerseyjack2.html --- ## Analysis Jersey Jack Pinball announced key team additions for their debut game The Wizard of Oz in early 2011, including legendary programmer Keith Johnson (Lord of the Rings, Simpsons Pinball Party) and veteran sound designer Chris Granner. The company assembled a high-profile design team and confirmed hardware platform selection, with pre-orders open and a March 13, 2011 payment deadline for the 1,000-unit Emerald City Limited Edition. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Keith Johnson created the rulesets for Lord of the Rings and Simpsons Pinball Party, regarded as having the deepest rules and best license use — _Direct statement in article about Keith Johnson's portfolio_ - [HIGH] Keith Johnson worked at Stern until October 2008, having transferred there when Williams closed their pinball division at the end of 1999 — _Historical employment timeline stated in article_ - [HIGH] Over 300 potential purchasers paid the $250 deposit for Wizard of Oz pre-orders — _Direct quote from Jack Guarnieri regarding pre-order status_ - [HIGH] Chris Granner worked in pinball for 22 years starting with Road Kings in 1986 — _Career history provided in Chris Granner section_ - [HIGH] Chris Granner's last pinball work was Shrek in 2008 before joining JJP — _Stated in Granner bio: 'bowed out of pinball with Shrek in 2008'_ ### Notable Quotes > "I'm excited to return to pinball with the Jersey Jack team and to be a part of the next chapter in pinball entertainment." > — **Keith Johnson**, January 2011 > _Affirmation of commitment to JJP's inaugural project_ > "Keith is an amazing talent with a passion for creating great games that are loved by millions of people. I'm proud to welcome him to our growing company." > — **Jack Guarnieri**, January 2011 > _Founder's validation of star programmer hire_ > "Jack is assembling a team with some big firepower. This is very exciting!" > — **Dennis Nordman**, January 2011 > _Insider peer assessment of JJP team quality_ > "I can't even tell you how excited I am to be a part of this team! When I heard that Joe, then Jerry and then Dennis and Greg were involved, I was pretty impressed...when I heard it was going to be The Wizard of Oz, I was really impressed...and when I heard Keith Johnson would be programming...this is what I've been waiting for!" > — **Chris Granner**, February 2011 > _Veteran designer's strong enthusiasm for team composition and project scope_ > "There are SO many great songs and themes, and the characters are so vibrant...This is going to be a VERY special game, I'm very grateful to be a part of it, and I can't wait to get started!" > — **Chris Granner**, February 2011 > _Granner's enthusiasm about Wizard of Oz IP and game potential_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | New pinball manufacturing company founded by Jack Guarnieri, announced January 2011 | | Jack Guarnieri | person | Founder and head of Jersey Jack Pinball | | Keith Johnson | person | Legendary programmer hired as lead rules designer; created Lord of the Rings and Simpsons Pinball Party at Stern; left Stern October 2008 | | Joe Balcer | person | First team member announced for Jersey Jack Pinball; playfield design role | | Jerry Vandersteldt | person | Team member added to Jersey Jack Pinball early design phase | | Dennis Nordman | person | Designer who worked with Keith Johnson on Stern's Wheel of Fortune; joined JJP team | | Greg Freres | person | Team member added to Jersey Jack Pinball early design phase | | Chris Granner | person | Veteran sound/music designer with 22 years experience (1986-2008); worked with Pat Lawlor on Funhouse, Addams Family, Twilight Zone; rejoined pinball to work on Wizard of Oz music | | Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary designer; Chris Granner collaborated with him on multiple games | | The Wizard of Oz | game | Jersey Jack Pinball's debut title; 1,000-unit Emerald City Limited Edition planned | | Lord of the Rings | game | Classic Stern game designed by Keith Johnson; cited as example of deep rules and excellent license use | | Simpsons Pinball Party | game | Stern game designed by Keith Johnson; regarded as having exceptional rules depth | | Drew Maniscalco | person | Team member appearing in JJP design team summit photos | | Roger Sharpe | person | Pinball personality/expert present at JJP design summit | | Rick Bartlett | person | Team member at JJP design summit | | Jim Thornton | person | Team member at JJP design summit | | Stern Pinball | company | Previous employer of Keith Johnson and Chris Granner; major contemporary pinball manufacturer | | Williams Pinball | company | Legacy manufacturer; closed pinball division end of 1999; Keith Johnson transferred to Stern at that time | | Funhouse | game | Pat Lawlor/Chris Granner classic game | | The Addams Family | game | Pat Lawlor/Chris Granner classic game | ### Topics - **Primary:** Jersey Jack Pinball team assembly and talent acquisition, Wizard of Oz game development and features, Keith Johnson's career and design philosophy, Chris Granner's return to pinball industry - **Secondary:** Pre-order model and customer commitment, Hardware platform selection for JJP games, Pinball industry talent migration and consolidation, Limited Edition production strategy ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.88) — Uniformly positive coverage of JJP team announcements; enthusiastic quotes from all participants; confidence in team composition and project viability. No critical perspectives or concerns voiced. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball pre-order campaign reports 300+ deposits at $250 with March 13, 2011 deadline for additional $1,000 to secure 1,000-unit Emerald City Limited Edition (confidence: high) — Jack Guarnieri quote: 'over 300 potential purchasers have paid the $250 deposit' - **[event_signal]** JJP held design team summit in Rosemont, Illinois where hardware platform and operating system were selected collectively (confidence: high) — Article describes summit with detailed team photo and reference to platform selection decision - **[market_signal]** Entry of Jersey Jack Pinball with premium team and Wizard of Oz IP signals new manufacturing entrant targeting high-end collector market (confidence: high) — Combination of legendary talent acquisition, Triple-A licensing, and limited edition pre-order model (1,000 units at premium price point) - **[personnel_signal]** Chris Granner, veteran sound designer with 22-year pinball career, returns after 5+ year absence to work on Wizard of Oz music (confidence: high) — Chris Granner section details: 'following work on...Elvis amongst others, he bowed out of pinball with Shrek in 2008. Now he's back...' - **[personnel_signal]** Keith Johnson returns to pinball from 2.5-year absence (left Stern October 2008) to lead programming for Jersey Jack Pinball's debut title (confidence: high) — Direct statement: 'Keith Johnson will be the programmer' and employment timeline provided - **[announcement]** Jersey Jack Pinball announces Wizard of Oz as debut title with confirmed team of legendary designers including Keith Johnson and Chris Granner (confidence: high) — Multiple quotes from Jack Guarnieri and team members; hardware platform selection completed but details to follow --- ## Transcript Date: 30th January 2011, updated 19th February Since news of Jack Guarnieri's new pinball manufacturing company Jersey Jack Pinball broke at the start of January, there has been a series of announcements about who has joined the company to work on their first product - The Wizard of Oz - and future game designs. Joe Balcer was the first to be announced, since when Jerry Vandersteldt, Dennis Nordman and Greg Freres have all been added to the team. With the playfield design and artwork for the playfield, cabinet and backglass all accounted for, the two remaining questions have concerned what goes on inside the backbox. Who would be programming the game, and which platform are they going to be using? While we'll have to wait a little longer for details of the hardware, Jersey Jack Pinball today announced Keith P. Johnson will be the programmer. Keith P. Johnson & Joe Balcer Keith is, of course, well known in the pinball business, creating the rulesets for such classics as The Lord Of The Rings and The Simpsons Pinball Party - generally regarded as the two games with the deepest rules and the best use of the licence. He worked at Stern until October 2008, having transferred there when Williams closed their pinball division at the end of 1999. Keith said: "I'm excited to return to pinball with the Jersey Jack team and to be a part of the next chapter in pinball entertainment." Commenting on Keith's addition to the team, Jack said; "Keith is an amazing talent with a passion for creating great games that are loved by millions of people. I'm proud to welcome him to our growing company. I love Keith's work and I have several of his games in my collection. It is so exciting for all of us and for me personally to make this all happen. It's really a lot of fun!" Meanwhile, Dennis Nordman, who worked with Keith on Stern's Wheel of Fortune game went on to say; "Jack is assembling a team with some big firepower. This is very exciting!" Keith was introduced to the rest of the design team at a special weekend summit which began with a meal at a local steakhouse in Rosemont, Illinois. The Jersey Jack Pinball design team (left to right): Joe Balcer, Drew Maniscalco, Dennis Nordman, "Jersey Jack" Guarnieri, Roger Sharpe, Rick Chris Bartlett, Keith P. Johnson and Christine Johnson Someone orders the 'Nordman Special' for dessert The new team gets down to work Team JJP gets divine intervention: (left to right): Joe Balcer, Keith P. Johnson, Drew Maniscalco, Dennis Nordman, Jim Thornton, Greg Freres, Jack Guarnieri During the summit they selected the hardware platform and operating system to use in their games. Details of those will be released shortly and naturally you'll be able to find out what they have chosen right here at Pinball News.. UPDATE Yet another well-known pinball name has joined the Jersey Jack team, this time to work on the game's music and sounds. Chris Granner worked in the pinball industry for 22 years, starting with Road Kings for Williams in 1986. He teamed up with Pat Lawlor on all his best selling games such as Funhouse, The Addams Family and Twilight Zone. After a brief stint at Capcom where he created the music for Pinball Magic and the unreleased Kingpin, he rejoined Pat to produce the games Monopoly and Rollercoaster Tycoon for Stern. Following work on The Lord of the Rings and Elvis amongst others, he bowed out of pinball with Shrek in 2008. Now he's back and working on Jersey Jack Pinball's upcoming The Wizard of Oz. Chris Granner Talking about joining Jersey Jack Pinball, Chris said, "I can't even tell you how excited I am to be a part of this team! When I heard that Joe, then Jerry and then Dennis and Greg were involved, I was pretty impressed...when I heard it was going to be The Wizard of Oz, I was really impressed...and when I heard Keith P. Johnson would be programming, and what kind of a game was to be made, I thought, this is what I've been waiting for! A fabulous team, a Triple A license, a can-do, 'rebel base' mentality -- sign me up!" He continued, "There are SO many great songs and themes, and the characters are so vibrant. It's really amazing how this story has become part of our cultural backdrop, especially in recent years, having a new way to look at wicked witches. This is going to be a VERY special game, I'm very grateful to be a part of it, and I can't wait to get started!" Head of Jersey Jack Pinball, Jack Guarnieri said, "Chris has been out of Pinball for over five years and this was a great opportunity to grab this brilliant talent and add him to our team. I am thrilled." The news comes as the deadline for the next pre-order payment approaches on 13th March, 2011. Those who put down the initial $250 deposit will then have to decide whether to proceed and pay a further $1,000 to secure one of the1,000 Emerald City Limited Edition games. Jack has said over 300 potential purchasers have paid the $250 deposit, which is fully refundable if they decide not to complete the pre-order purchase. Jack said, "This is a very exciting time for me and for all of us. I can tell you that our team is working very hard with a lot of passion and dedication to create what we believe to be the very best game we can make." Back to the News page Back to the front page _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 22fba800-34e6-42c1-ac4b-0717a9351633*