Episode Summary
It is often through failure that we learn and after the collapse of Stern Electronics, Gary Stern did not give up. He collected himself over a year and then would work with Joe Kaminkow and Shelley Sax on building Data East Pinball. Often the butt of jokes on quality, code depth, and artwork, Data East would become the only survivor of the 1990s pinball collapse and is now known as Stern Pinball Inc.
This month we take some time to look at early Data East Pinball where Dave and Ron dive into the collapse of Stern Electronics and who owns their Intellectual Property (IP), PinStar Inc., Joe Kaminkow becoming Dave’s best friend, the unsung hero of Data East Pinball Ed Cebela, Navy-issued uniforms, Robocop’s awesomeness, how time travel actually works, the rise of The Simpsons, and the legacy of Data East.
Big Thanks to Mike Winne for helping with this episode!