Big Things are Coming to Stern Pinball's Insider Connected

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·May 16, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Stern planning major Insider Connected expansion with new home game, monthly updates, and operator tools.

Summary

George Gomez discussed Stern Pinball product roadmap in a The Super Awesome Pinball Show interview, revealing that a new home game for "The Pin" line is in development, a major Insider Connected code update with new features is coming soon, and new features like a "Home Team" login system and Operator Dashboard are planned. Stern aims to deliver monthly Insider Connected feature updates, while deprioritizing private label machines despite frequent inquiries.

Key Claims

Stern Pinball is developing another home game for 'The Pin' line of machines
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author
A big Insider Connected code drop with tons of new features is coming soon
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author
Insider Connected 'Home Team' feature coming soon that allows owners to log in and play on their Connected account at home without pulling out their phone
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author
Insider Connected Operator Dashboard coming, allowing locations to set up custom quests and see location trends
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author
Stern programmers ideally want to drop new Insider Connected features every month
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author
Private label machines are taking a back seat at Stern despite being approached by companies all the time to make them
high confidence · George Gomez interview on The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast, relayed by Knapp Arcade author

Notable Quotes

“I personally am a huge George Gomez fan. He's a really nice guy. I had a great phone conversation with him last year, after which he went out of his way to send my sons and I an autographed Deadpool translite”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Personal endorsement of George Gomez's character and willingness to engage with the community
“Now that I have one [Insider Connected], I'm absolutely addicted to getting achievements in games. It adds a whole new level of replayability.”
Knapp Arcade (author) — First-hand account of Insider Connected's impact on player engagement and replayability

Entities

George GomezpersonStern PinballcompanySuper Awesome Pinball ShowmediaChristian LinepersonChristopher FranchipersonJeff ParsonpersonKnapp Arcademedia The Pinproduct Insider Connectedproduct

Signals

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product_strategy: Stern aggressively expanding Insider Connected platform with monthly feature cadence, new operator tools, and streamlined home player experience
high · Major code drop with multiple new features (Home Team, Operator Dashboard) planned; goal of monthly updates communicated by development team
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product_launch: New machine in development for Stern's 'The Pin' home game line
high · Direct statement from George Gomez interview that Stern is developing another home game for The Pin line
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product_strategy: Stern deliberately deprioritizing private label/custom machines despite ongoing commercial interest
high · George Gomez stated private label machines are taking a back seat despite being approached regularly by companies
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technology_signal: Insider Connected advancing from initial connected kit to full ecosystem with integrated home authentication and operator management dashboards
high · Home Team feature allows seamless account login without mobile phone requirement; Operator Dashboard enables custom quest creation and venue analytics
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community_signal: George Gomez and Stern executives actively participating in community podcast interviews to communicate roadmap and build engagement
high · Multi-part interview with George Gomez on Super Awesome Pinball Show; detailed product announcements shared directly with community media
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Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

I finally had a chance to listen to the full George Gomez interview that the folks at The Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast dropped earlier today. The show's hosts, Christian Line, Christopher Franchi and new co-host Jeff Parson did a great job. I personally am a huge George Gomez fan. He's a really nice guy. I had a great phone conversation with him last year, after which he went out of his way to send my sons and I an autographed Deadpool translite, that I was able to put into my Gomez-designed Deadpool Pro that finally arrived at the Knapp Arcade last week. The interview contained a ton of great information about Stern Pinball and its game development process. Here's my notes on what I found particularly interesting from Part 1 of the interview: - Stern Pinball is developing another home game for "The Pin" line of machines. - Private label machines taking a back seat at Stern despite being approached by companies all the time to make them. - A big Insider Connected code drop with tons of new features is coming soon. - An Insider Connected "Home Team" feature coming soon. The feature allows game owners to log in and play on their Connected account at home without having to pull out their phone. - An Insider Connected Operator Dashboard is coming. It will allow locations to set up custom quests, see location trends, and many other things. - In an ideal world, Stern would like to drop new Insider Connected features every month. That's what the programmers are saying they would like to do. While I purchased an Insider Connected kit for my Stern Jurassic Park Premium a while ago, I admit that I haven't installed it yet. So, when my new Deadpool arrived, it was the first connected pin in my home arcade. Now that I have one, I'm absolutely addicted to getting achievements in games. It adds a whole new level of replayability. I'm definitely going to buy IC kits to install in my Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic in the near future. Again, if you haven't listened to it already, make sure to check out the latest episode of the Super Awesome Pinball Show (link below). The next episode of the Super Awesome podcast will include Part 2 of the George Gomez interview. https://superawesomepinballshow.libsyn.com