Details on Stern Pinball’s Two 2023 Cornerstone Games

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Dec 23, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Stern announces two 2023 cornerstone games with design teams revealed

Summary

George Gomez revealed that Stern Pinball will release only two cornerstone games in 2023. The first is designed by Brian Eddy with Dwight Sullivan on code and Zombie Yeti on art. The second, designed by Jack Danger with Tanio Klyce on code and Zombie Yeti on art, is described as thematically different and exciting. George also mentioned potential future Stranger Things Premium production and Insider Connected Home Leaderboards coming in 2023.

Key Claims

Stern will release only two cornerstone games in 2023
high confidence · George Gomez stated this directly in interview with Joel Engelberth
First 2023 cornerstone designed by Brian Eddy, Dwight Sullivan on code, Zombie Yeti on art
high confidence · George Gomez provided these specific team assignments
Second 2023 cornerstone designed by Jack Danger, Tanio Klyce on code, Zombie Yeti on art
high confidence · George Gomez provided these specific team assignments
Jack Danger's game is thematically a move in a different direction and will 'knock your socks off'
high confidence · Direct quote from George Gomez about the second cornerstone
Stern may produce Stranger Things Premium again in the future
medium confidence · George Gomez stated possibility during interview; non-committal language ('may', 'probably')
Insider Connected Home Leaderboards will probably be available in 2023
medium confidence · George Gomez used non-committal language ('probably') suggesting this is planned but not guaranteed

Notable Quotes

“Jack's game is thematically a move in a different direction for us”
George Gomez — Indicates second cornerstone represents a thematic departure from typical Stern offerings
“it's going to knock your socks off”
George Gomez — Strong endorsement of the second cornerstone game's appeal and impact

Entities

George Gomezperson Brian Eddyperson Dwight Sullivanperson Zombie Yetiperson Jack Dangerperson Tanio KlycepersonJoel EngelberthpersonStern PinballcompanyThe Pinball Network

Signals

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design_philosophy: Second cornerstone represents thematic departure from typical Stern offerings
high · George Gomez explicitly stated Jack Danger's game is 'thematically a move in a different direction for us'
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personnel_signal: Zombie Yeti confirmed as head of Stern Pinball art department with primary responsibility for both cornerstone games
high · Zombie Yeti listed as art lead on both 2023 cornerstone games in George Gomez's statements
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product_strategy: Insider Connected Home Leaderboards planned for 2023 release as part of IC app roadmap
medium · George Gomez stated 'we will probably see Insider Connected Home Leaderboards in 2023' with non-committal language
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product_strategy: Stern announcing explicit 2023 product pipeline with only two cornerstone games and defined design teams
high · George Gomez directly stated two cornerstone games in 2023 with specific designer/code/art assignments

Topics

2023 Product RoadmapprimaryCornerstone GamesprimaryDesign Team AssignmentsprimaryThematic DirectionsecondaryConnected Home FeaturessecondaryRe-release Potentialsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— George Gomez expresses enthusiasm about the second cornerstone ('knock your socks off') and reveals structured product roadmap. The tone is optimistic about Stern's 2023 offerings, though the constraint to only two cornerstone games could be viewed as limiting by some market observers.

Transcript

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Joel Engelberth of The Pinball Network and Just Another Pinball Podcast conducted a great interview with Stern Pinball's George Gomez yesterday. During the chat, George provided some details on Stern's 2023 cornerstone pinball machines. First and foremost, Stern will only release two cornerstones next year. The first game was designed by Brian Eddy with Dwight Sullivan on code and Zombie Yeti on art. The second 2023 cornerstone game was designed by Jack Danger with Tanio Klyce on code and once again Zombie Yeti on art. George stated that Jack's game is "thematically a move in a different direction for us" and that "it's going to knock your socks off." Also of note from the interview, George said that Stern may produce Stranger Things Premium again at some point in the future. And that we will probably see Insider Connected Home Leaderboards in 2023. I have embedded the interview below. Kudos to Joel for the great questions and information.