The past, present, and future share a show floor at Pinball Expo 2026

It’s October in the Midwest, which means it’s time for the pinball world to descend on a convention center in Chicagoland for the annual Pinball Expo. Once thought to be an entertainment sector slowly bleeding out, pinball has come back in a big way in recent years. I visited one of Chicago’s last old-school manufacturers before heading down the road to see what’s new in the silver-ball universe.

Behind the silver ball

Hundreds gathered on a brisk fall Friday morning outside Stern Pinball’s headquarters in Elk Grove, Illinois, waiting to enter a Wonka-like wonder factory where piles of raw parts become licensed creations from Jaws to the brand-new Fallout. Stern invited me to tour its offices and factory floor before heading off to the convention in nearby Schaumburg, Illinois.

An early morning line begins to form outside of Stern HQ as busses of Pinball Expo attendees arrived for tours.
An early-morning line begins to form outside of Stern HQ as buses of Pinball Expo attendees arrive for tours.

As I stood with my tour group in Stern Pinball’s HQ lobby, mouth agape at the dozens of machines lining the walls, we were greeted by the man himself, Gary Stern, who gave us some background on the company’s 40-year history. After a stop at Gary’s podium, we were ushered to the factory floor entrance, where Stern employee and legendary game designer George Gomez briefed us on the tour rules and answered questions. According to Gomez, “at any given time, Stern controls 90 percent of the current pinball market, and everybody else splits the rest.”

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