Updated: Jan 24, 2023

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There's a lot of exciting news in the world of pinball lately! Several big names in the industry have announced new upcoming pinball machines coming out in 2023, plus a ton of new pinball machine rumors. Here at Kineticist, we're scouring the web and all sorts of digital content for all the juiciest pinball machine rumors and new machine confirmations, and collecting them here for you.

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So far, we've confirmed the status of upcoming machines and top pinball machine rumors from Stern, Jersey Jack, American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, Haggis Pinball, The Pinball Brothers, and more. Keep checking back for updates, as we'll be adding new information about the next pinball machines for Stern, Jersey Jack and more as information becomes available!

Next Stern Pinball Machine Rumors

What is the next Stern Pinball?

Update: According to multiple industry interviews with the likes of Stern's George Gomez, Stern will be releasing two cornerstone games in 2023. Designers Jack Danger and Brian Eddy will helm these two releases.

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After James Bond, what's next for Stern? While they've been quiet on the cornerstone release front post Bond, they have been clearing production room (and space) by producing final runs of Led Zeppelin, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so something is definitely on the way. However, given that most James Bond home buyers won't be seeing their machines until early 2023, it's likely we won't get an official announcement for some time. However, buzz seems to be triangulating on the next cornerstone pinball release being the first cornerstone game for new designer Jack Danger with Foo Fighters and He-Man being leading contenders.

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There have also been increasing rumors of a Back to the Future machine coming out in 2025 with Keith Elwin on design.

Current Production Stern Pinball Machines

Here's what's on the line and Stern's current production list, for refreshers.

• James Bond
• Rush
• Godzilla
• Star Wars the Mandalorian
• The Avengers Infinity Quest
• Elvira's House of Horrors
• Jurassic Park
• Deadpool
• Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast
• Star Wars
  

Next Stern Pinball Machine Rumors

Here's our complete list of rumors for the next Stern pinball. In order to be a rumored game, it must be mentioned by a reputable source, hinted at by the company through official channels or interviews or considered a consensus pick by the larger pinball community.

• Venom
• Ozzy Osbourne / Black Sabbath
• Jaws
• Back to the Future (2025 release perhaps?)
• Foo Fighters
• Mötley Crüe
• Harry Potter
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Cobra Kai
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
• Updated Metallica
• Tron Vault
• Ghostbusters Vault
• Avatar 2
• Indiana Jones (a new table)

Most Wanted Stern Pinball Themes

These are some of the pinball themes most requested by Stern pinball fans. These may or may not ever make it to production. Think of it as a "wouldn't it be cool if Stern built this table next" list. For an up-to-date list of the most wanted pinball machines, check out our brand new Pinball Hype Index, which ranks the top 100 most wanted pinball themes by the pinball community.

• Predator
• Spawn
• John Wick
• Cowboy Bebop
• Beetlejuice
• Pokemon
• The Running Man
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Prince
• Futurama
• Beavis & Butt-head
• Rocky
• Beastie Boys
• Mad Max
• Minions
• The Warriors
• G.I. Joe
• E.T.
• The Boys
• Dune
• Megadeath
• Blade Runner
• Johnny Quest
• Slayer
• Cheech & Chong
• Archer
• Jumanji
• True Lies
• They Live
• Akira
• Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
• Gremlins

Next Jersey Jack Pinball Machine Rumors

Jersey Jack is arguably the number 2 pinball manufacturer in the United States, but they don't release games nearly as often as Stern does. While Stern will release 3 or more games a year, we're lucky to see a single Jersey Jack machine in that time period. As such, the rumor mill is much less active than Stern's, and likely won't get super active again till they are closer to releasing their next game.

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While the buzz is that their most recent release, Toy Story, isn't performing very well, there are starting to be some rumors about their next release coming sooner than most would expect, with Eric Meunier's next game (The Godfather?) as the leading contender for the next Jersey Jack pinball machine. According to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, we could see Jersey Jack's next game (again, likely to be The Godfather) announced sometime in February of 2023.

There's also a lot of buzz about Jersey Jack releasing an Elton John music pin (hello, Pinball Wizard) with Steve Ritchie at the helm, and that they may have the Top Gun license.

Current Production Jersey Jack Pinball Machines

• Toy Story 4
• Guns n' Roses

Next Jersey Jack Pinball Rumors

• The Godfather
• Steve Ritchie music pin. Rumors: Elton John, Van Halen, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel
• The Matrix
• Top Gun

Most Wanted Jersey Jack Pinball Themes

These are some of the pinball themes most requested by Jersey Jack pinball fans. These may or may not ever make it to production. Think of it as a "wouldn't it be cool if Jersey Jack built this table next" list.

• Avatar 2
• World of Warcraft
• Star Wars
• Super Mario
• Legend of Zelda
• Back to the Future
• The Muppets
• Beetlejuice
• John Wick
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Jumanji
• Terminator

Next American Pinball Rumors

American Pinball is currently planning for two new game releases a year. They aren't up to that level yet in 2023, so like Jersey Jack, American Pinball rumors are few and far between. So far the most credible rumors center around a slate of original unlicensed themes, a Sherlock Holmes theme and designer Barry Oursler's final game.

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Most pinball fans in the know expect to see Galactic Tank Force, an original theme, as American's next release. Rumors are that American Pinball will show off Galactic Tank Force at 2023's Texas Pinball Festival in March.

Current American Pinball Machines

• Hot Wheels
• Legends of Valhalla
• Oktoberfest

Rumored American Pinball Machines

• Galactic Tank Force
• Untitled Barry Oursler game
• Wrath of Olympus
• Robin Hood
• White Water 2

Most Wanted American Pinball Themes

• Assassins' Creed
• Sherlock Holmes
• Benny Hill
• The Witcher
• Monty Python
• Speed Racer
• Run DMC
• Zombieland
• Dragons Lair
• Lego
• Dune

Next Spooky Pinball Rumors

Spooky releases about a machine a year, so not a ton of rumors to discuss. Because Spooky focuses on horror themed pins, the fan wishes are at least a little more creative!

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Spooky Pinball just announced they will be making Scooby Doo as their next machine, so there are not currently any hot rumors beyond what we know about today.

What is the next Spooky Pinball?

Update 12/8: Looks like Scooby Doo has been officially confirmed as the next pinball machine for Spooky Pinball. Fans are going wild for this pick, as we assumed they would.

Current Spooky Pinball Machines

• Halloween
• Ultraman
• Total Nuclear Annihilation 2.0

Rumored Spooky Pinball Machines

• Scooby Doo (it's getting produced!)
• Evil Dead
• Army of Darkness

Most Wanted Spooky Pinball Themes

• Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• Friday the 13th
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Nightmare on Elm Street
• Willy's Wonderland
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Phantasm
• Predator
• Resident Evil
• Bioshock
• Escape from New York
• They Live
• Spawn
• Scream
• Tool
• GWAR
• The Thing

Next Chicago Gaming Company Pinball Rumors

Chicago Gaming Company currently specializes in producing remakes of classic Bally/Williams pinball machines, mostly from the 1990s. While there have been rumors for years that Chicago Gaming would release their own original pinball table, including a long rumored Pulp Fiction game, nothing has been officially confirmed to date. In the past, representatives from Chicago Gaming Company have mentioned games like Theater of Magic and Big Bang Bar as future remake candidates.

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As we sit in 2023, there are still a lot of rumors for an eventual Pulp Fiction theme, and possibly as a team-up with arcade game manufacturer, Raw Thrills.

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There have also been some additional rumors regarding a Big Bang Bar remake, also tied to Raw Thrills and Chicago Gaming Company.

Current Chicago Gaming Company Pinball Machines

• Cactus Canyon Remake
• Attack from Mars Remake
• Medieval Madness Remake

Rumored Chicago Gaming Company Pinball Machines

• Pulp Fiction
• Big Bang Bang Bar Remake
• Twilight Zone

Most Wanted Chicago Gaming Company Pinball Themes

• Theater of Magic Remake
• Big Bang Bar Remake
• Twilight Zone Remake
• Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure
• White Water
• Creature from the Black Lagoon
• Tales of the Arabian Nights
• The Addams Family
• Cirqus Voltaire

Next Pinball Brothers Machine Rumors

The Pinball Brothers accomplished magic by getting their Alien machines out the door and catching up with customer orders just for that title. Queen is on the way, and then what's next? Pinball Brothers recently announced a partnership with their long time manufacturing partner, Pedretti Gaming, with future titles on the way.

Current Pinball Brothers Pinball Machines

• Alien
• Queen

Rumored Pinball Brothers Pinball Machines

• Playboy

Next Haggis Pinball Machine Rumors

Australia's Haggis Pinball seems to be going through some growing pains as they work to get orders of Fathom Revisited out to customers. It's unknown what, if anything, is next in the queue for them.

Current Haggis Pinball Machines

• Fathom Revisited
• Celts

Rumored Haggis Pinball Machines

• War of the Worlds
• Centaur
• Medusa

Most Wanted Haggis Pinball Machines

• Flash Gordon
• Skateball
• Eight Ball Deluxe

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Next Dutch Pinball Machine Rumors

Dutch Pinball has pulled off quite the turnaround by finally catching up to demand for their hit machine, The Big Lebowski. There have been quiet rumors that other games could be on the way, but we have yet to see anything concrete.

Current Dutch Pinball Machines

• The Big Lebowski

Rumored Dutch Pinball Machines

• None at the moment

Most Wanted Dutch Pinball Machines

• Boondock Saints
• Donnie Darko