Big Game

Big Game, designed by pinball pioneer Harry Williams and manufactured by Stern Electronics in March 1980, is a solid-state widebody with an immersive hunting-safari theme. It was the first widebody game from Stern, though its playfield, at about 24 inches wide, was noticeably narrower than the nearly 29-inch playfields typical of widebodies of the period. It was also the first electronic game to use 7-digit score displays, a feature Stern advertised in attract mode, where all four displays animate the numbers "1234567" and then flash "7777777" during Game Over.

The playfield offers four flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, five star rollovers, three 3-bank drop targets, two spinning targets, two standup targets, and a kick-out hole, giving players plenty of targets for their safari adventure. Artwork was handled by Gerry Simkus and Doug Watson, with software by Alan McNeil, all running on Stern's M-200 MPU.

A confirmed 2,713 units were produced between March and June of 1980. With its distinctive theme, its place as Stern's first widebody, and its pioneering 7-digit displays, Big Game makes an interesting addition to any pinball collection.