Ep 32.2: Past, Present and Future with Roger Sharpe
Here is part 2 of the Roger Sharpe interview. We wrap things up by finishing our discussion about Bally/Williams and also talk about tech videos, licensing, and the future of pinball!
Kineticist’s take
Roger Sharpe on public vs. private ownership, manufacturing constraints, and technical support as pinball's growth bottleneck.
Synopsis
Roger Sharpe discusses the sustainability challenges of pinball manufacturing under public vs. private ownership, drawing on his experience at Williams Bally Midway. He explains production constraints affecting manufacturers like JJP, the historical branding strategy between Bally and Williams games, and identifies technical support as the critical barrier limiting pinball's growth in commercial venues. Sharpe expresses cautious optimism about pinball's future post-pandemic while emphasizing the industry's dependence on skilled technicians and distributed support networks.
Entities
- American Pinball· company
- Chicago Gaming· company
- GameWorks· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Williams Bally Midway· company
- Bernie Powers· person
- Brian Collin· person
- Dennis Peter Perry· person
- Doug Duva· person
- Gary Stern· person
- Greg McKay· person
- Jack Guarnieri· person
- Jeff Nauman· person
- Joshua Sharpe· person
- Kent Pemberton· person
- Pat Lawlor· person
- Pat Powers· person
- Pat Riley· person
- Roger Sharpe· person
- Sam Ginsberg· person
- Steve Ritchie· person
- Tom Cahill· person
- Ward Pemberton· person