Decisions Decisions

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Sep 28, 2001

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

Stern announces Monopoly pinball by Pat Lawlor shipping October 2001; promotes Austin Powers simultaneously.

Summary

Stern Pinball announces Monopoly pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor, set to ship in October 2001, while simultaneously promoting the outgoing Austin Powers machine which is performing strongly. The article notes Stern's dual-release strategy and includes press release details about both games, with commentary on design aesthetics and market positioning.

Key Claims

Monopoly pinball is designed by Pat Lawlor and his team of mechanical and programming engineers
high confidence · Official Stern press release dated September 19, 2001
Pat Lawlor designed some of the most famous titles in pinball history including The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Whirlwind, and Earthshaker
high confidence · Official Stern press release
Austin Powers pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's strongest earnings since South Park and was rated Number One in both RePlay and Play Meter polls for August 2001
high confidence · Official Stern press release dated September 24, 2001
A third Austin Powers movie titled 'Goldmember' is scheduled for release July 26, 2002
high confidence · Official Stern press release citing New Line Cinema announcement
Monopoly board game has sold an estimated 200 million copies in 80 countries and been produced in 26 languages
high confidence · Official Stern press release citing Hasbro historical data
Gary Stern stated 'We really feel that this will be our biggest game yet' regarding Monopoly
high confidence · Official Stern press release quote

Notable Quotes

“We have designed an outstanding street piece with a timeless theme that should be a strong earner for a long time to come.”
Pat Lawlor @ September 19, 2001 — Designer's assessment of Monopoly's commercial and design potential
“We're very excited to have Pat Lawlor designing this pinball. We really feel that this will be our biggest game yet.”
Gary Stern @ September 19, 2001 — CEO's confidence in Monopoly as flagship title; superlative claim about game significance
“At present, the AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK.”
Stern Pinball (press release) @ September 24, 2001 — Performance metric positioning Austin Powers as top earner in company history to that point

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyPat Lawlorperson Gary Sternperson HasbrocompanyMonopolygameAustin PowersgameJohn YoussipersonIncredible TechnologiescompanyThe Addams Familygame

Signals

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design_philosophy: Monopoly pinball features minimalist aesthetic with visible uncovered microswitches and wires, creating 'cheap feel' noted in review; pink magic flipper employed for novice player clarity
high · Article author notes 'minimalist' looks and cheap feel of uncovered components; discusses pink flipper design rationale for player education
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licensing_signal: Upcoming third Austin Powers film 'Goldmember' scheduled for July 2002 creates merchandising and promotion opportunity for existing pinball machine
high · Stern press release details upcoming film release and speculates on impact on pinball earnings
$
market_signal: Austin Powers pinball performing exceptionally strong, posting company's best earnings since South Park and ranking #1 in both industry polls
high · Official Stern press release states 'strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK' and 'Rated Number One in both the RePlay and Play Meter poll meter for the month of August'
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community_signal: Pat Lawlor brought on to design Monopoly, leveraging his track record with classic high-earning titles as design authority and commercial validator
high · Stern press release emphasizes Lawlor's history with Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Whirlwind, Earthshaker as justification for new project
?
announcement: Stern officially announces Monopoly pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor, set for October 2001 shipment
high · Official Stern press release dated September 19, 2001 with detailed game features and designer credentials

Topics

Monopoly pinball announcement and releaseprimaryPat Lawlor design legacy and credentialsprimaryAustin Powers pinball performance and market positioningprimaryStern's dual-release strategy and market timingsecondaryPlayfield design aesthetics and minimalismsecondaryEarnings benchmarking and operator performance metricssecondaryIP licensing and film-to-pinball adaptation timingmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Strong promotional tone from official press releases with confidence in both new and existing games. Article author raises subtle questions about Austin Powers promotional timing but maintains neutral analytical stance. Overall sentiment favors Stern's positioning and game prospects.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Story dated 28th September 2001. Two press releases from Stern show how the company has a dilemma. On the one hand they have a new game just being released - Monopoly - while they are also promoting the outgoing game - Austin Powers. The first press release is Stern's announcement of Monopoly. Yes of course you've read all about the game here at Pinball News for quite a while but it's Stern's Ryan Policky not to formally announce their next game until it goes into production. Stern also include a bunch of images - nothing we haven't shown you before but there is a nice shot of the bank shown opposite. It also reinforces our review's comments about its `minimalist' looks and the cheap feel of uncovered microswitches and wires. Like the prototype - and unlike the sample game - these pictures show a pink magic-flipper which makes a lot of sense. By making it a different colour there's less chance that a novice will think they have some kind of control of it like a regular flipper. Apart from these points the other pictures are unremarkable and we won't waste your bandwidth reproducing them here. Instead, you can read Stern's words below. September 19, 2001 - MONOPOLY®, the best-selling board game of all-time is now the hottest pinball machine on the boardwalk. Brought to you by Stern Pinball, Inc., Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) and Pat Lawlor Design, the MONOPOLY pinball is designed by Pat Lawlor and his team of mechanical and programming engineers. Pat Lawlor has designed some of the most famous titles in the history of pinball, including The Addams Family®, Twilight Zone®, Funhouse™, Whirlwind®, and Earthshaker™. These machines, even today, consistently rank among the top earners on both the RePlay and Play Meter Pinball Polls. This MONOPOLY-themed game is made in the great tradition of these classic pinball machines The MONOPOLY game has a grand history. In 1934, during the height of the United States' Great Depression, Charles Darrow sold his board game to Parker Brothers (now a part of Hasbro), who in turn brought it to the public. Within a year, MONOPOLY became the best-selling board game in the country. The MONOPOLY game has since sold an estimated 200 million copies in 80 countries, and has been produced in 26 languages. Stern Pinball, Hasbro, and Pat Lawlor Design are proud that the MONOPOLY game is now their newest pinball machine title. Some of the MONOPOLY pinball machine's classic features include: an Electric Company billboard, a bi-directional, rotating mini-flipper in the Water Works, and a Ride on the Railroad ramp. Also, you can take a lesson from MR. MONOPOLY and break the Bank, start the cash grab, and shoot the upper ramps for big MONOPOLY points. The goal of the MONOPOLY pinball machine is to move your piece around the game board, collect properties, and lock balls. When you pass GO, multiball will start and you can become the millionaire you've always dreamed of being! The MONOPOLY pinball machine also features an outstanding art package by John Youssi, fantastic sounds and music by Incredible Technologies, and the voice of MR. MONOPOLY, who makes all sales final. Pat Lawlor says, "We have designed an outstanding street piece with a timeless theme that should be a strong earner for a long time to come." "We're very excited to have Pat Lawlor designing this pinball," adds Gary Stern. "We really feel that this will be our biggest game yet." To get your MONOPOLY pinball machine, contact your nearest Stern Pinball distributor. You can also contact Jolly Backer at 1-708-786-7039 or by e-mail at jolly.backer@sternpinball.com, or Shelley Sax at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at shelley.sax@sternpinball.com. Visit Stern's website at www.sternpinball.com for more information on Stern Pinball. The MONOPOLY pinball machine will begin shipping in October, 2001. "MONOPOLY" and "MR. MONOPOLY" are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. "FUNHOUSE", "ROADSHOW" and "WHIRLWIND" are trademarks of Williams Electronics Games, Inc. "THE ADAMS FAMILY" is a registered trademark of Paramount Pictures Corporation "THE TWILIGHT ZONE" is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc. So what of Stern's other press release? That one informs us that there will be another Austin Powers movie in Summer 2003. The timing of this information is, perhaps, rather unfortunate since Stern are at the end of their production run. Perhaps they're trying to drum up enough interest for a second run? If not, it's only purpose seems to be to make the existing owners feel happier with their purchases. Surely they can't have a large number of unsold machines? You decide: September 24, 2001 -Stern Pinball, Inc. has learned that New Line Cinema is going ahead with "Goldmember", the third and final installment in the AUSTIN POWERS series. With a scheduled release date of July 26, 2002, "Goldmember" will bring back Mike Myers as all of the classic characters, including Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard, and Myers' newest addition to the series, the villainous Goldmember. The third AUSTIN POWERS movie will also bring back Jay Roach, director of the first two installments, Verne Troyer as Mini-Me, Robert Wagner and Rob Lowe as both the old and young No. 2, and Heather Graham giving a cameo appearance before Austin finds his new love interest. At present, the AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine is posting Stern Pinball's strongest earnings since SOUTH PARK. Rated Number One in both the RePlay and Play Meter poll meter for the month of August, the release of the new AUSTIN POWERS movie will only strengthen the pinball machines' earning power in both the short term and the long run. Stern Pinball is very proud to have such a strong title in AUSTIN POWERS. To get your AUSTIN POWERS pinball machine, contact your nearest Stern Pinball distributor. You can also contact Jolly Backer at 1-708-786-7039 or by e-mail at jolly.backer@sternpinball.com, or Shelley Sax at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at shelley.sax@sternpinball.com. Visit Stern's website at www.sternpinball.com for more information on Stern Pinball. Back to the news index Back to the front page © Pinball News 2002