# Big Things are Coming to Stern Pinball's Insider Connected

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-05-16  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/big-things-are-coming-to-stern-pinball-s-insider-connected

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## Analysis

George Gomez discussed Stern Pinball product roadmap in a The Super Awesome Pinball Show interview, revealing that a new home game for "The Pin" line is in development, a major Insider Connected code update with new features is coming soon, and new features like a "Home Team" login system and Operator Dashboard are planned. Stern aims to deliver monthly Insider Connected feature updates, while deprioritizing private label machines despite frequent inquiries.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball is developing another home game for 'The Pin' line of machines — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_
- [HIGH] A big Insider Connected code drop with tons of new features is coming soon — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_
- [HIGH] Insider Connected 'Home Team' feature coming soon that allows owners to log in and play on their Connected account at home without pulling out their phone — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_
- [HIGH] Insider Connected Operator Dashboard coming, allowing locations to set up custom quests and see location trends — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_
- [HIGH] Stern programmers ideally want to drop new Insider Connected features every month — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_
- [HIGH] Private label machines are taking a back seat at Stern despite being approached by companies all the time to make them — _George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author_

### Notable Quotes

> "I personally am a huge George Gomez fan. He's a really nice guy. I had a great phone conversation with him last year, after which he went out of his way to send my sons and I an autographed Deadpool translite"
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Personal endorsement of George Gomez's character and willingness to engage with the community_

> "Now that I have one [Insider Connected], I'm absolutely addicted to getting achievements in games. It adds a whole new level of replayability."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _First-hand account of Insider Connected's impact on player engagement and replayability_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| George Gomez | person | Chief Creative Officer and Head of Product Development at Stern Pinball; designer of Deadpool and other titles; subject of interview on Super Awesome Pinball Show |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer developing new home games and Insider Connected features |
| Super Awesome Pinball Show | media | Podcast featuring interview with George Gomez about Stern Pinball product roadmap |
| Christian Line | person | Co-host of Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Co-host of Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast; artist and designer |
| Jeff Parson | person | New co-host of Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast |
| Knapp Arcade | media | Pinball industry news outlet and arcade operator; author of this article |
| The Pin | product | Stern Pinball's home game line; new machine in development |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern Pinball's online connectivity and update service with upcoming major feature expansion |
| Deadpool | game | Stern Pinball game designed by George Gomez; recently delivered to Knapp Arcade operator |
| Jurassic Park | game | Stern Pinball game owned by Knapp Arcade operator; has Insider Connected kit purchased but not yet installed |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | game | Stern Pinball game owned by Knapp Arcade operator; planned for Insider Connected installation |

### Signals

- **[product_strategy]** Stern aggressively expanding Insider Connected platform with monthly feature cadence, new operator tools, and streamlined home player experience (confidence: high) — Major code drop with multiple new features (Home Team, Operator Dashboard) planned; goal of monthly updates communicated by development team
- **[product_launch]** New machine in development for Stern's 'The Pin' home game line (confidence: high) — Direct statement from George Gomez interview that Stern is developing another home game for The Pin line
- **[product_strategy]** Stern deliberately deprioritizing private label/custom machines despite ongoing commercial interest (confidence: high) — George Gomez stated private label machines are taking a back seat despite being approached regularly by companies
- **[technology_signal]** Insider Connected advancing from initial connected kit to full ecosystem with integrated home authentication and operator management dashboards (confidence: high) — Home Team feature allows seamless account login without mobile phone requirement; Operator Dashboard enables custom quest creation and venue analytics
- **[community_signal]** George Gomez and Stern executives actively participating in community podcast interviews to communicate roadmap and build engagement (confidence: high) — Multi-part interview with George Gomez on Super Awesome Pinball Show; detailed product announcements shared directly with community media
- **[gameplay_signal]** Insider Connected's achievement system driving measurable increase in player engagement and replay motivation among home arcade owners (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade operator reporting addiction to achievements and planned installation of kits in multiple machines due to improved replayability
- **[operational_signal]** Stern building out operator-facing analytics and quest customization capabilities to improve venue engagement and data visibility (confidence: high) — Operator Dashboard will allow custom quest setup and location trend tracking

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## Transcript

I finally had a chance to listen to the full George Gomez interview that the folks at The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast dropped earlier today. The show's hosts, Christian Line, Christopher Franchi and new co-host Jeff Parson did a great job.

I personally am a huge George Gomez fan. He's a really nice guy. I had a great phone conversation with him last year, after which he went out of his way to send my sons and I an autographed Deadpool translite, that I was able to put into my Gomez-designed Deadpool Pro that finally arrived at the Knapp Arcade last week.

The interview contained a ton of great information about Stern Pinball and its game development process. Here's my notes on what I found particularly interesting from Part 1 of the interview:

- Stern Pinball is developing another home game for "The Pin" line of machines.

- Private label machines taking a back seat at Stern despite being approached by companies all the time to make them.

- A big Insider Connected code drop with tons of new features is coming soon.

- An Insider Connected "Home Team" feature coming soon. The feature allows game owners to log in and play on their Connected account at home without having to pull out their phone.

- An Insider Connected Operator Dashboard is coming. It will allow locations to set up custom quests, see location trends, and many other things.

- In an ideal world, Stern would like to drop new Insider Connected features every month. That's what the programmers are saying they would like to do.

While I purchased an Insider Connected kit for my Stern Jurassic Park Premium a while ago, I admit that I haven't installed it yet. So, when my new Deadpool arrived, it was the first connected pin in my home arcade. Now that I have one, I'm absolutely addicted to getting achievements in games. It adds a whole new level of replayability. I'm definitely going to buy IC kits to install in my Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic in the near future.

Again, if you haven't listened to it already, make sure to check out the latest episode of the Super Awesome Pinball Show (link below). The next episode of the Super Awesome podcast will include Part 2 of the George Gomez interview.

https://superawesomepinballshow.libsyn.com

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 35d17a8f-e325-45c5-b344-86b1c21881df*