Stern (gaming company)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies: Stern Electronics, Inc. and Stern Pinball, Inc.

1 Stern Electronics, Inc.
2 Stern Pinball, Inc.
3 Notable Pinballs
- 3.1 Stern Electronics
- 3.2 Stern Pinball
4 Notable arcade games manufactured by Stern
5 External links
- 5.1 Arcade games

[edit] Stern Electronics, Inc.

The first of these companies is Stern Electronics, Inc., founded by amusement industry-legend Sam Stern. Sam Stern, along with Harry E. Williams, founded Williams Manufacturing Company in 1946. Stern Electronics was formed when the Stern family bought the financially-troubled Chicago Coin in 1977.

After a weak start, Stern Electronics' sales started picking up by the end of 1977. Although not as successful as rivals Williams and Bally (Gottlieb had been purchased in 1977 by Columbia Pictures but was still a formidable competitor as well), Stern managed to produce its share of moderately successful pinballs as well. Also, in 1979, Stern acquired jukebox maker Seeburg Corporation, and the company became known as Stern / Seeburg. When the arcade video game craze hit in 1980, Stern produced the hit game Berzerk. No other video game it made was ever as popular as Berzerk, however, and in 1983 Stern became one of many victims of the amusement industry economic shakeout that occurred. In 1985, Stern Electronics left the amusement industry. Personel 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 leading to the false information that Stern became Data East pinball; this is untrue. It is also untrue that Chicago Coin became Stern Electronics, Inc.; all 4 were discrete companies. 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.

[edit] Stern Pinball, Inc.

Stern Pinball's logo.

By 1999, the pinball industry was virtually dead and Williams, once the dominant leader in a healthy industry, decided to stop manufacturing pinball tables and focus on gambling devices as WMS Gaming. During the same year, Sega decided to leave the pinball industry as well and sold its pinball division (previously purchased from Data East in 1996) to Gary Stern, the son of Sam Stern. Gary Stern founded Stern Pinball, Inc. that same year and since then, the company has been the largest manufacturer of pinball tables in the world.

Several WMS alumni, like legendary pinball designers Steve Ritchie and Pat Lawlor, as well as George Gomez (who also works at Midway Games) and more recently, Dennis Nordman, are currently designing games for Stern Pinball.

[edit] Notable Pinballs

[edit] Stern Electronics

Nugent (1978)
Stars (1978)
Meteor (1979)
Dracula (1979)
Galaxy (1980)
Ali (1980)
Flight 2000 (1980)
Iron Maiden (1980) (Note: not based on the British heavy metal band)
Star Gazer (1980)
Orbitor 1 (1982), featured a 3d-vacuum formed playfield with spinning rubber bumpers causing frenetic ball action; very unique. The company's last released game.

[edit] Stern Pinball

Sharkey's Shootout (2000)
Striker Xtreme (2000)
High Roller Casino (2001)
Austin Powers (2001)
Monopoly (2001; produced by Pat Lawlor Design [PLD])
RollerCoaster Tycoon (2002; produced by Pat Lawlor Design [PLD])
Playboy (2002)
The Simpsons Pinball Party (2003)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003; produced by Steve Ritchie Productions [SRP])
The Lord of the Rings (2003)
Ripley's Believe It or Not (2004; produced by Pat Lawlor Design [PLD])
Elvis (2004; produced by Steve Ritchie Productions [SRP])
The Sopranos (2005)
NASCAR (2005; produced by Pat Lawlor Design [PLD])
World Poker Tour (2006; produced by Steve Ritchie Productions [SRP])
Pirates of the Caribbean (2006)
Family Guy (2007; producted by Pat Lawlor Design [PLD])