Stampede

Stampede, released by Stern Electronics in February 1977, was the first game produced by the newly formed company after Stern acquired Chicago Coin Machine Company in December 1976 - it continues the line begun by Chicago Coin's own 1977 'Stampede'. As an American West-themed electro-mechanical (EM) two-player game, it reflects the design conventions of the era, designed by Albin Peters, Jerry Koci, and Wendell McAdams with artwork by Christian Marche.

The Stampede's playfield features two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, five standup targets, two kick-out holes, a captive ball, and a spinning target, along with an end-of-ball bonus. The maximum displayed score is 199,990 points per player, and the replay wheel tops out at 28 replays. A four-player version of the same game was released the same year as Stern's 'Rawhide'.

Roughly 1,100 units of Stampede were confirmed produced between February and April 1977, priced at $1,125 FOB Chicago. Because early pressings carried the Chicago Coin name and later ones the Stern name, flyers for the game can be found under either brand, making Stampede a tangible marker of the transition between the two companies.