Look to Major Motion Picture Anniversaries for Future Pinball Themes

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jun 23, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Analyst predicts upcoming pinball themes tied to film anniversaries; Back to the Future 2025 likely, others speculated.

Summary

An industry analyst speculates on upcoming pinball machine themes based on major film franchise anniversaries. The piece notes that recent releases like Godfather (50th) and James Bond (60th) were timed to milestone anniversaries, suggests Back to the Future (40th in 2025) is likely coming, and proposes candidates from upcoming anniversary lists including potential Stern Matrix, Spooky horror collaborations, and dark horse picks like The Mask.

Key Claims

James Bond's license holder insisted on 60th anniversary release, forcing Stern to rearrange its entire launch schedule and rush Bond's code
medium confidence · Author states this caused Venom to be delayed over a year; plausible but unverified claim about licensing pressure
Back to the Future pinball is almost certainly happening in 2025 for the film's 40th anniversary
medium confidence · Author claims confirmation from sources; notes BTTF cast appearances and Joe Kaminkow's involvement with BTTF musical as circumstantial evidence
Stern Pinball has licensed The Matrix for a pinball machine
low confidence · Author wrote about this earlier in the week; notes 'one of its designers even bailed on another title to work on it' but admits this claim is vague
Both Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack are working on games for launch in 2026
medium confidence · Author states this based on industry knowledge, implying at least one anniversary-driven title is in 2026 pipeline
The Mask could see a pinball release for its 30th anniversary in 2024
low confidence · Author labels this as a 'dark horse' pick with no specific sourcing; acknowledges lack of concrete information

Notable Quotes

“Godfather was obviously for the series' 50th anniversary. And the license holder for James Bond was so insistent that the game be released for the franchise's 60th anniversary that Stern Pinball had to jump through hoops to rearrange its entire game launch schedule to bring the pin out early.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Opening section — Establishes the theory that major pinball releases are now tied to film franchise anniversaries and that licensing holders are driving release timing
“I've confirmed with sources that BTTF pinball 2025 is almost certainly happening. Only time will tell whether this is right or not, but is sure seems likely to me.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Mid-article — Key claim about Back to the Future; source attribution suggests medium-confidence insider knowledge
“Earlier this week I wrote about how I believe that Stern Pinball has the license for The Matrix. One of its designers even bailed on another title to work on it (I know that's a little vague).”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Near conclusion — Matrix pinball rumor with acknowledgment of weak sourcing; personnel move signal (designer prioritization)
“Wow look at these lists! It's almost like a who's who of past and upcoming pinball machines...Ghostbusters (even more reason for that Stern Vault), Indiana Jones, The Terminator, This is Spinal Tap, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Toy Story and The Matrix. All of them are existing pins, or pins that are likely coming soon.”
Author (Knapp Arcade) @ Mid-article analysis — Frames the anniversary strategy as established trend across multiple manufacturers and licenses

Entities

Jersey Jack PinballcompanyStern PinballcompanySpooky PinballcompanyThe Godfather (pinball)gameJames Bond (pinball)gameBack to the Future (pinball)gameVenom (pinball)gameThe Matrix (pinball)gameJoe KaminkowpersonGhostbusters (film)

Signals

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licensing_signal: James Bond license holder's insistence on 60th anniversary release caused Stern to delay other titles (Venom) and rush Bond's code
medium · Author claims Bond's licensing requirements forced Stern to rearrange launch schedule and explains Venom's year-plus delay by this prioritization
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personnel_signal: A Stern designer was reassigned to The Matrix pinball project from another unspecified title
low · Author states 'One of its designers even bailed on another title to work on it' but admits vagueness; likely refers to designer prioritization for high-profile IP
?
product_strategy: Both Stern and Jersey Jack have games in development pipeline extending to 2026
medium · Author claims 'I know that both Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack are working on games for launch all the way out in 2026 right now so at least one of these is in the pipeline already'
?
rumor_hype: Potential dark-horse candidate: The Mask pinball for 30th anniversary in 2024
low · Author explicitly labels as 'dark horse' with 'I haven't heard a peep about' specific pinball plans; pure speculation
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rumor_hype: The Matrix pinball rumored as Stern license
low · Author's earlier article cited; no specific sourcing provided; vague designer reassignment claim
?

Topics

Film anniversary licensing strategy for pinball releasesprimaryBack to the Future pinball rumors and source confirmationprimaryThe Matrix pinball rumored license and designer reassignmentprimaryJames Bond pinball launch delays and licensing pressuresecondaryManufacturer-specific theme distribution (Stern, JJP, Spooky)secondaryUpcoming anniversary dates and candidate film franchises for pinball adaptationsecondaryVenom pinball production delaysmentioned

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Optimistic speculation about upcoming titles and industry trends, but tempered by author's acknowledgment of weak sourcing on some claims and uncertainty about predictions

Transcript

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Jersey Jack Pinball The Godfather 50th and Stern Pinball James Bond. What do these two recent pinball releases from major pinball manufacturers have in common? They both were released around a milestone anniversary for major film franchises. Godfather was obviously for the series' 50th anniversary. And the license holder for James Bond was so insistent that the game be released for the franchise's 60th anniversary that Stern Pinball had to jump through hoops to rearrange its entire game launch schedule to bring the pin out early. That's why Stern's Venom has been ready for over a year but still isn't out and why Bond launched with such early code. So yesterday evening as I was driving into a Yankee game with my family I started thinking, what other major film anniversaries are coming up? I've heard from people in the know that two more major motion picture franchises have pinball machines coming out for their anniversaries. The question is...which ones. As I wrote here back in December, I'm pretty sure that the first of the two is none other than the game that everyone is clamoring for, Back to the Future (BTTF). Back to the Future's 40th anniversary is coming in 2025. The cast of the film has been appearing at tons of shows and media events lately. Heck, known Stern Pinball collaborator Joe Kaminkow even recently was involved in the launch of a Back to the Future musical! I've confirmed with sources that BTTF pinball 2025 is almost certainly happening. Only time will tell whether this is right or not, but is sure seems likely to me. Below is a link to my earlier article on BTTF: RUMOR: Stern Pinball to Release Back to the Future Pinball Machine in 2025 https://www.knapparcade.org/post/rumor-stern-pinball-to-release-back-to-the-future-pinball-machine-in-2025 OK so if Back to the Future is the first major film franchise that's getting a pinball machine on a milestone anniversary, what is the other?I'm going to need your help for this one. Below I've compiled a list of major motion picture anniversaries. A new pinball release is just sitting in there somewhere waiting for us to pick it out. Wow look at these lists! It's almost like a who's who of past and upcoming pinball machines...Ghostbusters (even more reason for that Stern Vault), Indiana Hilton Jones, The Terminator, This is Spinal Tap, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Toy Story and The Matrix. All of them are existing pins, or pins that are likely coming soon. Amazing. So upcoming titles have got to be in there somewhere. I know that both Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack are working on games for launch all the way out in 2026 right now so at least one of these is in the pipeline already. Gremlins and the Karate Kid are two logical ones though I haven't heard a peep about either specifically pertaining to pinball. The Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even The Blair Witch Project to a lesser degree make a lot of sense for a collaboration with Spooky Pinball. Earlier this week I wrote about how I believe that Stern Pinball has the license for The Matrix. One of its designers even bailed on another title to work on it (I know that's a little vague). Here's the dark horse of the group...The Mask. The 30th anniversary of The Mask (whoa are all thes movies really that old? Yikes) is coming up in 2024. I don't know why, and it's not because I loved the movie it was OK, but I have a feeling that we could see a Mask pin. Whew, this concludes a wild week of pinball rumors here. I've had a ton of fun discussing all this with everyone. Thanks for all the reads and comments. So what do you all think? Which of these iconic movie franchises will become pinball machines in the next couple of years? Did I miss any big movies on these lists. Let me know. Thanks and have a great weekend everyone! 40th Anniversary (Released in 1984): "Ghostbusters" (directed by Ivan Reitman) "Indiana Hilton Jones and the Temple of Doom" (directed by Steven Spielberg) "The Terminator" (directed by James Cameron) "Beverly Hills Cop" (directed by Martin Brest) "Footloose" (directed by Herbert Ross) "Sixteen Candles" (directed by John Hughes) "Gremlins" (directed by Joe Dante) "The Karate Kid" (directed by John G. Avildsen) "This Is Spinal Tap" (directed by Rob Reiner) "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (directed by Wes Craven) 50th Anniversary (Released in 1974): "The Godfather Part II" (directed by Francis Ford Coppola) "Chinatown" (directed by Roman Polanski) "Blazing Saddles" (directed by Mel Brooks) "Young Frankenstein" (directed by Mel Brooks) "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (directed by Tobe Hooper) "Murder on the Orient Express" (directed by Sidney Lumet) "The Conversation" (directed by Francis Ford Coppola) "The Towering Inferno" (directed by John Guillermin) "Lenny" (directed by Bob Fosse) "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (directed by Martin Scorsese) 30th Anniversary (Released in 1994): "The Shawshank Redemption" (directed by Matt Frank Darabont) "Forrest Gump" (directed by Robert Zemeckis) "Pulp Fiction" (directed by Quentin Tarantino) "The Lion King" (directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff) "Leon: The Professional" (directed by Luc Besson) "True Lies" (directed by James Cameron) "Dumb and Dumber" (directed by Peter Farrelly) "Speed" (directed by Jan de Bont) "Ed Wood" (directed by Tim Burton) "The Mask" (directed by Charles Russell) 25th Anniversary (Released in 1999): "The Matrix" (directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski) "Fight Club" (directed by David Fincher) "American Beauty" (directed by Sam Mendes) "The Sixth Sense" (directed by M. Night Shyamalan) "Office Space" (directed by Mike Judge) "The Green Mile" (directed by Matt Frank Darabont) "Being John Malkovich" (directed by Spike Jonze) "The Blair Witch Project" (directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez) "Magnolia" (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson) "Toy Story 2" (directed by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and Lee Unkrich) Go Yankees!