WORLD POKER TOUR

Stern Pinball Inc have released a publicity picture of their next game World Poker tour including the finished artwork.

Apart from the imagery on the playfield plastics and metal parts, the look is unchanged from the preliminary picture we featured earlier. The backglass which some have suggested looked a little rough is unchanged as is the cabinet art which comes from comic book artist Brian Rood in his first pinball design.

As expected, the drop targets now sport decals with the card images and the rest of the art includes no great surprises, themed around playing card designs. What is surprising though, is the news that Chris Granner will no longer be producing music for pinball games. Let's hope this is a great game with which to bow out.

Along with the picture comes Stern's press release about the game which is shown below. It is unusual in style as it appears to come from WPT themselves and is aimed more at poker players than operators - perhaps an indication of the expected high percentage of home sales for this model.

So here's the press release for the game:

WORLD POKER TOUR®
GOES ON TILT WITH
NEW PINBALL MACHINE

LOS ANGELES, January 19, 2006 – Texas Hold ‘Em poker deals the silver ball another great hand with WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball from Stern Pinball. Based on the hit television series that airs on the Travel Channel, WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball brings new levels of excitement, challenge, and understandability for both the novice and the skilled player.

Travel from city to city playing Texas Hold ‘Em until you reach the WORLD POKER TOUR® final table. A dot matrix display is located in the center of the playfield, showing players their Hole cards, as well as the Flop, Turn, and River cards. The player gets the Flop, Turn and River cards successively by making ramp shots located on the left and right sides of the playfield. WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball also features 5 Card Stud, where the player needs to hit cards on sixteen drop targets to get all the poker hands, such as two of a kind, three of a kind, etc…all the way up to a Royal Flush. WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball also offers a second level playfield, and a “mousetrap” that holds and releases balls for exciting multi-ball play..

WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball features the voices and images of the television show’s color commentators, Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton, as well as Courtney Friel, the World Poker Tour’s sexy host. WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball is designed by Steve Ritchie, former Williams great and the creator of Stern’s ELVIS®, among many other famous pinball machines. Keith Johnson, software engineer for THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ and THE SIMPSONS/PINBALL PARTY™. Brian Rood, established comic book artist and illustrator, creates his first complete pinball art package. Chris Granner, well-known sound engineer, produces his final sound work before retiring from the industry..

Steve Ritchie says, “WORLD POKER TOUR® has a timeless theme of poker, and more importantly is one of the strongest performers on TV today. The playfield is innovative and includes our ‘Ace In The Hole’ ball lock feature, sixteen drop targets, and some new and exciting ways to play pinball. It is choreographed with thrilling effects, and features the rules and software of Keith Johnson, who is one of the best and most innovative pinball software engineers today.”.

Gary Stern says, “I remember card themed pinball machines of decades ago. It was always fun to make hands by knocking down drop targets. We modernized that concept by adding today’s popular Texas Hold ‘Em. By going into the market with the best brand in poker, we’re certain our customers will love this game!” “We are thrilled to partner with Stern Pinball to create the WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball machine. This game will allow our fans to remain a part of the WPT experience after their TVs have been turned off or they have left their home poker games,” says Andrea Green, Vice President of Global Consumer Products for WPT Enterprises, Inc..

The WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball machine will begin shipping in January, 2006. To get your WORLD POKER TOUR™ pinball machine, contact your nearest Stern Pinball distributor. You can also contact Jolly Backer at 1-708-786-7039 or by e-mail at [email protected], or Shelley Sax at 1-708-786-7030 or by e-mail at [email protected]. To learn more about Stern Pinball, visit www.sternpinball.com..

The licensing relationship between Stern Pinball and WPT was developed and negotiated by Brandgenuity LLC, WPT's strategic product licensing and merchandising agency of record. .

About WPT Enterprises, Inc..

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour®, a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 130 markets globally. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., a publicly held company. Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com


Back to the World Poker Tour page

Back to the games page

Back to the front page

© Pinball News 2006