Update on Stern Pinball's Next Game; Jersey Jack Pinball Augmented Reality; Last Call for Labyrinth

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jan 31, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Stern Cornerstone reveal imminent; JJP launches AR viewer; Barrels ends Labyrinth production.

Summary

Knapp Arcade reports that Stern Pinball's next Cornerstone game will debut at Texas Pinball Festival (March 20-22, 2026) with distributor preview on February 10th; the title is rumored to be either Pokémon or Transformers. Jersey Jack Pinball launched an augmented reality 3D viewer for Harry Potter Collector's Edition. Barrels of Fun announced only 58 Labyrinth units remain in stock with no further production, released a major code update with new sound design, and is discontinuing Predator sales on March 31st.

Key Claims

Stern Pinball's next Cornerstone game will make its first public show appearance at Texas Pinball Festival March 20-22, 2026
high confidence · Official announcement from Texas Pinball Festival on Facebook; author interprets this as first public show appearance, not official reveal
Stern distributors will see the next Cornerstone game on Tuesday, February 10th
medium confidence · Author reports investigating and being 'pretty sure' this is correct; intended to confirm today
The next Cornerstone is rumored to be either Pokémon or Transformers, with Pokémon currently expected around week of February 10th
medium confidence · Rumor described as 'back and forth race'; Transformers initially seemed poised but was 'rumored to have been pushed back' in favor of Pokémon
Transformers pinball is rumored to have cool mechs and a good layout
low confidence · Author states 'Rumor has it' regarding Transformers features
Barrels of Fun has only 58 units of Labyrinth in stock and is not building any more
high confidence · Official announcement from Barrels yesterday; author directly quotes the announcement
Labyrinth received a major code update with new sound design package by Jeff Dodson
high confidence · Official announcement from Barrels; Dodson is credited as Dune and Winchester Mystery House sound designer/musician
Jersey Jack Pinball launched augmented reality 3D viewer for Harry Potter Collector's Edition
high confidence · Official press release provided; feature accessible at 3dviewer.jerseyjackpinball.com/HarryPotterCE
Pinball at the Beach (February 6-8, St. Pete Beach, Florida) will not feature the next Stern Cornerstone
medium confidence · Author's inference based on timing and distributor preview on February 10th

Notable Quotes

“Stern Pinball Debuts their Next Cornerstone game at the Texas Pinball Festival. Come and play March 20th-22nd, 2026”
Texas Pinball Festival (official announcement) @ January 30, 2026 — Official announcement of next Stern Cornerstone debut venue and date; central to speculation about next game reveal
“Pinball is meant to be experienced—visually, physically, and emotionally. With the 3D Game Viewer, we're giving fans and buyers the freedom to explore the game from every angle, take a guided tour of the features, see it animated and alive, and even place it in their own game room using AR.”
Jack Guarnieri, Founder of Jersey Jack Pinball @ January 30, 2026 — JJP's vision statement for AR/3D viewer technology; reflects company positioning on innovation beyond gameplay
“I played Dune on location on this trip for the first time in a while and I must say, wow the code has come a long way. What a fantastic game.”
Knapp Arcade @ January 31, 2026 — Positive assessment of Barrels of Fun's Dune code improvements; suggests significant post-release refinement
“Jeff 'has meticulously gone through Labyrinth and freshened it up for a great new experience within the game!'”
Barrels of Fun (via announcement) @ January 30, 2026 — Describes scope of Labyrinth code update with new sound design; credit to external composer

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Barrels of Funcompany Pinball Brotherscompany Texas Pinball Festivalevent Harry PottergamePokémongame

Signals

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event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival March 20-22, 2026 confirmed as venue for first public show appearance of Stern's next Cornerstone game
high · Official announcement from Texas Pinball Festival on Facebook
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market_signal: Pinball Brothers establishing sales deadline for Predator game at March 31, 2026, suggesting production conclusion or inventory management strategy
medium · Author reports: 'sales of its increasingly popular latest game Predator end on March 31st'
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market_signal: Barrels of Fun ending Labyrinth production with only 58 units remaining in stock
high · Official announcement from Barrels: 'only have 58 units of their debut game Labyrinth in stock and that they aren't building any more'
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announcement: Jersey Jack Pinball officially launches augmented reality 3D viewer for Harry Potter Collector's Edition with guided tours, animated features, and AR room placement capability
high · Official press release with detailed feature descriptions and direct URL provided
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product_strategy: Stern next Cornerstone will not appear at Pinball at the Beach (Feb 6-8); first public appearance pushed to TPF in late March
medium · Author's inference: 'What that does likely mean though is that the game will not be at upcoming the Pinball at the Beach show'
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Topics

Stern Pinball next Cornerstone reveal timing and title speculationprimaryJersey Jack Pinball augmented reality technology for Harry PotterprimaryBarrels of Fun production and code update newsprimaryPinball game announcements and availabilityprimaryPinball industry events and showssecondaryPinball code updates and sound designsecondaryPinball retailer and location activitymentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Author expresses enthusiasm about upcoming Stern game, appreciation for Barrels' improvements and updates, and excitement about various venues and games. Tone is casual and optimistic throughout, with appreciation for industry progress and community engagement.

Transcript

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News Update on Stern Pinball's Next Game; Jersey Jack Pinball Augmented Reality; Last Call for Labyrinth k knapparcade January 31, 2026 Good morning, everyone. If you're on social media and follow the Knapp Arcade pages, you know that my friend Rob and I are on one of our regular Arcade Road Trips. As such, I haven't published an article here in a couple of days. I never like to go much more than that without writing an article, so I brought my trusty laptop and got up early this morning to talk about what's happening in with pinball and arcade stuff. First up, we have the big question that everyone has been asking...when will we see Stern Pinball's next Cornerstone pinball machine? Well, we have some new clues. First on Thursday we got an announcement on Facebook by the Texas Pinball Festival stating: "Stern Pinball Debuts their Next Cornerstone game at the Texas Pinball Festival. Come and play March 20th-22nd, 2026" I believe that this message was misinterpreted by some. After thinking about it, I decided that TPF meant that its show will be the first public show appearance for the game not that Stern is going to officially reveal it there. Stern doesn't really lift the cover off of games for the first time at events like that any more. Plus, late March is way too late for the game's reveal. What that does likely mean though is that the game will not be at upcoming the Pinball at the Beach show, which takes place February 6-8 in St. Pete Beach, Florida as many had been hoping So I looked into the situation a little more and reported on Facebook yesterday that Stern Distributors will get to see the game on Tuesday, February 10th. I am pretty sure that is correct. I should be able to find out more information today though. It remains to be seen when Stern will reveal the game to the public. They shouldn't wait too long after that because if they do grainy "potato cab" pictures always seem to leak out of those presentations onto places like Pinside. That's not a great way for people to get their first impression of a game. As to what the Cornerstone title will be, it seems to have been a back and forth race between Pokémon and a cartoon Transformers game. At first Transformers seemed poised to be released first, but at some point it is rumored to have been pushed back in favor of a Jack Danger / George Gomez designed Pokémon. Now Pokémon is later than many, including myself expected. I still think that we will see Pokémon sometime around the week of February 10th, but I wouldn't be blown away if the game was Transformers instead. Rumor has it that Transformers has cool mechs and a good layout. One way or another, we're getting new pinball very soon so I'm excited. All this talking and speculating about when games will come out and what they are is fun, despite some recent criticism of it in an article. And that's why I do this - to have fun :) Next up we have a new project that I know Jersey Jack Pinball has been working on for a while, which they finally launched yesterday - an augmented reality website for its latest game Harry Potter. People who visit the new website at https://3dviewer.jerseyjackpinball.com/HarryPotterCE can view Harry Potter pinball in 3D and even use augmented reality to see what the machine would look like in a room of their house. Pretty neat. Below is the official Press Release: " Jersey Jack Pinball Launches 3D Game Viewer — An Interactive New Way to Experience Harry PotterTM Collector’s Edition Chicago, IL — Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP), a global leader in premium pinball design and innovation, today announced the launch of the Jersey Jack Pinball 3D Game Viewer, a new interactive platform that allows fans, collectors, and operators to experience Harry PotterTM Collector’s Edition in a dynamic, immersive way. Designed for modern discovery and built to reflect the energy of a real machine, the 3D Game Viewer delivers a living example of the game—accessible directly in a web browser, with no app or download required. Explore. Learn. Experience the Game in Motion. The 3D Game Viewer blends freeform exploration, guided discovery, and advanced visualization tools, giving users multiple ways to engage with the game: ● Guided Tour via Hotspots: Follow a curated walkthrough using interactive hotspots that jump to key features, mechs, and artwork—providing clear insight into how the game plays, flows, and stands apart. ● Playfield + Cabinet Exploration: Move fluidly around the game to study shots, ramps, lanes, feeds, and overall layout, while taking in the cabinet design of the Collector’s Edition model. ● Animated Features + Attract Mode Preview: This isn’t a static model—it’s a living, interactive example of the game, featuring animated playfield and topper elements along with a preview of the game’s attract mode on the backglass display. ● Viewing Options + Backgrounds: Keep it clean or go immersive—toggle overlays, pause lighting, and switch backgrounds between a castle environment, black, or white. ● AR Preview in Your Game Room: Activate Augmented Reality (AR) to place the game virtually in your own space—visualize scale and footprint, and use the viewer to trace ball paths and familiarize yourself with shots before you ever flip a real ball. A New Standard for Pinball Presentation The 3D Game Viewer reflects Jersey Jack Pinball’s commitment to innovation—not just in gameplay, but in how pinball is presented, understood, and shared beyond the glass. “Pinball is meant to be experienced—visually, physically, and emotionally,” said Jack Guarnieri, Founder of Jersey Jack Pinball. “With the 3D Game Viewer, we’re giving fans and buyers the freedom to explore the game from every angle, take a guided tour of the features, see it animated and alive, and even place it in their own game room using AR. It’s a new way to appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity that goes into every Jersey Jack Pinball title.” The Jersey Jack Pinball 3D Game Viewer, featuring Harry PotterTM Collector’s Edition, is available now at jerseyjackpinball.com/collections/harry-potter About Jersey Jack Pinball Founded in 2011, Jersey Jack Pinball is a premier designer and manufacturer of high-end pinball machines, known for groundbreaking innovation, deep rulesets, state-of-the-art technology, and exceptional build quality. JJP titles are enjoyed by collectors and players worldwide and continue to push the boundaries of modern pinball. Next up we have news from Barrels of Fun. First of all, I played Dune on location on this trip for the first time in a while and I must say, wow the code has come a long way. What a fantastic game. Yesterday, Barrels announced that they only have 58 units of their debut game Labyrinth in stock and that they aren't building any more. So people who want one should probably get it now. I just played Labyrinth again yesterday at Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio. It's great. Speaking of Labyrinth, Barrels just released a new code update for it yesterday as well. The new code contains brand new sound design package by Dune and Winchester Mystery House sound designer / musician, Jeff Dodson. Jeff "has meticulously gone through Labyrinth and freshened it up for a great new experience within the game!" The update also adds shaker motor compatibility for Barrels' "Thunder from Down Under" motor and new light shows. That's a pretty cool unexpected update for a game that has been out for a while. Last night, we got a brand new Live stream of Barrels' latest game Winchester Mystery House from the fantastic location On Tilt at the Ayce Gogi Korean BBQ in Van Nuys, California. Check it out below: 🎯 OnTilt Pinball Live \| Friday Night Play - Harry Potter Pinball - YouTube On Tilt Pinball On Tilt Pinball Search Info Shopping / •Live • Last up, we have a reminder from Pinball Brothers that sales of its increasingly popular latest game Predator end on March 31st, which is coming up fast - thank goodness because I'm done with Winter lol. I could keep going, but I'm out of time. I have to hit the road for the Grand Opening of The Church Arcade in Pittsburgh today. That's a little over an hour drive from Rob and my last stop, Past Times arcade in Girard, Ohio. I have TONS of pictures and video to share of all the cool games and locations that we saw this trip to share over the coming weeks. Yesterday my phone was literally overheating, running low on memory space because the cloud couldn't keep up with me and running low on battery all at the same time because I took so many lol. Apple should pay me to stress test its devices :). If you're at the Church Arcade event today and see me, come on over and say hello. If you aren't going, make sure to follow Knapp Arcade on Facebook, Instagram of Bluesky. I'll share pictures and video of it there. Thanks for reading everyone. Have a great weekend!