# Decisions Decisions

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2001-09-28  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/stern3.html

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball announces Monopoly pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor, set to ship in October 2001, while simultaneously promoting the outgoing Austin Powers machine which is performing strongly. The article notes Stern's dual-release strategy and includes press release details about both games, with commentary on design aesthetics and market positioning.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Monopoly pinball is designed by Pat Lawlor and his team of mechanical and programming engineers — _Official Stern press release dated September 19, 2001_
- [HIGH] Pat Lawlor designed some of the most famous titles in pinball history including The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Whirlwind, and Earthshaker — _Official Stern press release_
- [HIGH] Austin Powers pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's strongest earnings since South Park and was rated Number One in both RePlay and Play Meter polls for August 2001 — _Official Stern press release dated September 24, 2001_
- [HIGH] A third Austin Powers movie titled 'Goldmember' is scheduled for release July 26, 2002 — _Official Stern press release citing New Line Cinema announcement_
- [HIGH] Monopoly board game has sold an estimated 200 million copies in 80 countries and been produced in 26 languages — _Official Stern press release citing Hasbro historical data_
- [HIGH] Gary Stern stated 'We really feel that this will be our biggest game yet' regarding Monopoly — _Official Stern press release quote_

### Notable Quotes

> "We have designed an outstanding street piece with a timeless theme that should be a strong earner for a long time to come."
> — **Pat Lawlor**, September 19, 2001
> _Designer's assessment of Monopoly's commercial and design potential_

> "We're very excited to have Pat Lawlor designing this pinball. We really feel that this will be our biggest game yet."
> — **Gary Stern**, September 19, 2001
> _CEO's confidence in Monopoly as flagship title; superlative claim about game significance_

> "At present, the AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK."
> — **Stern Pinball (press release)**, September 24, 2001
> _Performance metric positioning Austin Powers as top earner in company history to that point_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball machine manufacturer releasing Monopoly and Austin Powers machines |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer; designer of Monopoly, Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Whirlwind, Earthshaker |
| Gary Stern | person | CEO/founder of Stern Pinball; quoted expressing confidence in Monopoly as biggest game yet |
| Hasbro | company | Owner of Monopoly board game IP; partner on pinball licensing |
| Monopoly | game | New Stern pinball machine based on classic board game; shipping October 2001 |
| Austin Powers | game | Recent Stern pinball machine based on film franchise; top earner posting strongest numbers since South Park |
| John Youssi | person | Artist providing artwork package for Monopoly pinball |
| Incredible Technologies | company | Sound and music provider for Monopoly pinball |
| The Addams Family | game | Classic Pat Lawlor design; referenced as one of his most famous works |
| Twilight Zone | game | Classic Pat Lawlor design; referenced as consistent top earner |
| Funhouse | game | Classic Pat Lawlor design; referenced as consistent top earner |
| South Park | game | Previous Stern game; benchmark for earnings comparison with Austin Powers |
| New Line Cinema | company | Studio producing third Austin Powers film 'Goldmember' |
| Goldmember | game | Third and final Austin Powers film scheduled for July 26, 2002 release |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Monopoly pinball announcement and release, Pat Lawlor design legacy and credentials, Austin Powers pinball performance and market positioning
- **Secondary:** Stern's dual-release strategy and market timing, Playfield design aesthetics and minimalism, Earnings benchmarking and operator performance metrics
- **Mentioned:** IP licensing and film-to-pinball adaptation timing

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Strong promotional tone from official press releases with confidence in both new and existing games. Article author raises subtle questions about Austin Powers promotional timing but maintains neutral analytical stance. Overall sentiment favors Stern's positioning and game prospects.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Monopoly pinball features minimalist aesthetic with visible uncovered microswitches and wires, creating 'cheap feel' noted in review; pink magic flipper employed for novice player clarity (confidence: high) — Article author notes 'minimalist' looks and cheap feel of uncovered components; discusses pink flipper design rationale for player education
- **[licensing_signal]** Upcoming third Austin Powers film 'Goldmember' scheduled for July 2002 creates merchandising and promotion opportunity for existing pinball machine (confidence: high) — Stern press release details upcoming film release and speculates on impact on pinball earnings
- **[market_signal]** Austin Powers pinball performing exceptionally strong, posting company's best earnings since South Park and ranking #1 in both industry polls (confidence: high) — Official Stern press release states 'strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK' and 'Rated Number One in both the RePlay and Play Meter poll meter for the month of August'
- **[community_signal]** Pat Lawlor brought on to design Monopoly, leveraging his track record with classic high-earning titles as design authority and commercial validator (confidence: high) — Stern press release emphasizes Lawlor's history with Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Whirlwind, Earthshaker as justification for new project
- **[announcement]** Stern officially announces Monopoly pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor, set for October 2001 shipment (confidence: high) — Official Stern press release dated September 19, 2001 with detailed game features and designer credentials

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## Transcript

Story dated 28th September
2001.

Two
press releases from Stern show how the company has a dilemma. On the
one hand they have a new game just being released - Monopoly - while
they are also promoting the outgoing game - Austin Powers.

The
first press release is Stern's announcement of Monopoly. Yes of course
you've read all about the game here at Pinball News for quite a while
but it's Stern's Ryan Policky not to formally announce their next game until
it goes into production.

Stern also
include a bunch of images - nothing we haven't shown you before
but there is a nice shot of the bank shown opposite.

It also
reinforces our review's comments about its `minimalist' looks
and the cheap feel of uncovered microswitches and wires.

Like the
prototype - and unlike the sample game - these pictures show
a pink magic-flipper which makes a lot of sense.

By making
it a different colour there's less chance that a novice will
think they have some kind of control of it like a regular flipper.

Apart from
these points the other pictures are unremarkable and we won't
waste your bandwidth reproducing them here.

Instead,
you can read Stern's words below.

September
19, 2001 - MONOPOLY®, the best-selling board game of all-time
is now the hottest pinball machine on the boardwalk. Brought
to you by Stern Pinball, Inc., Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) and Pat
Lawlor Design, the MONOPOLY pinball is designed by Pat Lawlor
and his team of mechanical and programming engineers. Pat Lawlor
has designed some of the most famous titles in the history of
pinball, including The Addams Family®, Twilight Zone®,
Funhouse™, Whirlwind®, and Earthshaker™. These
machines, even today, consistently rank among the top earners
on both the RePlay and Play Meter Pinball Polls. This MONOPOLY-themed
game is made in the great tradition of these classic pinball
machines

The
MONOPOLY game has a grand history. In 1934, during the height
of the United States' Great Depression, Charles Darrow sold
his board game to Parker Brothers (now a part of Hasbro), who
in turn brought it to the public. Within a year, MONOPOLY became
the best-selling board game in the country. The MONOPOLY game
has since sold an estimated 200 million copies in 80 countries,
and has been produced in 26 languages. Stern Pinball, Hasbro,
and Pat Lawlor Design are proud that the MONOPOLY game is now
their newest pinball machine title.

Some
of the MONOPOLY pinball machine's classic features include:
an Electric Company billboard, a bi-directional, rotating mini-flipper
in the Water Works, and a Ride on the Railroad ramp. Also, you
can take a lesson from MR. MONOPOLY and break the Bank, start
the cash grab, and shoot the upper ramps for big MONOPOLY points.

The goal of the MONOPOLY pinball machine is to move your piece
around the game board, collect properties, and lock balls. When
you pass GO, multiball will start and you can become the millionaire
you've always dreamed of being!

The
MONOPOLY pinball machine also features an outstanding art package
by John Youssi, fantastic sounds and music by Incredible Technologies,
and the voice of MR. MONOPOLY, who makes all sales final.

Pat
Lawlor says, "We have designed an outstanding street piece
with a timeless theme that should be a strong earner for a long
time to come."

"We're
very excited to have Pat Lawlor designing this pinball,"
adds Gary Stern. "We really feel that this will be our
biggest game yet."

To
get your MONOPOLY pinball machine, contact your nearest Stern
Pinball distributor. You can also contact Jolly Backer at 1-708-786-7039
or by e-mail at jolly.backer@sternpinball.com, or Shelley Sax
at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at shelley.sax@sternpinball.com.
Visit Stern's website at www.sternpinball.com for more information
on Stern Pinball.

The
MONOPOLY pinball machine will begin shipping in October, 2001.

"MONOPOLY"
and "MR. MONOPOLY" are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.

"FUNHOUSE", "ROADSHOW" and "WHIRLWIND"
are trademarks of Williams Electronics Games, Inc.

"THE ADAMS FAMILY" is a registered trademark of Paramount
Pictures Corporation

"THE TWILIGHT ZONE" is a registered trademark of CBS,
Inc.

So
what of Stern's other press release? That one informs us that there
will be another Austin Powers movie in Summer 2003. The timing of
this information is, perhaps, rather unfortunate since Stern are at
the end of their production run.

Perhaps
they're trying to drum up enough interest for a second run? If not,
it's only purpose seems to be to make the existing owners feel happier
with their purchases. Surely they can't have a large number of unsold
machines? You decide:

September
24, 2001 -Stern Pinball, Inc. has learned that New Line Cinema
is going ahead with "Goldmember", the third and final
installment in the AUSTIN POWERS series. With a scheduled release
date of July 26, 2002, "Goldmember" will bring back
Mike Myers as all of the classic characters, including Austin
Powers, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard, and Myers' newest addition to
the series, the villainous Goldmember. The third AUSTIN POWERS
movie will also bring back Jay Roach, director of the first
two installments, Verne Troyer as Mini-Me, Robert Wagner and
Rob Lowe as both the old and young No. 2, and Heather Graham
giving a cameo appearance before Austin finds his new love interest.

At present,
the AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's
strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK. Rated Number One in both
the RePlay and Play Meter poll meter for the month of August,
the release of the new AUSTIN POWERS movie will only strengthen
the pinball machines' earning power in both the short term
and the long run. Stern Pinball is very proud to have such
a strong title in AUSTIN POWERS.

To get
your AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine, contact your nearest Stern
Pinball distributor. You can also contact Jolly Backer at
1-708-786-7039 or by e-mail at jolly.backer@sternpinball.com,
or Shelley Sax at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at shelley.sax@sternpinball.com.
Visit Stern's website at www.sternpinball.com for more information
on Stern Pinball.

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©
Pinball News 2002

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ddb283a1-dbcf-4702-9795-204fbc1a8559*