# Game of Thrones Launch Party @ Pinball Expo 2015 - Stern Pinball

**Source:** Stern Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2015-12-11  
**Duration:** 3m 13s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsKLjlV9cKY

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## Analysis

Coverage of the Game of Thrones pinball machine launch party at Pinball Expo 2015, featuring hands-on gameplay impressions, interviews with players and designer Steve Richie, and a tournament competition. Players praised the game's speed, ramp design, upper playfield, and animated dragon topper, with notable comments on its difficulty and appeal to fast-playing styles.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Game of Thrones features an upper playfield as a core mechanic — _Multiple players mentioned the upper playfield as a favorite feature with touch targets that launch the ball back_
- [HIGH] The game has a mechanical dragon topper with fire effects — _Player comments: 'I'm very happy with the topper. The topper's awesome... Flying around... I like the fire effect coming out of his mouth.'_
- [HIGH] Game of Thrones is notably fast-paced and difficult — _Multiple players described it as 'very fast,' 'tough, tough game,' and 'It is fast. It is fun.'_
- [HIGH] The ramp design places targets in naturally intuitive positions for flippers — _Player stated: 'Every ramp is in that sweet spot where your hand just wants to flip.'_
- [HIGH] Steve Richie designed Game of Thrones — _Direct reference: 'Steve Ritchie just now' and 'Steve made an amazing game'_
- [HIGH] The LE (Limited Edition) version was playable at the launch party with long wait lines — _Player comments about queue: 'Dude, I can't even get to it. Look at the lines. It feels like Star Trek times Iron Man.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "It feels like Star Trek times Iron Man. That's some serious multiplication there, buddy."
> — **Unknown player**, early
> _Describes the hype and queue length by comparing to previous Stern blockbuster releases_

> "The game is fast, fun, furious, if you want to say that in that order."
> — **Unknown player (65-year-old slap saver)**, mid
> _Summarizes core gameplay appeal; notably, an older player finds the game suited to their style_

> "That upper playfield is probably my favorite feature."
> — **Unknown player**, mid
> _Highlights the upper playfield as a standout mechanical feature of the machine_

> "Steve made an amazing game. And it was fun playing it with them. We got to battle on Game of Thrones."
> — **Unknown player**, mid
> _Player testimonial to designer Steve Richie's achievement_

> "He killed it. He killed me. I'm dead."
> — **Unknown player**, late
> _Describes Steve Richie's tournament performance against another player_

> "He is the one true king. Thank you, everybody. Good night."
> — **Tournament announcer**, end
> _Tournament conclusion; champion Van Grazer won $108 and the title_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Game of Thrones | game | Stern Pinball's licensed Game of Thrones pinball machine, launched at Pinball Expo 2015. Features upper playfield, dragon topper with fire effects, multi-ball, and fast-paced ramp shots. |
| Steve Richie | person | Designer of Game of Thrones pinball machine; participated in gameplay and tournament at launch party |
| Van Grazer | person | Tournament champion at Game of Thrones launch party tournament; won $108 and title of 'one true king' |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Game of Thrones pinball machine; hosted launch party at Pinball Expo 2015 |
| Pinball Expo 2015 | event | Event where Game of Thrones launch party and tournament took place |
| Star Trek | game | Referenced as a comparison for hype/queue lines; mentioned as a prior Stern blockbuster |
| Iron Man | game | Referenced as a comparison for hype/queue lines; mentioned as a prior Stern blockbuster |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game mechanics and playfield design, Upper playfield feature and topper design, Game difficulty and speed balance
- **Secondary:** Tournament gameplay and competition, Launch event hype and player demand, Limited Edition (LE) availability and queue management

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Overwhelming enthusiasm for the Game of Thrones machine across all players interviewed. Consistent praise for design, mechanics, and gameplay experience. No negative feedback recorded. Minor complaint about queue length, but framed as evidence of demand rather than criticism of the game itself.

### Signals

- **[product_launch]** Game of Thrones LE playable at Pinball Expo 2015 launch party with significant queue lines indicating high demand (confidence: high) — Player comments about long lines and inability to reach the LE machine; comparison to Star Trek and Iron Man hype levels
- **[gameplay_signal]** Upper playfield, ramp design, and dragon topper features were standout mechanical elements receiving consistent positive feedback (confidence: high) — Multiple players highlighted upper playfield as favorite feature, praised intuitive ramp positioning, and enthusiastically discussed topper mechanics
- **[gameplay_signal]** Game characterized as fast-paced, difficult, and challenging, suited to aggressive playing styles (confidence: high) — Descriptions like 'very fast,' 'tough, tough game,' and player noting it 'is made for me and the stupid style that I have' (referencing slap-save style)
- **[design_philosophy]** Game appeal spans diverse player types, including older players (65+) who favor aggressive, speed-based play styles (confidence: medium) — 65-year-old slap-saver player enthusiastically praised the game as suited to their style despite age
- **[competitive_signal]** Game of Thrones launch party included tournament competition with cash prizes and final four bracket (confidence: high) — Tournament announcements showing final four matchup, with champion Van Grazer winning $108 and runner-up prizes of $78 and $26
- **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo 2015 served as official launch venue for Game of Thrones with organized tournament, gameplay demos, and designer presence (confidence: high) — Stern Pinball hosted launch party, Steve Richie participated in gameplay, tournament was held with cash prizes
- **[sentiment_shift]** Strong positive community sentiment toward Game of Thrones machine at launch, with enthusiasm comparable to prior Stern blockbuster releases (confidence: high) — Consistent praise from all players; comparison to Star Trek and Iron Man hype levels; enthusiastic crowd reactions

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## Transcript

 Thrones LE. It's pretty good. It's fantastic. I think it's rad. Phenomenal. Did you get a chance to play the LE yet? No, I haven't played the LE yet. You got to get in line and play then. Dude, I can't even get to it. Look at the lines. It feels like Star Trek times Iron Man. That's some serious multiplication there, buddy. It's really fun. It is fast. It is fun. It's a tough, tough game. Very fast. It's kind of made for me and the stupid style that I have. Yeah, I'm a slap saver guy, but I do have speed at the old age of 65. The game is fast, fun, furious, if you want to say that in that order. It's neat that there's so many options to choose from. A lot of lanes. Every ramp is in that sweet spot where your hand just wants to flip. multiball is cool. The little flippers up at the top. Oh, the upper playfield there. Yeah. That upper playfield is probably my favorite feature. You got those touch targets that just shoot and fight right back, just launching it back at you. I'm very happy with the topper. The topper's awesome. I love the topper. Flying around. Great. Totally cool. I like the fire effect coming out of his mouth. I love you, Honestly do not get footage of me daddy dancing with Gary I gonna freak out Steve made an amazing game And it was fun playing it with them We got to battle on Game of Thrones I think I put up about 20 against Steve Ritchie just now Steve did a lot of trash talking Like this And rightfully so because he whooped my butt You whooped my butt. Yeah, well, that's great to hear. Father! I don't want you to get down. You called me out and you won. I'm sorry. He killed it. He killed me. I'm dead. You competed in the tournament already. I did terrible. No, I'm sure you did fantastic. Horrible. Not the best. I did horribly. Like, single digit horribly. Like, you put up one point. No, no, no. I put up like one million points. Oh, my man. 260 million? Yeah. You did a lot better than some of the people we've been talking to, so don't stress. Good luck in the tournament, dude. The final four people are about to face off. That's what they're going for. This and a whole lot of cash money. Oh! Good job, everybody. Bob, $26. Woo-hoo! $78. And our champ, taking home $108, Van Grazer. He is the one true king. Thank you, everybody. Good night. Good night. 7 years of love Your things and your past

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 31a46bce-7b39-40a9-8770-405d56dd3dbe*