Episode 49: Pinball 2026: What’s REALLY Coming (Rumors vs Reality)
What’s really coming to pinball in 2026? In this episode of The Flipside, we break down everything we know and everything we’re hearing about upcoming pinball machines, rumored titles, manufacturer...
Highlights
- Pokemon will be Stern's Q1 2026 release, announced mid-to-late January, not at CES
- Transformers (G1-based) is expected to be Stern's second cornerstone release later in 2026
- Fallout is likely Stern's Q3 2026 release
- AC/DC is rumored as a Stern remaster but Ralph expresses skepticism about this choice
- Halo is a high-confidence rumor for Chicago Chicago Gaming Company with Play Mechanics involvement
- Beetlejuice production ramping up in January 2026 with games already in production
- Goonies is a medium-confidence rumor for Spooky's next game after Beetlejuice
- Sonic the Hedgehog (video game-based, not movie) is confirmed for 2026, designed by Steve Ritchie
- Sonic likely to be an Expo 2026 reveal due to Harry Potter production backlog still being cleared
Notable quotes
“I think with high confidence...Pokemon is going to be the game that we see in the first quarter of 2026 from Stern Pinball.”
“This might be the first Stern game that I decide to sit this one out. I don't have any nostalgia for Pokemon.”
“I don't know why they'd go AC/DC...I think Tron would be a brilliant game to remaster. Lord of the Rings would be another one.”
“I can't think of a better property for pinball or one of the top properties for pinball than Sonic the Hedgehog. It pulls on nostalgia heartstrings big time.”
“I can't think of a better company to make Goonies than Spooky Pinball and Goonies seem so on brand for Spooky.”
“Harry Potter was like the game that broke it down for them. Finally, it's a fun shooter.”
“If this happens, I am going to be all over this and this will be an instant buy for me, which is Goonies.”
Entities
- Barrels of Fun· company
- Chicago Gaming Company· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Nap Arcade· company
- Play Mechanics· company
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Beetlejuice· game
- Evil Dead· game
- Fallout· game
- Goonies· game
- Halo· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Pokemon· game
- Pulp Fiction· game
- Sonic the Hedgehog· game
- Transformers· game
- Eric Meunier· person
- George Gomez· person
- Kaneda· person
- Ken Cromwell· person
- Kerry Hardy· person
- Mark Ritchie· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Steve Ritchie· person
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