Six months after launching its Pokémon pinball machine, Stern Pinball is returning to video-game territory with a table based on Fallout. The post-apocalyptic series is being reimagined as a physical pinball experience, complete with ghouls, raiders and Deathclaws ready to meet a silver pinball.
Players take the role of an inexperienced vault dweller venturing into the irradiated wasteland. The table includes a highly detailed Deathclaw, a spinning Nuka-Cola cap, a moving Vault 33 door, a working PIP-Boy and a Fat Man launcher that sends shots towards targets on the upper playfield.
The machine draws heavily from the two seasons of Amazon Prime’s television adaptation, which stars Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins. It also uses original voice recordings from Johnny Pemberton, whose character undergoes mutation in the series. Elements from Fallout 4 appear too, particularly through the V.A.T.S. system.
That mixture of licensed worlds and role-playing mechanics follows Stern’s recent approach. The company’s 2025 Dungeons & Dragons table combined the tabletop game with pinball, while the Fallout project also received input from Bethesda’s Todd Howard.
Keith Elwin designed the table, following his work on Stern’s Jurassic Park, Jaws and King Kong machines. One rear-table shot appears to echo “the One Ring,” a design idea also associated with Elwin’s Iron Maiden table.
Three Fallout pinball editions
As with many Stern releases, Fallout will be offered in Pro, Premium and Limited Edition versions. Each model has its own feature set and price, with the entry-level Pro listed at US$7,299.
For Australian buyers comparing physical and digital pinball options, RETROCADE’s virtual pinball machines provide another way to explore the format, while the Arcade Machine Buying Guide can help with planning a dedicated home setup.
Video-game licences return to pinball
Although arcade games and pinball have long shared the same venues, video-game licences have rarely appeared as physical pinball machines. Before Pokémon, notable examples included two difficult-to-find Super Mario tables and RollerCoaster Tycoon.
Stern was the major pinball manufacturer to remain after the arcade downturn of the 2000s and the financial crisis that followed. Its resurgence was driven in part by tables based on classic rock and Marvel properties, including AC/DC and Iron Man.
Recent releases suggest a modest shift towards licences aimed at players who grew up with games. Stern’s Pokémon machine was followed soon after by Jersey Jack Pinball’s Sonic the Hedgehog table, marking another notable video-game crossover.
The Fallout pinball machine is scheduled to be playable at PAX West this weekend. For more arcade and pinball coverage, visit RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog.
Leave a Reply