# Sneak Preview of Transformers Pinball Topper & Other Cool Stuff From the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-06-07  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/sneak-preview-of-transformers-pinball-topper-other-cool-stuff-from-the-northwest-pinball-arcade-show

---

## Analysis

Knapp Arcade reports on the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show, featuring the first public appearance of Stern Pinball's Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye pinball machine. The design team presented details on the 16-month development process, and Stern surprised attendees with a prototype topper featuring Optimus Prime's upper torso with moving head and voice callouts from Peter Cullen.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye had a 16-month design cycle starting in January 2025 — _Stern design team presentation at Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show, reported by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] The game went through three to three-and-a-half whitewoods (playtest iterations) before completion — _Stern design team presentation, reported by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] Designer Elliot Eismin and lead coder Elizabeth Gieske began researching the Transformers theme in October 2024 by watching Seasons 1 and 2 of the show — _Stern design team presentation at Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show_
- [HIGH] Stern revealed a prototype Transformers topper featuring the upper torso of Optimus Prime with a moving head and voice callouts from Peter Cullen — _Stern surprise reveal at Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show, reported by Knapp Arcade_
- [HIGH] The game was playable by the public at the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show — _Knapp Arcade article covering the event_

### Notable Quotes

> "Not only was the game there for the public to play, but the design team gave a presentation on the making of the game."
> — **Knapp Arcade article**, N/A
> _Indicates major official reveal with full transparency from Stern about the design process_

> "Design for the new Transformers pin too a whopping 16 months, starting in January 2025."
> — **Knapp Arcade**, N/A
> _Documents the substantial development timeline for this cornerstone title_

> "Elliott and Elizabeth actually started researching the game's theme back in October 2024 by watching Seasons 1 and 2 of the show and researching the theme."
> — **Knapp Arcade reporting on design team**, N/A
> _Shows how Stern approaches theme research and creative development for licensed IP_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye | game | Stern Pinball's new cornerstone pinball machine, first publicly playable at Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Elliot Eismin | person | Lead designer of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Elizabeth Gieske | person | Lead coder of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Rob Blakeman | person | Lead mechanical engineer on Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Tom Kyzivat | person | LCD artist and animator for Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Mike Kyzivat | person | Coder and subject matter expert on Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Jerry Thompson | person | Lead sound designer for Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye |
| Peter Cullen | person | Voice actor for Optimus Prime; voice callouts featured in Transformers topper prototype |
| Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show | event | Event where Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye had its first public appearance and design team presentation |
| Knapp Arcade | company | Pinball news and media outlet covering the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show |
| GeekGamerTV | person|content_creator | Streamed the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show presentations on Twitch |

### Signals

- **[announcement]** Stern Pinball officially unveils Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye as a new cornerstone pinball machine at Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show with full playable unit and design team presentation (confidence: high) — Multiple sources confirm public appearance, playability, and official design team presentation with detailed credits
- **[product_launch]** Transformers game completed 16-month design cycle with three to three-and-a-half whitewood iterations, officially transitioned from development to production-ready status (confidence: high) — Design team presentation documented full development timeline and iteration count
- **[design_innovation]** Stern revealed prototype Transformers topper featuring motorized Optimus Prime upper torso with moving head and integrated voice callouts from original voice actor Peter Cullen (confidence: high) — Surprise topper reveal at Northwest Show; specific mechanical and voice features documented
- **[licensing_signal]** Stern secured Transformers IP licensing and incorporated original voice talent (Peter Cullen) into game audio and topper accessories (confidence: high) — Game features Transformers theme; topper uses Peter Cullen voice callouts; design team researched original animated series
- **[event_signal]** Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show served as venue for major Stern product launch with live streaming via GeekGamerTV on Twitch (confidence: high) — Official presentation, public playability, and Twitch stream archive documented
- **[design_philosophy]** Stern's design approach includes extensive theme research pre-development: lead designer and coder spent October 2024 watching original animated series seasons 1-2 before January 2025 design kickoff (confidence: high) — Design team presentation details documented research timeline and methodology
- **[content_signal]** Knapp Arcade covering major pinball events with real-time news updates and multimedia content (photos, video links) from industry shows (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade article includes Twitch stream links and references photo gallery from event

---

## Transcript

News Sneak Preview of Transformers Pinball Topper & Other Cool Stuff From the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show k knapparcade June 7, 2026 Weekend Update! So much pinball and arcade stuff happened this weekend that I had to get the ball rollin' with some articles. The first will talk about this weekend's Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show. I'll have a random stuff article with the rest early next week. I'm on the East Coast, about as far as possible from the Northwest Show, but I was able to see how amazing it was from the great coverage by GeekGamerTV on Twitch and the show's Facebook page. The show had the first public appearance of Stern Pinball's brand new cornerstone pinball machine TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets the Eye. Not only was the game there for the public to play, but the design team gave a presentation on the making of the game. The presenters included the game's designer - Elliot Eismin, lead coder - Elizabeth Gieske, lead mechanical engineer - Rob Blakeman, LCD artist and animator Tom Kyzivat, coder and subject matter expert Mike Kyzivat and lead sound designer Jerry Thompson. Design for the new Transformers pin too a whopping 16 months, starting in January 2025. This game took three to three-and-a-half whitewoods before it was finished. Elliott and Elizabeth actually started researching the game's theme back in October 2024 by watching Seasons 1 and 2 of the show and researching the theme. Stern even gave a surprise showing of a prototype of the upcoming Transformers topper. The topper is the upper torso of Optimus Prime, featuring a moving head and callouts from Optimus' legendary voice actor Peter Cullen. Below is a link to all of the presentations from the Northwest show. Kudos to GeekGamerTV for streaming them for everyone! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2790236251 https://www.nwpinballshow.com/ Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Download the video instead. !Advertisement Ad 3 of 3 Beyond the Transformers presentation the Northwest show looked amazing. The homebrew section was huge. Below I have included a ton of pictures of the rest of the show courtesy of its Facebook page: New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today Posted 5 minutes ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (0) Please sign in to join the conversation. No comments yet Be the first to share your thoughts on this post! Related Articles Sneak Preview of Transformers Pinball Topper & Other Cool Stuff From the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show 5 minutes ago New Beetlejuice Callouts Today or Tomorrow; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Production & Topper Update; Analysis of Time to Complete Code 3 days ago American Pinball News; The Lego Pinball Rumor; New Modes for Winchester Mystery House & More 9 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today StripeM-Inner

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: a2c81b66-af8c-4a4a-ba33-3e78298ceda9*