Stern (game company): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Arcade game companies}}

'''Stern''' is the name of two different but related [[arcade game|arcade gaming]] companies. The first of these companies is '''Stern Electronics, Inc.''', founded by amusement industry-legend [[Sam Stern]]. Sam Stern, along with [[Harry Williams]], founded [[Williams (gaming company)|Williams Manufacturing Company]] in [[1946]]. Stern Electronics was formed when the Stern family bought the financially-troubled [[Chicago Coin]] in [[1977]].

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Stern

| logo =

| type =

| industry = [[Arcade game]]s

| fate =

| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->

| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->

| founded =1977 (Stern Electronics),

1986 (Stern Pinball)

| founder = <!-- or: | founders = -->

| defunct =

| hq_location_city =

| hq_location_country = United States

| area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->

| products = Arcade video games, pinball machines

| owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> Gary Stern

| key_people = Sam Stern <br>Gary Stern, Chairman <br>Seth Davis, CEO

| num_employees =

| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->

| parent =

| website = {{URL|sternpinball.com/}}

}}

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

==Stern Electronics==

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 [[pinball]]s as well. 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 and sold its pinball division to [[Data East]].

==Stern PinballElectronics, Inc.==

{{More citations needed|date=October 2019}}

By [[1999]], the pinball industry was virtually dead and Williams, once the dominant leader in a once 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 1994) 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 only manufacturer of pinball tables in the world.

Stern Electronics was formed when Sam and Gary Stern bought the financially troubled [[Chicago Coin]] in 1977. Sam had previously owned the amusements manufacturer [[WMS Industries|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">{{cite news |last1=Nox |first1=Lazarus |title=Gary Stern- Founder of Stern Pinball |url=https://pinballmag.fr/en/gary-stern-founder-of-stern-pinball-interview/ |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=Pinball Mag |date=20 June 2023}}</ref> By October 1977 it acquired Universal Research Laboratories after they went bankrupt a few months earlier.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 1977 |title=Stern acquires Universal Research |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-3-number-19-october-1977/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%203%2C%20Number%2019%20-%20October%201977/page/38/mode/2up |magazine=Play Meter |page=38 |volume=3 |issue=19}}</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>{{Cite web |last=Kriesel |first=Dennis |date=September 20, 2018 |title=The Dawn of the Solid-State Era |url=https://www.kineticist.com/post/the-dawn-of-the-solid-state-era |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Kineticist |language=en}}</ref> An agreement to pay royalties was reached which by September 1981 totaled $700,000.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/19840104TrialBrief |title=1984-01-04 Trial Brief |date=1984-01-04 |publisher=UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office |pages=82}}</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.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} They produced their first [[solid-state electronics|solid-state]] pinball machine, called ''Pinball'' that year.<ref name="PinNews">{{cite news |last1=Mole |first1=Eddie |title=Eddietorial: Stern's First Big Pinball Adventure |url=https://www.pinballnews.com/comment/sterndesign.html |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=Pinball News}}</ref> By 1978, they had switched over to fully [[solid-state electronics]] for their games.<ref name="OSGM"/> In 1979, Stern acquired the [[jukebox]] production assets of the bankrupt [[Seeburg Corporation]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1980 |title=Coinman of the month - Gary Stern |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-6-number-21-november-15th-1980/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%206%2C%20Number%2021%20-%20November%2015th%201980/page/8/mode/2up |magazine=Play Meter |pages=8-18 |volume=6 |issue=21}}</ref> and the company became known as '''Stern / Seeburg'''.

==Notable Pinballs==

When arcade [[video game]]s became popular in 1980, Stern Electronics produced ''[[Berzerk (video game)|Berzerk]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} 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>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1, 1985 |title=Stern closes |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-11-number-4-march-1st-1985/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%2011%2C%20Number%204%20-%20March%201st%201985/page/8/mode/2up |magazine=Play Meter |page=8 |volume=11 |issue=4}}</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">{{cite news |last1=Thomasson |first1=Michael |title=Stern Pinball Through the Decades |url=https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/stern-pinball-by-michael-thomasson/ |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=Old School Gamer Magazine |date=27 March 2023}}</ref> He then went on to help found [[Data East|Data East's]] pinball division and continued to lead there when it was acquired by [[List of Sega Pinball machines|Sega]] in 1994.<ref name="RePlay">{{cite news |last1=Harding |first1=Matt |title=Sam Stern, Gary Stern Make Hall of Fame Entry 0 |url=https://www.replaymag.com/sam-stern-gary-stern-make-hall-of-fame-entry/ |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=RePlay Magazine |date=26 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="SA60">{{cite news |title=Stern at Sixty |url=https://www.pinballnews.com/news/gary.html |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=Pinball News |date=17 June 2005}}</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">{{cite news |date=1999-12-14 |title=Pinball Runs Out of Wizardry |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-12-14-9912140015-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

''(Stern Electronics)''

On March 16, 2023, [[Atari SA]] announced that it had acquired the intellectual property rights to 12 Stern Electronics titles, including ''Berzerk'' and ''[[Frenzy (1982 video game)|Frenzy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=ATARI ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF BERZERK AND FRENZY IP |url=https://atari.com/blogs/newsroom/atari-announces-acquisition-of-berzerk-and-frenzy-ip |website=Atari |date=16 March 2023 |access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref>

*''Flight 2000'' (1980)

*''Galaxy'' (1980)

*''Meteor'' (1979)

*''Stars'' (1978)

''(==Stern Pinball, Inc.)''==<!-- This section is linked from [[Pinball]] -->

[[File:Kiss_Modern_Pinball_Machine_(Detail).jpg|left|thumb|2015 John Borg [[Kiss (band)|KISS]] Stern Pinball Machine (Premium Version)]]

By 1999, the pinball industry was virtually dead.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2002-08-14 |title=Pinball losing its ping and zing of storied past |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/08/14/pinball-losing-its-ping-and-zing-of-storied-past/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</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>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/us/25pinball.html?ex=1366862400&en=cf20500b61a66ca3&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |title=For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn't Over |author=Davey, Monica |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2008-04-25 |access-date=2008-04-26}}</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>{{Cite web|url=https://sternpinball.com/2021/12/20/stern-pinball-enhances-game-design-studio-3/|title=Stern Pinball Enhances Game Design Studio|first=Stern|last=Pinball|website=Stern Pinball|date=20 December 2021 }}</ref> Stern Pinball, Inc. is based in [[Elk Grove Village, Illinois]].

*''Sharkey's Shootout'' (2000)

*''Striker Xtreme'' (2000)

*''[[Austin Powers]]'' (2001)

*''High Roller Casino'' (2001)

*''[[Monopoly_(game)|Monopoly]]'' (2001)

*''[[Playboy]]'' (2002)

*''[[RollerCoaster Tycoon]]'' (2002)

*''[[Terminator 3]]'' (2003)

*''The [[Lord of the Rings]]'' (2003)

*''[[The Simpsons]] Pinball Party'' (2003)

*''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not]]'' (2004)

*''[[Elvis]]'' (2004)

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

==Notable Arcade Videogames==

*''Amidar'' (1982)

==Lists of machines and games==

*''[[Berzerk]]'' (1980)

*''Pooyan'' (1982) ''(game programmed by'' [[Konami]]'')''

===Stern Electronics===

{{div col}}

* ''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>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pinpedia.com/machine/1896|title=Cosmic Princess|website=Pinpedia}}</ref><ref name="ipdb.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl|title=The Internet Pinball Machine Database|website=www.ipdb.org}}</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>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=249&picno=6842&zoom=1|title=Internet Pinball Machine Database: Stern 'Big Game' Images|website=www.ipdb.org}}</ref>

* ''Seawitch'' (1980)

* ''Cheetah'' (1980)

* ''Quicksilver'' (1980)

* ''Star Gazer'' (1980)

* ''[[Flight 2000 (pinball)|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 [[Iron Maiden|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)

{{div col end}}

===Stern Pinball===

{{Further|List of Stern Pinball machines}}

==Arcade games manufactured by Stern==

* ''[[Astro Invader]]'' (1980) (programmed by [[Konami]])<ref name="arcade-museum.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.arcade-museum.com/manuf_detail.php?manuf_id=1056|title=Stern Electronics – coin-operated machines|website=www.arcade-museum.com}}</ref>

* ''[[Berzerk (video game)|Berzerk]]'' (1980)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>

* ''The End'' (1980) (programmed by [[Konami]])

* ''[[Scramble (video game)|Scramble]]'' (1981) (programmed by Konami)

* ''[[Super Cobra]]'' (1981) (programmed by Konami)

* ''Moon War'' (1981)

* ''[[Turtles (video game)|Turtles]]'' (1981) (programmed by [[Konami]])<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/>

* ''Strategy X'' (1981) (programmed by [[Konami]])

* ''Jungler'' (1981) (programmed by [[Konami]])

* ''[[Armored Car (video game)|Armored Car]]'' (1981)

* ''[[Amidar]]'' (1981) (programmed by [[Konami]])

* ''[[Frenzy (1982 video game)|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 video game)|Rescue]]'' (1982)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/><ref name="sharpe198306">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n89/mode/2up | title=Insert Coin Here | work=Electronic Games | date=June 1983 | access-date=6 January 2015 | author=Sharpe, Roger C. | pages=92}}</ref>

* ''Calipso'' (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)

* ''[[Anteater (video game)|Anteater]]'' (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)

* ''Mazer Blazer'' (1982)

* ''[[Lost Tomb]]'' (1982)

* ''[[Bagman (video game)|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 (video game)|Cliff Hanger]]'' (1983)<ref name="arcade-museum.com"/> (laserdisc game using video footage from [[TMS Entertainment|TMS]])

* ''Great Guns'' (1984)

* ''Goal to Go'' (1984) (laserdisc game)

* ''Super Bagman'' (1984)<ref name="arcade-museum.com" /> (programmed by Valadon Automation)

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*[ {{official website|1=http://www.sternpinball.com /|2=Stern Pinball, Inc. official website]}}

* [https://www.kineticist.com/pinball-manufacturers/stern-pinball-inc List of Stern Pinball Machines] at Kineticist

*[http://www.ipdb.org Internet Pinball Database]

*[http://www.klov.com Killer List of Videogames website]

[[Category:Companies based in Chicago]]

[[Category:Companies based in Cook County, Illinois]]

[[Category:Pinball manufacturers]]

[[Category:Video game companies based in Illinois]]

[[Category:Elk Grove Village, Illinois]]

[[Category:Entertainment companies established in 1977]]

[[Category:Video game companies established in 1977]]

[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1977]]