# Pinball Theme Watchlist: King Kong

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-07-03  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/pinball-theme-watchlist-king-kong

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade speculates on the possibility of a Stern Pinball King Kong machine based on circumstantial evidence: a photo of Gary Stern at the 2023 Licensing Expo King Kong booth, rumors that Keith Elwin is working on the title, and recent King Kong licensing activity (arcade games, Zen Studios virtual tables). The author finds no trademark filings or concrete confirmation, classifying it as a watchlist item rather than a confirmed rumor.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Gary Stern was photographed at the King Kong booth at the 2023 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas (June 13-15) — _Photo cited as cover image; Stern Pinball shared the image in a company post_
- [MEDIUM] Multiple sources reported rumors that Keith Elwin is working on a King Kong pinball machine — _Author states 'several people reached out' and Paris Pinball Addict mentioned the rumor on Facebook; no direct confirmation from official sources_
- [HIGH] Only 9 units of the 1990 Data East King Kong pinball machine were produced — _Cited as historical fact; referenced via CaptNRetro YouTube video from ~4 years prior_
- [HIGH] Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix released a King Kong of Skull Island VR arcade game available at Dave and Busters — _Described as released 'a couple of years ago'; presented as confirmed fact_
- [HIGH] Zen Studios recently introduced King Kong to Pinball FX virtual pinball platform — _Described as 'only a few short months ago'; presented as confirmed licensing activity_
- [HIGH] No live trademark filings for 'King Kong' pertaining to pinball could be found — _Author explicitly states inability to find active trademarks; notes a dead trademark from several years prior_
- [HIGH] Data East Pinball was the precursor to today's Stern Pinball — _Presented as historical industry fact_

### Notable Quotes

> "Is this a sneaky Easter Egg that Stern Pinball dropped into a larger post, or is this them just teasing us as they often like to do?"
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Frames the ambiguity of Gary Stern's Licensing Expo photo as either intentional hint or routine marketing activity_

> "Even Paris Pinball Addict mentioned the Elwin Kong rumor earlier on his Facebook page this morning."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Demonstrates the rumor spreading across multiple pinball community sources_

> "Is all that rumbling on the subject just because of the recent picture, or is there something more to it? That's very hard to say."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Author acknowledges inability to distinguish between rumor propagation and substantive insider knowledge_

> "No one in the know has come to me directly and said 'this is definitely happening.'"
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Key admission that despite rumors, there is no confirmed insider information_

> "I personally think that King Kong would make for a pretty cool pinball machine."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Author's personal assessment of the theme's viability for pinball_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| King Kong | game | Classic monster IP with 90-year history; subject of speculation for potential Stern Pinball machine |
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary pinball manufacturer; Gary Stern photographed at Licensing Expo King Kong booth |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary Stern designer; rumored to be working on potential King Kong pinball machine |
| Gary Stern | person | Patriarch of Stern Pinball; photographed at 2023 Licensing Expo King Kong booth |
| Data East King Kong | game | 1990 pinball machine; only 9 units produced; rare collector's item; precursor to modern Stern history |
| 2023 Licensing Expo | event | Trade show in Las Vegas (June 13-15, 2023) where Gary Stern was photographed at King Kong booth |
| Paris Pinball Addict | person | Pinball community personality; mentioned King Kong/Elwin rumors on Facebook |
| CaptNRetro | person | YouTube content creator; produced 'The Lost Pins' video series covering Data East King Kong |
| Raw Thrills | company | Arcade game manufacturer; co-creator of King Kong of Skull Island VR arcade game |
| Play Mechanix | company | Arcade/pinball company; co-creator of King Kong of Skull Island VR arcade game; maker of Pulp Fiction pinball |
| Zen Studios | company | Virtual pinball platform operator; recently added King Kong license to Pinball FX |
| Dave and Busters | company | Commercial arcade chain hosting King Kong of Skull Island VR arcade game |
| Universal Pictures | company | Studio behind 2005 Peter Jackson King Kong film; has licensed content to pinball manufacturers |
| Peter Jackson | person | Director of 2005 King Kong film and Lord of the Rings; mentioned as potential design direction |
| Knapp Arcade | person | Author; pinball industry analyst and speculation writer |

### Topics

- **Primary:** King Kong licensing activity, Stern Pinball future game speculation, Keith Elwin design rumors, Licensing Expo Gary Stern photo as hint
- **Secondary:** Historical pinball: Data East King Kong rarity, Virtual pinball platform licensing trends, Arcade-to-pinball licensing pipeline

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0.45) — Author is optimistic about King Kong as a pinball theme but maintains skeptical, careful stance on confirmation. Acknowledges lack of concrete evidence while remaining engaged with the speculation. Tone is measured and analytical rather than hype-driven.

### Signals

- **[leak_detection]** Gary Stern's photo at King Kong booth at 2023 Licensing Expo interpreted as potential intentional tease or Easter egg (confidence: low) — Photo shared by Stern Pinball; author explicitly notes ambiguity: 'Is this a sneaky Easter Egg... or is this them just teasing us as they often like to do?'
- **[licensing_signal]** Recent King Kong licensing activity across arcade and virtual pinball platforms (Raw Thrills VR arcade, Zen Studios Pinball FX) indicates active IP availability and publisher interest (confidence: high) — Confirmed licensing deals with arcade operators and Zen Studios; arcade game deployed to Dave and Busters locations
- **[market_signal]** Historical precedent: arcade releases often precede pinball licensing; King Kong VR arcade and Zen virtual tables may signal future physical pinball development (confidence: medium) — Author cites pattern from Fast and the Furious example; notes pinball 'take a lot longer to develop than arcade games so the latter come out first'
- **[rumor_hype]** Keith Elwin rumored to be working on King Kong pinball; sourced from multiple community members and Paris Pinball Addict social media mention (confidence: medium) — Author states 'several people reached out' and Paris Pinball Addict posted about it; no official confirmation from Stern or Elwin

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## Transcript

Last week I put together an entire article about the major motion pictures that have milestone anniversaries in the near future. At the time I looked back at the most popular films from 25, 30, 40 and even 50 years ago. Well, maybe I didn't go back far enough. You know what major film franchise just celebrated its 90th Anniversary? King Kong. 90 Years! Now that's a big anniversary. Let's take a look at whether we might see a King Kong pinball machine in the future...

The Smoke:

The smoke here obviously starts with the cover picture for this article. At the 2023 Licensing Expo that recently took place in Las Vegas from June 13th through the 15th, Stern Pinball shared a number of funny pictures of the company's patriarch, Gary Stern, interacting with the exhibits. In this picture, you can clearly see him at the King Kong booth. Is this a sneaky Easter Egg that Stern Pinball dropped into a larger post, or is this them just teasing us as they often like to do?

After that picture dropped, several people reached out to me directly to say that they've heard that Stern and even more specifically Keith Elwin is working on a King Kong pin. Even Paris Pinball Addict mentioned the Elwin Kong rumor earlier on his Facebook page this morning. Is all that rumbling on the subject just because of the recent picture, or is there something more to it? That's very hard to say.

There is a history of King Kong and pinball. One of the rarest, most sought-after pinball machines of all-time is a 1990 Data East game based on none other than King Kong himself. Only 9 units of this machine were produced. CaptNRetro did an awesome YouTube video on the Data East King Kong pin in his "The Lost Pins" series four years ago (embedded below). Remember that Data East Pinball was the precursor to today's Stern Pinball. Stern Pinball itself even specifically mentioned King Kong pinball as part of its history in a social media post back in 2016 (see below).

As I mentioned in my article about a potential Fast and the Furious pinball machine late last week, pinball machine releases are often preceded by arcade machine releases. The theory behind this is companies begin to talk to game manufacturers about licensing their intellectual property for Arcade purposes at some point, but pinball machines take a lot longer to develop than arcade games so the latter come out first.

Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix (maker of Pulp Fiction pinball) came out with a massive King Kong of Skull Island VR arcade ride / game a couple of years ago. You'll see this game at Dave and Busters arcades all over the country.

Not only is Kong in commercial arcades, only a few short months ago Zen Studios introduced the license to home arcades and consoles through its newly revamped Pinball FX virtual pinball platform.

So clearly this isn't a dead license. There's been lots of activity with King Kong.

The Fire:

I'm not sure that there is any "fire" coming from this smoke though. I have been unable to find any Trademark filings for "King Kong" pertaining to pinball, at least not "Live" ones. There is a dead King Kong pinball trademark from several years ago.

Also, most of the rumblings that I've heard about this theme have been pretty vague. No one in the know has come to me directly and said "this is definitely happening."

I personally think that King Kong would make for a pretty cool pinball machine. Stern could do it a number of different ways, from an original Munsters Premium-esque Black and White art pin based on the original movies from 90 years ago to a more modern Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) 2005 version of Kong. The newer version was made by Univeraal Pictures and we've seen them do quite a bit of pinball licensing.

I definitely think that Kong would make a cool pinball machine. Whether or not one is actually made in the future very much remains to be seen at the moment. That's why I've added it to my "Watch List" rather than calling it a full fledged rumor. Either way it sure was fun to talk about. What do you think about King Kong as a theme? Do you think that it would make a good pin that you'd be interested in? Even better, have you heard any rumors about this? If so let me know in the comments or shoot me an e-mail with any info at knapparcade@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading everyone!

The History of Data East King Kong:

Gary Stern with Kong at Licensing Expo:

The Raw Thrills / Play Mechanix game:

The new Zen Pinball FX tables:

The "Dead" King Kong Trademark:

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 23ee969d-ee7e-46ce-a22f-f1c9123e63e7*