The gateway to the manufacturers who have made and currently make pinballs, and features on some of the machines they’ve produced.
Pinball Machine Manufacturers: Current and Past
Pinball has evolved from simple mechanical games into sophisticated machines featuring digital displays, licensed music, movie and television themes, interactive toys, and complex gameplay. Over the decades, hundreds of manufacturers have helped shape the hobby, from the legendary American companies of the early 20th century to today’s international boutique manufacturers.
Below are two chronological guides: current pinball manufacturers, ordered by when they began operating, followed by past manufacturers in the order they entered the industry. Dates can differ depending on whether they refer to a company’s founding, its first pinball machine, or the beginning of a particular brand.
Part 1: Current pinball manufacturers
The modern pinball industry includes large-scale manufacturers, independent studios, European producers, and companies specializing in reproductions or limited production runs. The list below includes established makers and smaller manufacturers reported as active in the industry; activity and production status can change.
Ordered by company founding or the beginning of the relevant pinball operation.
1. Stern Pinball — 1999
The largest and most established manufacturer in today’s pinball market. Stern produces machines across multiple price levels, featuring popular franchises, original designs, elaborate playfields, and modern electronics. Its roots extend through Data East and Sega Pinball.
2. Chicago Gaming Company — 2001
Specializes in new machines and modern reproductions of celebrated classics. Its projects have helped introduce games such as Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars to another generation of players.
3. Multimorphic — 2009
Known for its P3 platform, which allows different playfield modules and interactive experiences to be used within a single machine. The company emphasizes modularity, experimentation, and alternative approaches to pinball design.
4. Dutch Pinball — 2010
A Dutch manufacturer recognized for collector-oriented machines and detailed themes. Its The Big Lebowski pinball machine became a notable release in the modern boutique-pinball movement.
5. Jersey Jack Pinball — 2011
A major force in premium, feature-rich pinball. Its debut, The Wizard of Oz, helped popularize large color LCD displays and elaborate lighting in contemporary machines. The company is also known for licensed entertainment properties and high-end collector editions.
6. Quetzal Pinball — 2012
A Spanish boutique manufacturer associated with original designs and specialized production. It represents the international revival of independent pinball manufacturing outside the traditional American industry.
7. Spooky Pinball — 2013
An independent American maker known for distinctive themes, horror-related titles, pop-culture licenses, and limited-run collector machines. It has established a recognizable identity in the boutique pinball market.
8. Homepin — 2013
An internationally oriented manufacturer associated with pinball machines, reproductions, and amusement equipment. It has contributed to the range of options available beyond the largest American companies.
9. American Pinball — 2015
A U.S. manufacturer known for themed machines such as Houdini, Hot Wheels, and Barry O’s Barbeque Challenge. It has focused on original playfield concepts, recognizable themes, and collector-focused production.
10. Pinball Brothers — 2018
A Swedish manufacturer known for modern machines built around major entertainment themes. Its catalog includes Alien, Queen, and Predator, reflecting a focus on immersive, licensed experiences.
11. Phenix Pinball — 2018
A smaller European manufacturer associated with the boutique pinball scene. Its place in the industry reflects the efforts of independent teams to bring new machines to enthusiasts in a market once dominated by a handful of companies.
12. Pinball Adventures — 2018
A Canadian independent pinball venture associated with small-scale production and original game concepts. It illustrates the role that smaller specialist teams play in expanding the hobby.
13. Team Pinball — 2018
A boutique pinball name associated with independent production. As with other small studios, its manufacturing activity and release schedule should be checked before assuming it is regularly producing new machines.
14. Turner Pinball — 2022
An independent manufacturer producing modern machines with distinctive themes and contemporary gameplay. Its releases include Ninja Eclipse, part of the new generation of smaller pinball studios.
15. Barrels of Fun — 2021
A Texas-based manufacturer that has gained attention for premium machines, detailed mechanical features, and cinematic themes. Its titles include Dune and The Uncanny X-Men is from a different manufacturer, Stern; Barrels of Fun’s own catalog reflects the growth of the high-end boutique market.
16. Pedretti Gaming — 2024
An Italian amusement-industry company with a much older corporate history. Its entry into modern pinball production brings established European manufacturing experience to a renewed market.
Additional small and emerging manufacturers
The broader industry directories also list HEXA Pinball, Pawlowski Pinball, TiltBob Pinball, Vector Pinball, Wonderland Amusements, and other specialist or limited-run operations. Some companies have only a few releases, some use contract manufacturing, and some have uncertain current production status.
For that reason, it is useful to distinguish a company that has produced a machine from one that is actively manufacturing and selling new machines today.
Past Manufacturers
The companies below are arranged approximately by the start of their pinball operations, not the date they were founded for unrelated business. This is a selected history of the most important and representative makers, rather than every small manufacturer ever recorded.
Historical dates can vary between company founding, first pinball release, and final production year.
1. Exhibit Supply Company — pinball production from 1932
An early American amusement manufacturer that produced coin-operated games during pinball’s formative years. Its machines belong to the era when pinball was still developing its recognizable form.
2. Gottlieb — 1927; pinball’s early era
One of the most influential names in pinball history. Gottlieb helped popularize coin-operated games and later became famous for mechanical classics, electromechanical games, and sophisticated electronic machines. It ceased pinball production in 1996.
3. Genco — approximately 1931
A major early Chicago manufacturer that produced mechanical and electromechanical games. Genco contributed to the development of the classic pinball format before disappearing as an independent maker in the late 1950s.
4. Bally — 1932
One of pinball’s great manufacturers, Bally became renowned for both its classic electromechanical games and later solid-state machines. Its celebrated 1980s and 1990s titles remain favorites among collectors. Its pinball operations ultimately became part of the Williams/Midway lineage.
5. Chicago Coin — 1932
A prominent Chicago amusement company that made pinball machines, shuffle alleys, and other coin-operated equipment. It was especially important during the electromechanical era and stopped operating as an independent pinball maker in the 1970s.
6. Williams Electronics — 1943
Williams grew into one of the defining names of modern pinball. Its machines became famous for innovative rules, memorable artwork, and landmark games such as Medieval Madness and The Addams Family under the related Bally/Williams era. It exited pinball manufacturing in 1999.
7. Atari — 1976
Best known for its video games, Atari also entered pinball during the 1970s. Its machines experimented with electronic features and video-game-style themes, but Atari left the pinball business after a relatively short run.
8. Zaccaria — 1970s
An important Italian manufacturer known for distinctive artwork, colorful playfields, and electronic pinball machines. Zaccaria was one of Europe’s best-known producers before its original pinball operation ended in the late 1980s.
9. Stern Electronics — 1977
Founded by the Stern family after the acquisition of Chicago Coin assets, Stern Electronics became known for games such as Meteor, Flight 2000, and Seawitch. The original company stopped making pinball in 1985; its legacy continued through later operations connected to Data East and today’s Stern Pinball.
10. Game Plan — late 1970s
A smaller American manufacturer that produced solid-state machines during a period of intense competition. It developed a following among collectors who appreciate less common games from the era.
11. Data East Pinball — 1986
Data East brought new competition to the American market and became known for licensed themes and video-game-inspired presentation. Its pinball operation produced titles such as Jurassic Park and The Simpsons, before being acquired by Sega in 1994.
12. Sega Pinball — 1994
After acquiring Data East’s pinball division, Sega continued producing licensed and original machines, including Apollo 13. In 1999, Gary Stern acquired the operation and relaunched it as Stern Pinball.
13. Capcom — 1990s
Capcom briefly entered the pinball market in the mid-1990s, producing a small but memorable group of machines. Its short-lived pinball division is now of particular interest to collectors.
14. Alvin G. & Co. — 1991
A small manufacturer that produced a handful of unusual machines during the early 1990s. Its limited production and distinctive designs make its games less common than those of the major manufacturers.
Other past manufacturers worth knowing
The industry was never limited to these major names.
Other historical manufacturers and regional producers include:
- Allied Leisure — American pinball and arcade machines during the 1970s.
- A. Hankin & Co. — Australian manufacturer of a small number of pinball machines.
- Inder — Spanish maker known for machines sold in European markets.
- Playmatic — Spanish manufacturer of electromechanical and electronic games.
- Recel / Petaco — Spanish pinball brands with a significant presence in European arcades.
- Heighway Pinball — British boutique manufacturer that produced Full Throttle and Alien.
- Haggis Pinball — Australian boutique company associated with collector-focused machines.
- Midway — Major arcade and pinball operator, including the company behind many Bally/Williams-era titles.
- Premier Technology — Successor to Gottlieb’s pinball operation after the original company changed hands.
- Jeutel, Peyper, Maresa, Bell Games, and Juegos Populares — examples of European companies that helped make pinball a global industry.
Historical dates and production totals for these companies vary across databases.
Where to explore the complete machine catalogs
For a more exhaustive list of manufacturers and their individual games, these databases are useful starting points:
- Kineticist — Pinball manufacturers — current and historical companies, with machine counts.
- Open Pinball Database — searchable catalog of manufacturers and their machines.
- PinWiki — repair information, technical systems, and manufacturer histories.
- List of pinball machines — alphabetical machine list with manufacturers and release dates.
One important distinction: a list of manufacturers is different from a list of every pinball machine ever produced. There are thousands of individual titles, multiple editions of many modern games, and hundreds of historical manufacturers.
The guides above introduce the main companies and representative smaller makers without suggesting that every one-off or short-run producer is included.