Stern’s New Pinball Machine, Star Wars: Fate of the Empire, Is Out Soon

Stern’s latest pinball machine is taking us back to the earliest days of Star Wars. Like the company’s 2017 Star Wars pinball, the newly announced Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is set during the original trilogy, and tracks the Rebel Alliance’s successful campaign against the Empire. Unlike that machine’s complicated rules, though—which had you select one of the movies’ major characters and then play through major moments from their arcs—Fall of the Empire seems to take a broader view of the Star Wars of it all. It promises that players will relive iconic events from the movies, from lassoing the legs of AT-ATs to escaping from Cloud City on Bespin, and also encounter eight characters in one form or another. Ever wonder what happened to Boba Fett after he fell into Jabba’s Sarlacc pit in what seemed for decades to  be an inglorious death? Fall of the Empire will give you an idea, as one of the game modes will see you also enter the pit. Expect other modes inspired by Darth Vader, some kind of Force effects, and more Star Wars biz straight from the original movies.

As with almost any modern pin, you can also expect cool toys on the playfield—in this case, small versions of the Death Star, the Millennium Falcon, an X-Wing, and, depending on which version you play, other things, as well. And if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, but still love pinball, you might want to check Fall of the Empire out just to see what the future of Stern’s tech looks like; it’s the first major new game to use the company’s latest tech platform, SPIKE 3. It includes a new, resized HD display that’s 18.5″ big, along with an improved audio system and a beefier processor. It also supports Wi-Fi, which is basically standard on new pins these days, and if you want to actually hear the various lines and call-outs while playing—Stern is hyping that the machine includes over 1000 film and audio assets—you can also hook up some wireless headphones.

As usual with Stern, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is shipping in three different models. The high-end Limited Edition uses Stern’s most advanced lighting systems and comes with a mirrored backglass, exclusive pinball armor, better audio, a shaker motor, a numbered plaque, and more, and is limited to 770 units. (77, 1977… get it?) The Premium model is the mid-end option, with unique art and more elaborate technology than the entry-level Pro model; Pro and Premium have the same playfield toys and game modes this time around, at least. They’ll be shipping at what’s the current standard pricing for Stern: $6999 for Pro, $9699 for Premium, and $12999 for LE.

In a press release, Stern President & CEO Seth Davis accentuates both the enduring popularity of Star Wars and the novel approach Fate of the Empire is bringing to the material. “Star Wars is one of the most iconic franchises in entertainment history and bringing it to life with a fresh take in our new pinball machine is a dream come true for our team who grew up as fans,” Davis is quoted as saying. “At Stern Pinball, we always want to deliver an immersive, high-energy experience for our players, and there’s no better way to do that than with Star Wars.”

The Limited Editions are supposedly shipping in September, and according to a source operators are expected to receive Pro and Premium models in the first half of October. So if you’ve got the credits to splurge on the big gun, you could have it in your home by the end of the month. And if you’ve got a reliable location to play new Sterns, you could be hands on with the new Star Wars pin within the next month.

Check out images of the new machine below. The cabinet and playfield images show off, from left to right, the Pro, Premium, and LE models. And below those you’ll find three trailers that Stern has released for the new machine.