Joe Kaminkow is a legendary pinball designer and businessman who co-founded Data East Pinball with Gary Stern in 1986-1987 and is credited with designing 40+ pinball games including Batman Forever, RoboCop, Laser Wars, and Space Jam. Known as the 'licensing God' for his ability to secure major licenses, he personally invested $1 million to create the Beatles pinball machine and later transitioned to slot machine innovation. He has been a fixture at Pinball Expo since the mid-1980s and continues to be involved in the industry as of 2025.
RoboCop was Data East's first licensed pinball title, acquired because Data East Japan owned the arcade and home software license
Laser Warp was designed in November 1986 and the company moved to production within five months
Joe Kaminkow funded the Beatles pinball machine with a million dollars of his own money
Back to the Future pinball designer/producer; mentioned as part of development team with Bob Gale
Industry veteran; appeared twice on H2H Podcast in 2018; co-founder of Data East Pinball
Briefly worked at Williams; co-designed Defender with Ousler
Pinball designer; co-designed Space Shuttle (1984) with Barry Oursler
Industry figure who discussed Lethal Weapon 3 and other re-themed machines with podcast hosts
Founder/lead figure at Data East startup; hired Margaret Hudson after her layoff from Bally. Described as 'a man with a million ideas.'
Co-designer of Sega Godzilla (1998) software; Sega designer credited with popularizing shaker motor technology
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Joe Kaminkow's announcement of Harry Potter created problems with Warner Bros. and jeopardized the license
Joe Kaminkow unprofessionally 'rage announced' Jersey Jack's Harry Potter license
Kapow offered over $4 Million for Harry Potter pinball license and was rejected
Joe Kaminkow's recent involvement with Back to the Future musical supports the likelihood of BTTF pinball
The Facebook picture of Harry Potter pinball was a Stern machine prototype mockup
Joe Kaminkow laid groundwork for Harry Potter at Stern before the license was lost
Jersey Jack Pinball has secured the Harry Potter license for pinball
Joe Kaminkow was elected to the first-ever class of the Coin-Op Hall of Fame
Joe Kaminkow has an existing relationship with BTTF license holders
Joe Kaminkow is a pinball industry legend
Joe Kaminkow has prototype artwork for the Universal Studios Park machine in his personal collection
Joe Kaminkow mid-project changed Borg's Jurassic Park design to Star Wars
Licensed pinball games have higher secondary market retention and resale value than generic titles because operators view them as investments with intrinsic value.
The Beatles pinball license may be worth over one million dollars, potentially the most expensive license in pinball history.
Joe Kaminkow pursued The Beatles pinball license for a decade before successfully securing it.
IGT stock rose from $14 per share to approximately $200 per share during Kaminkow's early tenure.
Lethal Weapon pinball sold nearly 11,000 units and is rarely seen for sale on the secondary market.
Stern was the second licensor in the world to secure The Simpsons IP, identifying the brand while it was on The Tracy Ullman Show.
Back to the Future pinball was designed and released in six weeks, with playfield design completed in two days.
Stern Pinball was founded on Thanksgiving Day 1986 by Gary Stern and Joe Kaminkow with funding from Data East and Eddie Pellegrini.
Joe Kaminkow's father was controller of General Vending, a Gottlieb pinball distributor in Baltimore, Maryland.
Space Shuttle (1984) sales of at least 7,000 units saved Williams Electronics from bankruptcy.
Joe Kaminkow heavily hinted at Harry Potter licensing in recent This Week In Pinball appearance
South Park was more commercially successful than Timball and demonstrated the market preference for simpler, fun games over complex, expensive machines
Space Shuttle (1984) sold approximately 4,500 units and single-handedly saved Williams from closure
Data East's peak production year was 28,000-29,000 games
Lethal Weapon sold 10,300 units; Star Wars sold 10,350 units; Jurassic Park sold 9,700 units
Williams obtained a patent on parallel wound flipper coils, forcing Data East to innovate with a holding voltage design on series wound coils
Kaminkow owns a 1966 Batmobile which influenced the decision to revisit Batman 66 as a licensed pinball game
Good pinball design requires intuitive core mechanic ('shoot the blinking light') and fun gameplay, not deep complex rulesets
Current Stern Pinball designers (Ed Wirth, George Gomez, Chuck McInnes, etc.) previously worked at Williams/Bally and their careers are built on the foundations created by Data East and Williams
Data East operated with fewer than 20 total employees (3 mechanical engineers, 3 programmers) and produced 4 games per year on 12-week cycles
Michael J. Fox's likeness was not used on Data East's Back to the Future pinball because his asking price was too high for Data East's budget in 1989
Joe Kaminkow was inducted as the first inductee into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame
Joe Kaminkow tried to secure the Beatles license for approximately 10 years before succeeding with this pitch
The game is positioned as a boutique specialty product distinct from Stern's tentpole releases
Beatles licensing has been pursued for 10+ years with repeated rejections before success
Beatles Pinball is limited to exactly 1,964 units produced
The game is based on reimagining Stern Electronics' Sea Witch with modern technology and Beatles theme
Production of Beatles Pinball is starting next week (from interview date)
Beatles licensing is more expensive than any previous pinball license including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and South Park
Only 800 Beatles pinballs will be available for the entire U.S. marketplace if half of the 1,964 units go overseas
Cousin Brucie was the original 1955 Ed Sullivan Show announcer who introduced the Beatles to New York City
Beatles Pinball will be 'the hot thing for Christmas this year'
The game features eight Beatles songs with licensing restrictions on length of play
The Beatles licensing deal is the most expensive pinball license in history
Beatles licensing only permits approval once per calendar year
The playfield design is based on reimagining Stern Electronics' Sea Witch, not Galaxy
The Beatles Pinball will be produced in Chicago and not in China
Cousin Brucie, who announced The Beatles at Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, provides the opening call-outs
The game includes eight Beatles songs with licensing-restricted play lengths
Production of Beatles Pinball begins next week (week following recording)
The game is intentionally not a modern ramp-filled pinball but rather a simple, accessible design
Michael J. Fox later agreed to use his likeness for Back to the Future slot machines produced by Joe's company
Space Shuttle was designed in summer 1984 by Joe Kaminkow, Larry DeMar, Barry Oursler, and Mark Sprenger, and saved Williams from bankruptcy
Aristocrat is the number one gaming company in the world
Michael J. Fox declined his likeness on Back to the Future pinball in 1989 due to insufficient budget to meet his licensing fee expectations
South Park outearned Williams' Pinball 2000 significantly, demonstrating that simpler, fun games were preferred over expensive, complex platforms
Michael J. Fox initially declined to approve his likeness on Back to the Future pinball in 1989 due to budget constraints, but later allowed it for slot machines
Joe Kaminkow is currently Chief Innovation Officer at Aristocrat, described as the #1 gaming company in the world
Data East completed games in approximately 12 weeks with fewer than 20 employees
Jurassic Park pinball sold 9,700 units
Star Wars pinball sold 10,350 units
Lethal Weapon pinball sold 10,300 units
The Simpsons pinball sold 5,500-5,600 units
Data East produced 20,000-29,000 games in their biggest production year
Space Shuttle saved Williams from bankruptcy with approximately 4,500 orders
Data East's biggest production year was 20,000-29,000 games
Simpsons was Data East's first breakout game with 5,500-5,600 units
South Park out-earned Pinball 2000 significantly enough to demonstrate Williams' strategic misstep
Multiball patent dispute with Williams was based on font trademark, not the word 'multiball' itself
Data East had fewer than 20 employees (3 mechanical engineers, 3 programmers) producing 4 games per year on 12-week cycles
Joe Kaminkow owns a 1966 Batmobile
Joe Kaminkow was instrumental in starting Stern Pinball 30 years ago and served as the company's first game designer
Joe Kaminkow served as Stern Pinball very first game designer and was instrumental in starting the company
Data East was incorporated between November 1-10, 1986, with first game shown at March 1987 trade show
Joe Kaminkow's father was a coin-op games distributor starting in 1963 when Joe was five years old
Data East pioneered the dot-matrix display in pinball with near-premiere on The Simpsons game
Kaminkow was involved in approximately 80 pinball machine designs during his Data East tenure
Sega implemented annual 10% cost-reduction targets affecting bill of materials, staff, and product quality
Data East shipped approximately 30,000 units of Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and The Addams Family combined in a single year
Williams sued Data East multiple times including disputes over 'multi-ball' trademark and licensing threats against vendors
Laser War was originally planned as a licensed Laser Tag game but licensor declined the deal
The Data East System (DCS) board was based on Williams System 11 design with compatible connectors
Kaminkow worked at Williams, Game Plan, and Gottlieb before co-founding Data East with Gary Stern
Stern producer/overseer; speculated to oversee James Bond and other premium tier releases; works with Christopher Franchi on special editions
Jersey Jack Pinball owner; reportedly offered $4M for Harry Potter license
Stern game designer; mentioned as co-designer of hypothetical Back to the Future SLE; referenced as example of wealthy collector with multi-million dollar car collection
Pinball designer who brought Batman license to Stern Pinball; may be working on a different game at another company (speculation), potentially unavailable for Batman 60th Anniversary
Licensing professional who announced Jersey Jack's Harry Potter license; works on Kapow collaborations with Stern and has prior experience with Harry Potter licensing
Jersey Jack figure (attributed source); reported by Kaneda to have disclosed Harry Potter licensing
Pinball designer/operator; expressed frustration about losing Harry Potter licensing deal to Jersey Jack; known for competitive tactics (allegedly sabotaged Jersey Jack's Pirates reveal at Pinball Expo 2016).
Pinball designer, mentioned in context of unconfirmed rumor about losing Harry Potter license to Homepin
Mentioned as passionate James Bond fan and custom builder; speculated to drive James Bond as next Stern 'Kapow game' rather than Back to the Future
Leaked information about Jersey Jack's Harry Potter license; blocked Kaneda on Facebook three years ago over unknown dispute
Rumored to be working on Back to the Future with Dutch Pinball; known to be close to Gary Stern
Referenced as source of Harry Potter Pinball leak prior to official reveal.
Head of Kapow Productions; posted about Harry Potter license on Facebook before deletion; known for pursuing franchise licenses
Owner of Kapow Pinball/Jersey Jack Games; heavily promoted Beatles pinball on Head-to-Head Pinball show; claimed 10-year licensing negotiation effort
Pinball industry figure who previously revealed JJP has Harry Potter license locked up
Pinball industry figure reportedly acquiring Harry Potter license for Stern/Kapow (referenced as 'Joe' by Roger Sharp)
Holds slot machine rights to Harry Potter; commented that Brian Eddy is not designing Harry Potter for Stern
Christopher Franchi's mentor; custom car builder working on James Bond Aston Martin DB5 with functional gadgets and custom interactive screen
Designer of The Beatles pinball machine; Stern Pinball designer known for high-quality contemporary games
Co-founder of Data East Pinball with Gary Stern in 1986
Host of Head-to-Head Pinball podcast; discussed Stern Beatles million-dollar licensing cost
Industry veteran who ran day-to-day operations at Data East; later worked with Zynga on mobile and Facebook slot machine games
Mentioned as potential designer who was going to work on Beatles before retheme decision
Designer/owner at Jersey Jack Pinball; apparently secured Harry Potter license and was disappointed that Stern couldn't get it for Kapow project
Stern Pinball representative; spoke at Gary Stern seminar; made comments about licensed themes being superior to unlicensed games
Pinball industry insider who posted about JJP securing Harry Potter license, then deleted/modified the post, creating speculation about confirmation
Stern representative; accused of deliberately trolling community about Harry Potter license; known for Back to the Future teasing
Called the 'rock star of licensing' at Data East. Worked closely with Gary Stern to secure major IP licenses including The Simpsons.
Pinball industry figure; guest in comedic skit with fictional wealthy lifestyle portrayal
Industry figure who claimed Stern sold 28,000 Godzilla units; dismissed by Alex as unreliable ('bullshitter')
Co-designer of Space Shuttle (1984) with Larry DeMar and Barry Oursler
Pinball designer of Batman Forever; described as creating a beast of a game with extensive toys and mechs
Data East design director; hired Orin Day and Kevin Martin; worked on Tommy, Guns N' Roses, Apollo 13; known for flexible, collaborative design approach
Stern Pinball designer; made comments on This Week In Pinball teasing potential Harry Potter licensing
Joe Kamenknoff/Kamenkow; lead designer at Data East who hired and mentored Joe Balcer; co-designer on multiple games
Worked at Kapow; facilitated Munsters licensing deal with Stern Pinball.
Mentioned as Automated Amusements associate; rad cabs/side art panels contributor
Legendary pinball designer known as 'the license getter' recently inducted into Pinball Hall of Fame; hosts large superhero car mural in garage, speculation about Back to the Future involvement.
Legendary pinball license broker and founder/designer at Kapow Pinball; posted the Harry Potter license claim on Facebook May 14, 2023; known as 'king of licenses'
Pinball industry figure discussed as having substantial wealth (Broadway trips, summer homes)
Reportedly offered $4 million to Warner Brothers for Harry Potter pinball license rights; bid was rejected
Jersey Jack Pinball producer/theme creator; attempted to license Harry Potter for $4 million
Pinball designer; Christopher Franchi suggested he consider starting own pinball company due to high volume of requests
Designer/developer at Jersey Jack; publicly announced Harry Potter pinball game via social media
Legendary pinball designer with 40+ machine credits; worked at Data East, currently Chief Innovation Officer at Aristocrats and involved with Zynga and Kapow Pinball
Legendary pinball designer, Pinball Hall of Fame and Slots Awards Hall of Fame inductee. Pioneered licensing strategy at Data East/Stern, created iconic games like Robocop, Back to the Future, Simpsons, Lethal Weapon. Later transitioned to slot machine and social gaming design at IGT, then returned to pinball with Batman 66 and The Beatles.
Pinball designer; previous guest on podcast; contributed expertise on Back to the Future production (3,000 units, 6 weeks to design)
Involved in Guns N' Roses game licensing; requested unreleased GnR song from Slash for game soundtrack
Legendary designer at Data East where Joe Balcer worked; negotiated major licensing deals
Pinball designer criticized by Sharpe for Apollo 13 game lacking proper Tom Hanks likeness, which Sharpe said violated his licensing principles
Pinball designer and creative lead on Beatles Pinball; previously licensed major titles including Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and South Park for pinball machines.
Game designer and creative lead at Data East who directed Borg's work; known for licensing negotiations and enthusiastic presentations; had direct input on major design pivots like dinosaur-to-Star Wars conversion
Head of design at Stern earlier in company history; mentioned as friend of Gary Stern with hockey game tickets during CES Las Vegas makeup incident
Co-founder of Data East Pinball, game designer, primary speaker discussing early game design and licensing
Data East programmer who called Sheets and offered him first industry job on Tommy Pinball Wizard; designed game alongside Ed Cibula
Data East engineering department head; early mentor to Joe Balcer; hired him at Data East
Designer of The Beatles: Beatlemania Pinball, scheduled to present Friday
Co-founder of Spooky Cool Labs with Ted Estes and others
Veteran designer; panelist on Data East & Sega Pinball early years history
Co-founder of Data East Pinball in 1985; collaborated with Ed Cebula on classic game designs
Designer credited in collaboration on The Beatles pinball machine
Former Data East and Sega Pinball partner of Gary Stern; founder of Ka-Pow Pinball
Founder of Ka-Pow Pinball; instrumental in starting Stern Pinball 30 years ago; served as first game designer; inspired Batman '66 project
Negotiated with Warner Bros. for Harry Potter license rights; publicly stated Kapow's $4M+ bid and his belief in JJP securing full license
Stern collaborator; recently involved in Back to the Future musical launch, cited as evidence for BTTF pinball likelihood
Announced JJP securing Harry Potter license via Facebook; allegedly laid groundwork for the license at Stern before it was lost
Long-time pinball industry veteran; recent Stern Pinball collaborator through Kapow Pinball brand; posted the Harry Potter license leak on Facebook
Long-time industry veteran; founder of Kapow brand; elected to first Coin-Op Hall of Fame class; known for licensing major IP properties for pinball games
Pinball designer with existing relationship to BTTF license; potentially involved if project moves forward
Pinball industry legend; shared prototype photos of unreleased Mad Magazine machine
Data East pinball designer; shared Universal Studios Park prototype artwork from his personal collection
Legendary pinball designer; mentor to Christian Line; featured interview guest on this episode
Industry veteran and licensing rival; confirmed JJP's acquisition of Harry Potter rights via Facebook (early 2024)
Founder/owner of Kapow pinball manufacturer, historically worked with Stern; posted Facebook claim about Jersey Jack getting Harry Potter license, creating community speculation and potential sabotage theory
Stern Pinball designer who made controversial Facebook post about losing Harry Potter license to JJP, described as 'sour grapes'
Reportedly pushed Stern to make Back to the Future; George Gomez claims Kaminkow not remembered at Stern; hosts highly skeptical of this narrative
Co-founder of Data East Pinball alongside Gary Stern; historically significant in founding narrative, though limited direct mention in this interview
Engineering department leader at Data East who brought Joe Balcer into pinball design; collaborated on Apollo 13
Designer of Data East's Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard; directed the project under tight deadline
Lead designer at Data East who hired Borg, known for working with celebrity licensers and making strategic design decisions like converting dinosaur game to Star Wars.
Data East co-founder (with Gary Stern); founder of Kapow production company; spent reportedly $1M of own money to produce Beatles pinball; speaking at 2025 Expo
Founder of Zynga; high-net-worth individual making Back to the Future via Dutch Pinball; allegedly made unprofessional Harry Potter announcement for JJP
Stern executive; reportedly 'rage announced' Jersey Jack's Harry Potter license in unprecedented unprofessional display
Associated with Dutch Pinball Back to the Future project; Kaneda has faith in his work
Collaborating with Christopher Franchi on Back to the Future; old friend connection; Spooky supportive of arrangement
Designer/producer at Data East who hired Borg and directed him to work on Jurassic Park (later changed to Star Wars)
Pinball designer; quoted (via memory) as saying playfield design is quick/easy
Producer/designer who secured Beatles license after 10 years of attempts; adopted Franchi as go-to artist
Co-founder Data East Games; inducted as first inductee into EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame; maintains passion for pinball (Beatles, Willy Wonka games); employee of Zidware developing social games
Designer involved with Beatles licensing discussions
Data East CEO/founder who hired Borg; known for 'daring and loose' design philosophy; secured Hook license to obtain Jurassic Park IP.
Legendary pinball figure who publicly announced the Harry Potter license acquisition on Facebook
Appeared on Super Awesome Pinball Show discussing Back to the Future off-Broadway play backing; speculation about collaboration with Gomez on Back to the Future Super LE
Stern licensor; mentioned dropping Harry Potter Easter egg during Beatles documentary chat stream; indicated Stern has magic-based title in development
Jersey Jack Pinball producer/theme specialist; offered Warner Brothers $4 million for Harry Potter full-asset license.
Licensing partner for Back to the Future; previously licensed Beatles and Batman 66 for Stern
Stern composer; reported financial backer of Back to the Future musical; speculation about potential BTTF pinball remake
Industry licensing specialist with deep Stern connections; posted announcement about Harry Potter license going to Jersey Jack; known for securing major licenses (Batman 66, Beatles) for Stern
Owner of UK Stern distributor ElectroCoin; instrumental in Beatles licensing agreement with Apple Corp and Stern
Stern Pinball designer and Kapow co-partner; primary negotiator and champion for Beatles license; designed playfield mechanics and led licensing negotiations with Apple Corps over decade-long period; transitioning away from pinball to focus on mobile games (Willy Wonka, Harry Potter)
Programmer/designer at Stern Pinball; recruited Jerry for sound work; pitched Beatles licensing concept with sample content; suggested Cousin Brucie as narrator.
Secured Beatles pinball license for Stern; has industry contacts through slot machine licensing that enable acquisition of premium licenses like Beatles
Data East programmer who hired Sheets and assigned him to Tommy Pinball Wizard project
Concept designer/sales figure at Williams; co-conceived Space Shuttle; credited with improvising foam toy inspiration; known for relationship-based sales approach
Designer at Data East Pinball; day-one employee alongside Gary Stern and Shelly Sachs in late 1980s.
Co-designer of Lethal Weapon 3; noted for securing major movie licenses for Data East
Chief designer at Data East who pushed for licensed themes as marketing strategy; later at Sega
Pinball designer who worked on nearly every Data East game in the 1990s, co-designed Royal Rumble with Tim Seckle
Data East designer famous for securing major licenses; credited on Space Jam design alongside Lonnie Rapp and Orin Day
Co-founder Data East Pinball with Gary Stern; will present at 2025 Expo on Data East game history (Laser Wars, RoboCop, Iron Machine); produced Beatles pinball machine with $1M personal investment; industry legend and car enthusiast
Designer of Checkpoint; proud of automatic ball launcher innovation
Pinball designer with pragmatic approach to playfield dimpling; primarily focuses on slot machine work.
Legendary pinball businessman; interviewed on Super Awesome Pinball Show; teased Harry Potter licensing deal and called Keith Elwin 'that kid'
Pinball designer; designed Batman Forever (#13 ranked 1995 game); known for wide-body machine design
Prolific designer receiving credits on Baywatch, Batman Forever, Apollo 13, and other Sega titles
Co-founder of Data East Pinball with Gary Stern (~1986-87); designed Beatles pinball (personal investment of $1M); attending Expo seminar
Co-founder of Data East Pinball; Michael worked for him as a 16-year-old intern assembling playfields; known for enthusiasm and resourcefulness despite limited budgets.
Co-founder of Data East Pinball in 1986 with Gary Stern; designer and businessman; involved in ~80 pinball machines from 1987-1999; known as 'licensing God' and 'man of the paper napkin'
Co-founder of Data East Pinball with Gary Stern; designed games including Laser Wars, Robocop, Time Machine; scheduled seminar speaker at Expo 2025
Legendary designer; worked on Data East, Sega; created Beatles pinball (spent $1M personally); slot machine industry innovator
Co-founder of Data East Pinball with Gary Stern; invested $1 million of personal funds to create Beatles pinball machine; will co-host Data East seminar and judge homebrew competition at Expo with 40 award categories
Early Expo contributor since mid-80s; Data East founder; returning to Pinball Expo 41
Co-designer of Class of 1812
Co-founder of Data East Pinball with Gary Stern (mid-1980s); produced Beatles pinball through Kapow umbrella; organizing Homebrew Judging Team at Expo 2025 with Eugene Jarvis and Ken Fedestin
Pinball designer; designed Tommy; worked for Data East and later Stern Pinball negotiating licensing deals including The Beatles; appears on Pinball Expo panels
Legendary pinball designer credited with 40+ games across multiple manufacturers; founder/designer at Logical Highs, Data East Pinball; current Chief Innovation Officer at Aristocrat