AC/DC (pinball)

AC/DC
AC/DC Back in Black edition.
ManufacturerStern Pinball
Release dateMarch 2012[1]
SystemStern S.A.M. Board System
DesignSteve Ritchie
ProgrammingLyman Sheats
ArtworkJohn Youssi & Charles Youssi
MusicAC/DC
SoundDavid Thiel[2]

AC/DC is a pinball machine manufactured by Stern Pinball based on the Australian band of the same name. Designed by Steve Ritchie, it was released on March 1, 2012.[3]

Design

The machine was confirmed in January 2012 with the release of a teaser video showcasing the game, along with the twelve songs involved in its soundtrack.[4]

It features a swinging bell involved in the Hells Bells mode and a lower playfield in the Premium/LE editions for modes that use the word Hell in the song's title.

The backglass and cabinet of the Luci edition feature a purple-skinned woman,[5] with the band members shown as silhouettes. The artwork on the lower playfield is also altered. The name of this edition is short for Lucifer.[6]

Gameplay

Each song is the subject of a mode, from which players can work towards a multi-ball for additional points.[7]

Reception

In a review for Play Meter the game was found to have an interesting mix of rules, and scored the game 3/4.[8]

Digital version

FarSight Studios launched a Kickstarter project on May 2, 2016, with plans to digitize the AC/DC pinball table for Stern Pinball Arcade; the announced funding goal was $108,435.[9] Due to a new partnership with Oculus,[10][11] this Kickstarter was canceled as it was no longer needed to fund the new table.[12]

The Premium version and the two Limited Editions (Let There Be Rock and Back in Black) of the table are available on Stern Pinball Arcade across multiple platforms.[13]

The license for the digital version expired on July 1, 2019, and was removed from purchase for any platform.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Stern 'AC/DC (Pro)'".
  2. ^ "AC/DC (Pro) Pinball Machine (Stern, 2012) | Pinside Game Archive".
  3. ^ "AC/DC Pro Pinball machine (photos)". CNET. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  4. ^ "AC/DC". Pinball News. January 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Fanton, Melissa A. (May 2016). Pinups and Pinball: The Sexualized Female Image in Pinball Artwork Artwork (Thesis). Rochester Institute of Technology. p. 12.
  6. ^ "LUCI JOINS AC/DC LINE-UP". Pinball News. December 3, 2013. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  7. ^ McFatter, James (September 20, 2023). "For Those About to Rock: How to Play Stern's AC/DC Pinball". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  8. ^ Sharpe, Josh; Sharpe, Zach (July 2012). "Critic's corner too" (PDF). Play Meter. Vol. 38, no. 7. pp. 58–59. ISSN 1529-8736.
  9. ^ FarSight Studios (May 2, 2016). "Stern Pinball Arcade: AC/DC". kickstarter.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  10. ^ Grubb, Jeff (2016-09-06). "AC/DC rocks VR with Stern pinball table on Samsung Gear headset". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  11. ^ "AC/DC Launches at Stern Pinball Arcade on Oculus". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  12. ^ "Pinball Arcade News & FAQ".
  13. ^ Cunningham, James (2016-12-03). "Review: Stern Pinball Arcade". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  14. ^ The Pinball Arcade. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  15. ^ Friebus, Chris (January 23, 2021). "Licensing and Censorship Study: Last Week in (Digital) Pinball | Kineticist". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2025-09-25.