# Stern Visits Comic-con

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2011-08-09  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/comic-con.html

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball exhibited at Comic-Con San Diego in August 2011, featuring Tron Legacy with a $500 high-score competition co-organized with IFPA's Josh Sharpe. This continues Stern's strategy of showcasing superhero and pop-culture themed games at major fan conventions to drive sales and awareness among thematically aligned audiences.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball exhibited at Comic-Con San Diego in August 2011 — _Article states 'Stern Pinball took a stand at last month's Comic-Con convention in San Diego' (dated 9th August, 2011)_
- [HIGH] Tron Legacy competition offered $500 prize for top score — _Article explicitly states '$500 prize for the top score of the show'_
- [HIGH] IFPA's Josh Sharpe co-organized the competition with Stern — _Article states 'The company teamed up with IFPA's Josh Sharpe to run a high score competition'_
- [HIGH] Stern previously exhibited Batman at Comic-Con 2008 and Iron Man in 2010 — _Article states 'They showed Batman in 2008 and had Iron-Man there last year'_
- [HIGH] Comic-Con drew over 130,000 visitors daily — _Article states 'With a record of over 130,000 visitors to Comic-Con each day'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Following its recent run of super-hero cartoon character-themed games such as Tron, Iron Man, Batman and Spider-Man, Stern Pinball took at stand at last month's Comic-Con convention in San Diego."
> — **Article author**, N/A
> _Establishes Stern's strategic focus on superhero IP and presence at major fan conventions_

> "This is not the first time Stern have exhibited their games at Comic-Con. They showed Batman in 2008 and had Iron-Man there last year, seeing it as a great way to promote both sales and awareness of pinball amongst those fans who are most likely to appreciate the themes."
> — **Article author**, N/A
> _Demonstrates Stern's sustained strategy of targeting thematic fan communities at conventions_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer exhibiting at Comic-Con with Tron Legacy and running high-score competition |
| Josh Sharpe | person | IFPA representative who co-organized the Tron Legacy high-score competition at Comic-Con |
| IFPA | organization | International Flipper Pinball Association, partnered with Stern to run competition |
| Comic-Con | event | Major fan convention in San Diego with 130,000+ daily visitors; venue for Stern's pinball exhibitions |
| Tron Legacy | game | Stern Pinball game featured at Comic-Con 2011 with $500 high-score competition |
| Batman | game | Stern Pinball game previously exhibited at Comic-Con 2008 |
| Iron Man | game | Stern Pinball game previously exhibited at Comic-Con 2010 |
| Spider-Man | game | Stern superhero-themed pinball game referenced as part of recent product line |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Marketing and brand awareness, Comic book and superhero IP licensing
- **Secondary:** Community engagement and tournaments, Stern Pinball product line, Convention exhibitions

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Article is favorable toward Stern's initiative, highlighting successful fan engagement at major convention and noting Stern's strategic approach to targeting thematic audiences

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern partnering with IFPA to organize competitive high-score events at major public conventions, building community participation and tournament infrastructure outside traditional pinball venues (confidence: high) — IFPA's Josh Sharpe co-organized $500 high-score competition for Tron Legacy at Comic-Con
- **[market_signal]** Stern Pinball leveraging major pop-culture convention (Comic-Con) to promote pinball games to superhero/fantasy IP enthusiasts, demonstrating deliberate alignment of game themes with core fan audiences (confidence: high) — Article states Stern sees Comic-Con 'as a great way to promote both sales and awareness of pinball amongst those fans who are most likely to appreciate the themes' and notes repeated attendance in 2008, 2010, and 2011
- **[licensing_signal]** Stern's product strategy heavily focused on major superhero and pop-culture IP, leveraging Marvel, DC, and Disney franchises to drive consumer appeal in mainstream markets (confidence: high) — Article notes 'recent run of super-hero cartoon character-themed games such as Tron, Iron Man, Batman and Spider-Man'

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## Transcript

Date: 9th August, 2011

Following its recent run of super-hero cartoon character-themed games such as Tron, Iron Man, Batman and Spider-Man, Stern Pinball took at stand at last month's Comic-Con convention in San Diego.

The company teamed up with IFPA's Josh Sharpe to run a high score competition on the company's current product, Tron Legacy which had a $500 prize for the top score of the show.  As expected, some fans really got into the theme.

A Quorra fan with Stern's Tron:Legacy

This is not the first time Stern have exhibited their games at Comic-Con.  They showed Batman in 2008 and had Iron-Man there last year, seeing it as a great way to promote both sales and awareness of pinball amongst those fans who are most likely to appreciate the themes.

With a record of over 130,000 visitors to Comic-Con each day, they seem likely to achieve their aims.

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_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7b2dbd87-1a5d-49bc-9e51-d93045e50c3a*