# Stern Pinball Rolls Out Transformers Machine

**Source:** Replay Magazine  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-05-21  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.replaymag.com/stern-pinball-rolls-out-transformers-machine/

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball has officially launched Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models. The machine features animatronic toys including a fully articulated Megatron with a rotating fusion cannon, Soundwave's cassette deck ball lock mechanism, and a custom Optimus Prime bash toy. The game centers on Autobots vs. Decepticons gameplay with dynamic playfield changes and themed music.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye is now available from Stern Pinball in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models. — _Official Stern Pinball announcement via Replay Magazine_
- [HIGH] The playfield includes a fully animatronic Megatron robot toy with an articulated fusion cannon that rotates and fires pinballs back at players. — _Official product description from Stern Pinball_
- [HIGH] Soundwave's cassette deck locks pinballs before launching them into high-intensity action. — _Official product description from Stern Pinball_
- [HIGH] The machine features a custom sculpted Optimus Prime robot bash toy. — _Official product description from Stern Pinball_

### Notable Quotes

> "The Transformers franchise has inspired generations with its timeless battle between good and evil. With Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye pinball, we've created a machine that dynamically changes before your eyes, delivers groundbreaking gameplay, legendary music and the ultimate showdown fans have been waiting for."
> — **Seth Davis, President and CEO of Stern Pinball**
> _Official manufacturer positioning of the game as a flagship release with ambitious design goals_

> "join Optimus Prime and the Autobots in their mission to stop Megatron and the Decepticons from stealing Earth's energy, conquering Cybertron and dominating the universe."
> — **Stern Pinball (official game description)**
> _Describes core narrative and gameplay objective of the Transformers pinball machine_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye pinball machine |
| Seth Davis | person | President and CEO of Stern Pinball; made official statement about the Transformers launch |
| Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye | game | New pinball machine by Stern based on Transformers IP, available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models |
| Optimus Prime | product | Custom sculpted robot bash toy featured in the Transformers pinball machine |
| Megatron | product | Fully animatronic robot toy with articulated fusion cannon on Transformers pinball playfield |
| Soundwave | product | Cassette deck ball lock mechanism featured in Transformers pinball machine |
| Autobots | product | Good faction in Transformers pinball narrative; players join them in gameplay |
| Decepticons | product | Antagonist faction in Transformers pinball; players oppose them with Megatron as primary target |
| Replay Magazine | organization | Publication that reported the Transformers pinball launch |

### Signals

- **[product_launch]** Stern Pinball officially launches Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye in three cabinet tiers (Pro, Premium, Limited Edition) (confidence: high) — Direct announcement that machine is 'now available' from Stern Pinball in official models
- **[design_innovation]** Machine features multiple animatronic toy elements including fully articulated Megatron with rotating fusion cannon, Soundwave cassette deck, and Optimus Prime bash toy (confidence: high) — Official product description details three major animatronic/mechanical toy features: 'fully animatronic Megatron robot toy with articulated fusion cannon that rotates and fires pinballs,' 'Soundwave's cassette deck,' and 'custom sculpted Optimus Prime robot bash toy'
- **[gameplay_signal]** Megatron cannon mechanism fires pinballs back at players, suggesting multiball-heavy gameplay centered on the animatronic Megatron toy (confidence: high) — Megatron cannon 'rotates and fires pinballs back at players'; Soundwave cassette deck 'locks pinballs before launching them into high-intensity action'
- **[licensing_signal]** Stern Pinball secured Transformers IP licensing deal for pinball machine production (confidence: high) — Machine is officially based on 'the Transformers franchise' with character licensing for Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Soundwave
- **[product_strategy]** Stern releases Transformers in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models to segment market across price tiers and collector/location player segments (confidence: high) — Official announcement specifies three model tiers: Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition
- **[design_philosophy]** Machine is designed to 'dynamically change before your eyes' with groundbreaking gameplay, suggesting evolving playfield states or transformation mechanics aligned with Transformers IP (confidence: medium) — CEO quote: 'we've created a machine that dynamically changes before your eyes, delivers groundbreaking gameplay'

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## Transcript

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye is now available from the makers at Stern Pinball in Pro (pictured below), Premium and Limited Edition models. “The Transformers franchise has inspired generations with its timeless battle between good and evil,” said Seth Davis, president and CEO of Stern Pinball. “With Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye pinball, we’ve created a machine that dynamically changes before your eyes, delivers groundbreaking gameplay, legendary music and the ultimate showdown fans have been waiting for.” Players in the game “join Optimus Prime and the Autobots in their mission to stop Megatron and the Decepticons from stealing Earth’s energy, conquering Cybertron and dominating the universe.” The playfield includes a fully animatronic Megatron robot toy with an articulated fusion cannon that rotates and fires pinballs back at players. Soundwave’s cassette deck locks pinballs before launching them into high-intensity action while a custom sculpted Optimus Prime robot bash toy stands ready for battle. Click here to learn more or visit www.sternpinball.com.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 4416114c-c6bf-4dd9-ae69-2e522e888b86*