Pinball Manufacturers: Genco

Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1931 by the three Gensburg brothers (Louis, David, and Meyer), the Genco Manufacturing Company was an absolute powerhouse during the wild west of early arcade development. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Genco went head-to-head with industry titans like Gottlieb and Bally, aggressively pushing the boundaries of what an electro-mechanical (EM) amusement device could be.

Genco was renowned for its brilliant mechanical gimmicks and animated backglasses, but their most monumental contribution to pinball history happened in 1948.

While Gottlieb’s Humpty Dumpty (1947) is famous for introducing the first player-controlled flippers, those flippers were mounted near the middle of the playfield, facing outward. Genco’s designer Steve Kordek saw an opportunity to improve this. With the release of Triple Action (1948), Genco became the first manufacturer to place two flippers at the bottom center of the playfield, facing inward. This single innovation established the permanent, foundational layout of modern pinball.

As the 1950s progressed, Genco struggled to keep pace with the massive manufacturing outputs of Williams, Bally, and Gottlieb. However, pinball was quite literally a family business. The founders’ brother, Sam Gensburg, was the co-founder of rival manufacturer Chicago Coin. In 1958, rather than selling to an outside competitor, Genco was quietly absorbed into Chicago Coin, ending its independent run. Though their name eventually faded from the arcade marquees, Genco’s legacy is physically built into the bottom of every modern pinball playfield.