Stern (game company)

Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 until 1985, and was best known for Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1986 as Data East Pinball, is a manufacturer of pinball machines in North America.

Stern Electronics, Inc.

Template:More citations needed Stern Electronics was formed when Sam and Gary Stern bought the financially troubled Chicago Coin in 1977. Sam had previously owned the amusements manufacturer Williams, purchasing half of the company in 1947 and selling it to the Seeburg Corporation in 1964. Gary had trained under his father at Williams, and from 1973-1977 the two ran the company. Stern Electronics, Inc. acquired their core inventory by purchasing Chicago Coin's assets at bankruptcy sales; as a separate company, they did not assume any of the debt Chicago Coin had amassed.<ref name="PinMag">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1977 it acquired Universal Research Laboratories after they went bankrupt a few months earlier.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Universal Research Laboratories manufactured circuit boards for Bally pinball machines, and then reverse engineered these for Stern, who were then sued by Bally.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An agreement to pay royalties was reached which by September 1981 totaled $700,000.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The first two games made by Stern were Stampede and Rawhide, both originally made by Chicago Coin, which only had changes made to their branding and logos.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.Template:Citation needed They produced their first solid-state pinball machine, called Pinball that year.<ref name="PinNews">Template:Cite news</ref> By 1978, they had switched over to fully solid-state electronics for their games.<ref name="OSGM"/> In 1980, Stern acquired the jukebox production assets of the bankrupt Seeburg Corporation for $1.5 million.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Stern sought to increase sales in the declining jukebox market by modernizing machines with the addition of screens and customizable displays.<ref name=":1" />

When arcade video games became popular in 1980, Stern Electronics produced Berzerk. They sold 20,000 machines.<ref name=":1" /> They largely stopped producing pinball machines.<ref name="PinNews"/> Stern became one of many victims of the video game crash of 1983. In 1984, Sam Stern died and Stern Electronics closed on February 1, 1985.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="PinNews"/><ref name="PinMag"/> From 1985 to 1986, personnel from Stern Electronics formed a venture known as Pinstar that produced conversion kits for old Bally and Stern machines, with Gary Stern continuing to function as president.<ref name="OSGM">Template:Cite news</ref> He then went on to help found Data East's pinball division and continued to lead there when it was acquired by Sega in 1994.<ref name="RePlay">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SA60">Template:Cite news</ref> While Data East did operate out of the old Stern Electronics property, sources differ on whether they acquired the company or just the facilities.<ref name="PinMag"/><ref name="tribune">Template:Cite news</ref>

On March 16, 2023, Atari SA announced that it had acquired the intellectual property rights to 12 Stern Electronics titles, including Berzerk and Frenzy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Stern Pinball, Inc.

2015 John Borg KISS Stern Pinball Machine (Premium Version)

By 1999, the pinball industry was virtually dead.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Sega left the pinball industry by spinning off their pinball division and selling it to Gary Stern, and Stern Pinball was born.<ref name="tribune" /> Stern Pinball became the only commercial pinball manufacturer left, but continued to struggle in the 2000s, producing just 10,000 machines per year and selling the majority of them overseas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" />

As of 2023, longtime designers Brian Eddy, John Borg, and George Gomez are designing pinball games at Stern Pinball, alongside top-ranking competitive player Keith Elwin and popular pinball streamer Jack Danger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Stern Pinball, Inc. is based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

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

Lists of machines and games

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)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ipdb.org">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Meteor (1979) (Highest production of all Stern Electronics' Pinballs)<ref name="ipdb.org"/>
• Galaxy (1980)
• Ali (1980)
• Big Game (1980) (First game to incorporate seven-digit scoring in the digital era)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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)<ref name="ipdb.org"/>
• Cue (1982) (Six machines built)
• Lazer Lord (1984) (One prototype built)

Arcade games manufactured by Stern

• Astro Invader (1980) (programmed by Konami)<ref name="arcade-museum.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Berzerk (1980)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>
• 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)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>
• Strategy X (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Jungler (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Armored Car (1981)
• Amidar (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Frenzy (1982)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>
• Tazz-Mania (1982)
• Tutankham (1982) (programmed by Konami)
• Pooyan (1982)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/> (programmed by Konami)
• Dark Planet (1982) (designed by Erick Erickson and Dan Langlois)
• Rescue (1982)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/><ref name="sharpe198306">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 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)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>
• Cliff Hanger (1983)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/> (laserdisc game using video footage from TMS)
• Great Guns (1984)
• Goal to Go (1984) (laserdisc game)
• Super Bagman (1984)<ref name="arcade-museum.com" /> (programmed by Valadon Automation)

External links

• Template:Official website
• List of Stern Pinball Machines at Kineticist