Industry Arcade games Website sternpinball.com | Headquarters United States Founded 1977 | |
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Products Arcade video games, pinball machines Video games Stern Pinball Arcade, Cliff Hanger, Pooyan, Scramble, Amidar Profiles | ||
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 1980's Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1999, is a creator of pinball machines in North America.
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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The first two games made by Stern were Stampede and Rawhide, both originally made by Chicago Coin, which only had changes made to their branding and logos.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 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, to Gary Stern, the son of Sam Stern. Gary Stern, who had been running Data East/Sega pinball since 1986, founded Stern Pinball, Inc. that same year. Stern Pinball, Inc. is based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
Several Williams alumni, like pinball designers Steve Ritchie and John Trudeau are currently designing games for Stern Pinball, alongside longtime Data East/Sega Pinball designer John Borg.
Some Stern pinball tables were also digital released through The Pinball Arcade and Stern Pinball Arcade.
Stern Pinball donates to and is a sponsor of Project Pinball Charity.