# JURASSIC PARK OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-07-26  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/07/27/jurassic-park-2

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball officially announced Jurassic Park, a Keith Elwin-designed game available in Pro ($5,999), Premium ($7,599), and Limited Edition ($8,999) tiers. The game features a kinetic Jungle Explorer Newton ball mechanism, an animatronic T-Rex that captures and ejects balls (Premium/LE only), an interactive motorized Raptor Pen with ball-lock (Premium/LE only), and uses in-house animations rather than movie footage, with Wayne Knight as the only movie actor featured.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jurassic Park is a Keith Elwin-designed game based on the Jurassic Park storyline but not a direct movie license — _Official Stern announcement and article text_
- [HIGH] The game uses in-house animations to recreate key scenes rather than footage from the movies — _Article states: 'It doesn't feature most of the actors or even any footage from the movies, instead using in-house animations'_
- [HIGH] Wayne Knight (Dennis Nedry) is the only movie actor/character appearing in the game — _Article explicitly states: 'Wayne Knight's Dennis Nedry is the only movie character in the game'_
- [HIGH] The game includes music composed by John Williams from the Jurassic Park films — _Official announcement text_
- [HIGH] Limited Edition is limited to 500 units globally — _Official Stern announcement: 'The Limited Edition model is limited to 500 units globally'_
- [HIGH] The T-Rex is static on Pro but moves, captures, and ejects balls on Premium and LE — _Article detailed feature comparisons with photos_
- [HIGH] The Raptor Pen features a motorized target bank that lowers to reveal the pen on Premium/LE models — _Article describes: 'A motorised target bank lowers to allow access to the Pen, while the game's fourth up-post traps a ball'_
- [HIGH] The game features a Jungle Explorer vehicle as a spinning Newton Ball mechanism common to all versions — _Article describes feature as 'common to the Pro, Premium and the LE'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Jurassic Park is a classic film featuring what everyone loves – dinosaurs! The game is designed to be easy to play, but difficult to master"
> — **Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc.**, Official announcement
> _Key philosophy statement from Stern leadership on the game's accessibility vs complexity balance_

> "Nedry was supposedly killed by Raptors in the first movie, but in this reimagining of the storyline is very much alive and continuing to reek chaos on Isla Nublar"
> — **Pinball News article**, Content body
> _Explains the narrative context for Wayne Knight's character prominence in the game despite licensing constraints_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jurassic Park | game | Keith Elwin-designed Stern Pinball machine announced July 26, 2019, based on the Jurassic Park film franchise |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Jurassic Park; led by Gary Stern as Chairman and CEO |
| Keith Elwin | person | Designer of Jurassic Park pinball machine |
| Jonathan Bergeron | person | Artist who created distinct art packages for Pro, Premium, and LE versions; known as 'Johnny Crap' |
| Wayne Knight | person | Actor who played Dennis Nedry in first Jurassic Park film; provides voice quotes and appears on playfield as only movie character |
| John Williams | person | Composer of original Jurassic Park film score, music included in the pinball game |
| Gary Stern | person | Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. |
| Pro Model | product | Base tier Jurassic Park variant at $5,999 MSRP with static T-Rex and Raptor Pen |
| Premium Model | product | Mid-tier Jurassic Park variant at $7,599 MSRP with animatronic T-Rex, motorized Raptor Pen, and enhanced features |
| Limited Edition Model | product | Premium variant at $8,999 MSRP limited to 500 units with exclusive features including mirrored backglass, sequentially numbered plaque, custom cabinet art |
| SPIKE | product | Stern's electronics hardware system powering Jurassic Park with HD graphics, animations, and 3-channel audio |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game mechanics and features, Three-tier pricing model (Pro/Premium/LE), Official announcement and availability
- **Secondary:** Licensing and IP constraints, Artist and designer credits

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Comprehensive official announcement with detailed feature breakdowns across tiers. Positive framing of design philosophy (easy to play, difficult to master) and innovative mechanics. No critical commentary from the publication.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Keith Elwin design emphasis on accessibility vs complexity ('easy to play, but difficult to master') reflected in Newton ball Jungle Explorer mechanism and multi-phase rule set (confidence: medium) — Gary Stern quote and article description of game progression mechanics
- **[licensing_signal]** Game avoids movie footage and most actors due to licensing constraints, using only Wayne Knight and in-house animations as workaround (confidence: high) — Article states: 'It doesn't feature most of the actors or even any footage from the movies, instead using in-house animations to recreate key scenes'
- **[announcement]** Stern Pinball officially announced Jurassic Park with full feature specifications, pricing, and availability across Pro/Premium/LE tiers (confidence: high) — Official Stern press release dated July 26, 2019 with MSRP and feature matrix
- **[product_strategy]** Jurassic Park employs strategic feature distribution across three tiers: T-Rex (static vs animatronic), Raptor Pen (static vs motorized), helicopter (flat vs rotating), bumper caps (printed vs amber effect) (confidence: high) — Detailed comparative analysis of Pro vs Premium/LE features throughout article with specific mechanical differences

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## Transcript

Following our reveal of Stern Pinball’s latest title, Jurassic Park, earlier this week, today the company made their official announcement about the game, giving more details of the features across all the versions and some high-resolution photographs. The playfield overview pictures aren’t much better than the ones we brought you earlier, but here they are anyway. ![The Pro version's playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/21-pro-playfield.jpg) The Pro version’s playfield ![The Premium version's playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/22-premium-playfield.jpg) The Premium version’s playfield ![The Limited Edition version's playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/61-le-playfield.jpg) The Limited Edition version’s playfield Curiously, there are no cabinet, backbox or backglass images included in the pictures from Stern which is a shame, as the three models all have distinct art packages created by Jonathan Bergeron (also known as “Johnny Crap”, which is how he signs the translite/backglass artwork). You can see those in our previous article on the game. This is a Keith Elwin designed game which is based on the Jurassic Park storyline without being a direct movie licence. It doesn’t feature most of the actors or even any footage from the movies, instead using in-house animations to recreate key scenes. It does, though, include music from the movies composed by John Williams plus quotes from Wayne Knight who plays computer expert Dennis Nedry in the first movie and who appears on the playfield above the left inlane. ![Wayne Knight's Dennis Nedry is the only movie character in the game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/25-pro-playfield.jpg) Wayne Knight’s game Nedry was supposedly killed by Raptors in the first movie, but in this reimagining of the storyline is very much alive and continuing to reek chaos on Isla Nublar. Starting with the Pro model, here are some pictures showing features on the playfield. The inlanes on either side are covered by large T-Rex plastics, which we imagine will make saving the ball from bouncing down the outlane a little harder. However, this does give the slingshots a little extra depth. There is also an up-post in the left inlane. This lane activates the Smart Missile when lit, so this presumably holds the ball and gives time for the Smart Missile’s effects to be displayed to the player. ![The lower left flipper area on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/24-pro-playfield.jpg) The lower left flipper area on the Pro There’s no up-post on the right side, but the skinnier Raptor plastic over the inlane looks less obtrusive than T-Rex on the left. ![The lower right flipper area on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/23-pro-playfield.jpg) The lower right flipper area on the Pro Above the right inlane is the helicopter which is a flat plastic on the Pro, but an interactive moving feature on the Premium and LE. ![The helicopter feature on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/27-pro-playfield.jpg) The helicopter feature on the Pro ![The rotating blades of the helicopter on the Premium/LE](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/42-premium-playfield.jpg) The rotating blades of the helicopter on the Premium/LE The blades of the helicopter look a little ‘industrial’ in their construction with a nut and bolt added to one of the four blades presumably as a weight to ensure they settle in the same orientation each time. The biggest differences between the models have to be the way the T-Rex model operates and the Raptor Pen feature. The T-Rex on the Pro is a static model sitting over the left ramp, but on the higher variants the T-Rex moves, can capture and hold the ball, and then eject it either onto the ramp or throw it across the playfield. ![The static T-Rex model on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/30-pro-playfield.jpg) The static T-Rex model on the Pro ![The movable T-Rex on the Premium and LE](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/53-premium-playfield.jpg) The movable T-Rex on the Premium and LE ![The Premium & LE T-Rex can capture the ball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/54-premium-playfield.jpg) The Premium & LE T-Rex can capture the ball ![The T-Rex can grab the ball off the ramp and either release it onto the wireform or throw it](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/55-premium-playfield.jpg) The it The Raptor Pen on the Pro is a static device, featuring three standup targets at the entrance and another behind a one-way gate. When the rear target is shot, the ball escapes into the Control Room lane on the left. The Raptor is depicted on a flat plastic on the Pro. ![The Raptor Pen feature on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/26-pro-playfield.jpg) The Raptor Pen feature on the Pro The Premium and LE turn the Raptor Pen into a more interesting mechanism. A motorised target bank lowers to allow access to the Pen, while the game’s fourth up-post traps a ball shot inside until the target bank can be raised. The ball is then released to sit behind the bank to act like a newton ball. This is like the Dirty Pool feature of Attack from Mars, the Orb lock in Guardians of the Galaxy, or the multiball feature in Breakshot. ![The target bank at the front of the Raptor Pen is raised until hit](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/56-premium-playfield.jpg) The hit ![The bank lowers to allow access to the Pen's standup targets](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/57-premium-playfield.jpg) The bank lowers to allow access to the Pen’s standup targets ![The ball can be trapped behind the bank until it is hit by another ball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/58-premium-playfield.jpg) The ball The Raptor toy is articulated, allowing it to ‘attack’ when the ball hits the rear standup target and keep guard over the locked ball. One of the other key mechanisms of the game is the rather-generic-looking Jungle Explorer vehicle, and this feature is common to the Pro, Premium and the LE. The game’s rules require you to travel across the island, visiting different areas, rescuing guests and capturing dinosaurs. You control your movement across the map by changing the direction of the Jungle Explorer by hitting the captive ball below it. ![The moving Jungle Explorer is common to all versions of the game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/32-pro-playfield.jpg) The game ![When hit, the Jungle Explorer turns to indicate the direction of travel on the map below](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/33-pro-playfield.jpg) When below Another fairly minor difference between the versions is appearance of the bumper caps. The Pro has a flat printed top to the bumpers, while the Premium and LE have a more realistic insect in amber appearance. ![The bumper caps on the Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/29-pro-playfield.jpg) The bumper caps on the Pro ![The Premium/LE bumper caps](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/52-premium-playfield.jpg) The Premium/LE bumper caps Here are some other pictures of the Pro model. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/28-pro-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The upper right ramp ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/31-pro-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The two left ramps ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/34-pro-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The upper flipper ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/35-pro-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The left U-turn ramp ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/36-pro-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The Jungle Explorer and spinner lane And here are some more Premium model pictures. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/38-premium-playfield-1024x684.jpg) The Jungle Explorer and pop bumpers ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/39-premium-playfield-1024x684.jpg) The Raptor Pen and left U-turn ramp ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/40-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The stop post in the left inlane ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/41-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The right inlane and outlane ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/45-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The Jungle Explorer turning right ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/46-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The Jungle Explorer turning left ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/47-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The upper left ramp ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/48-premium-playfield-1024x684.jpg) The spinner lane and left U-turn ramp return ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/49-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The upper flipper ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/50-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The Control Room lane ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/51-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The left ramp return into the left inlane ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/59-premium-playfield-683x1024.jpg) The left inlane up-post trapping a ball ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/60-premium-playfield-673x1024.jpg) The up-post in the Control Room lane Here’s the feature matrix showing what’s included in the Pro, Premium and Limited Edition versions. As with all the images on Pinball News, you can click on this one to get a larger version. ![The feature matrix for Jurassic Park](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/jurassic-park/20-jurassic-park.jpg) The feature matrix for Jurassic Park Here’s how Stern Pinball announced their latest release. CHICAGO, July 26, 2019 Stern Pinball, Inc., a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball, announced today the availability of a new line of pinball machines celebrating the iconic film, Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park pinball machines will be available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models. Like the blockbuster movie, the Jurassic Park pinball experience generates heart pounding excitement as the player progresses through the game. As the game starts, the player is transported to Isla Nublar, an amusement park where escaped dinosaurs are running amok! The player’s mission is to rescue park staff and recapture dinosaurs from the chaotic environment unleashed by Dennis Nedry’s computer virus. All dinosaurs, however, are not created equal as players will battle Raptors and the mighty T. Rex! The game immerses players in the fun world of battling dinosaurs in an action-packed adventure filled with twists and turns. The Premium and Limited Edition models feature an amazing animatronic ball-eating, ball-throwing T. Rex that interacts with the ball and the player. These models also include an interactive Raptor and Raptor Pen featuring a ball-lock mechanism guarded by a motorized gate. The action does not let up with unique mosquito-in-amber pop bumpers and a custom metal horizontal helicopter spinner. “Jurassic Park is a classic film featuring what everyone loves­­­­­ – dinosaurs! The game is designed to be easy to play, but difficult to master,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. The Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models also feature a Jungle Adventure Vehicle target in the middle of the playfield that is a spinning Newton Ball. This kinetic target registers direct hits, determines the direction players navigate on the island during gameplay, and lights T. Rex modes. All models include three full sized flippers, four custom ramps, a spinning “Spitter” target, in-lane up/down lock post that sets up critical playfield shots and distinctive hand-drawn art highlighting iconic dinosaurs from the series. The Limited Edition model is limited to 500 units globally. The Limited Edition model includes additional unique features such as a sequentially numbered plaque, an exclusive mirrored backglass, exclusive custom themed cabinet artwork, a custom autographed bottom arch, exclusive custom art blades, anti-reflection pinball glass, and a shaker motor. Complementing the immersive theme and exciting gameplay experience, Stern Pinball’s powerful SPIKE™ electronics hardware system enables high-definition graphics and innovative animations on the video display. SPIKE™ reduces system complexity and energy usage resulting in enhanced reliability and simplified servicing. The state-of-the-art electronic system also powers a high-fidelity 3-channel audio system that is three times more powerful than audio systems of previous generations. Pricing and Availability: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes. | | | | --- | --- | | Pro Model: | $US 5,999 | | Premium Model: | $US 7,599 | | Limited Edition Model: | $US 8,999 | Jurassic Park pinball is available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Stern also produced a short video featuring a limited amount of gameplay from the Pro and Premium versions of the game. VIDEO We’ll be back with more information and analysis of Stern Pinball’s new Jurassic Park game here at Pinball News.

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