Stern (game company)

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Stern
IndustryArcade games
Founded1977
Headquarters
United States
Key people
Gary Stern
Sam Stern
ProductsArcade video games, pinball machines
OwnerGary Stern
Websitesternpinball.com

Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977–1985, and was known for 1980s Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1999,[citation needed] is a creator of pinball machines in North America.

Stern Electronics, Inc.

Stern Electronics was formed when the Stern family bought the financially troubled Chicago Coin in 1977. Chicago Coin's assets were purchased at bankruptcy sales forming the core inventory of Stern Electronics, Inc.; however, as a separate company, they did not assume any of the debt Chicago Coin had amassed.

The first two games made by Stern were Stampede and Rawhide, both originally made by Chicago Coin, which only had changes made to their branding and logos. After a weak start, Stern Electronics' sales started picking up by the end of 1977. By 1978, they had switched over to fully solid-state electronics for their games. In 1979, Stern acquired the jukebox production assets of the bankrupt Seeburg Corporation, and the company became known as Stern / Seeburg. Coincidentally, Seeburg also owned Williams in the 1960s, when Sam Stern was its president.

When arcade video games became popular in 1980, Stern Electronics produced Berzerk. In 1983, Stern became one of many victims of the amusement industry economic shakeout that occurred. In 1985, Stern Electronics left the amusement industry. Personnel from Stern Electronics formed a short-lived venture known as Pinstar, producing conversion kits for old Bally and Stern machines. Gary Stern was the president of Stern Electronics, Inc, Pinstar Inc, and Data East pinball.

Stern Pinball, Inc.

By 1999, the pinball industry was virtually dead and Williams stopped manufacturing pinball machines and focused on gambling devices as WMS Gaming. During the same year, Sega left the pinball industry and sold its pinball division, previously purchased from Data East in 1994,[1] to Gary Stern, the son of Sam Stern. In October 1999, Sega sold the pinball portion of its company to Gary Stern, who had been running Data East/Sega pinball since 1986, and Stern Pinball was born.[1][2][3] Stern Pinball, Inc. is based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

As of 2021, longtime designers Brian Eddy, John Borg, and George Gomez are designing pinball games at Stern Pinball, alongside former professional player Keith Elwin.

Some Stern pinball tables were also digitally released through The Pinball Arcade and Stern Pinball Arcade.

Notable pinball machines

Stern Electronics

  • Stampede (1977)
  • Rawhide (1977)
  • Disco (1977)
  • Pinball (1977)
  • Stingray (1977)
  • Stars (1978)
  • Memory Lane (1978)
  • Lectronamo (1978)
  • Wild Fyre (1978)
  • Nugent (1978)
  • Dracula (1979)
  • Trident (1979)
  • Hot Hand (1979)
  • Magic (1979)
  • Cosmic Princess (1979) (Produced in Australia by Leisure and Allied Industries under license from Stern Electronics Inc)[4][5]
  • Meteor (1979) (Highest production of all Stern Electronics' Pinballs)[5]
  • Galaxy (1980)
  • Ali (1980)
  • Big Game (1980) (First game to incorporate seven-digit scoring in the digital era)[6]
  • Seawitch (1980)
  • Cheetah (1980)
  • Quicksilver (1980)
  • Star Gazer (1980)
  • Flight 2000 (1980) (Stern's first game with multi-ball and speech)
  • Nine Ball (1980)
  • Freefall (1981)
  • Lightning (1981)
  • Split Second (1981)
  • Catacomb (1981)
  • Viper (1981)
  • Dragonfist (1982)
  • Iron Maiden (1982) (Unrelated to the British heavy metal band)
  • Orbitor 1 (1982) (Featured a 3d-vacuum formed playfield with spinning rubber bumpers causing frenetic ball action; it was the company's last released game)[5]
  • Cue (1982) (Six machines built)
  • Lazer Lord (1984) (One prototype built)

Stern Pinball

Arcade games manufactured by Stern

  • Astro Invader (1980) (programmed by Konami)[25]
  • Berzerk (1980)[25]
  • The End (1980) (programmed by Konami)
  • Scramble (1981) (programmed by Konami)
  • Super Cobra (1981) (programmed by Konami)
  • Moon War (1981)
  • Turtles (1981) (programmed by Konami)[25]
  • Strategy X (1981) (programmed by Konami)
  • Jungler (1981) (programmed by Konami)
  • Armored Car (1981)
  • Amidar (1981) (programmed by Konami)
  • Frenzy (1982)[25]
  • Tazz-Mania (1982)
  • Tutankham (1982) (programmed by Konami)
  • Pooyan (1982)[25] (programmed by Konami)
  • Dark Planet (1982) (designed by Erick Erickson and Dan Langlois)
  • Rescue (1982)[25][26]
  • Calipso (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)
  • Anteater (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)
  • Mazer Blazer (1982)
  • Lost Tomb (1982)
  • Bagman (Le Bagnard) (1982) (programmed by Valadon Automation)
  • Pop Flamer (1982) (programmed by Jaleco)
  • Star Jacker (1983) (programmed by Sega)
  • Minefield (1983)[25]
  • Cliff Hanger (1983)[25] (laserdisc game using video footage from TMS)
  • Great Guns (1984)
  • Goal To Go (1984) (laserdisc game)
  • Super Bagman (1984)[25] (programmed by Valadon Automation)

References

  1. ^ a b "Pinball Runs Out of Wizardry". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ Davey, Monica (25 April 2008). "For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn't Over". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  3. ^ Pinball, Stern. "About". Stern Pinball.
  4. ^ "Cosmic Princess". Pinpedia.
  5. ^ a b c "The Internet Pinball Machine Database". www.ipdb.org.
  6. ^ "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Stern 'Big Game' Images". www.ipdb.org.
  7. ^ Pinball, Stern. "High Roller Casino". Stern Pinball. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. ^ Pinball, Stern. "The Lord Of The Rings". Stern Pinball. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ^ Pinball, Stern. "Shrek". Stern Pinball. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  10. ^ Stern Pinball's Official Batman Pinball webpage. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  11. ^ Stern Pinball's Official CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Pinball webpage. Retrieved on 8 November 2008.
  12. ^ Stern Pinball's Official 24 Pinball webpage. Retrieved 22 March 2009
  13. ^ "Enada Coin-op Trade Show 2010". TILT.IT. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  14. ^ Stern's new Avatar game. pinballnews.com. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  15. ^ "The Rolling Stones". Pinball News. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Tron: Legacy". Pinball News. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  17. ^ "Transformers Pinball Coming Soon". Pinball News. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Transformers". Pinball News. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Pinball News – First and Free". www.pinballnews.com.
  20. ^ "Sternpinball.com".
  21. ^ Porges, Seth (19 April 2016). "What You Need To Know About The New 'Ghostbusters' Pinball Machine". Forbes. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  22. ^ "Stern is Making a Batman '66 Pinball Machine Starring Adam West". pastemagazine.com. 30 August 2016.
  23. ^ Pinball, Stern. "Black Knight: Sword of Rage". Stern Pinball.
  24. ^ "Jurassic Park Pin".
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Stern Electronics – coin-operated machines". www.arcade-museum.com.
  26. ^ Sharpe, Roger C. (June 1983). "Insert Coin Here". Electronic Games. p. 92. Retrieved 6 January 2015.

External links

Template:The Pinball Arcade

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