Stern Pinball Reveals JAWS 50th Topper; More details on Potential New Pinball Company

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Dec 23, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

Stern reveals JAWS 50th topper; World Pinball announces Resident Evil pinball for March 2026.

Summary

Stern Pinball revealed a limited-production JAWS 50th Anniversary topper ($1,099, shipping March 2026) with minimal design changes from the original. Additionally, World Pinball, a new Swiss manufacturer, is developing a Resident Evil pinball machine scheduled for March 2026 with ambitious specifications (4 drummers, 5 magnets, 4 metal ramps, 95% proprietary parts) in a production run of 300 units with 12 ultra-limited S.T.A.R.S character editions.

Key Claims

JAWS 50th Anniversary topper is priced at $1,099, a $100 increase over the original JAWS topper, with shipping expected in March 2026
high confidence · Knapp Arcade article citing Stern's official announcement
Star Wars (2017) received a new code update (Version 1.30) for the first time in a long time, adding support for the new C3PO topper
high confidence · Knapp Arcade reporting on Stern code release
Stern is considering producing popular recent titles like Godzilla on the Spike 3 platform with larger LCD screens and Expression Lighting support
medium confidence · Knapp Arcade citing chatter online and Don's Pinball Podcast
Godzilla is Stern's best-selling game of all-time and continues to be in production
high confidence · Knapp Arcade reporting on Stern's production status
World Pinball is a Swiss company developing Resident Evil pinball scheduled for March 2026, the 30th anniversary of the license, with production in France (Burgundy) and facilities in Switzerland and France
high confidence · Paris Pinball Addict quote cited by Knapp Arcade, sourced from direct conversation with World Pinball maker
Resident Evil pinball will feature 4 drummers, 5 magnets, and 4 metal ramps as specifications
high confidence · Paris Pinball Addict quote about World Pinball specs
World Pinball is manufacturing approximately 95% of parts internally, with screen, speakers, amplifier, and coils sourced from European suppliers (France, Switzerland, Germany)
high confidence · Paris Pinball Addict quote providing manufacturing details
Resident Evil pinball production will consist of 300 copies total, including 12 ultra-limited special editions representing S.T.A.R.S team members, each numbered and bearing character names with custom details
high confidence · Paris Pinball Addict quote detailing production run and special editions

Notable Quotes

“As far as I can tell, those are really the only differences.”
Knapp Arcade @ December 23, 2025 — Expresses skepticism about the minimal design differentiation of the JAWS 50th Anniversary topper despite the $100 price increase
“I am having a hard time understanding why a major company like Capcom would agree to let a brand new company with no experience making games create one based upon the valuable Resident Evil intellectual property as their first machine.”
Knapp Arcade @ December 23, 2025 — Raises industry credibility concerns about World Pinball's ability to secure major IP licensing as a startup
“The pinball is therefore scheduled for March 2026, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the license. It will be produced by a Swiss company, WP - World Pinball, and it will be the first Swiss pinball in history.”
Paris Pinball Addict @ December 23, 2025 (via Knapp Arcade) — Official confirmation of World Pinball's Swiss origin and Resident Evil pinball release timeline
“Nearly 95% of the parts are developed internally, except for the screen, speakers, amplifier or coils, which come from Europe (France, Switzerland, Germany).”
Paris Pinball Addict @ December 23, 2025 (via Knapp Arcade) — Indicates World Pinball's manufacturing philosophy emphasizing proprietary parts development and European supply chain
“Pinball won't be on movies but on video games, and it will include 4 unprecedented innovations in the world of pinball.”
Paris Pinball Addict @ December 23, 2025 (via Knapp Arcade) — Confirms Resident Evil video game IP base and hints at four undisclosed mechanical innovations
“Will this actually happen? Time will tell. It does make sense considering that Godzilla is Stern's best selling game of all-time and it continues to produce it to this day.”
Knapp Arcade @ December 23, 2025 — Expresses uncertainty about Spike 3 platform adoption while acknowledging commercial rationale for Godzilla re-platforming

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyWorld Pinballcompany Jaws 50thgameResident Evil PinballgameStar Wars (2017)game Godzillagame Knapp ArcadepersonParis Pinball Addict

Signals

?
business_signal: New Swiss pinball manufacturer World Pinball entering market with significant manufacturing infrastructure (facilities in Switzerland and France, 95% proprietary parts development)
high · Paris Pinball Addict detailed reporting on manufacturing locations, supply chain, and production philosophy
?
product_concern: Knapp Arcade expresses skepticism about Capcom's rationale for licensing Resident Evil IP to unproven startup manufacturer with minimal production volume (300 units)
high · Direct quote: 'I am having a hard time understanding why a major company like Capcom would agree to let a brand new company with no experience making games create one'
?
licensing_signal: Capcom actively monitoring and validating World Pinball's Resident Evil pinball development, indicating major IP publisher involvement in startup manufacturer project
high · Paris Pinball Addict quote: 'Capcom, who follows all this closely' and approval required before final reveal
$
market_signal: Resident Evil pinball production constrained to 300 units total with 12 ultra-limited character-specific editions, signaling collector-focused scarcity strategy
high · Paris Pinball Addict detailing production numbers and special edition structure
?
announcement: World Pinball announced Resident Evil pinball machine for March 2026 release as flagship product with specific mechanical and production specifications
high · Paris Pinball Addict exclusive reporting with direct confirmation from World Pinball maker

Topics

Stern product announcements and accessoriesprimaryNew pinball manufacturer emergence (World Pinball)primaryResident Evil IP licensing in pinballprimaryPlatform technology adoption (Spike 3)secondaryCode updates and software developmentsecondaryLimited production runs and FOMO pricingsecondarySwiss manufacturing and European supply chainsmentioned

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Cautiously optimistic about new manufacturer and product announcements, but skeptical about World Pinball's credibility as a startup and critical of JAWS 50th topper's minimal design differentiation despite price increase

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

News Stern Pinball Reveals JAWS 50th Topper; More details on Potential New Pinball Company k knapparcade December 23, 2025 Happy Holidays friends! It's snowing here in New Jersey at the moment and I have a lot of family stuff going on for the holidays, but I wanted to sneak in a quick news update for everyone because there's just so much cool stuff to talk about. Let's kick things off with Stern Pinball. Yesterday afternoon, Stern revealed its new (sort of) topper for its JAWS 50th pinball machine. I love Stern's JAWS. I kind of want to get the 50th Anniversary version of it for my home arcade. Having said that, the new 50th Anniversary topper for the game is nothing to write home about. It's basically the topper for the first version of JAWS with red trim around the Billboard and a clear plastic sign that says "JAWS 50th Anniversary" slammed on the side. As far as I can tell, those are really the only differences. The new 50th topper is available for pre-order now. Stern expects units from its "limited production run" will start shipping in March 2026. The new topper is priced at $1,099, a $100 increase over the price of the original JAWS topper. While we are on the subject of Stern, it's noteworthy that its 2017 Star Wars pinball machine, just received a new code update for the first time in a long time. The new code, Version 1.30 adds support for the new C3PO topper that Stern launched for its new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire pin. As I mentioned in my launch article for the topper the other day, it is compatible with the 2017 game as well. Last up on Stern, there has been a bunch of chatter on-line and most recently on Don's Pinball Podcast that Stern is considering producing a few of its most popular recent titles, such as Godzilla, on its new Spike 3 platform. This would give the game a larger LCD screen and enable Stern to offer things like external Expression Lighting for the games. Will this actually happen? Time will tell. It does make sense considering that Godzilla is Stern's best selling game of all-time and it continues to produce it to this day. Next up, we have a lot of new information about a potential new pinball manufacturer. I'm always a little reluctant to talk about new pinball companies in the early stages of their creation because so many of them have started and gone no where over the years. This potential new manufacturer is called World Pinball. It definitely exists in some form. I've seen the registration files for it. How close they are to making a game is another question entirely. Supposedly World Pinball is working on creating a pinball machine based upon the popular Capcom video game series Resident Evil. There's even a rudimentary website for the game out there: RE: Pinball. First and foremost, let me begin by saying that I wish this company nothing but the best. I love seeing new pinball manufacturers making games. The more pinball, the merrier. I hope that they make many amazing games. Having said that, I am having a hard time understanding why a major company like Capcom would agree to let a brand new company with no experience making games create one based upon the valuable Resident Evil intellectual property as their first machine. Furthermore, the plan to manufacture only 300 of this game wouldn't move the needle at all for a company like Capcom. Having said that, I hope that it does happen and I absolutely will be keeping an eye on things. Here's the latest information on the subject from the pinball social media personality Paris Pinball Addict: So friends, for those who didn't see the show last night, here's some new exclusive info that I share with you regarding the Resident Evil pinball, which is becoming very concrete. The project is progressing well, and I was able to chat directly with its maker yesterday afternoon. The pinball is therefore scheduled for March 2026, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the license. It will be produced by a Swiss company, WP - World Pinball, and it will be the first Swiss pinball in history. Production will take place in France, Burgundy, but not at René Pierre's or Pedretti's (as we've heard recently). The team has set up a new plant, with their own machines. They have premises in Payerne in Switzerland and in Chalon-sur-Saône in France, and the final plant could be planted in Creusot, it's under negotiations. The wood comes from Switzerland, the production aims at high-end quality, with careful varnishing, thermolated body armor, and a real thought into industrial design. Nearly 95% of the parts are developed internally, except for the screen, speakers, amplifier or coils, which come from Europe (France, Switzerland, Germany). Pinball won't be on movies but on video games, and it will include 4 unprecedented innovations in the world of pinball. We're talking about a game with 4 drummers, 5 magnets and 4 metal ramps. In terms of edition, there will be 300 copies for the 30th anniversary, and among them, 12 ultra-limited special editions, one for each member of the S.T.A.R.S team (Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, etc.) ). Each machine will be numbered and bear the character's name, with custom details, and a never-before-seen option in a pinball machine. Finally, on the price side, we'll be in the same range as Stern or Jersey Jack, and the reveal is expected after validation by Capcom, who follows all this closely. Here at the moment, we are still waiting for the first official images, but this Resident Evil pinball looks ambitious, neat, and really a collector. To be continued 🤗 have a good day everyone! 🙏🏻❤️ Since I just talked about a video game in Resident Evil, let's hop over to another video game...this time an iconic arcade game franchise. Happy 30th Anniversary to Namco's Time Crisis. I recently came across a really neat article that commemorates the anniversary: Time Crisis at 30: how peekaboo with guns put cabinet gaming back on target Posted about 2 months ago k About knapparcade Site administrator Comments (1) Please sign in to join the conversation. N NUTSACK WILLIAMS about 2 months ago If you get bit in the nuts do you still turn into a zomby 0 S Spookeye about 2 months ago That depends....mine are in my wife's purse, so I think I would be fine. 0 Related Articles Stern Officially Reveals New Pokémon Pinball Machine 3 days ago Dutch Pinball is NOT Working with Stern to Release Back to the Future 3 days ago Pokémon Reveal Tomorrow?; Beetlejuice Pinball on Location 5 days ago Subscribe to Updates Get the latest pinball news, blog posts, and event announcements delivered to your inbox Subscribe StripeM-Inner