08/04/26

STERN OF THE UNION ADDRESS – AUGUST 2026

The Stern of the Union Address, your monthly resource for news, information and highlights on all things Stern Pinball. Without further ado my fellow pinheads:

Stern Pinball at San Diego Comic-Con:

We brought pinball to the masses with thousands of our closest friends at San Diego Comic-Con 2026! Check out some of the action and excitement throughout the week!

TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets the Eye by Stern Pinball:

TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets The Eye pinball machines are rolling out worldwide, including a special appearance at this year’s Botcon! Stern Pinball also unveiled the official accessories to level up your game.

Venom Pinball in the Vault:

Choose your host. Change the game! Join our crew for an up-close look at Venom pinball as it heads into the Stern vault! As part of the Stern Vault Program, Venom pinball has been removed from active production and will remain in the vault for a minimum of two years without any guarantee of returning. These games won’t be available forever, so contact for availability before it’s too late! Also check out some top tips and features of this innovative machine because at the end of the day, We. Are. Venom!

Pinball on ESPN:

Mark your calendars and set your recordings, pinball is returning to ESPN this August! On the Ocho, check out the latest edition of the Mountain Dew Stern Pro Circuit Heads-Up Pinball Invitational to see who will win a brand new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire pinball machine!

Insider Connected:

Make sure you log in to see all of the latest and greatest quests, official Stern Army Launch Parties and more in the Insider Connected™ app.

New All-Access Perk Unlocked: Book Your Free Stern Factory Tour!

Ready to see where the magic happens?
We’re excited to announce that factory tour scheduling is now open exclusively for All-Access members with a paid subscription!

As a member, you get:
• 1 FREE factory tour per year (Admission for you + 1 guest)
• Additional guests or tours: just $25 per person

During this one-hour, guided factory tour, you’ll:
• Step behind the scenes at the Stern Pinball factory
• Watch pinball machines come to life—from initial wiring to cabinet decaling
• Learn about the craftsmanship, technology, and passion that power every Stern game
• Experience an up-close look at the world’s leading pinball manufacturer

How to Book
1. Click the link below to open the booking page
2. Log into your All-Access Insider Connected account using the link on the booking page
3. Choose your preferred date and time
4. Add any additional guests (optional)
5. Complete the checkout process in order to book your tour.

https://stpb.co/tour

Spots are limited and will fill up fast—secure your visit to the Stern factory and see how the game is made! Contact us at tours@sternpinball.com if you have any questions.

Gameroom of the Month:

Congrats to Alex Moheban for winning Gameroom of the Month! Do you have a special home gameroom you want to share with the world? Submit your incredible gameroom directly to Insider@sternpinball.com for your chance to be featured as our next winner!

Stern Army Updates:

The Stern Army continues to grow with troops spreading the gospel of pinball across the globe. Stern Army locations receive first priority shipment of new Stern games for hosting official Launch Parties in addition to supporting events with prizes, giveaways, promotional materials, and tools for hosting recurring tournaments and leagues. Engage and expand your local pinball community and to join the Stern Army, please reach out to SternArmy@sternpinball.com

Location of the Month:

Congrats to Temkin’s Bar of Brooklyn, New York for winning Location of the Month! Do you have a special location you want to share with the world? Submit your pictures directly to Insider@sternpinball.com for your chance to be featured as our next winner!

Stern Pro Circuit:

Congrats to all competitors at this year’s Pinburgh and The Beast Stern Pro Circuit tournaments! In the end, Jason Zahler did the unprecedented, winning his 3^rd Pinburgh championship in a row! Jack Slovacek conquered the competition at The Beast! For full details on the Stern Pro Circuit and to keep up with the current standings and schedule, please visit – https://sternpinball.com/stern-pro-circuit/

2026 Stern Pro Circuit Rankings – Top 10
1st	Eric Stone	Fort Myers, FL
2nd	Zach McCarthy	Conifer, CO
3rd	Sterling Mitoska	Brooklyn, MI
4th	Jason Zahler	NJ
5th	Tim Hansen	Sunnyvale, CA
6th	Steven Bowden	Palatine, IL
7th	Carlos Delaserda	Columbus, OH
8th	Luke Nahorniak	Lonsdale, MN
9th	Dante Oliva	Raleigh, NC
10th	Raymond Davidson	Elk Grove Village, IL

Upcoming Stern Pro Circuit Events:

Stern Pro Circuit Event	Date	Tournament Details
D82 Summer Pinball Classic	8/13-16	https://district82.com/event/summer-pinball-classic-2026/
NW Pinball Championships	8/27-30	https://www.nwpinballchamps.com/
PAPA World Championship	9/10-13	https://lfs.papa.org/papa23/
UK Pinball Open	9/24-27	https://playpinball.uk/

Stern Pro Circuit 2026 Schedule:

Mark your calendars for the upcoming 2026 season of the Stern Pro Circuit sponsored by Mountain Dew!

Stern Rewards Program:

In partnership with the International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA), the Stern Rewards Program annually provides IFPA players who qualify the chance to purchase a new Stern Pinball machine at a special IFPA price plus the opportunity for additional Stern merchandise discounts. Detailed rules for the Stern Rewards Program, including an updated list of qualifiers and updated list of rewards available can be found HERE.

The IFPA is excited to announce that Stern has added Pokémon by Stern Pinball Pro and Premium to the rewards program!

Status of Code:

We are continuously working to update and improve software for our machines. There are always code updates and bug fixes in various stages of development; we will release them upon update completion. If you would like to join our mailing list for code updates, please send an e-mail to Code.Updates@sternpinball.com. If you do encounter any bugs please feel free to provide information to bug.report@sternpinball.com. Get Connected and play! https://insider.sternpinball.com/

Code updates and read me files are available at https://sternpinball.com/support/game-code/

Merch and Accessories:

SPIKE 3 Speaker Lights are now available to purchase, make your game stand out!

https://shop.sternpinball.com/products/spike-3-pro-premium-speaker-lighting-system

Check out our Stern Shop for all accessories, collectibles, clothing and more!

Stern Pinball accessories are also available to purchase from your local authorized dealer – https://sternpinball.com/find-a-dealer/

Ask Jack Anything:

You’ve got questions? Jack has answers! Ask Jack Anything* is a place to communicate more personably with us at Stern Pinball. Think of it as a digital suggestion box. Don’t be afraid to reach out about anything. It’s as anonymous as you want it to be! ⚡

https://sternpinball.com/askjack/

Check out some of the latest episodes here!

Random Tutorials, Interviews and more:

Check out a slew of fun content, tutorials, and more including this exclusive interview with George Gomez and a big congratulations to Stern Pinball’s Brian Whitfield on the promotion!

07/27/26

Stern Pinball Announces Promotion of Brian Whitfield…

07/21/26

Roll out with the full line of…

07/07/26

STERN OF THE UNION ADDRESS – JULY…

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA)

STERN PINBALL

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

This limited software license Agreement (“Agreement”) applies to your use of Stern Pinball Software pre-installed on a Stern Pinball Machine and any Authorized Updates made available to you. BY USING YOUR STERN PINBALL MACHINE, YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. If you do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, do not use your Stern Pinball Machine or any Authorized Updates. Please read this entire Agreement, which governs your use of the Stern Pinball Machine, Stern Pinball Software and all Authorized Updates. ADULT CONSENT TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT, YOU MUST BE AN ADULT OF THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY IN YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE. YOU ARE LEGALLY AND FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ACTIONS USING YOUR STERN PINBALL MACHINE AND SOFTWARE AND ACCESSING OR USING ANY ONLINE GAMING PLATFORM, INCLUDING THE ACTIONS OF ANYONE YOU ALLOW TO USE AND ACCESS TO YOUR MACHINE AND ANY ASSOCIATED ACCOUNT. YOU AFFIRM THAT YOU HAVE REACHED THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY, UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU ARE UNDER THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY, YOUR PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN MUST CONSENT TO THIS AGREEMENT. DEFINITIONS.

“Stern Pinball Machine” means a Stern Pinball arcade game machine.
“Stern Pinball Software” means software (including but not limited to firmware) pre-installed in the Stern Pinball Machine, including all Authorized Content and any Authorized Updates that Stern Pinball may make available to You from time to time.
“Authorized Content” means all Stern Pinball and third-party owned software and content incorporated into or used with the Stern Pinball Software or otherwise embedded in or utilized by a Stern Pinball Machine, including but not limited to graphics, images, music, vocals and voices.
“Authorized Update” means an update to the Stern Pinball Software distributed by Stern Pinball or otherwise made available by Stern Pinball, including for download on its web site.
“Unauthorized Content” means all content, including but not limited to limited to graphics, images, music, vocals and voices, that does not comprise Authorized Content or an Authorized Update.
“Unauthorized Software” means any software (including but not limited to firmware) not pre-installed by Stern Pinball on a Stern Pinball Machine or that does not comprise Authorized Content or Authorized Update.
“You” means the purchaser or current owner of a Stern Pinball Machine.

LICENSE. Stern Pinball hereby grants You a nonexclusive, non-transferable, limited, and revocable right and license to use one copy of the Stern Pinball Software and Authorized Content and any Authorized Update solely for your personal use, or that of your patrons and customers if you are a commercial entity, for playing a single Stern Pinball Machine. The Stern Pinball Software, Authorized Content and Authorized Updates are licensed, not sold, to You, and no ownership rights are transferred by this Agreement. The Stern Pinball Software Authorized Content and Authorized Updates are protected by U.S. and international copyright. All rights not explicitly granted to you in this Agreement are reserved by Stern Pinball.

As a condition to this Stern Pinball Software license, You agree that:
1. You will not copy, reproduce, alter, replace, distribute, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, display, perform, create derivative works based on, or otherwise modify the Stern Pinball hardware or Stern Pinball Software or any Authorized Update, in whole or in part; and will not commercially exploit any of the foregoing.
2. You will not use or install any Unauthorized Content or Unauthorized Software. Use of Unauthorized Content or Unauthorized Software may result in your Stern Pinball Machine ceasing to work permanently and/or losing access to Stern Pinball’s online game network, either immediately or after a later installed Authorized Update.
3. You will not create, develop, distribute or assist anyone else in creating, developing or distributing any Unauthorized Content or Unauthorized Software intended for use with a Stern Pinball Machine, whether to add to or modify the gameplay, any audio content (whether music, sound or voice), or any video content of any Stern Pinball Machine, or to gain advantage in any online or other game modes, or otherwise.
4. You will not share any Stern Pinball Software, Authorized Content or Authorized Update with any other person or company and will not permit anyone else to access or copy any Stern Pinball Software or Authorized Content or Authorized Update installed on your Machine for any purpose.
5. In view of the rights held by third-party owners of Authorized Content (e.g., music and video clips), Stern does not have the legal authority to give permission to stream the gameplay of Stern Pinball Machines.
6. You will not attempt to defeat or circumvent any anti-piracy, security, and/or technical measures to control access to the Stern Pinball Software, features, functions or content, prevent unauthorized use, or otherwise prevent anyone from exceeding the limited license rights granted under this Agreement, “Security Measures”. Attempting to defeat or circumvent any Security Measure may result in your Stern Pinball Machine ceasing to work permanently either immediately or after a later installed Authorized Update.
7. Stern Pinball may update the Stern Pinball Software from time to time without further notice to You, for example, to update any anti-piracy, security, and technical measure.

PRIVACY POLICY Your use of the Stern Pinball Machine, Stern Pinball Software and any Authorized Updates are subject to Stern Pinball’s Privacy Policy which can be found at https://wp.sternpinball.com/privacy-policy/ WARRANTY EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, THE STERN PINBALL SOFTWARE, AUTHORIZED CONTENT AND AUTHORIZED UPDATES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWABLE UNDER LAW, STERN PINBALL DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, STERN PINBALL DOES NOT WARRANT THAT OPERATION OF THE STERN PINBALL MACHINE OR ANY ONLINE OR CONNECTED GAME NETWORK WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES STERN PINBALL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; ANY LOSS OF DATA, PRIVACY, CONFIDENTIALITY, OR PROFITS; OR ANY INABILITY TO USE THE STERN PINBALL MACHINE, STERN PINBALL SOFTWARE OR ANY AUTHORIZED UPDATE. THESE EXCLUSIONS APPLY EVEN IF STERN PINBALL HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THESE DAMAGES, AND EVEN IF ANY REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. Some countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so this limitation or exclusion may not apply to You. These terms apply to the maximum extent permitted by law and unless prohibited by law. These terms do not change your rights under the laws of your country if those laws do not permit that change. TERRITORY AND CHOICE OF LAW This License is valid only in the country in which you purchased your Stern Pinball Machine. This License will be subject to and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, U.S.A., regardless of conflict of laws principles. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in Cook County, Illinois, U.S.A. for the resolution of any dispute regarding this Agreement or the subject matter of this Agreement and to waive any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such courts. This Agreement may be updated by Stern Pinball from time to time with the current version posted at www.wp.sternpinball.com/EULA. Your continued use of the Stern Pinball Software an Authorized Update after an updated Agreement has been posted constitutes your acceptance of all of its terms.

DOWNLOAD EULA (.PDF)

I have read the EULA and agree to the terms.

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