# Pinball Heroes: George Gomez **Source:** The Pinball Blog **Type:** article **Published:** 2009-01-31 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** http://www.thepinballblog.com/2009/01/pinball-heroes-george-gomez.html --- ## Analysis The Pinball Blog interviews George Gomez, legendary pinball designer known for DMD-era games like Lord of the Rings, Batman (Stern), and Corvette. Gomez discusses his career trajectory, design philosophy, the transition from Williams/Pinball2000 to Stern, movie tie-in licensing constraints, and his perspective on pinball's future, emphasizing that time pressures affect all game development regardless of licensing. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] George Gomez designed Corvette, Batman (Stern), Lord of the Rings, NBA Fastbreak, and other titles — _The Pinball Blog interview introduction and questions reference these titles as Gomez's designs_ - [HIGH] Gomez worked on Pinball2000 before it was discontinued, then continued his career at Stern — _Gomez states 'I was kinda bummed, no doubt' about the Pinball2000 discontinuation but was able to carry on at Stern_ - [HIGH] Licensed movie tie-in games receive scripts, style guides, and sometimes audio from studios — _Gomez directly answers: 'Yes, we get scripts, style guides and sometimes audio'_ - [HIGH] Development cycles for licensed vs non-licensed games are equivalent in length — _Gomez states: 'The dev cycle is no different, license or not, there is never enough time'_ - [HIGH] Time constraints are universal across all pinball game development projects — _Gomez responds 'Pretty much all of them' when asked which machine he wished he'd had more time on_ - [HIGH] Gomez's 4-year-old niece in Switzerland plays pinball games — _Gomez states: 'My 4 year old niece in Switzerland plays my pinball games, I think we'll be ok' regarding pinball's longevity_ ### Notable Quotes > "You guys have no appreciation for true innovation." > — **George Gomez** > _Gomez's defensive response to question about NBA Fastbreak being a 'parts machine,' suggesting he believes the design had innovative merit despite community perception_ > "I like Fastbreak, probably because you guys don't." > — **George Gomez** > _Humorous deflection revealing Gomez's contrarian stance on his own work and potential tension with community opinion on his games_ > "The dev cycle is no different, license or not, there is never enough time." > — **George Gomez** > _Direct insight into production constraints regardless of licensing complexity, suggesting systemic time pressure across Stern's design process_ > "Pretty much all of them." > — **George Gomez** > _Response when asked which machine he wished he'd had more time on, indicating pervasive time constraints across his entire body of work_ > "Good times, great people, lots of work!" > — **George Gomez** > _Final summary of Gomez's involvement with pinball, emphasizing the collaborative and labor-intensive nature of the industry_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | George Gomez | person | Legendary pinball designer, Chief Creative Officer at Stern Pinball; known for DMD-era games including Lord of the Rings, Batman (Stern), Corvette, NBA Fastbreak; worked at Williams on Pinball2000 before transitioning to Stern | | The Pinball Blog | organization | Pinball enthusiast blog/publication conducting interview series on pinball designers and industry figures | | Roger Sharpe | person | Referenced as subject of prior Pinball Blog interview; notable pinball industry figure with historical significance | | Stern Pinball | company | Current employer of George Gomez after the discontinuation of Pinball2000 at Williams | | Williams | company | Gomez's former employer where he worked on Pinball2000 and other games before joining Stern | | Lord of the Rings | game | Pinball machine designed by George Gomez, noted as highly regarded by the collector community | | Batman (Stern) | game | Pinball machine designed by George Gomez; mentioned as a notable title in his portfolio; ties to Batman movie production | | Corvette | game | Pinball machine designed by George Gomez, listed among his major works | | NBA Fastbreak | game | Pinball machine designed by George Gomez; subject of community criticism; Gomez expresses contrarian appreciation for the design | | Playboy | game | Pinball machine designed by George Gomez; mentioned in interview regarding mansion theme | | Pinball2000 | product | Williams platform/concept that Gomez worked on before its discontinuation; represented an innovative direction that ended prematurely | | Nick | person | Author/editor of The Pinball Blog interview series | ### Topics - **Primary:** George Gomez's career and design portfolio, DMD-era pinball game design and innovation, Licensed movie tie-in game development constraints, Time pressures in pinball game development - **Secondary:** Williams Pinball2000 discontinuation and career transition to Stern, Community perception and criticism of specific games, Pinball's longevity and future generations ### Sentiment **Mixed** (0.55) — Gomez is somewhat defensive and dismissive of interviewer questions (short, wry responses like 'Balrog Shmalrog' and NBA Fastbreak comments), yet also reflective and pragmatic about industry constraints. He expresses mild regret about Pinball2000 but remains optimistic about pinball's future. The tone suggests a designer confident in his work but frustrated by community misunderstanding of constraints and limitations he operates under. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Universal time pressure across all game development at Stern, both licensed and non-licensed, indicating potential production/resource constraints (confidence: high) — Gomez: 'The dev cycle is no different, license or not, there is never enough time' and 'Pretty much all of them' when asked which game deserved more time - **[design_philosophy]** Gomez believes NBA Fastbreak contains true innovation that the community failed to appreciate, suggesting creative friction between designer intent and collector reception (confidence: high) — Gomez: 'You guys have no appreciation for true innovation' and 'I like Fastbreak, probably because you guys don't' - **[licensing_signal]** Licensed pinball games receive scripts, style guides, and audio from studios; development approach is equivalent to non-licensed titles (confidence: high) — Gomez: 'Yes, we get scripts, style guides and sometimes audio' and 'The dev cycle is no different, license or not' - **[personnel_signal]** Gomez successfully transitioned from Williams (Pinball2000 era) to Stern, establishing continuity of leadership through industry consolidation (confidence: high) — Interview discusses transition from Pinball2000 discontinuation at Williams to continued career at Stern --- ## Transcript I can appreciate there are guys with their place in the decades of pinball history, like last week's Pinball Heroes interview with Roger Sharpe, but what about something for us new kids on the block, maybe somebody who helped influence the DMD era. An era that enticed a whole new generation of players into this seedy addiction! George Gomez seemed to fit the bill.The Pinball Blog. So you're George Gomez, designer of Corvette, Batman (Stern) and several in between. What did your parents say when you said you wanted to be a pinball designer? George Gomez. "What's a pinball?" TPB. Lord of the Rings! It must be pleasing for you to see such a recent title so highly regarded among the ever-critical collector community. GG. Uhm...Balrog Shmalrog. TPB. Did you design NBA Fastbreak as a parts machine? GG. You guys have no appreciation for true innovation. TPB. It must have been exciting working on the new concept of Pinball2000, and then have it all taken away from you so quickly. Did you think you were experiencing the end of pinball right there and then? It must have then been a relief to be able to carry on your trade with Stern. GG. "End of pinball"...not really, but I was kinda bummed, no doubt. TPB. Playboy. Get to the mansion? Stay the night? GG. Yep, got to the mansion... TPB. Out of all the machines you've designed which is your favourite (and why)? GG. I like Fastbreak, probably because you guys don’t. TPB. They filmed some of the Batman movie near me in the UK. The lorry flipping over really happened - it wasn't CGI (no idea why I needed to share that)! How much time do you have to design a pinball for a movie tie-in when release dates must be strict? Do you get scripts, artist roughs or unedited scenes to work from? GG. Yes, we get scripts, style guides and sometimes audio. The dev cycle is no different, license or not, there is never enough time. TPB. Is there a machine you wish you'd had more time to work on? GG. Pretty much all of them. TPB. If machines from the 1960s (and before) can still be in people's games-rooms today, then you've got to think that even when we're old and grey, there'll be your machines in collections around the planet. Trouble is do you think your grand-kids or great grand kids will even know what pinball is? GG. My 4 year old niece in Switzerland plays my pinball games, I think we'll be ok. TPB. Finally, can you sum up pinball (or your involvement with it) in one word or sentence. GG. Good times, great people, lots of work! Many thanks to George Gomez, a man of few words, for taking the time to answer our questions. More pinball heroes coming soon, and remember you can drop us a line with who you'd like interviewed and I'll see if my mum has them in her phone book! Cheers Nick The Pinball Blog _(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 323766d7-75fb-45dd-b2bc-7fc36d1de6fd*