Review of the Year

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Jan 1, 2001

Analysis

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TL;DR

Pinball News Reviews 2000: Post-Williams Exodus, Stern Leads Recovery, New Startups Emerge

Summary

Pinball News' inaugural year-end review (December 2000) recaps the industry's response to Williams' 1999 exit from pinball manufacturing. Three new companies emerged—Pat Lawlor Design, Illinois Pinball Inc, and Sharpe Communications—while Stern remained the sole active manufacturer, releasing Striker Xtreme and Sharkey's Shootout. The article documents industry transitions, including notable departures (Jon Norris, Steve Kordek) and rumors about Illinois Pinball's acquisition of Williams assets.

Key Claims

Williams withdrew from pinball manufacturing at the end of 1999
high confidence · Opening statement establishing the context for the entire year's industry response
Pat Lawlor, Louis Koziarz, and John Krutsch formed Pat Lawlor Design to design games for coin-op amusement industry
high confidence · Directly stated as a company formation event in 2000
Gene Cunningham formed Illinois Pinball Inc using former Capcom technology he had purchased
high confidence · Explicitly stated as second major post-Williams startup
Roger Sharpe (former Williams Licensing and Marketing Director) created Sharpe Communications offering licensing, promotion, PR and advertising to coin-op industry
high confidence · Clearly documented as third post-Williams startup
South Park required a second production run in 1999 due to demand
high confidence · Stated as factual observation of Stern's 1999 success
Stern Pinball's Striker Xtreme was premiered at ATEI London in January 2000
high confidence · Directly stated event with specific location and date
Sharkey's Shootout benefited from 'injection of former William's talent'
medium confidence · Opinion-based assessment by Pinball News author about game quality improvement
Jon Norris left Stern after the imposition of a workplace smoking policy due to asthma
high confidence · Documented personnel departure with stated reasoning
Steve Kordek retired in December 2000 after 63 years in pinball
high confidence · Specific retirement announcement with tenure detail
Illinois Pinball Inc purchased rights to manufacture parts for spares only, not new games

Notable Quotes

“2000 has been an exciting year for the world of pinball, following the depressing news of Williams' withdrawal from pinball manufacturing which so marred the end of 1999.”
Pinball News Author @ Opening paragraph — Frames the entire year's context—Williams exit was the defining industry event
“From the ashes of William's rose several new companies hoping to rebuild the pinball market, while diversifying into new areas.”
Pinball News Author @ Introduction section — Metaphorical description of industry recovery strategy post-Williams
“Striker Xtreme... was a little clunky in play, though it felt very solid and was a good start.”
Pinball News Author @ Stern games section — Mixed review of Stern's first game under new direction; highlights design compromise
“Sharkey's Shootout was a great improvement, with a much smoother gameplay and attractive look.”
Pinball News Author @ Stern games section — Positive assessment suggesting Stern's second game demonstrated learning curve and improvement
“Many pinball enthusiasts were so shell-shocked by the William's announcement that they've not yet appreciated the offerings Stern has produced.”
Pinball News Author @ Stern outlook section — Explains depressed community sentiment despite Stern's actual product quality
“The rumour mill has been grinding away at top speed this year mainly due to the lack of hard information.”
Pinball News Author @ Rumor section opening — Acknowledges information vacuum driving speculation about Illinois Pinball's intentions
“It seems that none of these were true. So far, IPB appears to have bought the rights to manufacture parts for spares use only - not for inclusion in new games.”
Pinball News Author @ Illinois Pinball rumor correction — Clarifies widespread misconceptions about IPB's business model
“Jon as an asthma suffer found the situation untenable and left.”

Entities

Williams (Williams Manufacturing/Electronics)companyPat Lawlor DesigncompanyIllinois Pinball InccompanySharpe CommunicationscompanyStern PinballcompanyPat Lawlorperson Louis KoziarzpersonJohn KrutschpersonGene Cunninghamperson

Signals

?
business_signal: Williams Manufacturing exits pinball industry at end of 1999, triggering cascade of industry restructuring and three major startup formations
high · Opening statement and entire article structure built around this event; directly stated as 'depressing news' that 'marred the end of 1999'
?
design_philosophy: Stern Pinball shifts to 'simpler, more fun mechanical-action pinball' design criteria under Gary Stern leadership
high · Directly stated: 'Stern had to start producing games meeting Gary Stern's criteria of simpler, more fun mechanical-action pinball'
?
event_signal: Pinball News launches April 2000 as independent online media outlet; first year response described as 'overwhelming'
high · Explicitly stated: 'In April, Pinball News began with the aim of bring you the latest news in a clear and concise manner. Since then the reaction has been overwhelming'
$
market_signal: South Park exceptional demand requiring second production run in 1999 indicates strong operator/location interest despite industry upheaval
high · Stated fact: 'South Park in particular was exceptionally popular, requiring a second production run to satisfy demand'
?
personnel_signal: Steve Kordek retirement after 63 years in pinball industry
high · Explicitly stated 'December, industry patriarch Steve Kordek retired after 63 years in pinball'
?

Topics

Post-Williams Industry Recovery and New Company FormationprimaryStern Pinball's Product Line and Design Philosophy ShiftprimaryIndustry Rumors and Misinformation About Illinois Pinball IncprimaryNotable Personnel Departures (Jon Norris, Steve Kordek)secondaryPinball News Launch and First Year SuccesssecondaryTrade Show Announcements and Upcoming ReleasesmentionedCommunity Sentiment and Market Confidence Post-Williamssecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Optimistic about industry recovery through new startups and Stern's continued commitment (positive), but tempered by acknowledgment of market shock from Williams exit, mixed reception of first Stern games, and general community malaise despite product quality. Author expresses cautious hope for 2001.

Transcript

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Story dated 23rd December, 2000 Welcome to this, the very first Pinball News Review of the Year - a look back at the events of the last 12 months. At the end of this page you can share your thoughts about the past year of pinball with fellow readers. 2000 has been an exciting year for the world of pinball, following the depressing news of Williams' withdrawal from pinball manufacturing which so marred the end of 1999. From the ashes of William's rose several new companies hoping to rebuild the pinball market, while diversifying into new areas. First up was Pat Lawlor Design. The ubiquitous game designer was joined by Louis Koziarz and John Krutsch in setting up the new company, with the aim of designing games for the coin-op amusement industry. Secondly, Illinois Pinball Inc was formed by collector and enthusiast Gene Cunningham. He announced the company's intention to produce games using the former Capcom technology he had previously bought. Third, Roger Sharpe the former Licensing and Marketing Director at William's, created Sharpe Communications. His company offers licensing, promotion, public relations and advertising skills to the coin-op industry. All three companies are based in, or around, Chicago. Meanwhile, the one company still manufacturing pinball games showed what it was made of, when it showed off a couple of new machines of its own design. Last year Stern Pinball had produced first South Park and then Harley Davidson after the buyout from Sega. South Park in particular was exceptionally popular, requiring a second production run to satisfy demand. This year, though, Stern had to start producing games meeting Gary Stern criteria of simpler, more fun mechanical-action pinball. Their first game - Striker Xtreme - was premiered at ATEI London in January. Designed to appeal to the European market in particular, the game was a little clunky in play, though it felt very solid and was a good start. The second game - Sharkey's Shootout - was a great improvement, with a much smoother gameplay and attractive look. Sharkey's clearly benefited from the injection of some former William's talent. Sharkey's should build up interest in Stern's next game. Many pinball enthusiasts were so shell-shocked by the William's announcement that they've not yet appreciated the offerings Stern has produced. 2001 should be the year that gives Stern the attention they deserve starting with High Roller Casino - their next game - to be unveiled at ATEI in January 2001. Along with the new games, Stern has also found time to produce their own web site. With good content and links, along with an extensive ROM library, it has to be considered an invaluable resource. The rumour mill has been grinding away at top speed this year mainly due to the lack of hard information. The main target has been Gene Cunningham and Illinois Pin Ball Inc (note the two worded spelling) and their purchase of various ex-Williams' assets. It has been suggested that IPB had bought the rights to manufacture new William's games, to use the Bally name, and the two Pinball 2000 uncompleted games Wizard Blocks & Playboy. It seems that none of these were true. So far, IPB appears to have bought the rights to manufacture parts for spares use only - not for inclusion in new games. He has also bought the remaining inventory of spares from William's, and is looking at buying some of the spares left at the manufacturers. Nothing has been heard about the manufacture of new games by IPB. Gene was showing three games called Pool Player at the AMOA trade show in September, but these were rebadged Breakshot games and proved not altogether reliable. A flyer for the game was released, but since then IPB has been tied up with the spares issues. 2000 has also seen the departure of two famous names from the industry. Following on from the mass layoffs from William's, this year saw Jon Norris leave Stern after the imposition of a workplace smoking Ryan Policky. Jon as an asthma suffer found the situation untenable and left. Then in December, industry patriarch Steve Kordek retired after 63 years in pinball. He had been working on archiving the pinball-related material at William's since the closure. Finally, 2000 saw the launch of this web site. In April, Pinball News began with the aim of bring you the latest news in a clear and concise manner. Since then the reaction has been overwhelming, and a huge thanks goes out to our readers and to the many people who have contributed articles, reviews, pictures and ideas to make this first year of Pinball News such a great success. Now, here's your chance to comment on the past year in pinball. What do you think have been the highs and lows, who will be most missed and what hopes do you have for 2001? Let us know by either email to review@pinballnews.com or click here to go to our direct response page. You can read the comments sent in by readers here. In the meantime, Pinball News wishes you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2001. Back to the news index Back to the front page © Pinball News 2000