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Gary Stern, son of pinball entrepreneur Sam Stern, has been immersed in the coin-operated amusement industry from an early age. After working summers at Williams Electronics, he co-founded Stern Electronics with his father in the late 1970s, producing both pinball and early video arcade hits like Berzerk. When the video game crash of the early 1980s forced Stern Electronics to close, Gary moved on to help establish Data East Pinball in 1986. Under his leadership, Data East introduced licensed-theme pinball machines based on pop-culture icons such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and Guns N’ Roses, a strategy that revitalized the market. After Data East Pinball was sold to Sega in 1994, Gary stayed at the helm, overseeing a steady output of innovative titles until Sega’s parent company opted to exit the pinball sector.
In 1999, at a time when the pinball industry was in a steep decline, Gary Stern acquired the division from Sega and rebranded it as Stern Pinball, Inc. This move effectively positioned Stern Pinball as the last major manufacturer standing, with Gary focusing on lean business practices, licensed themes, and approachable gameplay to keep the hobby alive. Through the early 2000s, Stern navigated market challenges by leveraging well-known franchises and maintaining a stable workforce of experienced designers. As the industry rebounded in the 2010s, Stern Pinball embraced new technologies such as LCD screens and online connectivity, securing its status as a global leader. Today, Gary Stern is widely regarded as the patriarch of modern pinball, credited with sustaining the art form through its toughest eras and helping spark its recent renaissance.
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