No New Stern Pinball Cornerstone Game Until August 2022

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Feb 23, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Stern delays next cornerstone game to August 2022 due to production backlog.

Summary

Stern Pinball confirmed a delay in releasing its next cornerstone game until August 2022 to address manufacturing backlogs, with existing orders like Deadpool Pro delayed to July 2022. The author discusses the implications of this six-month gap, noting it may allow Stern additional time for code polish and feature development despite being unusual for the industry's dominant manufacturer.

Key Claims

Stern Pinball will not release a new Cornerstone game until August 2022
high confidence · Confirmed by Zach Sharpe, Stern Pinball Director of Marketing, according to the article's update
Deadpool Pro orders placed in March 2022 are not slated for production until July 2022 at the earliest
high confidence · Author's personal experience with their own order
Stern is experiencing major backlogs of ordered games
high confidence · Stated as reason for the delay, confirmed by Stern's marketing director
A six-month gap between new games from Stern is newsworthy due to the company's dominant market position
medium confidence · Author's editorial opinion comparing Stern to other manufacturers

Notable Quotes

“I just spoke with Zach Sharpe, Stern Pinball's Director of Marketing, and he confirmed the delay of the next Cornerstone game”
Article author (Knapp Arcade) — Primary confirmation of the delay from an official Stern source
“I personally ordered a Deadpool Pro last March and it's STILL not slated to be produced until July 2022 at the earliest. The delays for existing games are crazy right now.”
Article author (Knapp Arcade) — Illustrates the severity of production delays affecting customers
“The fact that a six month gap between new games is newsworthy for Stern is actually pretty funny. That just goes to show what a dominant force the company is in the industry.”
Article author (Knapp Arcade) — Commentary on Stern's market dominance and the significance of delays
“On the plus side, one would think that this delay will give Stern lots of time to work on the code for its upcoming releases. If that is the case, new releases will end up being much more of a finished product than has often been the case.”
Article author (Knapp Arcade) — Suggests potential positive outcomes from the delay in code quality

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyZach Sharpeperson Knapp Arcadeorganization Deadpoolgame

Signals

?
business_signal: Stern experiencing significant production capacity constraints requiring six-month gap in new product launches
high · Stern's admission of major backlog and decision to pause cornerstone releases; multiple customer orders delayed by 4+ months
$
market_signal: Supply constraints potentially creating artificial scarcity and market opportunity
low · Implicit in delayed production creating customer wait times, though article does not explicitly discuss pricing implications
?
product_strategy: Stern Pinball delays next cornerstone game release to August 2022 to address manufacturing backlog
high · Official confirmation from Stern Pinball's Director of Marketing Zach Sharpe; author's personal experience with Deadpool Pro delays to July 2022

Topics

Production delays and supply chain constraintsprimaryStern Pinball's market dominancesecondaryCode quality and game polishsecondaryCornerstone game release strategyprimaryCustomer order fulfillmentsecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.35)— The author expresses disappointment about the delay but understands the business rationale and finds potential silver linings in improved code quality and support for existing games. The tone is pragmatic rather than negative.

Transcript

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--- Update, I just spoke with Zach Sharpe, Stern Pinball's Director of Marketing, and he confirmed the delay of the next Cornerstone game --- A rumor is swirling that pinball enthusiasts like ourselves may have a long wait for the next new pinball machine from the industry's #1 manufacturer, Stern Pinball. Supposedly Stern is telling distributors that it will not release a new Cornerstone game until August 2022 to give itself time to catch up on its major backlog of ordered games. While this news certainly is a big disappointment from the standpoint that we won't have new games to anticipate, talk about etc... I understand why Stern is making this move. I personally ordered a Deadpool Pro last March and it's STILL not slated to be produced until July 2022 at the earliest. The delays for existing games are crazy right now. The fact that a six month gap between new games is newsworthy for Stern is actually pretty funny. That just goes to show what a dominant force the company is in the industry. For many manufacturers, six months between games would actually be fast. On the plus side, one would think that this delay will give Stern lots of time to work on the code for its upcoming releases. If that is the case, new releases will end up being much more of a finished product than has often been the case. Furthermore, one would think that the Company can use the time to add more Insider Connected features and code updates to its existing games. So what does everyone think? Do you agree with the move? Feel free to comment below on this article here at the website by using a Facebook or Google login or on the Knapp Arcade Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KnappArcade P.S. Sorry about the lame picture. That's supposed to be a "Cornerstone" lol. Articles without at least one pic are boring so I needed something :)