Keith Elwin's Next Stern Pinball Machine: Fallout, Total Recall or Something Else?

Something strange happened this week, and pinball fans immediately noticed.

Keith Elwin temporarily changed his social media profile picture to an image from Total Recall. On its own, that probably wouldn't mean much.

But when you're talking about the designer behind machines such as Godzilla, JAWS and Jurassic Park, even a small clue can send the pinball community into speculation mode.

So what could be coming next?

Is Fallout Finally Coming?

For months, the strongest rumour has been Fallout.

The idea of a Stern Fallout machine has been circulating for some time, with Keith Elwin repeatedly linked to the project. Recent community discussions continue to point towards Fallout as the leading theory, although there is still no official confirmation from Stern. Our Fallout Pinball Rumor article covers the evidence and speculation surrounding the project.

And honestly, Fallout makes a lot of sense.

The series has brought the franchise to an enormous audience, while the Fallout universe offers an almost ridiculous amount of material for a pinball designer: Vaults, the Wasteland, Power Armor, Deathclaws, Super Mutants, Nuka-Cola and much more.

If Keith Elwin really is designing it, expectations would be enormous.

Or Did Total Recall Just Change Everything?

Then came the Total Recall image.

That immediately created another possibility.

Could Elwin actually be working on Total Recall?

It would certainly be an interesting choice. The film has futuristic technology, Mars, action, mutants, espionage and some spectacular visual material that could translate extremely well into pinball.

And from a design perspective, the theme could suit Elwin beautifully.

His layouts are often full of unusual shot geometry, mechanical interaction and ambitious combinations. Total Recall could offer plenty of opportunities for exactly that kind of design.

But there is one major problem:

There has been far more Fallout speculation than Total Recall speculation.

So right now, the Total Recall theory is largely based on one intriguing clue.

Why the Clue Is So Interesting

The timing is what makes this worth discussing.

Stern has been moving through another extremely busy year, with Pokémon, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and other new machines keeping the modern lineup moving.

That makes the question of Elwin's next project particularly interesting.

And Elwin's track record makes it even more significant. Our Keith Elwin Pinball Machines Ranked shows just how extraordinary his run has been, from Iron Maiden and Jurassic Park through Godzilla, JAWS and King Kong.

Whatever comes next is going to attract a huge amount of attention.

Fallout vs. Total Recall

If we had to make a prediction today, Fallout would still be the favourite.

The rumour has existed for much longer, Elwin has been repeatedly associated with it, and the franchise is an obvious fit for a major Stern release.

But Total Recall is now impossible to completely ignore.

The profile picture could have been a deliberate hint.

It could also have been a joke, a reference to something unrelated, or simply a coincidence.

And there is always a third possibility:

It could be neither.

Pinball rumours have a habit of becoming much more convincing than the evidence actually allows.

What Comes Next?

That's what makes this particularly fun.

If Fallout is real, we could soon be looking at one of the most anticipated Stern machines in years.

If it's Total Recall, it would be one of the industry's biggest surprises.

And if it's neither, we'll probably look back at the Total Recall image and realise we were all reading far too much into it.

For now, all we really have is a long-running Fallout rumour, a very curious Keith Elwin profile picture and the possibility that a major Stern announcement is getting closer.

So what do you think?

Fallout? Total Recall? Or something completely unexpected?

We may not have to wait much longer to find out.