KING KONG: MYTH OF TERROR ISLAND REVEALED

Stern Pinball have revealed their second ‘cornerstone’ game of 2025 with the unveiling of King Kong: Myth of Terror Island.

Unlike some of Stern’s earlier titles, this game has been widely rumoured as the next design from Keith Elwin. The ‘Myth of Terror Island‘ sub-title appears to be a Stern creation and not based on any previous King Kong licence. The public domain status of the King Kong character gives the Stern team creative freedom to craft their own storyline and assets.

So, game design is by Keith Elwin. Artwork is an unusual collaboration between Stern’s new Studio Art Director, Jeremy Packer (a.k.a. Zombie Yeti), legendary pinball artist Kevin O’Connor and Stern’s previous Art Director, Greg Freres. Music and Sound Design is by Jerry Thompson together with custom speech by Brian ‘Q’ Quinn, while the Software Designer is Rick Naegele, with Mechanical Design by Harrison Drake.

As usual with the ‘cornerstone’ titles from Stern, there are three variants of King Kong – Pro, Premium and Limited Edition. They are priced at:

• Pro: $6,999
• Premium: $9,699
• Limited Edition: $12,999

The Limited Edition model has all the bells and whistles, both on the playfield and cosmetically. The Premium usually drops many of the cosmetic additions but keeps the same playfield, while the Pro takes some of the features off the playfield too.

Let’s start with the basic Pro model, before looking at the top-end Limited Edition and finally the in-between Premium.

PRO

The Pro model features the familiar black speckled-finish side rails, lock bar and other metalwork. The backbox uses a translite for the model-specific artwork.

LIMITED EDITION

The Limited Edition model includes special laser-cut side rails which help protect the flipper buttons area. It also features a mirrored backglass, a moulding around the action button, illuminated speakers and metallic reflective cabinet artwork.

PREMIUM

The Premium model also includes flipper button area protection for the cabinet artwork , albeit in a plainer design than the Limited Edition. It too has a model-specific translite in the backbox.

Here are the three models side-by-side.

And so to the playfield and this time we’ll start with the Limited Edition model to see all the element intended by the designer before some were cost-reduced for the Pro model.

LIMITED EDITION

This four-flippered game has an unusual left outlane arrangement. A zig-zag ball return leads to an outer lane which curves to feed the inlane ball return through a one-way gate, like many ’80s Bally titles. Like those, the inner lane is actually the drain, however a Log Bridge diverter can be activated to feed that lane back to the flipper too.

The headline toy in the Limited Edition and Premium model has to be King Kong himself. That means an animatronic toy which turns and raises his fists, smashing them down to derail a train. The train is a ball lock which, when upended, spills the balls onto the playfield to start multiball.

Shoots to the gong mech are used to summon Kong and start island modes.

Bashing the gong, when lit, adds letters to the K-I-N-G-K-O-N-G inserts across the playfield.

Over on the left side is a bank of four drop targets which reveal a standup treasure target behind.

Below and to the left of the target bank is The Pit, and electromagnet with an animated Giant Spider sculpt mounted above.

There are two spinners in the game. One in the left orbit lane and the other in the centre lane.

The Limited Edition model comes with artblades on the left and right inner cabinet sides.

PRO

To reduce costs, the Pro model eschews several of the mechanisms and sculpts found in the Premium and Limited Edition models.

The animated King Kong character in the top-right becomes a static model in the Pro.

Without arms to crush the train, it comes pre-crushed as a flat plastic piece of artwork.

The lack of a train lock makes the ball locks virtual in the Pro model.

The biplane model is substituted for a cheaper version built from flat plastic pieces.

Rather then using a cheaper model, the Giant Spider model has been removed completely in the Pro edition. The magnet in The Pit does remain, however.

Also removed is the temple sculpt and the swinging gong. These are replaced by more… yes, flat plastics.

However, the two spinners do remain in the Pro.

Here are the Pro and Limited Edition playfields side-by-side.

So, the main changes with the Pro playfield are the removal of the custom sculpted pieces and the animation of the King Kong character.

Here’s the feature matrix comparing what’s in each of the three models.

Here’s how Stern Pinball announced their latest release.

CHICAGO, IL – April 15, 2025 – Today, Stern Pinball, Inc., the largest designer and manufacturer of pinball games in the world, revealed King Kong: Myth of Terror Island – a brand-new collection of pinball games featuring one of the largest staples of popular culture: King Kong. King Kong has been a leading force in cultural media since his first appearance in 1932 and has influenced every medium of entertainment through films, television, books, art, comics, video games, and more.  Stern Pinball takes players on an all-new journey through the fabled King Kong original story, creatively re-invented specifically for pinball. King Kong: Myth of Terror Island pinball games are available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models. In Stern Pinball’s King Kong: Myth of Terror Island pinball games, players join Ann Darrow, Jack Driscoll, and Karl Denham on their journey to the mysterious Terror Island, which results in King Kong traveling back to New York City with disastrous (and fun) consequences. Featuring innovative playfield design and iconic mechanisms from the creative team that brought players pinball mega hits such as JAWS, Godzilla, and Jurassic Park, players will experience King Kong in a whole new way. Watch King Kong come to life while playing King Kong: Myth of Terror Island. A custom-sculpted King Kong will react to player action through a new animatronic animation system, swinging his arms and torso to assert his dominance. Summon him by hitting the custom sculpted Gong bash target, but beware, when pinballs are locked into a New York City train car, an agitated King Kong will destroy and flip it over to start King Kong multiball. Encounter and escape danger as players enter “The Pit” on Terror Island. Guarded by a custom-sculpted giant spider, this area magnetically grabs and attacks the ball, so be prepared. Travel through dangerous terrain by exploring the thrilling helix-shaped Biplane ramp featuring a custom sculpted biplane toy in addition to a secret river ball path and river log diverter. Thrilling gameplay features and challenges await players on this four-flipper adventure. Unlock the secrets of the Lost Temple four bank drop targets with a hidden standup target and navigate into the Kong Cave scoop and vertical up kicker.  Survive Kong’s punch-back kicking target, which launches balls back at the player. This pinball adventure highlights original animations, music, sounds, and speech, with original art brought to life by legendary pinball illustrators Kevin O’Connor, Greg Freres, and Jeremy Packer aka Zombie Yeti. Custom speech is provided by comedy legend Brian “Q” Quinn from Impractical Jokers fame, along with Rick Zieff, Peter Mackenzie, and Scott Mosenson. Featuring Stern Pinball’s best-in-class commercial quality and reliability backed by a one-year warranty, King Kong: Myth of Terror Island is in a beautiful package with Stern’s ever-expanding Insider Connected™ platform. Insider Connected enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in multiple ways, including ongoing code updates from Stern Pinball to extend and improve the experience over time. Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, earn new game-specific Achievements, and explore Terror Island on an unforgettable treasure hunt of a lifetime. Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/ or in the Insider Connected App. Download it today on iOS and Android. To honor the original creation of King Kong in 1932, the Limited Edition model will be limited to 932 games globally. This highly collectible model includes the Speaker Expression Lighting System with King Kong-themed game effects, a full-color mirrored backglass, full-color reflective foil high-definition cabinet decals with hand-drawn artwork, exclusive custom King Kong art deco inspired pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and a digital Insider Connected LE owner’s badge on registration. “King Kong has been a true staple of pop culture for decades, and we’re so excited for players to experience his larger-than-life persona through pinball,” said Seth Davis, President & CEO of Stern Pinball. “We can’t wait for players to take on the eighth wonder of the world in this completely original interpretation of this legend that is designed perfectly for pinball.” King Kong: Myth of Terror Island is available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world, which can be found here. Stay up to date by following Stern Pinball on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. 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 King Kong: Myth of Terror Island pinball games are available now through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers worldwide and feature Stern’s best-in-class commercial quality reliability backed by a one-year warranty.

Naturally, Stern have released a couple of videos to promote their new release.

First we have the game trailer, which features the Limited Edition model.

Secondly, the longer explainer video for King Kong: Myth of Terror Island.

In addition, two-sided flyers are available for all three models. Here they are:

We’ll be back with lots more about Stern Pinball’s new King Kong: Myth of Terror Island, right here at Pinball News.