claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029
Zach Sharpe on fatherhood, Stern's growth, and protecting game development secrets.
Deadpool had 67 launch parties, breaking Iron Maiden previous record of 63
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe, driving during the interview, stated 'I think Iron Maiden had 63, which was a record, and Deadpool has 67' with caveat 'can't quote me on this because I am driving'
Stern Pinball has manufacturing capacity of up to 50 games per day
high confidence · Zach Sharpe directly stated: 'we do have capacity to build up to 50 games a day'
Stern follows a three-games-per-year model with three different titles and three variations (Pro, Premium, LE)
high confidence · Zach Sharpe confirmed: 'the stern model is three per year and three different models correct that's always the goal'
Zach Sharpe was ranked #1 in the world in 2017 and won Pinberg in 2015
high confidence · Jeff Teoles stated 'One time, even back in 2017, number one player in the world' and later 'I did recently watch your victory in 2015'
Games currently in production at Stern are those not listed in the archive section of their website
high confidence · Zach Sharpe stated: 'If you go on our games page, if it's not in the archive, those are still in production'
Deadpool was released near-complete and ready to ship immediately after launch
high confidence · Jeff Teoles noted: 'back-to-back games near full code and ready to ship as soon as it's launched' and Zach confirmed the game quality
Stern Pinball is experiencing growth evidenced by new hires, more barcades, and increasing tournament participation
high confidence · Zach Sharpe: 'just look at all the new hires and the more titles that we're pushing out... barcades that are popping up all over the place... never been a dip in the IFPA stats for new players'
Pinberg tournament player count may exceed 1,000 next year
medium confidence · Zach Sharpe speculated: 'it might be over a thousand players next year' regarding Pinberg growth
“if you're trying to get any sensitive information from me, you'll have to talk to Benson. And I've got probably two years before he'll mimic whatever I say.”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-interview — Humorous but serious point about NDA protection and information security at Stern
“It's relentless, like there is no pause. So it's like in its pieces and its small portions, it's not difficult. It's just the fact that it is constant and forever constant.”
Zach Sharpe @ late-interview — Personal reflection on early parenthood and its emotional/physical demands
“I've grown to live by the word pivot. So when things need to change or you know things aren't as originally planned I just learned to roll with the punches.”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-interview — Philosophy on handling game development disruptions and leaks
“to have unfair criticism or praise even kind of sucks because for them, this is their livelihood. This is their passion. And to have it just sent to the public on the drop of a hat, I feel for them.”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-interview — Empathy for design teams affected by game leaks
“I don't even talk to Josh about anything. And he has an NDA. So until he knows, because he's in the building on that side of the building of future projects, like I won't talk to him actively about anything until he brings it up to me.”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-interview — Demonstrates strict compartmentalization of information within Stern's own organization
“we are a manufacturing company and we need to keep the line moving so if it's not building previous titles or we need to get the next game up and on the line i mean we need to keep the line moving to keep people employed”
Zach Sharpe @ mid-interview — Business rationale for production priorities and three-games-per-year model
“It's night and day. I mean, that was like a mom-and-pop small shop. and this is a behemoth.”
[name withheld pending review] — Comparison of Stern's old Melrose Park facility to current manufacturing capacity
personnel_signal: Brian Eddy recent hire at Stern Pinball noted as exciting for community, suggesting design team expansion
high · Jeff Teoles mentions 'Brian Eddy is a recent hire there, which is very, very exciting for the pinball community' and Zach doesn't dispute
manufacturing_signal: Stern Pinball capacity increased to 50 games/day, substantial facility improvement from old Melrose Park location
high · Zach Sharp: 'we do have capacity to build up to 50 games a day' and Teoles notes facility is 'night and day' compared to old mom-and-pop shop
product_launch: Deadpool set record for launch parties with 67 events, surpassing Iron Maiden's 63, indicating strong market demand and distributor engagement
medium · Zach Sharp stated 'I think Iron Maiden had 63, which was a record, and Deadpool has 67' with caveat about accuracy due to driving
sentiment_shift: Deadpool received strong positive reception upon launch with near-complete code, contrasting with some past Stern releases
high · Jeff Teoles: 'the response has been fantastic... back-to-back games near full code and ready to ship as soon as it's launched. Those are big, big pluses'
market_signal: Pinball experiencing renaissance with growth in barcades, tournament participation, IFPA rankings, and new player acquisition
high · Zach Sharp: 'barcades that are popping up all over the place... never been a dip in the IFPA stats for new players... Pinberg... increasing going up... might be over a thousand players next year'
groq_whisper · $0.067
Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (LE) release timing was influenced by the licensor wanting to be first to publicly reveal it
high confidence · Zach Sharpe explained: 'I know with the Iron Maiden release they wanted to be the first to publicly reveal the LE model'
Zach Sharpe does not discuss sensitive Stern information even with his brother Josh, who also works at Stern
high confidence · Zach Sharpe stated: 'People think I might be lying, but I don't even talk to Josh about anything... I won't talk to him actively about anything until he brings it up to me'
“Benson is going to be more than enough for us.”
Zach Sharpe @ early-interview — Reveals family planning decision regarding future children (with caveat not to quote)
licensing_signal: License holders influence release timing and reveal strategy, e.g., Iron Maiden licensor required first public LE reveal
high · Zach Sharp: 'Combination depending on how we working with our licensor they might have input on the release cycle I know with the Iron Maiden release they wanted to be the first to publicly reveal the LE model'
leak_detection: Game leaks occurring at Stern (whitewood images, design details) frustrating to marketing and design teams
high · Zach Sharp discussing leaked Deadpool whitewood: 'when there's a picture of a whitewood released to the public... I felt bad for George, Tanio Klyce, Tim, and the entire team'
design_philosophy: Stern maintains strict compartmentalization of design information; even between Zach and brother Josh who works in game development, no cross-talk on unreleased titles
high · Zach Sharp: 'People think I might be lying, but I don't even talk to Josh about anything... I won't talk to him actively about anything until he brings it up to me because he knows because he has been behind those doors'
competitive_signal: Zach Sharp transitioned from active competitive play (former #1 in 2017, Pinberg 2015 champion) to limited tournament participation due to parenthood, but won heads-up challenge in 2018
high · Jeff Teoles: 'Former number one player... One time, even back in 2017, number one player in the world... you did have one pretty good tournament this year and winning the heads up challenge'
product_strategy: Stern balances manufacturing capacity with code completion; willing to delay third annual game if development incomplete rather than release unfinished product
medium · Zach Sharp: 'if it's not building previous titles or we need to get the next game up and on the line... we need to keep the line moving' but prioritizes completeness when needed
community_signal: Playful rivalry/rapport between Jeff Teoles and Zach Sharp regarding past tournament results and Buffalo Pinball Summer Open cancellation, with good-natured ribbing
high · Teoles opens interview joking about Zach disappearing, references 'dirty sucker punch' photo, blames him for tournament cancellation, Zach deflects with humor