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Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jul 9, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.008

TL;DR

Stern Pinball hires acclaimed homebrew designer Tanner Petch as new game designer.

Summary

Stern Pinball has hired renowned homebrew pinball designer Tanner Petch as a new game designer, effective July 2026. Petch is known for innovative custom machines including 'Trashland' and 'House of Flesh and Blood,' and brings a strong portfolio of artistic and mechanically complex designs from the homebrew scene.

Key Claims

  • Stern Pinball hired Tanner Petch as a new game designer starting in July 2026

    high confidence · Jason Knapp (Knapp Arcade) reporting, sourced from Joe Ciaravino's post in PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES group

  • Tanner Petch is a well-known pinball homebrewer whose most well-known game is 'Trashland'

    high confidence · Jason Knapp states Tanner has created numerous pinball machines with Trashland being the most well-known

  • Tanner Petch's most recent game before joining Stern is 'House of Flesh and Blood'

    high confidence · Jason Knapp reporting on Petch's recent homebrew work

  • Tanner Petch built five working custom pinball machines as part of his college graduate program thesis involving building his own arcade

    medium confidence · Jason Knapp describes Petch's educational background and thesis project

  • Tanner Petch brought many of his games to Chicago Pinball Expo

    medium confidence · Jason Knapp references Petch's participation in major pinball shows

Notable Quotes

  • “if you've followed the homebrew pinball scene or been to many of the major pinball shows over the last several years, you are likely familiar with his work”

    Jason Knapp @ n/a — Establishes Tanner Petch's prominence and visibility in the pinball community despite potentially being unknown to casual players

  • “Tanner's games are basically playable pieces of art”

    Jason Knapp @ n/a — Characterizes the artistic and mechanical innovation in Petch's designs

  • “Congratulations to the well-known pinball homebrewer Tanner Petch on his new position, which he started at Stern this month”

    Jason Knapp @ n/a — Direct confirmation of Petch's hiring and start date at Stern

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyTanner PetchpersonJoe CiaravinopersonJason KnapppersonTrashlandgame[name withheld pending review]gameChicago Pinball ExpoeventPiNbALL DeGENeRaTESorganization

Signals

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Stern Pinball recruited prominent homebrew designer Tanner Petch, signaling investment in new creative talent and potentially a shift toward more innovative mechanical design

    high · Jason Knapp confirmed Stern hired Tanner Petch as game designer starting July 2026; Petch is established in homebrew community with multiple acclaimed machines

  • ?

    design_innovation: Transition of a celebrated homebrew designer into commercial manufacturing suggests potential influence of custom/indie design sensibilities on future Stern titles

    medium · Tanner Petch described as creating 'playable pieces of art' with 'innovative and unique aspects'; his work characterized as blending mechanical complexity with artistic merit

  • ?

    community_signal: Homebrew designers gaining visibility and opportunities in commercial manufacturing reinforces the homebrew scene's credibility and cultural importance within pinball

    medium · Knapp notes Petch's strong reputation in homebrew scene at major shows; Petch's educational thesis focused on building custom arcade with five pinball machines

Transcript

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News Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer k knapparcade July 9, 2026 Overnight a post in the cool PiNbALL DeGENeRaTES Facebook group caught my attention. According to the post by group founder, Joe Ciaravino, Stern Pinball has hired a new designer. I looked into it and sure enough they have! Congratulations to the well-known pinball homebrewer Tanner Petch on his new position, which he started at Stern this month. Even if you aren't familiar with the name, Tanner Petch, if you've followed the homebrew pinball scene or been to many of the major pinball shows over the last several years, you are likely familiar with his work. Tanner has created a number of wild pinball machines, but the most well-known one is probably his game "Trashland." His most recent game is "House of Flesh and Blood." I'll include pictures and short videos of his games below. It is unbelievable how many innovative and unique aspects there are in them. Beyond the interesting shots, Tanner's games are basically playable pieces of art, which makes sense given the fact that his college graduate program thesis involved building his own arcade with five working custom pinball machines. He ultimately brought many of these games to the Chicago Pinball Expo. Below is a link to an article that the website Bong Boing published about Tanner's work several years ago and examples of his work: Check out Tanner Petch's weird homebrew pinball machines Trash land is a wild homebrew pinball. - YouTube Tap to unmute Trash land is a wild homebrew pinball. Indie Arcade Wave Indie Arcade Wave Homebrew Showcase: House of Flesh and Blood Pinball by Tanner Petch - YouTube Tap to unmute Marco Pinball Marco Pinball !Advertisement Ad 2 of 3 Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Image courtesy of the Boing Boing article Posted 22 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Stern Pinball Hires New Game Designer 22 minutes ago Spooky Pinball Dead Ring In Action, Factory Tour & Rumors; Tales of the Arabian Nights Remake Interview; New Sonic the Hedgehog Merch about 18 hours ago Spooky Pinball Launches New Undercabinet Lighting; the Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball Teasers Continue & More 3 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 3 of 3 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner