# Stern Pinball Announces Fix for Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Death Star Shot; The Walking Dead Remastered Gameplay Streams; Interviews

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2025-12-11  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/stern-pinball-announces-fix-for-star-wars-fall-of-the-empire-death-star-shot-the-walking-dead-remastered-gameplay-streams-interviews

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball has released a fix for the Death Star ramp reject rate issue on Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, with a widened opening part now shipping on all new machines and available to early adopters. The article also covers recent gameplay streams and interviews for The Walking Dead Remastered, a Spooky Pinball interview about upcoming Beetlejuice, and a notable HEXA Pinball collaboration with Renault on a custom €17,000 Twingo-themed machine.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Death Star ramp experienced high reject rate since launch — _Stern has developed and is implementing a solution; Jack Danger demonstrated the fix on Ask Jack Anything Episode 3_
- [HIGH] Stern developed a solution that widens the Death Star opening to address reject rate — _Jack Danger showed off new part with before/after comparison; official fix confirmed_
- [HIGH] All new Star Wars FOTE machines will ship with the new widened Death Star part — _Stated as automatic inclusion on all future production units_
- [HIGH] Early run Star Wars FOTE owners can contact Stern to receive the replacement part — _Official support pathway mentioned for pre-existing machine owners_
- [HIGH] Renault's custom Twingo pinball machine costs €17,000 (approximately $19,784 USD) — _Cited from Renault marketing article; described as made-to-order custom build_
- [HIGH] HEXA Pinball's Twingo machine is a rebranded Space Hunt with new artwork — _Comparison shows identical playfields, dimensions, power demands, and player count between two machines_

### Notable Quotes

> "Stern's Jack Danger recently showed off the new part that widens the opening to the Death Star on Episode 3 of his 'Ask Jack Anything' video series."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**, N/A
> _Documents official demonstration of the Death Star mechanical fix by a Stern designer_

> "All new Star Wars FOTE machines will automatically ship with the new part installed. Owners of early run machines can contact Stern Pinball to get the part."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**, N/A
> _States Stern's remedy for existing machines and confirms fix for all future production_

> "Custom-built in Bordeaux, it seems to be a rebranded Hexa Space Hunt machine with new artwork."
> — **Knapp Arcade (citing Renault article)**, N/A
> _Reveals the nature of the Twingo custom machine as a Space Hunt variant_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer addressing Death Star ramp mechanical issue on Star Wars: Fall of the Empire; releasing Walking Dead Remastered gameplay content |
| Jack Danger | person | Stern Pinball designer who demonstrated the Death Star ramp fix on Ask Jack Anything Episode 3 |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer recently interviewed about company developments |
| Keith Elwin | person | Stern Pinball designer interviewed on Triple Drain Pinball Podcast Episode 70 |
| Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | game | Stern Pinball game experiencing Death Star ramp reject rate issue; mechanical fix now in production |
| The Walking Dead Remastered | game | Stern Pinball game with official gameplay video released; additional stream coverage from Frisco Pinball |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of upcoming Beetlejuice pinball game; designer Bug interviewed on Dirty Pool Podcast |
| Corwin (Bug) | person | Spooky Pinball designer discussing development of Beetlejuice on Dirty Pool Podcast Episode 21 |
| Beetlejuice | game | Upcoming Spooky Pinball game; designer discussion aired on Dirty Pool Podcast |
| HEXA Pinball | company | French pinball manufacturer collaborating with Renault on custom Twingo-themed machine |
| Renault | company | Automaker commissioning custom Twingo-themed pinball machine from HEXA Pinball |
| Twingo | game | Custom HEXA Pinball collaboration machine; rebranded Space Hunt variant priced at €17,000 |
| Space Hunt | game | HEXA Pinball game serving as base for Twingo custom machine; retails for €7,499 |
| Ask Jack Anything | product | Video series hosted by Jack Danger featuring Episode 3 demonstration of Star Wars FOTE Death Star fix |
| Triple Drain Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast featuring Episode 70 interview with Keith Elwin |
| Dirty Pool Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast featuring Episode 21 interview with Spooky Pinball's Bug about Beetlejuice |
| Frisco Pinball | person/organization | Streamer providing hour-long gameplay stream of The Walking Dead Remastered LE |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | News and content site covering pinball industry; published this article summarizing recent announcements |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Product quality and mechanical fixes, Stern Pinball releases and gameplay content
- **Secondary:** Spooky Pinball upcoming releases, Custom and specialty pinball machines, Industry interviews and designer commentary
- **Mentioned:** International pinball manufacturers, Pinball licensing and brand collaborations

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Article reports on a proactive fix addressing a known mechanical issue, presenting Stern's response positively. Coverage of gameplay streams and interviews is neutral/informational. The Renault/HEXA collaboration is presented with mild skepticism regarding pricing (described as 'outrageously expensive'), creating a slight negative note on that section but not affecting overall tone.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern continuing gameplay stream releases and designer interviews for recent titles (The Walking Dead Remastered, Fall of the Empire) (confidence: high) — Official Stern gameplay video released; multiple community streamers (Frisco Pinball) providing additional coverage
- **[licensing_signal]** Spooky Pinball's Beetlejuice in development with active designer commentary; designer Bug providing insights into development process (confidence: medium) — Designer interview aired on Dirty Pool Podcast Episode 21
- **[market_signal]** Custom/specialty pinball machines entering luxury brand collaborations at premium price points (€17,000 Twingo machine 2.3x base Space Hunt price) (confidence: medium) — HEXA Pinball Twingo machine priced at €17,000 vs. €7,499 Space Hunt base model; described as 'outrageously expensive' by source
- **[product_strategy]** Stern is addressing mechanical design issues on Fall of the Empire through iterative post-launch fixes (confidence: high) — Jack Danger showed comparative images of old vs. new Death Star part; fix is now being shipped on all new machines
- **[product_concern]** Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Death Star ramp experiencing high reject rate since launch; Stern has developed and is implementing a widened opening solution for all production machines (confidence: high) — Stern and Jack Danger officially demonstrated the fix; all new machines to include the part, with retrofit option for early units

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## Transcript

News Stern Pinball Announces Fix for Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Death Star Shot; The Walking Dead Remastered Gameplay Streams; Interviews k knapparcade December 11, 2025 During yesterday's summary of the recent interview with Stern Pinball's George Gomez, I mentioned that Stern has developed a solution to the high reject rate that the Death Star ramp on its new game Star Wars: Fall of the Empire has been experiencing since launch. Stern's Jack Danger recently showed off the new part that widens the opening to the Death Star on Episode 3 of his "Ask Jack Anything" video series. Below is an image that compares the new and the old part. All new Star Wars FOTE machines will automatically ship with the new part installed. Owners of early run machines can contact Stern Pinball to get the part. Speaking of Stern Pinball, the folks at the Triple Drain Pinball Podcast recently interviewed Stern designer Keith Elwin: Triple Drain Pinball Podcast Episode 70 - Elwin is back and he is dropping truth bombs! - YouTube Triple Drain Pinball Podcast Triple Drain Pinball Podcast Search Info Shopping / •Live • I'm a little late in mentioning this one. I was going to mention it yesterday, but I decided to talk about the Gomez interview instead. Stern finally did the first official gameplay video of its new Walking Dead Remastered game. I have embedded it below: The Walking Dead Remastered Gameplay Premiere - YouTube Stern Pinball The Walking Dead Remastered Gameplay Premiere Stern Pinball Search Info Shopping / •Live • We also recently got a great hour-long gameplay stream of TWD RE LE by Frisco Pinball Walking Dead Remastered is Here! TWDRe LE First Stream Gameplay - YouTube Frisco Pinball Search Info Shopping / •Live • The Dirty Pool Pinball Podcast recently shared an interview with Spooky Pinball's Corwin aka Bug about the development of the Company's upcoming game Beetlejuice: Dirty Pool Podcast - Ep21 - Beetlejuice Brains & Spooky Pinball Logic from Bug - YouTube dirtypoolpinball dirtypoolpinball Search Info Shopping / •Live • The other day, I shared a picture of HEXA Pinball's new collaboration with the French automaker Renault to promote its vehicle the Twingo. At the time, people asked if it is for sale and how much it cost. I didn't know then, but I think that I do know now. Based on the following article, the machine costs "€17,000, or about $19,784 at current conversion rates." "Let’s start with the most expensive thing in the Twingo collection, a made-to-order Twingo-themed pinball machine. You know, for simulating traffic around the Arc de Triomphe. Custom-built in Bordeaux, it seems to be a rebranded Hexa Space Hunt machine with new artwork. The playfields look nearly identical, the dimensions, power demands, and player count are identical, and while the Twingo-themed machine seems to be largely meant as an in-showroom attraction, you can buy one for €17,000, or about $19,784 at current conversion rates. Considering a Space Hunt machine retails for €7,499 before VAT ($8,727), something tells me we aren’t looking at around ten grand in taxes. The Twingo machine’s cool, but it’s also outrageously expensive." Renault Will Sell You A Twingo Pinball Machine That Costs Almost As Much As The Car

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 2499f4c8-0c9f-4bd3-bc89-979b5f34f5a0*