Steve Ritchie (pinball designer)

Lore & Background

Steve Ritchie was born in San Francisco, California, and relocated to Pacifica at the age of five. His introduction to pinball occurred at a local bowling alley he frequented during his parents' bowling league nights. After graduating high school early, he enlisted in the Coast Guard just before turning eighteen, where he trained as an electronics technician and served in Vietnam, California, and Alaska. Following his military service, he held various odd jobs and performed in a band before joining Atari Inc. in 1974 as employee number fifty, initially working on the assembly line as an electro-mechanical technician. He was later promoted to Atari's pinball division, where he collaborated with Eugene Jarvis on his first game, *Airborne Avenger*. Ritchie also developed a pinball machine based on the Superman comic book, but left for Williams Electronics before its production concluded. At Williams, his 1979 game *Flash* introduced a revolutionary figure-8 design, bright flash lamps, and an ascending background sound that intensified with play duration, becoming his best-selling title with over 19,000 units sold. He followed with *Firepower* in 1980, the first electronic pinball to feature multi-ball and lane change, and later that year designed *Black Knight*, which boasted the first two-level playfield and the patented Magna-Save feature using magnets to prevent outlane drains. After a stint designing video games at his own company, King Video Design, where he created *Devastator*—the first 68000 microprocessor video game with automated conversion of videotaped color images into game objects—he returned to pinball with *High Speed* in 1986, based on his real-life experience of being chased by police in his Porsche 928 at 146 miles per hour. *High Speed* featured the first music in a pinball machine and sold 17,080 units, revitalizing the pinball market. Subsequent notable designs include *F-14 Tomcat* (1987), *Black Knight 2000* (1989), which introduced a Wizard Mode called "The King's Ransom," and *Terminator 2: Judgment Day*, the first Williams game to use a dot-matrix display and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger's likeness. *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1993), a widebody game enlisting the entire cast, sold 11,728 units and was the last pinball machine to reach five-digit sales. Ritchie also voiced Shao Kahn in the *Mortal Kombat* series and coined the

Reader's Guide

Steve Ritchie's significance in pinball history is defined by his record as the best-selling pinball designer and his innovative contributions to the medium. His games introduced key features that became industry standards: the first two-level playfield (Black Knight), the first multi-ball in an electronic pinball (Firepower), the first music in a pinball machine (High Speed), and the first dot-matrix display in a Williams game (Terminator 2: Judgment Day). His design philosophy, emphasizing ball speed, loops, and smooth shots, earned him the nickname 'The Master of Flow' and influenced countless later designers. Ritchie's games, such as Flash and High Speed, were commercial successes that helped sustain the pinball industry during periods of decline. His work extended beyond pinball to video games, where he voiced Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat series and contributed to the naming of the franchise. Despite the eventual decline of pinball in the late 1990s, Ritchie continued designing into the 2020s, demonstrating the enduring appeal of his approach. His legacy is one of technical innovation, commercial success, and a distinctive style that shaped modern pinball.

Did You Know?

• Steve Ritchie holds the record for best-selling pinball designer in history.
• He was the original voice of Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat series and suggested the name 'Mortal Kombat'.