Stern is the name of two different but connected companies that make arcade games. Stern Electronics, Inc. created arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 to 1985. This company is most famous for making the game Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc. was started in 1986 as Data East Pinball. It is a company that makes pinball machines in North America.

Stern Electronics, Inc.

Stern Electronics was created in 1977 when Sam and Gary Stern purchased the struggling company Chicago Coin. Sam had previously owned a company called Williams, which made amusement machines. He bought half of Williams in 1947 and sold it to Seeburg Corporation in 1964. Gary had worked at Williams under his father and helped run the company from 1973 to 1977. Stern Electronics, Inc. obtained its main inventory by buying Chicago Coin’s assets during bankruptcy sales. As a new company, Stern did not take on any of Chicago Coin’s debts. In 1977, Stern also bought Universal Research Laboratories after it went bankrupt earlier that year. Universal Research made parts for Bally pinball machines and later used these parts for Stern. Bally then sued Stern, and an agreement was made for Stern to pay money for using the parts. By September 1981, this payment totaled $700,000.

The first two games made by Stern were called Stampede and Rawhide. These games were originally created by Chicago Coin and only had their logos and branding changed. After a slow start, Stern’s sales improved by the end of 1977. In 1977, Stern made its first pinball machine using solid-state electronics, called Pinball. By 1978, Stern used solid-state electronics for all its games. In 1980, Stern bought the jukebox production equipment from the bankrupt Seeburg Corporation for $1.5 million. Stern aimed to boost sales in the declining jukebox market by adding screens and customizable displays to its machines.

When arcade video games became popular in 1980, Stern released a game called Berzerk, which sold 20,000 machines. Stern stopped making pinball machines in 1982. However, Stern was affected by the video game crash of 1983 and received financial help from a distributor named Al Simon. Stern sold Seeburg the following summer. In 1984, Sam Stern died, and Stern Electronics closed on February 1, 1985. From 1985 to 1986, former Stern employees started a company called Pinstar, which made upgrade kits for old Bally and Stern machines. Gary Stern remained president of Pinstar. Later, Gary helped start Data East’s pinball division. When Data East was bought by Sega in 1994, Gary continued to lead the division. While Data East operated from the old Stern Electronics building, it is unclear if they bought the company or only the building.

On March 16, 2023, Atari SA announced it had acquired the rights to 12 Stern Electronics games, including Berzerk and Frenzy.

Stern Pinball, Inc.

By 1999, the pinball industry was almost gone. Sega left the pinball industry by separating its pinball division and selling it to Gary Stern, which led to the creation of Stern Pinball. Stern Pinball became the only company making pinball machines for sale, but it had difficulty in the 2000s, making about 10,000 machines each year and selling most of them to other countries.

As of 2023, designers who have worked for a long time—Brian Eddy, John Borg, and George Gomez—are creating pinball games at Stern Pinball. They work with a top competitive player, Keith Elwin, and a well-known pinball streamer, Jack Danger. Stern Pinball, Inc. is based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Some Stern pinball tables were also made available digitally through The Pinball Arcade and Stern Pinball Arcade.

Arcade games manufactured by Stern

• Astro Invader (1980) (programmed by Konami)
• Berzerk (1980)
• The End (1980) (programmed by Konami)
• Scramble (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Super Cobra (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Moon War (1981)
• Turtles (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Strategy X (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Jungler (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Armored Car (1981)
• Amidar (1981) (programmed by Konami)
• Frenzy (1982)
• Tazz-Mania (1982)
• Tutankham (1982) (programmed by Konami)
• Pooyan (1982) (programmed by Konami)
• Dark Planet (1982) (designed by Erick Erickson and Dan Langlois)
• Rescue (1982)
• Calipso (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)
• Anteater (1982) (developed by Stern, released by Tago Electronics)
• Mazer Blazer (1982)
• Lost Tomb (1982)
• Bagman (Le Bagnard) (1982) (programmed by Valadon Automation)
• Pop Flamer (1982) (programmed by Jaleco)
• Star Jacker (1983) (programmed by Sega)
• Minefield (1983)
• Cliff Hanger (1983) (laserdisc game using video footage from TMS)
• Great Guns (1984)
• Goal to Go (1984) (laserdisc game)
• Super Bagman (1984) (programmed by Valadon Automation)