NSM Lions (Lowen)

NSM-Löwen, also known as NSM Lions or Löwen Entertainment, is a German amusement machine manufacturer founded in 1952 in Braunschweig by a group of entrepreneurs led by Herbert Nack, Gerhard W. Schulze, and Wilhelm Menke. Although originally recognized for jukeboxes and coin-operated gambling devices, the company briefly ventured into pinball manufacturing during the mid-1980s in an effort to capture the European market at a time when imported American pinball machines had become costly due to currency fluctuations. Operating under the NSM or NSM Lions brand, their pinball division debuted in 1985 and produced four solid-state pinball titles before ceasing operations in this sector just one year later.

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Among NSM-Löwen’s releases were The Games (1985), Cosmic Flash (1985), Hot Fire Birds (1985), and Tag-Team Pinball (1986), some of which were licensed from or co-developed with American and Italian pinball manufacturers. The decision to adapt proven designs allowed the company to shorten development time and keep costs low, reflecting a business strategy aimed at providing affordable alternatives for local operators. NSM-Löwen’s pinball machines typically featured conventional mid-1980s features, including alphanumeric score displays, electronic sound systems, and steel-cabinet construction—a departure from the typical wooden cabinets of the time.

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Despite this technological and strategic approach, NSM-Löwen’s pinball venture did not achieve significant commercial success, leading the company to discontinue pinball production by the end of 1986. Their short-lived foray nevertheless left a small but notable imprint on the European pinball scene, illustrating how regional manufacturers attempted to compete with dominant American producers by catering to localized market needs. Today, NSM-Löwen remains active in the coin-operated and gaming sectors under the broader Löwen Entertainment group, but the mid-1980s pinball catalog stands as a unique, if brief, chapter in the company’s long history.