Arcade Machines · United States · Chicago

Stern Pinball

Name: Clover Games
Address: IE

Licensed pinball that pulls players across the room.

Stern Pinball is the oldest and largest manufacturer of arcade-quality pinball in the world, tracing its lineage to the founding of modern pinball in the 1930s and run today from Elk Grove Village outside Chicago. Every current title ships in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition builds on Stern’s connected platform — so a partner site can match budget and floor presence without dropping below the Stern playfield standard. These are the machines guests recognise from the doorway.

Partner on Stern Pinball View models

Pro · Premium · Limited Edition builds

Animatronics & licensed playfield toys

Insider Connected scores & achievements

Franchise names that drive footfall

Stern Pinball range

Products we place

Newest

Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

Original-trilogy set pieces under the glass.

Players take down the AT-AT with a snowspeeder tow cable, drop the shields on Death Star II during multiball, and hit the centre jump ramp to escape Cloud City into hyperspace. The Sarlacc Pit swirls the ball into Jabba events, and a Jedi magnetic ball saver keeps newcomers in the game longer.

Death Star II multiball & AT-AT takedown
Sarlacc Pit ball swirl into Jabba modes
Jedi magnetic ball saver
Pro / Premium / Limited Edition builds

Family draw Pokémon by Stern Pinball cabinet

Pokémon by Stern

Four habitats, and an animatronic Pikachu that reacts.

Trainers travel four distinct habitats catching Pokémon by shooting an illuminated, mechanically animated Poké Ball. An animatronic Pikachu reacts to play, the Meowth balloon swoops into the battle arena for Team Rocket, and the game carries custom Pikachu and Giovanni voice work plus the original Pokémon theme.

Animatronic Pikachu reacts to play
Mechanised Poké Ball catch mechanism
Meowth balloon & Team Rocket battles
Original “Gotta Catch ’Em All” theme

2026

TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets the Eye

An animatronic Megatron that fires back at you.

Players join Optimus Prime to stop Megatron draining Earth’s energy. The animatronic Megatron has an articulated fusion cannon that rotates and fires pinballs back at the player, Soundwave’s cassette deck locks balls before launching them, and Energon Cubes power up team-ups with the Dinobots.

Animatronic Megatron with firing fusion cannon
Soundwave cassette deck ball lock
Energon Cube power-ups & Dinobot team-ups
Full Hasbro accessory range available

King Kong: Myth of Terror Island

From the team behind JAWS, Godzilla and Jurassic Park.

A custom sculpted Kong comes alive through new animatronic animation software, swinging his arms and torso to assert dominance. A sculpted Gong bash target summons him to start modes, while “The Pit” on Terror Island magnetically grabs and attacks the ball under the guard of a giant sculpted spider.

Interactive animatronic King Kong
Gong bash target starts modes
“The Pit” magnetic ball attack
Pro / Premium / Limited Edition builds

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Tyrant’s Eye

The most advanced animatronic mech in pinball.

Players join the Dragonshield Guild against the dragon queen Tiamat. Rath the Relentless reacts to play with multi-axis motion and omnidirectional impact sensing, an electromagnet-powered gelatinous cube freezes the ball mid-play, and a disappearing trap door opens hidden passageways into the dungeon below.

Rath the Relentless multi-axis animatronic
Omnidirectional impact sensing
Electromagnetic gelatinous cube ball freeze
Disappearing playfield trap door

Metallica Remastered

A proven earner rebuilt from the ground up.

Stern’s most successful music title returns with entirely new video, animations, sound effects, and over 1,000 fresh speech calls including band callouts. Sparky’s electric chair gets an enhanced articulated figure, motorised grave markers rise with a ball magnet, and a sculpted gavel smashes the ball into the coffin lock.

1,000+ new speech calls with band callouts
Articulated Sparky electric chair figure
Motorised magnetic grave markers
Premium & Limited Edition builds

News & context

Brand notes

Aug 2026Stern Pinball

Stern of the Union keeps operators in the loop

Stern publishes a monthly Stern of the Union Address covering new titles, code updates, and community events. For a venue it is a useful rhythm — software updates keep an installed machine feeling new long after the install, without any hardware spend on your side.

Jul 2026Stern Pinball · company history

40 years of Stern Pinball

Gary Stern founded the modern company after buying the business back from Sega, following his father Sam Stern’s years as part-owner and president of Williams Electronics. Four decades on it is the last of the great Chicago pinball houses still building at scale — which matters when you need parts and support years into a placement.

Jul 2026Stern Pinball press release

Transformers accessory line lands with Hasbro

Stern released the full accessory range for TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets the Eye in collaboration with Hasbro — toppers, side armour, and shooter knobs. Accessories are how a site refreshes a machine mid-life and lifts its presence without swapping the cabinet.

Jun 2026Stern Pinball press release

Full Pokémon accessory range now available

Working with The Pokémon Company International, Stern released the complete accessory line for Pokémon by Stern Pinball. Pokémon has been one of the strongest family draws Stern has produced — it reaches an audience well outside the usual pinball crowd.

PlatformStern Insider

Insider Connected turns play into repeat visits

Stern Insider lets players track scores, earn achievements, and find machines near them through Stern’s public locator. For a venue that means free listing on a map players actively search, plus the leaderboard culture that brings the same faces back each week.

Floor roleClover Games placement notes

Where pinball earns on an Irish floor

Pinball rewards dwell rather than throughput, so it works hardest beside a bar, food area, or seating where people linger. One well-chosen licensed title usually out-earns three anonymous cabinets — we would rather place a strong single piece than fill a wall.

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