Sega Pinball Inc. (US)

Sega Pinball Inc. was formed in 1994 when Sega acquired Data East Pinball and operated out of Melrose Park, Illinois under industry veterans Gary Stern and Joe Kaminkow, focusing on licensed, themed pinball machines that helped sustain the mid-1990s pinball market. During its roughly five-year run Sega Pinball released ambitious licensed titles such as Batman Forever, Apollo 13, Baywatch, Star Wars Trilogy, Godzilla, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and GoldenEye, showcasing innovations like large dot-matrix displays, immersive theme integration and staged multiball to broaden appeal beyond traditional arcades. Mounting financial pressures led Sega to discontinue the division in 1999 and sell the pinball assets to Gary Stern, who founded Stern Pinball and carried on the design team and legacy, leaving Sega Pinball’s portfolio and technological contributions as a lasting influence on modern pinball design.