# He-Man & the Masters of the Universe Pinball is Coming, but Not From Stern **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-07-20 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/he-man-the-masters-of-the-universe-pinball-is-coming-but-not-from-stern --- ## Analysis A Stern Pinball representative at Preview Night confirmed that a He-Man & the Masters of the Universe pinball machine is in development, but NOT by Stern. According to a second-hand account from a forum poster, the rep indicated the game is being made by the same company that produced Hot Wheels Pinball, which the article identifies as American Pinball. The author expresses medium-to-high confidence in this rumor while acknowledging past failures with unverified claims. ### Key Claims - [MEDIUM] A He-Man & the Masters of the Universe pinball machine is in development — _Second-hand account from Stern rep at Preview Night, reported via He-Man.org forum poster_ - [MEDIUM] The He-Man pinball is being made by the company that produced Hot Wheels Pinball — _Stern representative statement, relayed through forum poster_ - [HIGH] American Pinball is the manufacturer of Hot Wheels Pinball — _Author verification via company website_ - [LOW] He-Man is likely not American Pinball's next game release — _Author speculation based on typical pipeline timing_ ### Notable Quotes > "My friend is at Preview Night and I had him stop by Sterns to ask about the MOTU Pinball. The rep said that there is one coming but it is being made by the company that did the Hot Wheels Pinball." > — **He-Man.org forum poster (second-hand account from Stern rep)**, Not specified (reported as 'last night' relative to article publication) > _Direct claim from Stern representative about He-Man pinball licensing and manufacturer_ > "I strongly believe that it's American Pinball, but that Masters of the Universe probably is not AP's next game." > — **Knapp Arcade (article author)** > _Author's confidence assessment and pipeline speculation_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer confirmed to have produced Hot Wheels Pinball; identified as likely developer of upcoming He-Man pinball | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; previously rumored to have He-Man license; confirmed NOT making the He-Man pinball | | He-Man & the Masters of the Universe | game | Upcoming pinball machine based on He-Man IP; confirmed in development by American Pinball | | Hot Wheels Pinball | game | Pinball game previously produced by American Pinball; serves as comparison point for He-Man pinball manufacturer | | Knapp Arcade | organization | News/rumor source reporting on pinball industry developments | | He-Man.org | organization | Fan forum where unverified information about He-Man pinball originated | ### Topics - **Primary:** Licensing and IP, Game announcements and pipeline - **Secondary:** Manufacturer competition, Rumor sourcing and verification ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0.5) — Author is cautiously optimistic about the rumor's credibility while acknowledging past failures with unverified claims from forums. The tone is investigative and appropriately skeptical. ### Signals - **[leak_detection]** Unconfirmed He-Man pinball details surfacing through forum post based on second-hand account of Stern rep statement at Preview Night (confidence: medium) — Forum poster reported asking Stern rep directly; rep stated game exists but is made by American Pinball - **[licensing_signal]** He-Man IP licensing has been awarded to American Pinball rather than major manufacturer Stern, indicating licensing negotiations favoring boutique manufacturer (confidence: medium) — Stern rep confirmed game exists but stated it's made by American Pinball (the Hot Wheels developer) - **[announcement]** He-Man & the Masters of the Universe pinball officially confirmed to be in development (confidence: medium) — Stern representative statement: 'there is one coming but it is being made by the company that did the Hot Wheels Pinball' - **[rumor_hype]** He-Man pinball has been circulating as rumor, with this source attempting to validate/update the story with new information (confidence: medium) — Author states: 'I've been hearing rumblings about for a little while now' and notes 'Chinks have recently started to appear in the Stern Pinball is making a He-Man Masters of the Universe Pinball machine rumor' --- ## Transcript Here's a bit of news that I've been hearing rumblings about for a little while now. Chinks have recently started to appear in the Stern Pinball is making a He-Man Masters of the Universe Pinball machine rumor. I've been starting to doubt that Stern has the license. Yeah I know that random message board posts didn't work out well for us with the whole random Reddit person and the Stern Comic-Con reveal last time, but I'm pretty sure that this one is right and that it just hasn't gained much traction yet both because it wasn't posted on a pinball forum and because it only happened last night. I'll let this poster from the He-Man.org forums tell everyone this bit of news in their own words: "My friend is at Preview Night and I had him stop by Sterns to ask about the MOTU Pinball. The rep said that there is one coming but it is being made by the company that did the Hot Wheels Pinball. I looked them up and that company is American Pinball https://www.american-pinball.com/" Someone that isn't Stern has the He-Man license. I strongly believe that it's American Pinball, but that Masters of the Universe probably is not AP's next game. He-Man is coming to an arcade near you! https://www.he-man.org/forums/boards _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7d42fd5a-b2f2-4f16-bf75-08c37dabc6bb*