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Challenge
A beloved and pioneering name in the arcade gaming world, Stern Pinball wanted to modernize the classic pinball experience, making it relevant to a new generation of players while staying loyal to their brand fanbase.
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Solution
An extensive process of conceptualizing and designing a true-to-pinball digital strategy, leading to a new platform that brings the best parts of the arcade experience online.
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Results
A seamless interaction between connected pinball machines and mobile devices so players can track progress, engage with the community, and participate in promotions, without sacrificing the classic feel of a pinball game.
A New High Score. For over twenty years, Stern Pinball has created fan-favorite pinball machines, delighting players in arcades and in homes. In 2019, Stern set out to connect players with a new pinball experience, bringing the joy of their games into the modern age. We helped Stern leverage their physical games for an authentic multi-device experience. Together we concepted, branded, designed, and built Insider Connected — the industry’s most extensive digital platform that connects players’ devices with pinball machines around the world to track achievements, chat with other players, complete localized Challenge Quests, and more.
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“Insider Connected will transform how players interact with pinball machines, and operators will benefit greatly from new tools.”
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The Insider Connected brand needed to be distinct but clearly part of the Stern Pinball family. -
Multi-Device Interaction
The physical limitations of pinball machines had driven Stern’s growth opportunities and the industry’s modernization. Now players can walk up to a connected pinball machine, scan their QR code, and access the broader universe of Stern Pinball, all from the palm of their hands. But Insider Connected was never about mobile gaming – we designed it to connect devices to enhance what players really love: the classic Stern game. We built Insider Connected in React, with Django and Python on the backend, to provide an interaction-driven experience that players and machine operators will love.
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A Complementary Design
Stern Pinball knew the industry was eager for modern ways to engage with the classic pinball game, but they couldn’t risk their decades-old brand. Our UX and visual designers completed exhaustive discovery to ensure the app would be an extension of what players love about Stern, while simultaneously offering a new, broader experience. The Insider Connected UI complements Stern’s games, ensuring players feel right at home with the Stern brand, whether they’re logging a high score on Deadpool at an arcade or challenging a friend on Godzilla across the world.
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Insider Connected enabled Stern to introduce an all new achievement system, adding a whole new dimension to the playing experience. How many achievements will you earn? -
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The Overview screen shows a player's recent activity across multiple games and machines, something that previously was limited to locally stored information on one machine. -
The new experience extends beyond personal devices and onto the LED screen of the machine, representing logged in users, high scores, achievements, and more. -
Track your achievements, study the rules, and check out Insider All-Access content for each connected game. -
Create and customize your player profile in as little as three steps. -
With new user accounts, Stern can now facilitate discussions with their fans on the all-new Forums, engaging in everything from upcoming games to events. -
Insider Connected All-Access users get sneak peeks at upcoming releases, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive Stern stories.
Summary
We helped Stern Pinball modernize their classic game experience by creating the industry-first Insider Connected. Now, users can engage with the entire Stern universe, tracking high scores, challenging friends, and more.
