Evidence that a Jaws Pinball Machine is in the Works?

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Apr 5, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Universal's Jaws trademark update suggests potential pinball machine in development.

Summary

A Knapp Arcade article discusses evidence that Universal Studios may be developing a Jaws pinball machine, based on a March 1 trademark filing update that added 'Pinball Machines' to Universal's Jaws trademark. The article notes long-standing speculation about Stern producing a Jaws game and references prior trademark precedent through Zen Studios' virtual Jaws table. A self-identified trademark lawyer commenter suggests the filing under category 1B indicates serious intent to use the trademark on pinball machines.

Key Claims

Universal Studios updated its Jaws trademark on March 1 to include 'Pinball Machines'
high confidence · Article cites Pinside discussion with screenshot evidence of trademark filing
A self-identified trademark lawyer stated that 1B filings require actual intent to use the trademark on listed goods
medium confidence · Anonymous commenter on Pinside; credibility unverified but specific legal claim made
Stern has been rumored for years to be developing a Jaws pinball machine
medium confidence · Author's general industry knowledge; vague timeframe ('years')
Stern used 'Jaws' as internal codename for its Jurassic Park pinball machine
medium confidence · Author describes this as Stern 'trolling'; specific example but no source cited
Zen Studios released a Jaws virtual pinball table for FX3
high confidence · Author states as fact with reference to image of Zen Jaws playfield included in article

Notable Quotes

“That Jaws filing is under 1B, which requires that they have an actual intent to use the trademark on the goods listed. It's a pretty strong indication there's a Jaws machine in the works.”
Anonymous trademark lawyer commenter on Pinside — Legal interpretation providing credibility to the trademark filing as evidence of genuine machine development
“Yes Jaws is an old movie, but it's iconic. Everyone knows what Jaws is and instantantly hears the 'Dunna, Dunna Dunna, Dunna Dunna Dunna Dunna' Music in their head when they hear the name.”
Knapp Arcade author — Pitch for why Jaws would be a strong IP choice for a pinball machine; cultural ubiquity argument

Entities

Universal StudioscompanyStern PinballcompanyJawsgameZen StudioscompanyJurassic Parkgame Pinsideorganization Knapp Arcadeorganization

Signals

?
leak_detection: Trademark filing update provides documentary evidence of IP holder considering pinball adaptation
high · Universal Studios March 1 trademark update adding 'Pinball Machines' to Jaws filing, verified by screenshot on Pinside
?
licensing_signal: Universal demonstrating openness to Jaws pinball licensing through both historical Zen Studios deal and current trademark filing
high · Zen FX3 Jaws virtual table already licensed; current trademark filing suggests expansion to physical pinball
?
rumor_hype: Long-standing community speculation about Stern producing Jaws machine gaining potential credibility from trademark evidence
medium · Author notes 'talk for years' that Stern will make Jaws; Stern's use of 'Jaws' codename for Jurassic Park cited as evidence of Stern's interest in the property

Topics

Licensing and IP availabilityprimaryUpcoming game announcements and leaksprimaryStern Pinball product roadmapsecondaryVirtual pinball (Zen Studios)secondary

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Author is optimistic about Jaws as a pinball IP choice and expresses enthusiasm ('I think that it has the potential to be a really cool pin'); tone is speculative and excited rather than skeptical

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

I came across an interesting discussion on Pinside this morning. A user noticed that on March 1, Universal Studios updated its trademark for Jaws to include "Pinball Machines." Now I'm not a copyright lawyer, so I have no idea of whether it is common practice in the movie industry to just make blanket trademark statements for tons of different uses. However, someone in the discussion who actually claims to be one said the following about the below Trademark screenshot: "That Jaws filing is under 1B, which requires that they have an actual intent to use the trademark on the goods listed. It’s a pretty strong indication there’s a Jaws machine in the works." Very interesting. There has been talk for years that Stern Pinball is going to make a Jaws pinball machine. To the point that Stern even trolled people by using "Jaws" as its internal codename for its Jurassic Park pinball machine. Is this an indication that one may be coming from Stern soon? Time will tell. Several years ago Zen studios released a number of Universal Studios virtual pinball tables for its FX3 game, including one for Jaws. So clearly Universal is open to the idea. I think that it has the potential to be a really cool pin. Yes Jaws is an old movie, but it's iconic. Everyone knows what Jaws is and instantantly hears the "Dunna, Dunna Dunna, Dunna" Music in their head when they hear the name. What do you think about a potential Jaws pinball machine from Stern? I'd love to hear others' thoughts. A pic of the playfield for Zen's Jaws table on FX3