# Marco Specialties Bringing Stern Pinball's Venom to This Weekend's Southern Fried Gaming Expo

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-07-27  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/marco-specialties-bringing-stern-pinball-s-venom-to-this-weekend-s-southern-fried-gaming-expo

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## Analysis

Marco Specialties is bringing Stern Pinball's Venom machine to the Southern Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE) in Atlanta, July 28-30, 2023, allowing players to try the newly released game. The expo features 300+ arcade and pinball machines, with Marco setting up a prominent booth showcasing Stern machines.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball's Venom was playable at San Diego Comic-Con prior to SFGE — _Article states players had opportunity to try Venom at Comic-Con the previous weekend_
- [HIGH] Southern Fried Gaming Expo is in its tenth annual iteration — _Explicitly stated as 'tenth-annual Southern Fried Gaming Expo'_
- [HIGH] SFGE features more than 300 arcade and pinball machines — _Official expo description cited in article_
- [HIGH] Marco Specialties is bringing a large quantity of Stern pinball machines to SFGE — _Article states 'Marco Pinball is bringing a TON of Stern pinball machines'_

### Notable Quotes

> "If you've been drooling over the newest pinball machine on the market, Stern Pinball's Venom, but didn't have a chance to make it to San Diego Comic-Con last weekend to try it out, you'll have another shot this weekend."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, Opening paragraph
> _Establishes Venom as newly released and high-demand machine; indicates multiple demo opportunities across major events_

> "How cool is that? I want to go to the show just to take pictures of this awesome-looking booth lol."
> — **Author (Knapp Arcade)**, Mid-article
> _Indicates enthusiasm for Marco's booth presentation and Venom display at SFGE_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball machine manufacturer; released Venom |
| Marco Specialties | company | Pinball distributor and parts supplier bringing Venom to SFGE; also referenced as 'Marco Pinball' |
| Venom | game | Newest Stern Pinball machine; recently playable at San Diego Comic-Con; centerpiece of Marco's SFGE booth |
| Southern Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE) | event | Tenth-annual gaming expo in Atlanta, Georgia, July 28-30, 2023; features 300+ arcade/pinball machines |
| San Diego Comic-Con | event | Event where Venom was previously playable before SFGE |
| Atlanta, Georgia | location | Host city for SFGE 2023 |
| Knapp Arcade | company | Source publication covering pinball and arcade industry news |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game availability and demo opportunities, Stern Pinball product launches, Distributor engagement at expos
- **Secondary:** Community events and tournaments

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses enthusiasm for Venom, Marco's booth setup, and the expo opportunity. Positive tone throughout with encouraging language ('awesome,' 'cool'). No criticism or negative sentiment detected.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Stern Pinball using major gaming expos (Comic-Con, SFGE) as multi-market launch venues for new releases to maximize player exposure and generate demand (confidence: high) — Venom playable at both San Diego Comic-Con and SFGE within same launch window; Marco bringing significant booth presence
- **[market_signal]** Distributors investing in prominent booth presentations and machine collections at regional expos to capitalize on new machine hype (confidence: high) — Marco Specialties bringing 'TON of Stern pinball machines' with 'huge Venom entrance' booth design for SFGE

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## Transcript

If you've been drooling over the newest pinball machine on the market, Stern Pinball's Venom, but didn't have a chance to make it to San Diego Comic-Con last weekend to try it out, you'll have another shot this weekend. The awesome distributor and parts supplier Marco Pinball (I'm literally wearing a Marco t-shirt as I write this) is bringing a TON of Stern pinball machines to the upcoming tenth-annual Southern Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE).

Check out the digital rendering of Marco's SFGE booth that Stern Pinball shared on its Facebook page yesterday below. How cool is that? I want to go to the show just to take pictures of this awesome-looking booth lol. SFGE takes place this weekend, July 28th through the 30th in Atlanta, Georgia. Get over there and give Venom a flip!

The Southern-Fried Gaming Expo features more than 300 arcade & pinball machines, dozens of new and retro console systems, a massive tabletop library, RPGs, wrestling, music, tournaments, a vendor expo, exciting panel sessions, guest speakers, and so much more.

Game all weekend at #SFGE2023.

https://gameatl.com/

https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/main

UPDATE: The first photo of the huge Venom entrance:

Here's the calm before the storm...

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 3c66b4cf-dbea-4550-86ee-730506183b4e*