Conspiracy Theory

This Week in Pinball·article·analyzed·May 22, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

Stern Transformers launches with Gieske as lead dev; JJP teases Sonic in June; Optimus transform debate.

Summary

This Week in Pinball reports on Stern's Transformers launch with lead programmer Elizabeth Gieske (possibly the first female lead programmer on a commercial pinball machine), Jersey Jack's heavily teased Sonic the Hedgehog game launching in June with unconfirmed IP sourcing, and community speculation about whether Optimus Prime's non-transforming design was a late-stage decision based on visual evidence in promotional materials.

Key Claims

Elizabeth Gieske is possibly the first woman in pinball to be a lead programmer for a commercial machine
medium confidence · This Week in Pinball editorial, noting uncertainty ('pinball historians can correct me if I'm wrong')
Transformers is launching with 0.85 code; without challenge modes it would be 0.97
high confidence · Attributed to Elizabeth Gieske, lead programmer
Stern confirmed they tried to get Optimus Prime to transform but had to pull it due to quality standards
high confidence · This Week in Pinball reporting on Stern's official statements
Jersey Jack's next game is Sonic the Hedgehog, coming in June
high confidence · Jersey Jack's own teaser hints; theme not formally confirmed but heavily indicated
JJP's Sonic appears to use 2020 film IP rather than 1990s SEGA game IP based on teaser imagery
medium confidence · This Week in Pinball analysis of teaser poster similarity to 2020 Sonic movie poster
An allegedly leaked Transformers/Sonic image circulating last week was an AI-generated fake
high confidence · This Week in Pinball verification of debunked leak
Visual evidence in George Gomez's Transformers overview video suggests Optimus transformation may have been a late design decision
low confidence · This Week in Pinball speculation based on apparent post-production playfield blurring

Notable Quotes

“pinball historians can correct me if I'm wrong, but she might be the first woman in pinball to be a lead programmer for a commercial machine”
This Week in Pinball — Potential industry milestone for Elizabeth Gieske; indicates possible gender representation gap in pinball design roles
“Without the various challenge modes, she says she'd be launching at .97.”
This Week in Pinball (reporting Elizabeth Gieske) — Reveals Transformers code maturity and role of challenge modes in delaying full release version
“The biggest open question at the moment is which Sonic IP will they use?”
This Week in Pinball — Highlights core ambiguity about JJP's Sonic sourcing that community is debating
“all anyone actually wants is the 1990s SEGA game IP”
This Week in Pinball — Captures community preference that may conflict with what JJP is delivering
“If I put my tinfoil hat on, transforming Optimus was a part of the mix until very recently”
This Week in Pinball — Editorial speculation framed as analysis of promotional material evidence; signals community skepticism about Stern's timeline
“remember when I said this was going to keep being an issue?”
This Week in Pinball — References broader pattern of AI-generated fakes in pinball leak culture

Entities

Elizabeth GieskepersonStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Steve Ritchieperson George GomezpersonTransformers: More than Meets the EyegameSonic the Hedgehoggame High Speedgame

Signals

?
product_launch: Stern Transformers launching at 0.85 code rather than mature 0.97 due to challenge modes being incomplete
high · Elizabeth Gieske statement via This Week in Pinball
?
personnel_signal: Elizabeth Gieske may be the first female lead programmer on a commercial pinball machine, marking potential industry milestone
medium · This Week in Pinball editorial observation with expressed uncertainty
?
product_concern: Stern Transformers had to remove Optimus Prime transformation feature due to quality standards not being met
high · Stern's official confirmation reported by This Week in Pinball
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announcement: Jersey Jack officially teasing Sonic the Hedgehog for June launch without formal theme confirmation
high · Jersey Jack teaser materials with heavy hints, acknowledged by This Week in Pinball as not yet formally confirmed
?
licensing_signal: Uncertainty over whether Jersey Jack's Sonic uses 2020 film IP or 1990s SEGA game IP; evidence points to film but community strongly prefers game IP
medium · Teaser poster closely resembles 2020 Sonic movie poster; This Week in Pinball analysis notes film IP would simplify content sourcing
?
rumor_hype: Alleged leaked image of Sonic/Transformers game widely circulated on forums was confirmed to be AI-generated fake

Transcript

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Pinball News of the Week Stern Launches Transformers: More than Meets the Eye A few follow-ups we're tracking since publishing: According to lead programmer Elizabeth Gieske, the game is tracking to launch with 0.85 code. Without the various challenge modes, she says she’d be launching at .97. Speaking of Gieske, pinball historians can correct me if I'm wrong, but she might be the first woman in pinball to be a lead programmer for a commercial machine. Is this the version of The Touch that will be in the game? We Rebuilt Kineticist — And Paid TWIP Members Get Ad-Free Browsing The new Kineticist has been live for a few weeks, and one of the features we shipped in the rebuild is ad-free browsing for paid TWIP subscribers. Every article, every page, no ads. If you've been paying for TWIP, you already earned this. Here's how to turn it on: Link it to your TWIP subscription from your profile Browse ad-free for as long as your subscription is active Not a paid member yet? TWIP is free to read but not free to write — a paid subscription starts at $25/year, unlocks ad-free Kineticist, exclusive content, our Discord, and helps keep an independent pinball publication running. Most people join at $60/year. Jersey Jack Teases Sonic the Hedgehog; Coming June So technically, Jersey Jack has not confirmed the theme of their next game yet, due in just a few weeks, but they've been hinting heavily at it. Sonic the Hedgehog has long been rumored as JJP and Steve Ritchie's next game. The biggest open question at the moment is which Sonic IP will they use? The first teaser image borrows heavily from the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog movie teaser poster, suggesting it's the film IP JJP has rights to. Which would make sense. How else are you going to supply all the content needed for callouts and screen assets? But scan any enthusiast conversation about the game, and you'll see that all anyone actually wants is the 1990s SEGA game IP. A supposedly leaked image from the game that made the rounds last week suggested a game-based adaptation, but it turned out to be a clever AI ruse (remember when I said this was going to keep being an issue?). So who knows at this point (other than the few people who've seen the game, of course). I wouldn't put it past JJP to secure assets from as many sources as possible — games, movies, cartoons, whatever. The Transformers Conspiracy Everyone’s Talking About This is probably my favorite story that I've been tracking this week — the growing conspiracy behind the non-transforming Optimus Prime toy in Stern's Transformers. Last week, we talked about the rumors that Optimus wouldn't transform, and to Stern's credit, they haven't been shy about confirming that they did try to get Optimus to transform, but eventually had to pull it when it didn't meet quality standards. But how recently did they decide to pull the mech? Hints of an Optimus in truck form turn up across various promo materials. One shot from George Gomez's overview video in particular looks like additional playfield blurring on the LE was added in post-production. If I put my tinfoil hat on, transforming Optimus was a part of the mix until very recently (recent enough to shoot a bunch of promo material with it in place), and possibly as an LE-only feature. New High Speed Tutorial With a new Steve Ritchie game imminent, we figured we'd take a look at one of his all-time classics, High Speed, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. solar_espeon walks us through the rules and why the game is historically interesting for modern pinball. Full tutorial on Kineticist. On Location: Meet the Team Behind Capital Pinball in New Hampshire Excited to welcome Gerard and Nick of The Arcade Hunters to the contributing team. Their first piece is an interview with Courtney and Jeremy, founders of Capital Pinball in New Hampshire — plus an overview of their own backgrounds and long-time work on The Arcade Hunters project. This article kicks off a new series called On Location, where they'll highlight arcades that offer a positive pinball experience and the people behind them.