STERN ANNOUNCES JAWS

After teasing their latest ‘cornerstone’ title, Stern Pinball today released details of their Jaws game.

Several pictures and a trailer video were leaked online earlier this week, but this is our first look at the official announcement and full details of the three models available – Pro, Premium and Limited Edition.

Jaws is not only based on the 1975 movie of the same name starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss which centres around the fictional seaside town of Amity Island where a number of swimmers are killed by a mysterious force, later discovered to be the titular Great White Shark, followed by a watery (and bloody) showdown between the trio and the shark. In fact, the Jaws pinball is based on all four Jaws movies – even Jaws 3D.

Stern’s top-of-the-range model is the Limited Edition. This is limited to 1,000 units and includes a mirrored backglass depicting the iconic movie poster. The cabinet adds reflective foil artwork by Michael Barnard and ‘Great White’ powder coating to the metalwork. The speaker lighting has also been upgraded from previous titles with more game-related lighting effects.

Probably the most famous aspect of the whole movie is the ominous theme music by John Williams. So naturally, this appears in the game too, alongside custom speech from Richard Dreyfus who plays Matt Hooper in the movie. However, it seems Roy Scheider (Chief Martin Brody) isn’t included beyond the movie clips on the LCD panel and audio clips from the film, with no playfield or cabinet artwork depicting him.

So, let’s begin by comparing the look of the three models before examining their cabinet and playfield differences.

Pro Model

The $6,999 pro features the same backglass artwork as the Limited Edition but here it’s a plain translite. The cabinet artwork is also the same as the LE, but again, it is only a standard decal and doesn’t feature the reflective foil. The metalwork is the standard matte black and the backbox trim is black too.

Premium

For the $9,699 Premium model the translite is upgraded to a custom design as is the cabinet artwork. The movie poster design moves to the backbox sides while the cabinet gains flipper button area protection on the side rails and the backbox trim is blood red.

Limited Edition

The $12,999 Limited Edition returns to the movie poster from the real, mirrored backglass, while the ‘Great White’ metalwork includes shark bite cutouts on the side rails. Meanwhile, the shooter rod features a barrel design.

Here are all three models side-by-side:

So much for the outside, but what’s on the inside?

For this section we’ll begin with the Limited Edition playfield design. This is essentially the same in the Premium model minus some decorative elements, so we’ll cover both before moving on to the more stripped-down Pro model.

Limited Edition/Premium

There are several major mechanisms on the playfield of the Limited Edition (and Premium). Let’s take a look at them, starting with the fin target.

We’ve had moving targets before, of course. Games such as The Rolling Stones, Big Buck Hunter Pro and Monster Bash, for instance, all had a groove across the playfield along which a target moved. Jaws uses the arc used in The Rolling Stones and Monster Bash, but rather than have a stand-up target, Jaws uses a moving drop target, meaning it doesn’t always block a part of the playfield.

The fin target appears in all three models of the game, unlike our next feature.

Above the fin target we have the boat captive ball.

The captive ball can be hit and pushed into a target behind to register a hit.

Once it has been hit enough times, you can start a shark encounter. When that happens, the boat is pushed up out of the water as the Great White rises from below.

The Great White then becomes a bash toy as you battle the shark. Although the mouth appears wide open, it actually sits above the playfield level and isn’t designed to swallow the ball.

To the right of the boat and shark is the fishing reel horizontal spinning disc which is one of two such devices in the LE and Premium models.

The post on the top can’t be hit and appears to simply be a weight to ensure the disc returns to a position where it can be spun again.

The second major mechanism which is unique to the upper models is, appropriately enough, an upper playfield.

The Orca was the iconic boat used in the famous final shark battle. As such, it bears the marks of the battle including blood and a shark bite.

The Orca upper playfield has a single mini-flipper, an inner steering wheel spinning disc loop, a radio standup target, a top exit lane ramp shot and a bottom exit lane.

Next to the bottom exit is the swinging chum bucket captive ball.

The fixed ball has a movable ball behind. When the front ball is hit, the rear ball cannons into a pivoting arm which holds the chum bucket, causing it to swing.

Further down the playfield, on the left side are three drop targets which light the fish finder feature on the inserts in front.

Above this is the entrance to a lane which flows behind the drop targets down to the left inlane. This lane, like the drop targets and much more can be shot by the game’s fourth flipper, found on the right side of the playfield.

This side flipper has a lane feeding it which passes behind the game’s sole pop bumper. The pop bumper has a sculpted barrel topper on the LE and Premium.

The side flipper is just above the right outlane, and this too has an interesting feature not seen for a while.

If the ball rolling down the right outlane strikes the rubber ringed post just right it can be deflected through a one-way gate into the inlane.

The right inlane, like the left inlane, has an up-post to hold the ball while a mode begins.

There are inserts indicating your progress across the playfield, but you main progress is shown by the inserts in the central playfield area.

Here are some additional pictures from the Limited Edition model.

Pro Model

The Pro model, as expected, lacks some of the playfield features included in the Premium and Limited Edition models.

The upper playfield has gone, as has the animating boat mechanism revealing the shark. Instead, a rather happy-looking shark is permanently mounted above the cage captive ball area.

The boathouse model has also gone, replaced with a flat plastic.

The boat mechanism is greatly simplified in the Pro and converted into a shark cage. The cage doesn’t rise to reveal the shark. The shark is mounted above the cage instead.

On the plus side, the moving fin target remains, as does the chum bucket captive ball.

In addition, the drop targets for the fish finder feature have been replaced by standup targets on the Pro model.

Here are a few more pictures of the Pro model.

Here’s the feature matrix showing what’s included (or not) in each of the three models:

Here’s how Stern announced their latest release:

CHICAGO, IL – January 4, 2024 – Stern Pinball, Inc. announces their newest pinball games featuring JAWS, one of the most iconic motion picture thrillers of all time from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.  Players will experience all four blockbuster JAWS films like never before, with brand-new mechanical features inspired by iconic movie moments and state-of-the-art technology.  JAWS pinball games are available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models. JAWS transports players to the fictional locale of Amity Island, located off the coast of Long Island, New York.  The small fishing community is a popular beach vacation location in the summer.  As Fourth of July vacationers close in on the island’s picturesque beaches, grave danger lurks below sea level… The Amity Island mayor covers up the shark attacks out of fear of losing the island’s tourism money, resulting in more terrifying attacks. Stern’s JAWS pinball games will have players grabbing their harpoons and playing as Quint, Hooper, and Brody to save Amity Island’s residents and the Fourth of July!  As the grizzled fishermen, tackle the most dangerous ocean creatures on the planet.  Tension mounts as you see “blood in the water” from our animated lighting effects.  Fire pinballs at the motorized “Shark Fin” target swimming across the playfield.  Anticipation builds as you navigate the “Orca Boat” upper playfield, featuring a “Lookout Tower” ramp, a ship’s wheel horizontal spinner on the deck, and a “Radio” stand-up target to call for help.  Lookout!  A motorized custom sculpted “Great White Shark” bash toy comes crashing through the bottom of a fishing boat, terrorizing players in this thrilling pinball odyssey.  Will you survive JAWS?! In addition to immersive film and audio assets integrated into pinball action, JAWS includes custom speech by actor Richard Dreyfuss and the iconic movie theme music by John Williams. “Honoring one of the greatest movie franchises of all time, we’re giving JAWS our most advanced software and hardware to date,” said Seth Davis, President & CEO of Stern Pinball, “We can’t wait to debut JAWS Pinball’s heart-pounding gameplay to the world!” JAWS pinball games include Stern’s award-winning Insider Connected™ system, which enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in multiple ways.  Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, hunt Achievements, take on special JAWS Quests, and work on their lifetime Bounty Hunter rank. Insider Connected also provides an operator-focused toolset to drive location play through a better player experience, game location discovery, location leaderboards, performance analysis, automatic code updates, and remote diagnostics for easier maintenance.  Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/ or in the Insider Connected App.  Download it today on iOS and Android. Limited to 1,000 games globally, the highly collectible Limited Edition model includes a full-color mirrored backglass based on the iconic JAWS movie poster by world-renowned artist Roger Kastel, full-color reflective foil high-definition cabinet decal with hand-drawn artwork by Michael Barnard, exclusive custom “Great White” powder-coated pinball armor, Speaker Expression Lighting with JAWS-themed game effects (sonar, water, blood in the water, and more!), a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, exclusive inside art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Stern President & CEO Seth Davis and Chairman & Founder Gary Stern. Pricing and Availability: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (“MSRP”)*:  *MSRP for sales to USA end-users before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.                               Pro Edition:                                                     $US 6,999 Premium Edition:                                            $US 9,699 Limited Edition:                                              $US 12,999 JAWS pinball games and accessories are available now through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers worldwide. About Insider Connected Insider Connected is a comprehensive technology initiative to connect the universe of Stern pinball games.  The platform increases player engagement with the games across commercial and home environments. Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com or in the Insider Connected App.  Download it today on iOS and Android.  Players can also register at a connected game by scanning a registration QR code on the machine.  Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that identifies that player at Stern pinball games anywhere in the world.  When a player scans into the game, they can track progress, earn new game-specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests. “Insider Connected is transforming how players interact with pinball games.  Operators benefit from new tools that drive repeat play and help maintain games remotely.  At the same time, players can earn special entertainment location badges,” said Seth Davis, President and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. About Stern Pinball, Inc. Stern Pinball, Inc. creates compelling entertainment that inspires a lifetime love of games, sparks passion, forges friendships, and connects people everywhere through fun, innovative, technologically advanced pinball games, and experiences.  Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise.  Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe. Recent Stern Pinball titles include JAWS, Venom, Foo Fighters, James Bond, Rush, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Led Zeppelin, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man.  A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games, from professional pinball players competing in high-stakes global competitions to novice players discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time.  To join the fun and learn more, please visit www.sternpinball.com. About JAWS Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry.  When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled fisherman (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.  Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, JAWS remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history. ###  All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.

There are flyers available for each model of the game. Here they are:

Of course there are also some videos about the game. First we have the promo trailer, then a more detailed look at the game from the team at Stern.

Stern Pinball will be showing their new Jaws game in a few days at the CES show on Stern’s own stand (#16254) after which we expect it to appear at the EAG International trade show in London.

We’ll be there to play the game for ourselves are report back to you, so check back here at Pinball News for all the latest updates about Stern Pinball’s new Jaws game.