# Inside Look: Stern Tour Interview with Mike Vinikour

**Source:** Erika's Pinball Journey  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-06-29  
**Duration:** 8m 35s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RG09NCIbL4

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## Analysis

Erika interviews Mike Vinacore at the Stern Pinball Factory, discussing game design philosophy, Insider Connected features, Spike 3 expectations, and the collaborative work environment at Stern. Vinacore emphasizes risk-and-reward mechanics influenced by Lyman Sheets, the integration of achievements into rule design, and how new technologies like Insider Connected and AI systems are expanding gameplay possibilities without fundamentally changing core pinball design.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Spike 3 is in development at Stern but does not exist yet; it represents a significant hardware upgrade similar to PlayStation 5 vs PlayStation generational leap — _MXV explicitly states 'I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about obviously there's a Spike 3 that will be coming someday' and Erika explains Spike 2 currently powers Deadpool, Godzilla, Mandalorian, John Wick_
- [HIGH] Mike Vinacore did not formally work on the John Wick pinball project but provides feedback to the team — _MXV: 'For Wick I didn't I didn't formally work on the project at all it's one of the only two games I haven't touched'_
- [HIGH] Lyman Sheets lobbied for Mike Vinacore to work at Stern for years before it became reality — _MXV: 'when I started in this business here at Stern like Lyman Sheets was the reason why I worked here he lobbied for me to work here for years'_
- [HIGH] Insider Connected is fundamental to Stern's current game appeal and future design strategy — _Erika: 'if games don't have this I generally don't want to play them' and MXV: 'Insider Connected certainly gives us more avenues of different ways to play games'_
- [HIGH] Risk-and-reward mechanics are a core design principle at Stern influenced by Lyman Sheets' work on AC/DC — _MXV: 'Lyman Sheets was the reason why I worked here...he taught me a lot about the value of risk and reward in pinball rules'_

### Notable Quotes

> "the meat and potatoes of it will not change the game is the game right regardless of what's driving it but the more you know more power for hardware gives us you know to put more bells and whistles"
> — **Mike Vinacore**, Spike 3 discussion section
> _Clarifies that Spike 3 will enhance features without fundamentally changing core pinball mechanics_

> "I want to risk losing the ball for these points and is it worth it is a trade-off there and that stuff makes pinball even more exciting than it's ever been for me"
> — **Mike Vinacore**, Risk-and-reward section
> _Core design philosophy statement on what makes pinball engaging_

> "here like everybody's like one big family and it's what we got smaller teams but we're part of one big team and everybody is really great and encouraging"
> — **Mike Vinacore**, Work environment discussion
> _Describes collaborative culture at Stern vs. adversarial environments in industry history_

> "if games don't have this I generally don't want to play them so it's like they've really they really got me with their Insider Connected"
> — **Erika**, Insider Connected introduction
> _Strong endorsement of Insider Connected as essential feature from enthusiast perspective_

> "I wish I had one in my house you know like that's never changed and I get super excited still you know flipping somebody's new white wood"
> — **Mike Vinacore**, Closing section
> _Personal passion statement showing designer maintains fan mentality despite industry position_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Mike Vinacore | person | Stern Pinball designer/programmer; came from video games background; designed rules for James Bond, influenced by Lyman Sheets on risk-and-reward mechanics; plays advisory role on most projects; interviewed at Stern Factory |
| Erika | person | Content creator (Erika's Pinball Journey); toured Stern Pinball Factory; interviewed MXV; enthusiast focused on Insider Connected features |
| Lyman Sheets | person | Legendary pinball code designer; mentored MXV; influenced risk-and-reward design philosophy; exemplified with AC/DC game |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; currently using Spike 2 hardware platform; developing Spike 3; emphasizes collaborative team environment; produces John Wick, Deadpool, Godzilla, Mandalorian |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital ecosystem and mobile app; enables achievements, badges, leaderboards, high score tracking; described as game-changing feature; integrated into John Wick with contract system |
| Spike 2 | product | Current Stern hardware platform; powers recent games (Deadpool, Godzilla, Mandalorian, John Wick); features LCD screens |
| Spike 3 | product | Upcoming Stern hardware platform in development; represents next-generation technology; MXV cautiously acknowledges it; anticipated by community; will enhance capabilities without changing core game mechanics |
| John Wick Pinball | game | Recent Stern release; features contract system within Insider Connected; includes new AI randomization system; did not have MXV's formal involvement |
| James Bond Pinball | game | MXV designed rules and achievements; exemplifies achievement integration in rule design philosophy |
| AC/DC Pinball | game | Lyman Sheets design; exemplifies risk-and-reward mechanics that influenced MXV's approach |
| Deadpool Pinball | game | Recent Stern release; operates on Spike 2 platform |
| Godzilla Pinball | game | Recent Stern release; operates on Spike 2 platform |
| The Mandalorian Pinball | game | Recent Stern release; operates on Spike 2 platform |
| Venom Pinball | game | Dwight-designed feature: level saving/progression system; MXV cites as example of innovative features being reused in other games |
| Golden State Pinball Festival | event | Event where Erika and MXV both appear to have participated or will participate together |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Stern designer; implemented saving/progression feature in Venom; represents collaborative design approach |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Insider Connected integration and features, Spike 3 hardware development and expectations, Risk-and-reward game design mechanics, Achievement system design in pinball
- **Secondary:** Collaborative work environment at Stern, Designer influence and mentorship (Lyman Sheets legacy), Innovation in pinball rules and features
- **Mentioned:** Cross-game feature reuse and scalability

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Enthusiastic tone from both interviewer and interviewee; MXV expresses genuine passion for pinball design and collaborative culture; Erika demonstrates strong appreciation for Stern's innovations; no criticism or controversy; optimistic about future features and hardware

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern maintaining direct engagement with community through designer interviews, collaborative feedback incorporation, and enthusiasm-driven development approach (confidence: high) — MXV: 'we all want to make games that we want to own ourselves' and discusses openness to feedback from other teams and advisory roles
- **[community_signal]** Stern producing media content (factory tours, designer interviews) demonstrating commitment to community engagement and educational outreach (confidence: high) — Erika interviews MXV at Stern Factory; MXV willing to participate; indicates structured company engagement with content creators and enthusiasts
- **[design_philosophy]** Implicit design concern: achievement integration and rule complexity require simultaneous design consideration alongside core mechanics, suggesting iterative challenge in development process (confidence: medium) — MXV: 'I have to design them all at the you know roughly the same time you know so it's just another thing that has to go into the game'
- **[design_philosophy]** Risk-and-reward mechanics as core design principle inherited from Lyman Sheets; applied across multiple game designs; remains fundamental to Stern's approach (confidence: high) — MXV attributes James Bond rules design to Sheets' mentorship and emphasizes risk-reward as central to engagement and replayability
- **[personnel_signal]** Lyman Sheets played mentorship role in bringing MXV to Stern; long-standing relationship and influence on design philosophy; indicates continuing legacy of mentorship at company (confidence: high) — MXV: 'Lyman Sheets was the reason why I worked here he lobbied for me to work here for years before it became a reality and he and I were great friends for decades'
- **[product_strategy]** Spike 3 hardware platform explicitly confirmed in development; MXV cautious about details but confirms future release and fundamental role of hardware upgrades (confidence: high) — MXV: 'I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about obviously there's a Spike 3 that will be coming someday'
- **[technology_signal]** Insider Connected and AI randomization systems represent significant innovation in pinball rule design; features being integrated into new releases and planned for future reuse (confidence: high) — MXV discusses John Wick AI system, contract features, and Insider Connected as new avenues for gameplay innovation; mentions level-saving precedent from Venom being considered for future titles

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## Transcript

what's up everybody in this episode I'm going to share with you an interview I got with Mike Vinacore at the Stern Pinball Factory now when I was on the tour I got a chance to pull Mike aside and ask him a few questions and for those of you that are newer to pinball there are a few things I mentioned in this video that I think would be helpful if I gave a little bit of background on so the first one is Insider connected if you aren't already aware of Insider connected that Stern system that they have where you can log into their games unlock achievements get badges check out your high scores they have a bunch of really cool features with it it's totally like changing the game guys like if games don't have this I generally don't want to play them so it's like they really they really got me with their Insider connected um and with their new John Wick game they actually have these contracts that are coming out which is a really cool feature and getting people to get out there and play pinball so I'm super appreciative of that one of the other things I asked Mike about is Spike 3 now Spike 3 doesn't exist yet um I suppose that Stern is working on it and everyone is anticipating it and what Spike 3 is their next like system so if you think back to like when you've played games with like a dot matrix display where they were small and they didn't have like a TV screen on them basically like that's like their older system and now they're just upgrading and so Spike 2 is that one with LCD screen so if you play Deadpool Godzilla Mandalorian John Wick all of those those are operating off of Spike 2 now what the pinball community is anticipating is Spike 3 and like what does Stern plan to do to change that so I would say it's kind of like having a PlayStation versus a PlayStation 5 maybe feel free to tell me in the comments below what you think about Spike 2 versus Spike 3 like what is that analogy equal another thing I do mention too is AI in games this refers to the new AI system that they've incorporated in the John Wick pinball machine where the game is a little bit more randomized when you're fighting enemies on the field so those were the questions that I think I asked where maybe a little bit of background would be helpful without further ado I'm going to go ahead and run the clip so I came up in this business through video games so I was well versed in achievements when we had to do them for the games I was a designer on so when I think of rules like for example when I worked on James Bond I would also think about what achievements can I make out of this rules you get the obvious ones like starting a mode finishing a mode but then I also tried where it worked to come up with like some more advanced thing like if you did it a certain way that was harder I try to make achievements for that stuff too or like how many skill shots can you get in a single game that are unique things like that so now when I'm when I'm designing rules in a game I'm definitely thinking like what else can I make achievements of because I have to design them all at the you know roughly the same time you know so it's just another thing that has to go into the game as we're developing them for for Wick I didn't I didn't formally work on the project at all it's one of the only two games I haven't touched but I still will play their game and offer them feedback and then you know and they happily take it whether they use it or not is up to the team but you know I work very well with all the teams so if I come to them or like I'm like hey you know this could be better or I found a problem with this or maybe you should do this they're usually pretty receptive to such things you know like all the teams get along really well and we're always open for suggestions and advice from each other because it just makes for better games that's you know you got to work together yeah yeah I mean we some of us came from a place in the old days where the teams were kind of more adversarial and it it was not as healthy of a work environment for a game studio and here like everybody's like one big family and it's what we're got smaller teams but we're part of one big team and everybody is really great and encouraging like we all want each other to succeed and make the best games and we all want to make games that we want to own ourselves it doesn't matter if it's the team I worked on or if it's a team that somebody else worked on like we all want those games to be great because we want to play them and we sometimes even own them you know so when I started in this business here at Stern like Lyman Sheets was the reason why I worked here he lobbied for me to work here for years before it became a reality and he and I were great friends for decades before I even worked with him um he taught me a lot about the value of risk and reward in pinball rules and um that really like struck with like you know stuck with me because I really enjoy the risk and the reward like he did it to great success in like a game like AC/DC For example like that was a fantastic use of risk and reward and a lot of that stuff rubbed off on me and I put a lot of that in James Bond with the rules I designed for that because uh it's it's like it's in a way it's like gambling without money right like I want to risk losing the ball for these points and is it worth it's trade-off there and that stuff makes pinball even more exciting than it's ever been for me when you've got a lot on the line you're like I got to nail this or it's like all or nothing in a way or you know how far can you press your luck so when I'm designing stuff I always try to have different ways to approach it like I want something for a casual like okay here's how you started here's how you beat it but then for the more advanced players I want that extra layer of like how can you really blow up the score of that mode and where's the risk and the reward so they if you do a little bit of extra work or try more complicated the payoff is there I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about obviously there's a Spike 3 that will be coming someday but it the rule the pinball design will largely remain the same the meat and potatoes of it will not change the game is the game right depending on what's regardless of what's driving it but the more you know more power for hardware gives us you know to put more bells and whistles and you know have better technology in there but but the act of flipping the ball around and the rules to go between we always try to evolve rules to keep them fresh and exciting so all the games don't feel the same so that will just continue to grow and The Insider connected certainly gives us more avenues of different ways to play games which kind of gives them longer legs too and makes us think helps think it more outside the box is like how can we change it off I will use that in the same way that like when Dwight did the saving of your levels in Venom these are all fantastic new innovations in pinball and while it wouldn't be for every game where it makes sense to do that in a game we would certainly revisit it right like I could definitely see plenty of games someday in the future where if you're building up a character something or like continuing your progress that certainly could apply to many different things and the same thing with what they did in John Wick where it makes sense we'll certainly use that again in the same way that you know pinball rules get reused and repurposed in different games because if it's fun and it applies and it fits well within your what you're trying to accomplish and in your design then yeah you'll use it again first and foremost I'm still a fan of all this like I I help make them every you know I help us design them but I'm still at heart a pinball fan like I get excited for every new game we're doing like my goal when I work on a project is to help in whatever way they need me make that game as fun as it could possibly be so I wish I had one in my house you know like that's never changed and I get super excited still you know flipping somebody's new white whale or like when I get called in and asked for like just today like I was called in by a lead by like hey I want some I want your input on this rules that I want to do like come help me you know like that never stops being exciting for me so I'm happy to be here to do it I'm happy that the the pinball fans and the customers really like what we're doing and we're all very grateful for it and we hope to you know do this as long as we all possibly can oh it's my pleasure my pleasure I just want to say thanks again Mike for taking the time to let me interview you and it was such a fun time I bro look at us look at us repping Golden State Pinball Festival um super cool uh it was really great and I hope that you guys if you guys have any other questions for Mike feel free to leave them in the comments maybe I get a chance to interview him again he told me that he'd like to so um yeah thank you guys again for watching and I'll catch you on the flip side

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v4)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f8a7aa0c-4f76-4268-a1e6-ff47d815e0d4*