Louis Koziarz
Louis Koziarz is a pinball programmer and designer best known for his work at Williams Electronics in the 1990s and subsequently with Pat Lawlor Design (PLD) for Stern Pinball. At Williams, Koziarz contributed to several significant pinball titles, including “Tales of the Arabian Nights” (1996) as lead software programmer and “No Good Gofers” (1997) as co-designer and software lead. He also helped develop the Pinball 2000 platform, co-authoring a patent aimed at improving serviceability. When Williams closed its pinball division in 1999, Koziarz co-founded PLD with Pat Lawlor and John Krutsch. Through PLD, he continued to develop pinball games for Stern, serving as software lead and sometimes co-designer for titles such as “Monopoly” (2001), “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” (2004), and “NASCAR/Grand Prix” (2005).
Koziarz’s legacy lies primarily in his technical innovations, his deep rule designs, and his ability to integrate cohesive themes with gameplay. He was instrumental in creating immersive experiences by synchronizing playfield mechanics, artwork, and audio, and he consistently designed rules that balanced complexity with accessibility for casual players. His work has influenced subsequent generations of pinball developers, and many of his games remain well-regarded among collectors and tournament players.
Through collaboration on both hardware and software, Koziarz demonstrated a commitment to modernizing pinball during a period of declining arcade revenue and increasing competition from video games. After his final credited Stern release in 2005, Koziarz gradually stepped away from full-time development but remains a respected figure who occasionally shares behind-the-scenes insights and pinball history with enthusiasts.
