# Keeping Abreast

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2002-02-13  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/playboy.html

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball officially announces the Playboy pinball machine on February 13, 2002, designed by George Gomez and programmed by Dwight Sullivan. The game features a mechanical centerfold mechanism, interchangeable photo inserts, and deep rule set. Pinball News had already published the world's first review three weeks prior, noting a prototype lockdown bar with what appears to be a patched Austin Powers part.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Playboy pinball machine is now in production and should last for about 4 months if things go according to plan — _Pinball News editorial statement based on Stern press release dated February 13, 2002_
- [HIGH] Playboy has the deepest rules Stern has ever put in a game — _Direct quote from Gary Stern in official press release_
- [HIGH] The game features a mechanical Centerfold that opens and closes with interchangeable photo inserts — _Official Stern Pinball press release describing game mechanics_
- [HIGH] Pinball News published the world's first full review of Playboy three weeks before the official announcement — _Pinball News editorial note in article header_

### Notable Quotes

> "The game recreates the excitement and glamour of the magazine within the fiction of the game."
> — **George Gomez**, February 13, 2002 press release
> _Gomez's designer quote describing Playboy's thematic approach; Pinball News editor labels it 'cheesiest quote of the year so far'_

> "Playboy has the deepest rules we have ever put in a game-but most of us will just shoot the gadgets and see the pictures. And the ball flow is fantastic-Playboy shoots beautifully!"
> — **Gary Stern**, February 13, 2002 press release
> _Company leadership acknowledges both deep rules complexity and casual player appeal; validates ball flow quality_

> "This is the first Playboy pinball that truly highlights the beautiful women of Playboy."
> — **George Gomez**, February 13, 2002 press release
> _Designer emphasizes thematic focus on women imagery as core game feature_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball Inc. | company | Manufacturer announcing Playboy pinball machine; led by Gary Stern |
| George Gomez | person | Playboy pinball designer; previously designed Monster Bash; known for quote 'recreates the excitement and glamour of the magazine' |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Playboy pinball programmer; previously programmed Terminator 2 and Star Trek: The Next Generation |
| Kevin O'Connor | person | Playboy pinball artist; previously artist on Star Wars: Episode One and Playboy: 35th Anniversary |
| Gary Stern | person | Stern Pinball leadership; quotes on game rules depth and ball flow quality |
| Playboy Enterprises International, Inc. | company | Licensor of Playboy brand for pinball machine |
| Pinball News | organization | Independent pinball media outlet that published world's first full Playboy review three weeks before official announcement |
| Playboy | game | Stern Pinball's licensed game featuring mechanical centerfold, Playmate calendar mechanics, and Mansion Mania wizard mode |
| Monster Bash | game | Previous Stern game designed by George Gomez |
| ATEI show | event | Industry trade show where Playboy lockdown bar prototype was shown before official announcement |

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** George Gomez positions Playboy as first game to 'truly highlight the beautiful women of Playboy,' emphasizing visual/themed content appeal alongside gameplay (confidence: high) — Direct Gomez quote: 'This is the first Playboy pinball that truly highlights the beautiful women of Playboy'
- **[licensing_signal]** Playboy licensing involves coordination between Stern Pinball and Playboy Enterprises International on imagery and content appropriateness (confidence: medium) — Interchangeable photo insert system and modesty considerations suggest content negotiation with licensor
- **[market_signal]** Playboy positioned as having deepest rule set in Stern's history, appealing to both casual and competitive players (confidence: high) — Gary Stern quote: 'Playboy has the deepest rules we have ever put in a game-but most of us will just shoot the gadgets and see the pictures'
- **[announcement]** Stern Pinball officially announces Playboy pinball machine in press release dated February 13, 2002 (confidence: high) — Press release text confirming Playboy is 'now in production' with expected 4-month production run
- **[product_strategy]** Playboy features mechanical centerfold with interchangeable photo inserts, allowing appropriate content rating for different environments/regions (confidence: high) — Press release states 'photo inserts for the playfield mechanisms are interchangeable, allowing for appropriately rated images to be applied to various environments'

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## Transcript

Story
dated 13th February 2002.

In
the latest press release, Stern Pinball Inc. unveil their latest game
- Playboy.

Not
much of a surprise for Pinball News readers of course, since we brought
you the world's first full review
3 weeks ago. But this is Stern's public admission of their next game.
Playboy in now in production and should last for about 4 months if
things go according to plan. There isn't any information on the Stern
web site yet beyond a simple splash screen with the backglass image
but Stern did send us two images of the game.

Interestingly,
these pictures show the same lockdown bar as we saw at the ATEI show.
This one had a plastic insert part way along it leading us to assume
it was a prototype model using a patched Austin Powers part. These
models also show it, though hopefully it won't be there in the production
version. We shall see.

There
don't appear to be any visible differences between the game shown
in Stern's pictures and the games we reviewed. However, we've shown
them below anyway. If you can see any changes please let
us know.

Award
for the cheesiest quote of the year so far must go to George Gomez
for this classic:"The
game recreates the excitement and glamour of the magazine within the
fiction of the game." Err,
right George.

Here's the press release:

Playboy,
the most popular men's magazine in history, is now the pinball
machine that everyone's talking about. Brought to you by Stern
Pinball, Inc. and Playboy Enterprises International, Inc., the
Playboy pinball machine is the work of George Gomez (designer
of Monster Bash™), Dwight Sullivan (programmer of T2®
and Star Trek: TNG®), and the incredible team of pinball
experts at Stern Pinball. Steeped in Playboy's rich 50-year
tradition, this pinball machine brings you the world's most
beautiful women in a glamorous lifestyle that only can be called
Playboy. This is one pinball machine you have to see to believe,
and play to experience.

The
Playboy pinball machine challenges you to collect Playboy Rabbit
Heads, to complete a calendar year of Playmates, and experience
"Mansion Mania" in a way you never have before. The
Playboy pinball machine also features a mechanical Centerfold
that opens and closes, along with several other unique playfield
mechanisms that reveal the many beautiful women of Playboy.
(Important note: photo inserts for the playfield mechanisms
are interchangeable, allowing for appropriately rated images
to be applied to various environments.)

The
Playboy pinball machine also features an incredible art package
by Kevin O'Connor (artist of Star Wars: Episode One® and
PLAYBOY: 35th Anniversary), great sounds and music, and a sexy
lady's voice talking to you the whole way.

George
Gomez says, "This is the first Playboy pinball that truly
highlights the beautiful women of Playboy. The game recreates
the excitement and glamour of the magazine within the fiction
of the game."

Gary
Stern adds, "Playboy has the deepest rules we have ever
put in a game-but most of us will just shoot the gadgets and
see the pictures. And the ball flow is fantastic-Playboy shoots
beautifully!"

To get
your Playboy pinball machine, log on to playboystore.com or
call your nearest Stern Pinball distributor. You can also contact
Jolly Backer at 1-708-786-7039 or by e-mail at jolly.backer@sternpinball.com,
or Shelley Sax at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at shelley.sax@sternpinball.com.
Visit Stern Pinball's website at www.sternpinball.com.

©2002
Playboy. PLAYBOY, RABBIT HEAD DESIGN, PLAYMATE and CENTERFOLD
are marks of Playboy and used with permission.

Monster Bash™ is a trademark of Williams Electronics Games,
Inc.

Terminator 2® is a trademark of Artisan Productions, Inc.

Star Trek: The Next Generation® is a trademark of Paramount
Pictures, Inc.

Star Wars: Episode One® is a trademark of Lucasfilm, Inc.

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to the news index

Back
to the front page

©
Pinball News 2002

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 58239ac4-4c15-4975-916d-25d665dcad68*