Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive Acquires World’s First Licensed Star Wars Pinball Machine

Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive Acquires World’s First Licensed Star Wars Pinball Machine Southeast Asia Home Amazon Deals Pro-tips by Codashop PC PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Mobile Entertainment EsportsMoreSearch Home More About IGN SEAContactAdvertisePressUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyRSSIGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd Change Region United States United Kingdom Australia Africa Adria Serbian/Croatian Adria Slovenian Benelux / Dutch Brazil China / 中国 Czechia / Slovakia France Germany Greece / Ελλάδα Hungary India Israel Italy / Italia Japan / 日本 Korea / 한국 Latin America Middle East – English Middle East – الأوسطالشرق Nordic Poland Portugal Southeast Asia Spain / España Turkey / Türkiye world.ign.com Register / Login Register / Login Login Register IGN Misc Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive Acquires World’s First Licensed Star Wars Pinball Machine The licensing cost? One personal machine for George Lucas. This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. By Luke Reilly  Updated: March 12, 2026, 4:16 p.m. Related reads:MapleStorySEA Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Massive Summer Updates The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) of Australia has today announced it has acquired five rare, Australian-designed pinball machines, one of which is the first licensed Star Wars pinball machine in the world.The machines were produced by Newcastle, New South Wales-based amusement company A. Hankin & Company between 1978 and 1980, and are reportedly the only Australian-designed machines from the golden age of pinball.More like thisOpen Back Headphones: A Sound Experience Like No OtherWhile the majority of the machines are inspired by distinctly Australian topics (ranging from the FJ Holden, cricketing icon Dennis Lillee, and surfing through a shiver of great white sharks), Hankin’s The Empire Strikes Back is notable for its status as the world’s first licensed Star Wars machine.“The concept of making a pinball machine like The Empire Strikes Back was not common at that stage,” explained A. Hankin & Company manager David Hankin in the NFSA’s mini-documentary outlining the story behind the addition of these pinball machines to its collection.The company approached George Lucas, asking if he would be interested in allowing the company to build a Star Wars-themed machine.“And the answer, surprisingly, was yes,” continued Hankin.Use the flippers, Luke.“We were flabbergasted. Here we are – this pint-sized pinball manufacturer in Australia – competing with manufacturers that were making so many more pinball machines than we were, but he was happy to do it.”And George Lucas’ payment for the rights to build a Star Wars-themed machine? Simply a personal machine for himself.The NFSA plans to have the machines available for future public display in Canberra. The NFSA also has a rapidly growing collection of video games that it is preserving, noting the high percentage classic video games that are risk of being lost forever.Image: Hankin pinball machine designer David Hankin with the five Australian-designed pinball machines. Photo by Robb Shaw-Velzen.Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff. Related reads:Today’s Top Deals: Epic Mega Man Bundle, Mario Day Deals Continue, and Monster Hunter Wilds on PS5 This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. Comments Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. Ad ©2026 IGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd ‘