| Jersey Jack Pinball | |
| Foundation: | January 2011 |
| Location: | Elk Grove Village, Illinois, U.S. |
| Industry: | Interactive entertainment |
| Products: | Pinball |
| Founder: | Jack Guarnieri |
| Owner: | Jack Guarnieri |
Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. is an American pinball machine manufacturing company that was established in 2011. The first table released by the company, The Wizard of Oz, appeared in 2013.[1]
Jersey Jack Pinball was founded in January 2011 by industry veteran Jack Guarnieri. Starting in 1975, he serviced electromechanical pinball tables for a living, and he created the website PinballSales.com in 1999. Guarnieri hired designer Joe Balcer and programmer Keith Johnson to work on the first machines.[2]
In 2013, the company released its first pinball machine, The Wizard of Oz. They spend $2 million in startup and development and sold the machines for $7,000 each.[3] Guarnieri's goal was to produce a high-quality pinball machine regardless of cost, and attract a larger female pinball audience than other manufacturers.[2] [3] The Wizard of Ozs release caught the attention of Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who reached out to the company about collaborating on a pinball machine.
Jersey Jack's machines have been used in donations by Project Pinball Charity in 2015, 2016, and 2019.[4]
In 2020, Jersey Jack relocated their manufacturing operations from their original location in Lakewood, New Jersey to Elk Grove Village, Illinois where their design team was already based.[5] The first machine produced at its new location was Guns N' Roses.[6] As of 2023 the company had over 100 employees.[7]
Jersey Jack games have introduced several notable features over the years, including LCD screens, LED lighting, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and camera integration.[8] The Wizard of Oz featured a 26-inch LCD monitor in the backglass.[9] Dialed In! featured a camera integrated into the game's backbox to facilitate selfie photography and Bluetooth capability.[10] [11]
| Year | Title | Designer | Comments | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Wizard of Oz | Joe Balcer | ||
| 2016 | The Hobbit | Joe Balcer | ||
| 2017 | Dialed In! | Pat Lawlor | ||
| 2018 | Pirates of the Caribbean | Eric Meunier | ||
| 2019 | Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory | Pat Lawlor | [12] | |
| 2020 | Guns N' Roses | Eric Meunier Saul Hudson | ||
| 2022 | Toy Story 4 | Pat Lawlor | Pat’s last game[13] | [14] |
| 2023 | The Godfather 50 years | Eric Meunier | ||
| 2023 | Elton John | Steve Ritchie | [15] | |