200 episodes tracked since 2020 about →
Episode 259: George Gomez
PodcastAnalysis updated 2d ago1 hr 3 min listen
We talk pinball, toys, COVID, Stern Pinball business & market strategies, social media and so much more. Enjoy the George Gomez hour!
Highlights
- Stern's consumer business has been 'remarkably strong' during COVID-19 pandemic, while commercial operator business is 'very challenged'
- Premium and Limited Edition playfields are identical: there is no difference in playfield quality between tiers
- Stern is consciously focused on shipping games at closer to finished 1.0 code state, but acknowledges historically shipping incomplete games due to licensing, financial, and manufacturing constraints
- Batman 66 was originally designed to celebrate Stern's 30th anniversary and required Adam West's involvement due to his age at the time
- The Beatles pinball machine was priced as a premium due to expensive licensing costs, but unexpectedly performed well in commercial locations despite niche market concerns
- Dennis Nordman was a consulting designer on Elvira but had to move on before the game was completed; Stern shelved the project temporarily until resources became available
- Stern's approach to game design emphasizes collaboration and team leadership rather than singular designer vision, with intentional openness to team input
- George Gomez personally maintains 'anal level of detail' in CAD files and is very focused on manufacturing and material properties
Notable quotes
“You know, we have I think it really speaks to to discipline, really, more than anything. The fact that we've been as productive as we've been in this in this really difficult time is sort of, you know, it's kind of a testament to the way that we run the studio.”
“premium play fields and limited edition play fields are identical. There's no difference. So there's no more play value in the limited edition than there is in a premium.”
“I try really hard to avoid the forums because I don't want to deal with the craziness. Sometimes I want to reach through the screen and scream. You're so far off, it's not even funny.”
“when the computer graphics guys show up and say, yeah, no, there's no way we can get that done in that time frame. So give me three other ideas to pursue that I can. And so I think that that's being practical.”
“pinball is a medium. And designing a pinball machine means that you're working inside the medium... you have to exploit the elements of the medium.”
“leadership means allowing the other talents on your team to have a voice and giving them the room to do and be who they are. Because every product that I've made in the way of Pimaw Machines has been a collaborative effort.”
“There are a ton of licensing challenges and every license or relationship is different. The requirements from them are all different. There are financial and economic constraints and there are manufacturing constraints that have to be taken into account.”
“It's just that the little things that bother me may not be the same little things that bother somebody else.”
Entities
- Stern Pinball· company
- Avengers· game
- Batman 66· game
- Corvette· game
- Dark Knight· game
- Deadpool· game
- Elvira: House of Horrors· game
- Johnny Mnemonic· game
- Monster Bash· game
- NBA Fast Break· game
- Revenge from Mars· game
- The Beatles· game
- Pinside· organization
- Dennis Nordman· person
- George Gomez· person
- Greg Ferris· person
- Illinois Governor· person
- Jeff Teolis· person
- Lyman Sheets· person
- Tim· person
More from Pinball Profile
→ All content from Pinball Profile
Episode 439: Emily Reilhan
30 min listen
Talk about a banner year…and it’s only June! Emily has won everything under the sun so far in 2026 as you’ll hear, including the Women’s World Championship, the WNACS, the first ever Women’s...
Episode 438: David Morris of Phantom Amusement
21 min listen
If you’re ever in Manitoba, Canada, check out their growing pinball scene. David talks about the birth of the creating a pinball environment with the Manitoba Pinball League, the MPC, his arcade...
Episode 437: The Pinball Capital’s Francis Wisniewski
25 min listen
Good luck this weekend with the Grand Opening, including a Roger Sharpe appearance, a signed Bank Shot machine giveaway and more! Find out about this huge arcade in Stone Park, Illinois, and hear how...