SPECULATION: Stern Pinball Jaws 3-D Coming in 2024

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jun 27, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.017

TL;DR

Speculation: Stern developing Jaws 3-D pinball with innovative 3D art for 2024 release.

Summary

Knapp Arcade speculates that Stern Pinball is developing a Jaws pinball machine for 2024 release, potentially titled 'Jaws 3-D', based on indirect evidence including artist Randy Martinez's cryptic social media post about a 'HUGE project' with never-before-done art, a 2022 trademark filing, and prior hints from Jersey Jack's Jack Guarneri about Stern holding the Jaws license. The author theorizes the game may feature innovative 3D artwork elements, possibly incorporating 3D glasses functionality, drawing parallels to the 1983 Jaws 3-D film and Stern's prior blacklight experiments.

Key Claims

Jack Guarneri from Jersey Jack Pinball hinted in an interview that Stern Pinball has the Jaws license without all film assets
medium confidence · Referenced as prior year hint; no direct quote provided
Randy Martinez (artist for Stern's Mandalorian and Star Wars Comic Art pins) shared a rendition of Jaws artwork for San Diego Comic-Con
medium confidence · Author states this occurred 'last year'; no timestamp or direct evidence provided
A trademark for Jaws use in a pinball machine was filed in March 2022
medium confidence · Author references this trademark filing; publicly verifiable but not confirmed in this article
Randy Martinez has experience creating 3D art, having worked for Lucasfilm since 1999
high confidence · Cited from Martinez's bio; factual claim about his professional background
Stern experimented with hidden blacklight features on the Stranger Things playfield
high confidence · Referenced as established fact about Stern's prior technical experimentation

Notable Quotes

“I have a ton of new paintings that I'm working on for SD Comic Con, Commissions, and a HUGE project that I cannot tell you about! Let's just say you will be seeing it next year, all over, and (concerning the art) we are doing something that has never been done before!”
Randy Martinez (artist) @ Social media post, timing unclear — Primary evidence cited by author for Jaws speculation; cryptic reference to undisclosed 2024 project
“Keith Elwin and Randy Martinez on Stern Pinball's Jaws 3-D coming to homes and arcades near you in 2024”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Author's primary speculation/prediction; explicitly framed as educated guess
“Is this accurate? Probably not, but it sure is fun to talk about.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) — Author explicitly acknowledges high uncertainty of speculation

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyJawsgame Randy Martinezperson Keith ElwinpersonJack GuarneripersonJersey Jack Pinballcompany Creature from the Black Lagoongame Stranger Thingsgame

Signals

?
leak_detection: Cryptic social media post by Randy Martinez referencing undisclosed 2024 project with 'never been done before' art features, interpreted as potential evidence of unannounced Jaws pinball in development
low · Martinez quote about 'HUGE project that I cannot tell you about' and 'something that has never been done before' regarding art
?
licensing_signal: Evidence suggesting Stern Pinball holds Jaws license but with asset constraints, potentially driving alternative approaches like Jaws 3-D interpretation to circumvent licensing limitations
medium · Jack Guarneri hint that Stern has Jaws license 'without a lot of the film's assets'; author's theory about Jaws 3-D enabling license workaround
?
announcement: Trademark filing from March 2022 for Jaws use in pinball machine represents formal legal groundwork for potential game development
high · Trademark filing documented in March 2022; publicly verifiable record
?
rumor_hype: Cumulative circumstantial evidence (prior hints about Jaws license, 2022 trademark filing, artist involvement) combining to form public speculation about Jaws pinball announcement
medium · Jack Guarneri's prior hints, trademark filing in March 2022, Randy Martinez social media post, prior artwork sightings
?
technology_signal: Speculation about potential 3D art implementation in pinball, building on Stern's prior blacklight feature experimentation on Stranger Things
low · Author's speculation about 3D glasses functionality, playfield elements, and backbox animations; reference to Stranger Things blacklight precedent

Topics

Jaws pinball machine speculation and evidenceprimary3D art technology in pinball designprimaryStern Pinball licensing and product roadmapprimaryRandy Martinez artwork and role at SternprimaryStern's prior technological experimentation (blacklight features)secondaryJaws license limitations and asset constraintssecondaryPinball game design innovationsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— Author expresses genuine enthusiasm about speculation despite acknowledging high uncertainty ('sure is fun to talk about'). Tone is hopeful and imaginative rather than critical. Multiple caveats indicate author is aware of speculative nature.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

I've written about a possible Stern Pinball Jaws pinball machine on this site for years (see links below). From Jersey Jack Pinball's Jack Guarnieri strongly hinting in an interview last year that Stern Pinball has the Jaws license - without a lot of the film's assets, to renowned artist Randy Martinez (who did the art for Stern's Mandalorian and Star Wars Comic Art pins) sharing his rendition of Jaws in a poster for last year's San Diego Comic-Con to a trademark for the use of Jaws in a pinball machine that was filed in March of 2022. There's a lot of smoke there. Well, we may have just received another clue that Jaws is indeed coming from Stern Pinball...in 2024. A little while ago, a friend shared a social media post with me that the aforementioned artist made earlier today. Here's an excerpt from it: "I have a ton of new paintings that I'm working on for SD Comic Con, Commissions, and a HUGE project that I cannot tell you about! Let's just say you will be seeing it next year, all over, and (concerning the art) we are doing something that has never been done before!" OK, so here's where I make some massive leaps and assumptions that are probably wrong. So IF Randy Martinez is working on a Jaws pinball machine for Stern, it is due out in 2024 and it contains something that has never been done before with the art. What could that possibly be? Well, I'm going to guess that the art is at least partially in 3D! Stern has already experimented with hidden blacklight features on the Stranger Things playfield, so why not play around with 3D? Universal released Jaws 3-D aka Jaws 3 in theatres back in 1983 so there's a big history with the theme and this medium there. Plus, according to his bio, "Randy [Martinez] has been creating cartoons, caricatures, illustrations, paintings, and 3D art for Lucasfilm since 1999." Going with a less popular version of the franchise like Jaws 3 might enable Stern to be able to get around the licensing issues that Jaws 1 has, or just using the Jaws music and shark assets in a cool never been done before 3D pin might enable buyers to over look the lack of assets from the first film. So that's my somewhat educated guess folks, Keith Elwin and Randy Martinez on Stern Pinball's Jaws 3-D coming to homes and arcades near you in 2024. Is this accurate? Probably not, but it sure is fun to talk about. How would it work? I have absolutely no idea, but I envision it having a cool campy Creature from the Black Lagoon pinball vibe. Heck, maybe even video under a window in the middle of the playfield like Creature had. Maybe the LCD screen in the backbox has the option to look at animations in 3D that can be turned off in arcades where not everyone has glasses? Maybe there's stuff on the playfield and cabinet that look 3D with glasses on but fine without them? I don't know, but someone needs to make 3D pinball. Remember this is just a semi-educated guess. I have no idea whether this is really happening, but if I was a betting man, I would bet on at least the Jaws part. Evidence that a Jaws Pinball Machine is in the Works? https://www.knapparcade.org/post/evidence-that-a-jaws-pinball-machine-is-in-the-works Confirmation that Stern Pinball Has Jaws, but Not All the Assets? https://www.knapparcade.org/post/confirmation-that-stern-pinball-has-jaws-but-not-all-the-assets A Sneak Peek At What Stern Pinball Jaws Art Might Look Like https://www.knapparcade.org/post/a-sneak-peek-at-what-stern-pinball-jaws-art-might-look-like