Oh snap! Do people still say that? Probably not lol.
Usually when I search for pinball trademarks, the results are a big Nothing-Burger. But not today. I went into the system and right off the bat, WHAM...a big one...well actually two.
Not that we really needed confirmation, because this rumor has been around for years but a couple of days ago Stern Pinball officially registered a Trademark for King Kong Pinball. I guess it's official now :).
What is new, is a second Trademark that Stern filed for something called "Myth of Terror Island." I assume that this is the title of the King Kong game, but I don't know that for certain yet. When I Google that phrase it doesn't come up with anything. My guess is that this is the name of a story that Stern created for the King Kong game, along the lines of what they did with "The Tyrant's Eye" for Dungeons & Dragons.
This is interesting, because I haven't seen Stern file a Trademark for a theme in a loooong time. The last thing they Trademarked was "FLIPLOCK" over a year ago and before that "HOME TEAM" back in 2022.
The latest rumor is that King Kong is the next Cornerstone pinball machine up after Dungeons & Dragons and that it is a Keith Elwin game.
Below are links to the trademark filing and an article that I wrote about this rumor back in 2023:
Pinball Theme Watchlist: King Kong
Big disappointment if it’s not based on the 1933 or 1976 movies. I like the newer ones but not like the first two.
Nice sleuthing!! I’m excited for it
I own a JP Premium and it's my favorite game ever, even knocking off LOTR. Keith Elwin designs games with perfect flow and complexity. I can't wait for Kong. I'm guessing that the premium/LE models will have a kong mech that picks up the ball and throws it (like the T-Rex in JP). Are we guessing an April announcement?
Do you really think that Stern will propose a new game only a few months after securing the licence and filing a trademark. I would say 18-24 months...
How many other Data East titles will they remake?
Great update. This cements it for me. Time for Twilight Zone and Xenon to be rehomed.