# Pinfest is This Weekend; Pokémon is Hot; Even More Rumors

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-04-30  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/pinfest-is-this-weekend-pokmon-is-hot-even-more-rumors

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade reports on Pinfest 2026 in Allentown this weekend, confirms Stern's Pokémon is the fastest-selling pinball machine in company history with exceptional location earnings (2.5x other pins). Multiple unverified rumors circulate: Barrels of Fun securing SpongeBob SquarePants license, a new pinball company launching at Golden State Pinball Festival, Pinball Brothers holding The Fifth Element license, potential new Lord of the Rings from Stern, and Stern sitting on Journey license. George Gomez hints at an imminent Stern announcement.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pokémon is now the fastest-selling pinball machine in Stern Pinball's history — _Stern memo to operators, confirmed by George Gomez in direct conversation with author_
- [HIGH] Pokémon is earning 2.5x more than other pinball machines on location, making it the highest-returning pinball machine of the last 25 years — _Stern memo to operators, confirmed by George Gomez_
- [HIGH] All initial production of Pokémon is sold out — _Stern memo to operators_
- [HIGH] Pokémon has not yet received licensor approval for achievements or Pokédex features — _Author's direct statement based on Stern communications_
- [HIGH] George Gomez indicated an announcement from Stern is coming 'very soon' — _Direct quote from George Gomez to author during call_
- [LOW] Barrels of Fun has secured the license for SpongeBob SquarePants — _Rumor from unidentified third party; author explicitly marks as unverified_
- [LOW] A completely new pinball company may reveal a game at Golden State Pinball Festival (May 15-17) — _Rumor from unidentified third party; author explicitly marks as unverified_
- [LOW] Pinball Brothers has the license for The Fifth Element (1997 film) — _Rumor from unidentified source; author explicitly marks as unverified_
- [LOW] Stern may make a new Lord of the Rings pinball machine (not a remaster of the 2003 game) — _Rumor; author explicitly marks as unverified_
- [LOW] Stern Pinball has held the Journey license for a while but has not yet acted on it — _Rumor; author explicitly marks as unverified_

### Notable Quotes

> "The silence is deafening. We need some pinball and arcade news! lol."
> — **Jason Knapp (Knapp Arcade)**, opening
> _Sets context for slow news period driving rumor speculation_

> "I actually miss that game. It might be the best flowing widebody ever made. Shooting the combos and adding to your bonus is super addictive."
> — **Jason Knapp**, N/A
> _Personal pinball experience; Designer Moon Man reference (Demo Man is a widebody classic)_

> "Very soon you'll have something 😊."
> — **George Gomez (Stern Pinball)**, N/A
> _Teases imminent Stern announcement; builds hype for upcoming reveal_

> "All initial production of the game is sold out."
> — **Stern Pinball (memo to operators)**, N/A
> _Confirms Pokémon demand overwhelming; supply constraints signal_

> "earning 2.5x more than other pins on location, making it the highest-returning pinball machine of the last 25 years"
> — **Stern Pinball (memo to operators)**, N/A
> _Exceptional location performance metric; benchmark for industry_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; produces Pokémon; George Gomez works here; working on multiple potential titles (Lord of the Rings, Journey) |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer; co-designer of Pokémon; confirmed sales statistics to author; hinted at upcoming announcement |
| Pokémon | game | Stern pinball machine based on Pokémon IP; fastest-selling in Stern history; 2.5x earning multiplier on location; all initial production sold out; missing achievements/Pokédex approval |
| Pinfest | event | Annual pinball and arcade show held in Allentown, PA; May 1-2, 2026; known for swap meets and playable games; no formal manufacturer presentations |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Pinball manufacturer; rumored to have secured SpongeBob SquarePants license; previously released Dune |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Pinball manufacturer; rumored to hold license for The Fifth Element (1997) |
| PinballSTAR Amusements | company | Pinball distributor; sponsor of Knapp Arcade; brings latest games to Pinfest; represented by Joe |
| Turner Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; produced Merlin's Arcade; games shown at Pinfest |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; had booth/setup at Midwest Gaming Classic |
| Golden State Pinball Festival | event | Pinball festival in Lodi, California; May 15-17, 2026; rumored location for new company announcement |
| Jason Knapp | person | Founder/operator of Knapp Arcade media outlet; author of this article; covers pinball industry news |
| Midwest Gaming Classic | event | Recent pinball/arcade show; featured Spooky Pinball; Knapp Arcade published video coverage |
| Pintastic New England | event | Recent pinball show that took place before this article |
| Keith Elwin | person | Stern Pinball designer; led team that filed patent for magnetic Newton ball mech from Godzilla |
| Godzilla | game | Stern pinball machine; features magnetic Newton ball mechanic; patent filed by Keith Elwin's team April 21, 2026 |
| Demo Man | game | Classic Williams pinball machine; widebody; owned by author at one point; referenced as excellent flowing game |
| Dune | game | Pinball machine by Barrels of Fun; shown at Pinfest |
| Merlin's Arcade | game | Pinball machine by Turner Pinball; shown at Pinfest |

### Signals

- **[product_launch]** Pokémon confirmed as fastest-selling Stern pinball in company history; all initial production sold out (confidence: high) — Stern memo to operators confirmed by George Gomez
- **[market_signal]** Pokémon earning 2.5x more than other pinball machines on location; highest-returning machine in 25 years (confidence: high) — Stern memo and George Gomez confirmation
- **[supply_chain_signal]** All initial Pokémon production sold out; high demand exceeds supply (confidence: high) — Stern operator memo
- **[licensing_signal]** Pokémon still awaiting Pokémon Company approval for achievements and Pokédex features (confidence: high) — Author's statement based on Stern communications
- **[rumor_hype]** Multiple unconfirmed rumors about game licenses: SpongeBob SquarePants (Barrels of Fun), The Fifth Element (Pinball Brothers), new Lord of the Rings (Stern), Journey (Stern sitting on license) (confidence: low) — Third-party rumors explicitly marked as unverified by author
- **[announcement]** George Gomez hints at imminent Stern announcement in near future (confidence: high) — Direct quote: 'Very soon you'll have something 😊'
- **[event_signal]** Pinfest (May 1-2, Allentown PA) upcoming; recent shows include Pintastic New England and Midwest Gaming Classic; Golden State Pinball Festival May 15-17 rumored location for new manufacturer reveal (confidence: high) — Event dates and descriptions in article
- **[design_innovation]** Keith Elwin's team filed patent for magnetic Newton ball mechanic from Godzilla (published April 21, 2026) (confidence: high) — Author located and reviewed patent filing
- **[content_signal]** Tested Team YouTube channel published video on pre-war pinball machines from Pinball Expo; Knapp Arcade producing coverage (confidence: high) — Video embedded and referenced in article
- **[venue_signal]** Pinfest distinguished by old-fashioned swap meet model (parts, games, collectibles) versus manufacturer seminars common at other shows (confidence: high) — Author's direct experience and characterization

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## Transcript

News Pinfest is This Weekend; Pokémon is Hot; Even More Rumors k knapparcade April 30, 2026 The silence is deafening. We need some pinball and arcade news! lol. It pains me not to write, so I'm not going to let a week go by without talking with everyone, so here's what I got. We're in the middle of a huge run of great pinball shows. Pintastic New England and the Midwest Gaming Classic just happened and Pinfest in Allentown, Pennsylvania is this weekend. I've been to Pinfest a number of times over the years. Unfortunately, I absolutely have to work tomorrow so no Pinfest for me. Pinfest is a really interesting show. It's much different than a lot of current shows in that there's no fancy presentations and seminars from manufacturers, but what Pinfest has that a lot of other shows don't anymore is a good old-fashioned swap meet. People always bring a ton of games, parts, and all sorts of other old school stuff to sell. I bought a Williams Demo Man pin at Pinfest one year. I actually miss that game. It might be the best flowing widebody ever made. Shooting the combos and adding to your bonus is super addictive. I digress. Not only is there lots of stuff to buy, there's always tons of games at the show. Several distributors, including Knapp Arcade sponsor PinballSTAR Amusements, always bring the latest and greatest games. Last year Joe with PinballSTAR had both Barrels of Fun's Dune and Turner Pinball's Merlin's Arcade in his booth. Beyond the distros, the pinball community brings hundreds of games for the public to play. So Pinfest is being held on Friday, May 1st, and Saturday, May 2nd at the the Allentown Fair Grounds in Allentown, PA. Below are a bunch of pictures that I've taken at the event over the years. https://www.pinfestival.com !Advertisement Ad 2 of 2 Next up we have Stern Pinball's Pokémon. Despite still not receiving licensor approval to add achievements or the Pokédex to the game (come on Pokémon Company, approve that stuff), according to a memo sent out by Stern Pinball to operators, the game is now the fastest-selling pinball machine in its history. All initial production of the game is sold out. The memo went on to add that Pokémon is currently "earning 2.5x" more than other pins on location, making it the highest-returning pinball machine of the last 25 years. I reached out to Stern Pinball's George Gomez this week and he confirmed those statistics. While we were speaking, I begged George to have Stern announce something for me to talk about lol. His reply was "Very soon you’ll have something 😊." Onto the rumors. The lack of real news has lead to a lot of rumor talk lately. Here's a bunch of quick hits on things that I have heard over the past week or two. Keep in mind that these fall very much in the "rumor" category. I have absolutely no idea if they're true, but they are fun to talk about. \- Someone reached out to me to tell me that Barrels of Fun has secured the license for SpongeBob SquarePants New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today \- Someone reached out to me saying that we may see a new game from a completely new pinball company at the upcoming Golden State Pinball Festival, which takes place in Lodi, California from May 15th through the 17th Pinball Brothers has the license for the 1997 Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich film The Fifth Element \- Stern Pinball may actually do another Lord of the Rings pinball machine, but if they do, it will be all-new — not a remaster of its 2003 game \- Stern Pinball has had the license to make a Journey pinball machine for a while but has been sitting on it. To me, that seems like it would make a great theme for someone like John Borg. Speaking of Stern, Stern Pinball designer Keith Elwin and his team recently filed a patent for the magnetic Newton ball mech from Godzilla. When I first found this patent, it had a published date of April 21st. As I was reading it I saw the drawing of the playfield that I used for the cover image of this article and said to myself "Oh sh\\!" thinking that it was a new game...until I realized that it was a drawing of Godzilla lol. That Godzilla playfield patent drawing would actually make for really cool pinball art if someone framed it and hung it on their arcade wall IMHO. Here's a cool video of Spooky Pinball's setup at the recent Midwest Gaming Classic: Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. * Last up, I have a cool new YouTube video by the "Tested Team" channel that shows off "Pre-War" pinball machines as seen at last year's Pinball Expo. I actually have a bunch of pictures of games from this era from my trip to the VFW arcade last Fall that I still need to share. The Decade that Transformed Pinball! - YouTube Tap to unmute The Decade that Transformed Pinball! Tested Team Tested Team Posted 17 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Pinfest is This Weekend; Pokémon is Hot; Even More Rumors 17 minutes ago The Midwest Gaming Classic is This Weekend; Are we Really Finally Getting Masters of the Universe Pinball?; Neo Geo is Back 7 days ago An All-New AC/DC? Spooky to Up Production? No Addams Family? Turner & American Pinball Production Updates 13 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 2cc3f96b-81ec-44e5-a4e0-c382479fc3d4*