# New Details on Venom Courtesy of the Stern Insider Podcast **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-07-19 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/new-details-on-venom-courtesy-of-the-stern-insider-podcast --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade summarizes details from a Stern Insider podcast episode featuring the Venom pinball design team (Brian Eddy, Zombie Yeti, Dwight Sullivan, Jerry Thompson, and host Nate Shivers). The game features four selectable starting characters that fundamentally alter playfield layout, rules, music, and sound; dual stacking locks, a rotating Doppelgänger mech, character leveling via experience points, and a fast-paced non-mode-based design. Code is at v0.72 with Pro/Premium/LE playfield art and speed variations. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Selecting different starting characters physically changes the playfield layout, shots, rules, music genre, and sound effects—creating effectively four different sound packages — _Brian Eddy and team explanation on Stern Insider podcast, direct design feature description_ - [HIGH] Venom is not a mode-based game — _Direct statement from design team on podcast_ - [HIGH] Players can change characters throughout the game (unlike Game of Thrones where choice is locked at start), mimicking Venom jumping between hosts — _Design philosophy explanation comparing to GoT mechanics_ - [HIGH] Brian Eddy states Venom is his best-playing game to date — _Direct quote from designer on podcast_ - [HIGH] Doppelgänger was originally on playfield moving up/down but was relocated to a rotating arm swing mechanic because it blocked playfield — _Design iteration explanation from team_ - [HIGH] The game contains over 20 playable characters — _Team statement on podcast_ - [HIGH] Venom code is currently at Version 0.72 — _Current development status stated on podcast_ - [HIGH] Pro model plays faster than Premium model — _Speed tier differentiation mentioned by design team_ ### Notable Quotes > "The game really changes depending on which one of the four starting characters the player chooses, the playfield physically changes, shots change, rules change, the music genre and sound effects change - it's as if the game has four different sound packages" > — **Brian Eddy / Design Team** > _Core design innovation explaining character-driven gameplay variation and replayability factor_ > "Brian Eddy said that it's his best playing game" > — **Brian Eddy** > _Designer validation of Venom's gameplay quality and mechanical execution_ > "Unlike in Game of Thrones where a player is locked into the house that they choose at the start of the game Venom players can change their character throughout the game, just like Venom jumping from host to host" > — **Design Team** > _Explains design philosophy: character flexibility mechanic thematically aligned with IP_ > "Venom is not a mode-based game" > — **Design Team** > _Key structural distinction from prior Stern designs; likely shot-based/progression-based architecture_ > "The flamethrower from Mandalorian is something that players can get in the game. It enables players to hit multiple shots at once when activated." > — **Design Team** > _References mechanical callback to prior Stern game (The Mandalorian); multi-shot activation mechanic_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Venom | game | Stern Pinball Marvel-themed machine; four-character system with dynamic rules and dual stacking locks; v0.72 in development; Pro/Premium/LE tiers with art and speed variations | | Brian Eddy | person | Stern Pinball designer; lead designer on Venom; states it is his best-playing game to date | | Zombie Yeti | person | Artist on Venom; head of Stern Pinball art department | | Dwight Sullivan | person | Programmer on Venom; Stern Pinball code designer | | Jerry Thompson | person | Sound designer on Venom; worked on audio and music systems | | Nate Shivers | person | Host of Stern Insider podcast; described as 'pinball podcasting G.O.A.T' by article author | | Stern Insider Podcast | organization | Stern Pinball official podcast featuring design team deep-dives; featured Venom episode accessible to registered users | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer producing Venom | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Source of article; appears to be pinball enthusiast/media outlet | | Game of Thrones | game | Prior Stern pinball title referenced for comparison (locked character choice vs Venom's fluid character switching) | | The Mandalorian | game | Prior Stern pinball title; flamethrower mechanic is callback used in Venom | | Carnage | game | Boss/character in Venom; captive ball mechanic where difficulty increases with harder hits | | Doppelgänger | game | Rotating mech in Venom; originally designed as up/down playfield element but relocated to arm swing due to playfield interference | | Knull | game | Boss character in Venom; defeating unlocks Venomized Hulk, Wolverine, and Captain America characters | ### Topics - **Primary:** Character selection and dynamic rule variation, Mechanical design iteration (Doppelgänger arm rotation), Character leveling and progression systems - **Secondary:** Pro vs Premium/LE playfield and speed differences, Code development status (v0.72), Design philosophy and thematic alignment - **Mentioned:** Stern Insider podcast as official communication channel ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article author expresses enthusiasm ('I can't wait to see the gameplay stream tonight!'), praises game as 'incredible' and 'awesome-looking,' and conveys excitement about design complexity. No critical tone or concerns raised about the game itself. ### Signals - **[design_innovation]** Four-character system fundamentally alters multiple game systems (shots, rules, music, sound) rather than cosmetic theming, suggesting significant rule depth variation. (confidence: high) — Statement: 'playfield physically changes, shots change, rules change, the music genre and sound effects change - it's as if the game has four different sound packages' - **[design_philosophy]** Venom's character-switching mechanic is deliberately thematic (matching IP host-jumping behavior) rather than purely mechanical; design team explains alignment between game structure and narrative. (confidence: high) — Design team explanation: 'just like Venom jumping from host to host' justifying why character selection is fluid rather than locked like Game of Thrones - **[design_philosophy]** Venom code is at v0.72, indicating active development with multiple update iterations expected before release. (confidence: high) — Statement: 'The game's code is currently at Version 0.72' - **[design_innovation]** Doppelgänger mechanic underwent design iteration to resolve playfield interaction issues; originally vertical movement replaced with arm swing to eliminate interference. (confidence: high) — Design team explanation: 'In the original version...it was in the way so they switched it to an arm that swung out from the side' - **[personnel_signal]** Design team composition includes Zombie Yeti as artist; article context references him as 'head of Stern Pinball art department,' confirming leadership role in visual direction. (confidence: high) — Zombie Yeti credited in Stern Insider podcast episode; previous KB confirms role as art department head - **[product_strategy]** Pro/Premium/LE tiers have distinct playfield art and speed characteristics; Pro explicitly plays faster, suggesting deliberate tier-based mechanic differentiation beyond cosmetics. (confidence: high) — Multiple statements: 'playfield art is a little different on Pro than Premium/LE' and 'Pro plays even faster than the Premium' --- ## Transcript It's all Venom all the time here this week lol. Yesterday Stern Pinball launched a new episode of its Stern Insider podcast, featuring the show's host, the pinball podcasting G.O.A.T Nate Shivers, designer Brian Eddy, artist Zombie Yeti, programmer Dwight Sullivan, sound designer Jerry Thompson and the rest of the team that worked on the Company's latest pinball machine, Venom. Below are my notes from the show: The game really changes depending on which one of the four starting characters the player chooses, the playfield physically changes, shots change, rules change, the music genre and sound effects change - it's as if the game has four different sound packages, etc... Lots of different strategies and ways to play the game The harder the player hits the Carnage captive ball the further back it goes. It stays where you hit it until you get him to the top Doppelgänger rotates onto the playfield with three uplift targets There's two stacking locks. One on the left side and one on the right that lock up to three balls each The game plays fast just like Venom is. Brian Eddy said that it's his best playing game There's over 20 characters in the game The game's code is currently at Version 0.72 It sounds like an incredible amount of work went into this game's awesome-looking animations In the original version of the game, Doppelgänger was on the playfield and went up and down, but it was in the way so they switched it to an arm that swung out from the side Unlike in Game of Thrones where a player is locked into the house that they choose at the start of the game Venom players can change their character throughout the game, just like Venom jumping from host to host Venom is not a mode-based game The flamethrower from Mandalorian is something that players can get in the game. It enables players to hit multiple shots at once when activated. Characters Level Up in the game using experience points. At higher levels characters do more damage in boss battles. Through Insider Connected levels carry over. Venomized Hulk, Wolverine and Captain America are unlockable characters received after beating Knull The machine has a "Fast Lock" system that keeps gameplay really moving The playfield art is a little different on the Pro than on the Premium / LE The Pro plays even faster than the Premium There's a ton more info in this great, in-depth conversation about the new game. Below is a link to the new Stern Insider podcast that registered users can check out: https://insider.sternpinball.com/exclusives/375 I can't wait to see the gameplay stream of Venom tonight! _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 62e53668-dc4a-49dc-9bf8-974240020193*