Stern to Build Medieval Madness

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·May 14, 2014

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Stern to manufacture Medieval Madness remakes for PPS/Chicago Gaming in manufacturing partnership.

Summary

Stern Pinball agreed to manufacture Medieval Madness remakes for Planetary Pinball Supply and Chicago Gaming Company at Stern's Melrose Park facility in May 2014. Chicago Gaming will oversee production using their electronics and WMS-specification parts, with final finishing and shipping handled from Chicago Gaming's Cicero facility. The arrangement signals capacity concerns for Chicago Gaming and hints at potential future remake projects like Attack from Mars.

Key Claims

Planetary Pinball and Chicago Gaming planned to remake Medieval Madness with 1000 limited edition units and undisclosed regular production
high confidence · Official PPS announcement and article reporting
Chicago Gaming Company lacked manufacturing capacity to build Medieval Madness remakes independently
high confidence · Article analysis: 'it wasn't clear they had the capacity to build the 1000 limited edition and an undisclosed number of regular models'
Stern Pinball's manufacturing facilities and staff would assemble Medieval Madness remakes at Melrose Park
high confidence · Official Stern Pinball announcement and article
Future PPS/Chicago Gaming remakes including Attack from Mars were expected to continue
medium confidence · Article speculation: 'It's not known how far-reaching this agreement is, and whether Stern Pinball will also manufacture future PPS/Chicago Gaming remakes which are expected to continue with Attack from Mars'
Chicago Gaming supplies Stern with cabinets and backboxes through Churchill Cabinets company
high confidence · Article states: 'Chicago Gaming already supply Stern with cabinets and backboxes through their Churchill Cabinets company'

Notable Quotes

“We think this arrangement provides the best solution to insure the timely delivery of a high quality game for our customers who wish to own this legendary title”
Rick Bartlett, President of Planetary Pinball Supply @ May 14, 2014 — Official rationale for outsourcing manufacturing to Stern; emphasizes quality and timeliness as key drivers
“We have a long-standing relationship with SPI and its high capacity manufacturing operation will allow us to complete the MMR games in a timely fashion”
Doug Duba, President of Chicago Gaming Company @ May 14, 2014 — Confirms existing partnership and acknowledges Stern's manufacturing capacity advantage
“We're looking forward to helping PPS and CGC exceed the expectations of Medieval Madness pinball enthusiasts”
Gary Stern, President of Stern Pinball @ May 14, 2014 — Stern's public endorsement of the remake project and partnership

Entities

Planetary Pinball SupplycompanyChicago Gaming CompanycompanyStern PinballcompanyMedieval Madnessgame Attack from MarsgameRick BartlettpersonDoug DubapersonGary Sternperson

Signals

?
business_signal: Chicago Gaming Company lacks independent manufacturing capacity despite prior game manufacturing experience
high · Article states 'it wasn't clear they had the capacity to build the 1000 limited edition and an undisclosed number of regular models' leading to partnership with Stern
?
business_signal: Stern Pinball expanding facility utilization through third-party manufacturing partnerships; signals confidence in capacity and willingness to support ecosystem partners
high · Stern agrees to use manufacturing facility and staff for PPS/CGC Medieval Madness remake production
?
licensing_signal: Planetary Pinball Supply controls remake rights to classic Bally Williams titles including Medieval Madness and planned Attack from Mars
high · PPS leading Medieval Madness remake project with plans to continue with Attack from Mars
?
announcement: Medieval Madness remake officially confirmed with production partnership involving Stern manufacturing
high · Official joint announcement from PPS, Chicago Gaming, and Stern Pinball on May 14, 2014

Topics

Manufacturing partnerships and capacityprimaryBally Williams game remakes and licensingprimaryPlanetary Pinball's licensing strategyprimaryChicago Gaming Company's production capabilitiessecondaryStern Pinball's facility utilization and business relationshipssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— All parties express optimism about the arrangement; emphasis on quality, capacity, and long-standing relationships. No criticism or concerns raised in official statements.

Transcript

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Date: 14th May, 2014 When Planetary Pinball confirmed their intention to remake Medieval Madness with Chicago Gaming Company, it was not made clear where the games would be built. Stern to build Medieval Madness remakes While Chicago Gaming Company had some game manufacturing experience, it wasn't clear they had the capacity to build the 1000 limited edition and an undisclosed number of regular models. Now Planetary Pinball Supply (PPS) and Chicago Gaming have signed an agreement with Stern Pinball which will see the Melrose Park company use their manufacturing facilities and staff build the Medieval Madness remakes. Chicago Gaming already supply Stern with cabinets and backboxes through their Churchill Cabinets company and they will oversee production at the Stern facility. The games will be built using Chicago Gaming's electronics system and using WMS-specification parts. The games will then be send to Chicago Gaming in Cicero, Illinois, where they will receive their finishing touches and be packed ready for shipping. It's not known how far-reaching this agreement is, and whether Stern Pinball will also manufacture future PPS/Chicago Gaming remakes which are expected to continue with Attack from Mars. Here's what Stern Pinball had to say about the new agreement: Planetary Pinball, Chicago Gaming and Stern Pinball announce Specialty Manufacturing Arrangement CHICAGO, IL – MAY 14, 2014 – Planetary Pinball Supply (“PPS”), Chicago Gaming Company (“CGC”) and Stern Pinball, Inc. (“SPI”), today announced a specialty manufacturing arrangement pursuant to which SPI will make its manufacturing facility available to PPS and CGC to assemble their remake of the Medieval Madness (“MMR”) pinball game. CGC, which has a long-standing business relationship with SPI, will assemble the game for PPS in SPI’s factory using SPI’s factory labor and production line assets. The game will be assembled with parts supplied by CGC which consist of original WMS specification parts combined with the new electronics and lighting systems designed by CGC. Final prep, packaging and shipment will be from the CGC facility in Cicero, IL. “We think this arrangement provides the best solution to insure the timely delivery of a high quality game for our customers who wish to own this legendary title” said Rick Chris Bartlett, President of PPS. “We have a long-standing relationship with SPI and its high capacity manufacturing operation will allow us to complete the MMR games in a timely fashion,” added Doug Duba, President of CGC. “We’re looking forward to helping PPS and CGC exceed the expectations of Medieval Madness pinball enthusiasts,” said Gary Stern, President of SPI. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page