Fall of the Empire is a Star Wars-themed pinball machine manufactured by Stern Pinball, designed by John Borg and released in 2025 as the flagship title for the new Spike 3 platform. The game features Star Wars sequel trilogy aesthetics with mechanics including a Yoda ball save, Force mechanic, and magnetic flipper savers. Despite strong location performance and positive expo reception, the machine has been subject to significant quality control criticism regarding mechanical reliability, narrow ramps, ball rejection issues, and tilt sensitivity.
Fall of the Empire was the top-performing game at both Appleton and Green Bay locations in the week of October 28th
Fall of the Empire is a middle-of-the-road, accessible game without exceptional appeal
LE models release end of September; Premium end September/early October; Pro early-mid October
International Star Wars unavailability due to Disney regional divisions rejecting pinball brand representation
Star Wars-themed Stern game with Spike 2 expression lights; Don owns premium version affected by backward compatibility issue
Pinball game referenced during ABBA gameplay watching
Recent Stern Star Wars game used as comparison for Pro-tier feature blocking strategy; Pro model lacks Jabba the Hutt sculpt but includes AT-AT mechanism
Star Wars-themed pinball machine by Stern Pinball; released 2025; flagship title for Spike 3 platform with motorized toys, magnetic save, and 1000+ video clips
Star Wars-themed Stern Pinball machine, flagship Spike 3 release, designed by John Borg with code by Raymond Davidson. Based on Episodes IV-VI. 770 LE units produced. Features fan layout, approachable gameplay, backwards-compatible topper.
Star Wars-themed pinball machine by Stern Pinball for which the topper is designed
[Triage: The game's performance improved over time from underperforming in the home market to achieving #2 popularity ranking by December 2025.]
No linked glossary terms
Game is fun and has strong John Borg playfield flow design
Game is very accessible but potential longevity concerns for veteran players remain uncertain
Premium model audio has dummy tweeter plug; LE has full speaker assembly with high-frequency tweeter
Death Star lock shot rejects balls frequently due to catching air and hitting upper lip
Magna-sling ball save (spell JEDI mechanic) is exclusive to Premium/LE, not available on Pro
Fall of the Empire will only be released in the US market
Stern Spike 3 title; recent media showcase for Spike 3 capabilities; Don owns one unit
2025 Stern Pinball Star Wars-themed machine, designed by John Borg, first Spike 3 platform flagship title
Stern Pinball's Spike 3 flagship Star Wars game; new release featuring eight-shot fan layout, Yoda magnet save, AT-AT toy, Death Star toy, available in Pro ($6,900), Premium ($10,000), and LE ($13,000) versions
Unreleased Star Wars-themed pinball by Stern; teaser released, trailer expected next week, Media Day Sept 10, LEs start production mid-September
Stern game; Don asked about missing foil accents at media day; received non-committal 'art direction' response from Stern team
Star Wars pinball by Stern; recently arriving to buyers; subject of mixed critical reception including artwork criticism and AT-AT pronunciation debates
Star Wars pinball machine by Stern; recently revealed at media day; three-tier model (Pro/Premium/LE); Spike 3 platform; expected mid-September (LE) and mid-October (Pro) release
Star Wars pinball machine; used in pin golf tournament with 'Battle of Hoth multiball' objective; experienced HDMI streaming issues
Recently acquired Stern machine via CJ from Troy Tilt Amusements; planned for launch tournament at PRPHQ
Stern Pinball's new flagship Star Wars machine; released in three tiers (Pro/Premium/LE); Spike 3 platform; designed by John Borg
Star Wars-themed Stern Pinball game on Spike 2.5; expected reveal next week; criticized for not using full Spike 3 platform
New Stern Pinball release; referenced as 'ominously named title'; Star Wars sales not meeting expectations; mentioned as symbol of Stern's market troubles
Star Wars-themed pinball machine designed by John Borg; Stern Pinball flagship release on new Spike 3 platform; released 2025; features Death Star, AT-AT, Sarlacc pit, Millennium Falcon, character-based modes
Star Wars-themed Stern Pinball released on Spike 3; criticized for clunky mechanics, ball rejections, magnetic save failures, narrow ramps, and quality control issues
Star Wars pinball machine; available for play at expo; multiple positive mentions
Star Wars-themed Stern Pinball; Spike 3 flagship title; subject of NDA briefings about Spike 2 to 3 conversion requirements
Star Wars game by Stern ranked #1 worst of 2025; criticized for limited shots, funnel mechanic, tilt sensitivity issues
Reference for classic fan layout with seven-eight equidistant shots; used as design comparison point
Stern's new Star Wars pinball; restricted to USA distribution; first title on Spike 3 platform; causes market frustration among European/Australian collectors
Star Wars-themed pinball game positioned as middle-of-the-road, accessible offering with movie assets and sufficient art; Hardy not pursuing personal purchase
Stern game featuring modular lighting system; mentioned as precedent for Spike 3 upgrade capability to Premium/Pro
Stern Pinball game receiving code updates and powder-coated wire form modifications by Don
Game referenced for magnetic flipper saver feature appearing alongside Beetlejuice and Star Wars implementations
Stern game Don awaiting shipment for arcade customer; waiting on Expression Lights accessories to complete; focal point one-of-one makeover game
Stern Pinball title receiving C-3PO topper accessory ($1,499) with interactive mechanics and bonus content; criticized for standard layout design
Don purchased Premium version; uncertain about Expression Lights availability and pricing; example of post-purchase feature ambiguity
Stern pinball mentioned as likely default attraction if Pokemon unavailable at Pinball at the Beach; community fatigue suggested
Recent Spike 3 release mentioned in context of platform evolution
Recent Stern release; subject of Ralph's fall trip to Chicago; performs well on location (top 5 at Electric Bat) but appears underperforming in home market according to Ralph's speculation.
Ranked #2 most popular in December 2025 popularity metrics
Top-performing game at both Lumberjack Johnny's and Green Bay locations in October
Recent Stern release with bowl mechanism; mentioned as tighter/less approachable than Pokémon; compared mechanically regarding left ramp diverter feature
New Star Wars pinball machine on Spike 3 platform; designed by John Borg; features Yoda ball save and Force mechanic
Stern Star Wars game; currently in Galesburg; CJ has machine; hosts planning launch tournament when moved to Bloomington
New Star Wars pinball machine by John Borg, first Spike 3 machine, shown at Expo in September
Stern Pinball title; exhibited at Pinball at the Beach with toppers; cited as example of limited gameplay differentiation between Pro and LE variants; AT-AT kneeling and Jawa nightlight criticized as minimal features
Recent Stern release; premium version had rail fitting issues requiring user modification; quality control improvements underway