This afternoon, Stern Pinball informed its dealers of a new program that it is introducing called the “Stern Vault Program.”
From the sound of the name, one would think that it means Stern is bringing back old games, like the “Vault Editions” of Iron Man and Spider-Man, but this is actually sort of the opposite of that.
Vaulted games are actually titles that Stern is removing from active production. Titles that Stern puts into the “Vault” will remain out of production for a minimum of two years.
The reintroduction of any title in the Vault after that two year period will require significant demand from the pinball community and the renewal of the game’s license, since most licenses will have expired after that long of a break.
The following models will enter the Vault and cease production at the end of 2024:
Deadpool
Iron Maiden
Star Wars
Star Wars Comic Art
Avengers: Infinity Quest
Elvira's House of Horrors
Foo Fighters
Stern believes that a more streamlined pinball lineup will simplify the pinball buying process, especially for first-time buyers, help to eliminate extra inventory at distributors and enable it to focus its marketing efforts on newer games.
In addition to the above Vaulted titles, Stern is officially “retiring” the following games:
The Beatles
Godzilla 70th Anniversary Black & White Edition
Also earlier today, Jersey Jack Pinball announced that it has officially launched new code for its 2018 game Pirates of the Caribbean 🏴☠️, Version 1.0. This new code includes the game’s long-awaited final Wizard Mode.
"We broke the curse!
Code Update v1.00 is now live for Pirates of the Caribbean pinball! This update introduces the highly anticipated Final Wizard Mode: “Break the Curse.”
What’s in the update?
Break the Curse: A challenging 5-ball lock, multi-stage Wizard Mode, qualified after completing all 5 movie Wizard Modes.
Exclusive Movie Assets: New movie content featured during this epic Final Wizard Mode.
Online-connected machines will be automatically prompted to download the update, ensuring a seamless experience!"
I know some people are surprised about Foo getting vaulted (should they though? it's not hard to get one), but Star Wars is the more surprising one. Stern has been making it for almost nine years now. They've made a ton of them and people keep buying them. Maybe this means they'll do another new Star Wars pin in another year or two. It would certainly do well.