# Stern Pinball Officially Reveals Keith Elwin-Designed James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-01-03  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/stern-pinball-officially-reveals-keith-elwin-designed-james-bond-60th-anniversary-limited-edition

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball officially unveiled the Keith Elwin-designed James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition at CES, priced at $19,999 for 500 units sold directly to Insider Connected members. The game features a single-level playfield with mechanical score reels (using modern stepper motors), 10 drop targets, 4 optical spinners (a record), and a smaller in-playfield screen for movie content. Early direct sales sold out quickly, with remaining units distributed through dealers.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition priced at $19,999 — _Official Stern announcement; article states 'Stern is selling a limited number of games directly to All-Access Insider Connected customers through its website at a price of $19,999.'_
- [HIGH] Limited to 500 units — _Official announcement; 'Limited to 500 units, the single-level game will feature scenes from every single James Bond movie ever produced.'_
- [MEDIUM] 4 optical spinners is the most spinners ever included in a pinball machine — _Article states: 'Prominent features of the game include Oddjob's kinetic spinning disc hat, 10 drop targets and 4 optical spinners (which incidentally is the most spinners ever included in a pin).'_
- [HIGH] Score reels use modern stepper motors rather than mechanical reels — _Stern podcast quote in article: 'We went back and forth with what motor controller will give us the most accurate, the strongest pulse with the reels.'_
- [HIGH] Mark Penacho is a programmer known for Williams' Fish Tales and Roller Games — _Article: 'Mark is known for his programming work on games like Williams' Fish Tales and Roller Games and has been working on Stern's Insider Connected service.'_
- [HIGH] Initial direct sales of Bond 60th through Insider Connected website sold out quickly — _Article: 'The initial allotment of direct sale Bond 60ths quickly sold out.'_
- [HIGH] Game features scenes from every single James Bond movie ever produced — _Official announcement in article: 'the single-level game will feature scenes from every single James Bond movie ever produced.'_
- [MEDIUM] Score reels were not in initial leaked Stern mockups — _Article author observation: 'They weren't in the initial leaked Stern mockups of the game.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "These aren't like the score reels we used in the past. These are much more powerful and faster. Mark's done some pretty good emulating, making them look like actual score reels."
> — **Stern Podcast (attributed to designer/engineer)**
> _Explains technical approach to score reels—modern stepper motors designed to mimic vintage mechanical reels while being more reliable and serviceable._

> "We went back and forth with what motor controller will give us the most accurate, the strongest pulse with the reels. And how quickly can we move them? How quickly can we stop them? What is as close as we can get to the old mechanism, but still using modern parts that people can service and take care of and will work accurately."
> — **Stern Podcast (attributed to designer/engineer)**
> _Details the design philosophy balancing nostalgic appearance with modern reliability and serviceability._

> "We've got the reels on test. I think I was there yesterday and I'm at 4 million steps on the score reels going on test and still going strong. It is very much going to not break like an old game. It'll be a good solid modern game from the underside."
> — **Stern Podcast (attributed to designer/engineer)**
> _Indicates extensive durability testing of modern stepper motor implementation with 4 million test cycles completed._

> "Stern is selling a limited number of games directly to All-Access Insider Connected customers through its website at a price of $19,999."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Confirms official pricing and direct-to-consumer sales channel through Insider Connected membership._

> "Frustratingly, it appears as though flippers are already trying to make a quick five grand by gobbling up spots to auction off to others on Pinside"
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Community observation of secondary market scalping activity immediately after official release, indicating high demand and scarcity premium._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Keith Elwin | person | Designer of James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machine; legendary Stern Pinball designer. |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer; officially revealed James Bond 60th Anniversary LE at CES; selling through Insider Connected and distributors. |
| James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition | game | New pinball machine; $19,999 price point; limited to 500 units; features 10 drop targets, 4 optical spinners, score reels with stepper motors, single-level playfield. |
| Mark Penacho | person | Programmer at Stern Pinball; worked on Williams' Fish Tales and Roller Games; working on Stern's Insider Connected service; programmer for James Bond 60th Anniversary. |
| Nate Shivers | person | Host of Stern Pinball's Insiders Podcast; released podcast about Bond 60th Anniversary featuring Keith Elwin and Mark Penacho. |
| Consumer Electronics Show (CES) | event | Las Vegas trade show where Bond 60th Anniversary was officially unveiled. |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital platform; All-Access members had first access to Bond 60th Anniversary direct sales at $19,999. |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum and marketplace; secondary market scalping activity observed for Bond 60th Anniversary allocations. |
| Williams | company | Historical pinball manufacturer; Mark Penacho worked on Fish Tales and Roller Games for Williams. |
| Oddjob | game_element | James Bond villain featured in Bond 60th Anniversary with kinetic spinning disc hat mechanic. |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pricing and Market Positioning, Technical Innovation (Score Reels), Limited Edition Production and Scarcity, Playfield Mechanics and Design
- **Secondary:** Secondary Market Scalping, Licensing and Movie Content Integration, Code Development Status, Direct-to-Consumer Sales Channel

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.55) — Article is largely neutral/informative about the announcement, with enthusiasm for technical innovations (score reels, spinner count record) but frustration expressed about secondary market scalping. The $19,999 price point is presented factually without editorial judgment, though the rapid sellout and secondary market activity suggest controversial pricing within the community.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Immediate community frustration with secondary market scalping; author expresses clear negative sentiment toward flippers profiting from scarcity. (confidence: high) — Article closes with: 'Frustratingly, it appears as though flippers are already trying to make a quick five grand by gobbling up spots to auction off to others on Pinside.'
- **[licensing_signal]** Game features scenes from all James Bond movies; initial video release shows no movie footage on in-playfield screen, suggesting either early code stage or pending licensor approval for movie clip display. (confidence: medium) — Article: 'the initial video that Stern released of the game shows no movie scenes at all on the in-playfield mini screen. This probably means that programming for the game is in the very early stages or Stern has not received licensor-approval to show the video clips yet, or both.'
- **[market_signal]** Immediate secondary market scalping activity observed; buyers acquiring direct allocations to resell for $5,000+ premiums, indicating extreme demand/scarcity premium perception. (confidence: high) — Article author notes: 'it appears as though flippers are already trying to make a quick five grand by gobbling up spots to auction off to others on Pinside'; links to active Pinside classified ads.
- **[personnel_signal]** Mark Penacho (programmer with Williams heritage: Fish Tales, Roller Games) now at Stern working on Insider Connected platform and James Bond 60th Anniversary. (confidence: high) — Article identifies Penacho as 'a relatively new programmer to Stern' with Williams background and current involvement in both IC service development and Bond 60th coding.
- **[market_signal]** James Bond 60th Anniversary priced at $19,999—highest pinball retail price point observed in contemporary market, representing significant premium over typical LE pricing ($12,000-$15,000 range). (confidence: high) — Official price stated: '$19,999' for direct Insider Connected sales; context of prior James Bond LE depreciation ($4k-$5k losses) makes this aggressive repositioning notable.
- **[announcement]** Official reveal of James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition at CES; 500-unit limited production; $19,999 price point. (confidence: high) — Stern Pinball official announcement with press release, podcast, and video content; article cites businesswire.com official press release.
- **[product_strategy]** Bond 60th features record-breaking 4 optical spinners and mechanical score reels as key differentiators; single-level playfield positioning as premium aesthetic vs. standard multi-level designs. (confidence: high) — Article: '4 optical spinners (which incidentally is the most spinners ever included in a pin)'; score reels and single-level design are prominent marketing features.
- **[product_concern]** Score reel implementation underwent extensive engineering iteration and durability testing (4 million test cycles reported) to balance retro aesthetics with modern reliability. (confidence: high) — Stern podcast: 'We've got the reels on test. I think I was there yesterday and I'm at 4 million steps on the score reels going on test and still going strong.'
- **[business_signal]** Stern implementing extreme price point and ultra-limited production (500 units) to differentiate collector offering and restore premium positioning after prior James Bond market saturation. (confidence: medium) — Keith Elwin (premium designer) assignment, score reel nostalgia feature, 500-unit cap, direct Insider Connected exclusive first sales, rapid sellout indicating managed scarcity.
- **[technology_signal]** Modern stepper motor implementation mimicking vintage mechanical score reels; represents technical balance between nostalgic aesthetics and modern serviceability/reliability. (confidence: high) — Stern podcast quote detailing engineering decisions: 'We went back and forth with what motor controller will give us the most accurate... What is as close as we can get to the old mechanism, but still using modern parts that people can service.'

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## Transcript

After weeks of anticipation, this morning Stern Pinball officially unveiled its new Keith Elwin-designed James Bond 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machine at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Limited to 500 units, the single-level game will feature scenes from every single James Bond movie ever produced.

First and foremost, we have the answer to the question that everyone has been asking...how much will the game cost? Stern is selling a limited number of games directly to All-Access Insider Connected customers through its website at a price of $19,999. The initial allotment of direct sale Bond 60ths quickly sold out. The remaining machines will be sold through Stern Pinball distributors.

Prominent features of the game include Oddjob’s kinetic spinning disc hat, 10 drop targets and 4 optical spinners (which incidentally is the most spinners ever included in a pin).

Rather than a large LCD screen and the backbox includes score reels. I've been going back and forth about whether these are actual mechanical reels or not. They weren't in the initial leaked Stern mockups of the game. I think that they are in the production version, but not in the traditional sense. According the Stern podcast that I reference below:

"These aren't like the score reels we used in the past. These are much more powerful and faster. Mark's done some pretty good emulating, making them look like actual score reels. Then we do stuff like the slot machine effect with them, which is really cool too for the match. I think he's been having a lot of fun with those...

No, we went back and forth with the score reels, even though they look like old school, they're modern stepper motors. We went back and forth a lot with what motor controller will give us the most accurate, the strongest pulse with the reels. And how quickly can we move them? How quickly can we stop them? What is as close as we can get to the old mechanism, but still using modern parts that people can service and take care of and will work accurately. We've got the reels on test. I think I was there yesterday and I'm at 4 million steps on the score reels going on test and still going strong. It is very much going to not break like an old game. It'll be a good solid modern game from the underside. It'll just look a little old school here and there."

Information and scenes from the movies will be displayed on a smaller screen on the playfield. Interestingly though, the initial video that Stern released of the game shows no movie scenes at all on the in-playfield mini screen. This probably means that programming for the game is in the very early stages or Stern has not received licensor-approval to show the video clips yet, or both.

Immediately after the game went on sale, Stern Pinball's Insiders Podcast host Nate Shivers released a brand new podcast about the machine, featuring designer Keith Elwin and a relatively new programmer to Stern, Mark Penacho. Mark is known for his programming work on games like Williams' Fish Tales and Roller Games and has been working on Stern's Insider Connected service. Below is a link to the transcript for the podcast, a link to the company's official press release and videos and pictures of the new game.

https://insider.sternpinball.com/documents/27/SIPP_Bond_60th_final_transcript.pdf

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230103005199/en/Stern-Pinball-Celebrates-Sixty-Years-of-James-Bond

Frustratingly, it appears as though flippers are already trying to make a quick five grand by gobbling up spots to auction off to others on Pinside:

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/148968?fbclid=IwAR2OenRB1zSP3MDn7bi6-FZfZkjsOJDUFtAs1xXoMyi-JcLElw6Yt2tiVrU

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e52bc8eb-1407-4e7b-afd8-3b68e0a58523*