# More Than Meets The Eye! When We Will See the Next Cornerstone Game From Stern Pinball **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2026-05-09 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/blog/more-than-meets-the-eye-when-we-will-see-the-next-cornerstone-game-from-stern-pinball --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade reports that Stern Pinball is hosting a media open house on May 20, 2026 for an upcoming cornerstone game, with the first public appearance scheduled for the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show (June 5-7 in Tacoma, WA). The game is heavily rumored to be Transformers-themed, designed by Elliott Eisman, and reportedly features impressive mech mechanics. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Stern Pinball is hosting a Media Open House for its next cornerstone pinball machine on Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 — _Knapp Arcade article citing industry information and Stern Pinball communications_ - [HIGH] The first public appearance of the game will be at the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show from June 5-7 in Tacoma, WA — _Knapp Arcade article attributing this to Stern Pinball announcement_ - [MEDIUM] The game is heavily rumored to be based on the original Transformers cartoons and designed by Elliott Eisman — _Knapp Arcade citing 'industry scuttlebut'; not yet officially confirmed_ - [MEDIUM] The unrevealed game reportedly features amazing mechs — _Knapp Arcade article characterizing industry discussion about the game_ - [HIGH] A Non-Disclosure Agreement is associated with the May 20th media event — _Knapp Arcade directly reporting NDA presence at the event_ ### Notable Quotes > "Having said that tons of other people have already written and talked about it so I guess that it's out there now lol." > — **Knapp Arcade (author)**, May 9, 2026 > _Indicates the Transformers cornerstone announcement has become widespread in the community before official reveal_ > "The game is heavily rumored to be based on the original Transformers cartoons and designed by Elliot Eismin. I have not personally seen the game but the industry scuttlebut about it is that it is fantastic with amazing mechs." > — **Knapp Arcade (author)**, May 9, 2026 > _Summarizes key rumors about the unrevealed game and signals positive community sentiment_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer hosting media preview for upcoming cornerstone game on May 20, 2026 | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball news and arcade site publishing this article; received media preview invitation | | Elliott Eisman | person | Rumored designer of the upcoming Transformers cornerstone game | | Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show | event | Scheduled for June 5-7, 2026 in Tacoma, WA; location of first public appearance of new Stern cornerstone game | | Transformers | game | Heavily rumored IP theme for Stern's upcoming cornerstone game, based on original G1 cartoons | ### Signals - **[announcement]** Stern Pinball officially scheduling media open house for May 20, 2026, confirming a major new cornerstone release is imminent (confidence: high) — Stern Pinball hosting Media Open House with confirmed date and NDA; public debut scheduled for June 5-7 - **[machine_intel]** Elliott Eisman credited as designer of unrevealed cornerstone game through industry scuttlebutt (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade reports 'heavily rumored' to be designed by Elliott Eisman; not yet officially confirmed - **[rumor_hype]** Industry consensus suggests the unrevealed game has impressive mech mechanics and positive reception ahead of reveal (confidence: medium) — 'industry scuttlebut about it is that it is fantastic with amazing mechs' - **[event_signal]** Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show (June 5-7, Tacoma, WA) confirmed as first public showing location for Stern cornerstone game (confidence: high) — Stern Pinball confirmed first public appearance will be at Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show - **[licensing_signal]** Hasbro-licensed Transformers IP appears to be secured for upcoming Stern cornerstone game based on G1 cartoon theme (confidence: medium) — Game 'heavily rumored to be based on the original Transformers cartoons' with positive reception signals IP deal likely finalized - **[leak_detection]** Media preview details and game theme/designer information leaking or spreading widely across industry before official May 20 reveal (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade notes 'tons of other people have already written and talked about it' despite NDA event not yet occurring --- ## Transcript News More Than Meets The Eye! When We Will See the Next Cornerstone Game From Stern Pinball k knapparcade May 9, 2026 As someone who got invited to the media sneak preview of an upcoming pinball machine, I never know if we are supposed to talk about when it’s happening. Having said that tons of other people have already written and talked about it so I guess that it’s out there now lol. Stern Pinball is hosting a Media Open House for its next cornerstone pinball machine on Wednesday, May 20th. There is a Non-Disclosure Agreement associated with the event so most likely the details of the game will not be public by then. Stern mentioned that the first public appearance of the game will be at the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show, which takes place from June 5-7 in Tacoma, WA. !Advertisement Ad 1 of 2 It’s hard to say exactly what date the full official reveal of the game will happen, but based on the above information I’d guess that it will likely be the last week of May? That’s just an educated guess. The game is heavily rumored to be based on the original Transformers cartoons and designed by Elliot Eisman. I have not personally seen the game but the industry scuttlebut about it is that it is fantastic with amazing mechs. We’ll see. New sponsor slot Your sponsored ad here Be the first to claim this placement. Contact knapparcade@gmail.com today As for the theme, my brother and I grew up playing with Transformers toys. My favorite one was Soundwave. Yes he was a Decepticon, but he was sick! He had those little cassettes that fit in his Walkman chest that turned into robot animals. How cool is that?! Needless to say, this theme is definitely nostalgic for me. I can’t wait to see what Stern has created. Posted about 1 hour 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 More Than Meets The Eye! 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