# Gomez Joins Stern **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2011-07-12 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/gomezstern.html --- ## Analysis George Gomez, legendary pinball and video game designer with a portfolio including Monster Bash, Revenge from Mars, and The Lord of the Rings, joined Stern Pinball as Vice President of Game Development in July 2011. This appointment followed Steve Ritchie's similar move to Stern four months earlier, bringing two major freelance designers onto Stern's permanent staff. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] George Gomez joined Stern Pinball as Vice President of Game Development — _Official Stern Pinball press release dated July 12, 2011_ - [HIGH] Steve Ritchie joined Stern approximately four months before Gomez (around March 2011) — _Article states 'George's appointment comes just four months after fellow ex-Williams game designer Steve Ritchie also joined Stern'_ - [HIGH] Gomez's design portfolio includes Monster Bash, Revenge from Mars, Corvette, The Lord of the Rings, Playboy, The Sopranos, and Batman - The Dark Knight — _Official press release listing his pinball design credits_ - [HIGH] Gomez previously worked with Stern on Batman - The Dark Knight, The Sopranos, Playboy, and The Lord of the Rings as a freelancer — _Article states 'He has previously worked with Stern Pinball, designing several games'_ - [HIGH] Gomez has background in designing toys, video games at Midway, and pinballs at Williams starting with Corvette — _Career background section in article_ ### Notable Quotes > "The Stern team is looking forward to George's executive leadership and creative vision to guide and evolve game development." > — **Gary Stern, founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball**, July 2011 > _Official statement framing Gomez's appointment as strategic leadership move for Stern's game development_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | George Gomez | person | Legendary pinball and video game designer; appointed VP of Game Development at Stern Pinball in July 2011 | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; hired Gomez as VP of Game Development | | Gary Stern | person | Founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball; made statement on Gomez's appointment | | Steve Ritchie | person | Fellow ex-Williams game designer who joined Stern approximately 4 months before Gomez | | Williams | company | Former employer of both Gomez and Ritchie; classic pinball manufacturer | | Midway | company | Video game company where Gomez headed up game teams | | Sam Stern | person | Founder of Stern pinball business in Philadelphia in the 1930s; father of Gary Stern | ### Topics - **Primary:** Personnel moves and talent acquisition, Stern Pinball leadership and organizational structure, George Gomez's design portfolio and career history - **Secondary:** Stern Pinball company history and lineage ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article presents Gomez's appointment as a strategic positive for Stern, emphasizing his credentials and past successes. Tone is celebratory and professional. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball consolidating top design talent by bringing freelancers (Gomez and Ritchie) onto permanent staff within a 4-month window, suggesting strategic shift in organizational structure (confidence: high) — Article explicitly notes both Gomez and Ritchie joined within 4 months of each other, both ex-Williams designers - **[competitive_signal]** Stern reinforcing competitive position against other manufacturers by securing legendary designers in permanent executive roles (confidence: medium) — Framing of Gomez appointment with VP title and emphasis on 'executive leadership and creative vision' suggests strategic competitive move - **[personnel_signal]** George Gomez transitions from freelance/contract designer to permanent VP of Game Development at Stern Pinball, consolidating major talent (confidence: high) — Official press release confirming appointment to VP position; previously worked as freelancer on multiple Stern titles --- ## Transcript Date: 11th July, 2011 Famed pinball and video game designer George Gomez is to join Stern Pinball Inc. as Vice President of Game Design. George Gomez George has a background in designing toys, heading up video game teams at Midway, as well as designing pinballs at Williams which began with Corvette, and led to classics such as Monster Bash and Revenge from Mars. He has previously worked with Stern Pinball, designing several games including Batman - The Dark Knight, The Sopranos, Playboy and the hugely popular The Lord of the Rings. Speaking about George's appointment, Gary Stern said, "The Stern team is looking forward to George’s executive leadership and creative vision to guide and evolve game development." George's appointment comes just four months after fellow ex-Williams game designer Steve Ritchie also joined Stern, bringing the two freelance game designers onto the company's books. Stern Pinball's official press release is shown below: Stern Pinball, Inc. appoints World Renowned Game Designer George Gomez Vice President of Game Development MELROSE PARK, IL –July 12, 2011– Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s only maker of real pinball games, announced today that game designer George Gomez joins the Stern Pinball team as Vice President of Game Development. Mr. Gomez brings diverse creative and leadership experience, having designed arcade video games, consumer toys, console video games, slot machines and pinball games throughout his career. Mr. Gomez’s pinball design portfolio features numerous critically acclaimed titles, including “Monster Bash”, “Pinball 2000-Revenge From Mars”, “NBA Fastbreak”, “Johnny Mnemonic”, “Corvette”, “The Lord of The Rings”, “Playboy”, “The Sopranos” and “Batman-The Dark Knight”. “The Stern team is looking forward to George’s executive leadership and creative vision to guide and evolve game development,” said Gary Stern, founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball. Mr. Gomez joins the Stern Pinball and the Stern family tradition of producing quality pinball machines. The company traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930’s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Sam Stern passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son Gary who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of the world’s favorite games. About Stern Pinball Stern Pinball, Inc., located just outside Chicago, Illinois, designs and manufactures arcade-quality pinball games. Stern is the only maker of full-sized, arcade quality pinball games on the planet and has released many popular games, including Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman, The Rolling Stones, Tron and many more. Stern’s games continue to be enjoyed by both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe. For more information visit www.sternpinball.com. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: fdc9567a-04e7-4c0d-8102-f8cfe03775ca*