Allen Edwall

Allen Edwall was a pivotal figure at Gottlieb and later Premier, guiding the company’s transition from electro-mechanical to solid-state pinball in the 1970s and 1980s. Hired in 1974 for his electronics expertise, he developed Gottlieb’s first solid-state hardware system (System 1) and contributed software routines for new gameplay features. Edwall also designed or co-designed several influential games, including Centigrade 37 (1977), Charlie’s Angels (1978), James Bond 007 (1980), and Time Line (1980). These titles integrated emerging microprocessor technology and introduced features like time-based play modes, novel drop-target arrangements, and wider playfields.

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Throughout his career, Edwall assumed both engineering and design roles. His system work enabled more complex rule sets, enhanced reliability, and licensed themes at Gottlieb (e.g., Charlie’s Angels, James Bond 007). After leaving the industry in 1982, he returned in 1988 to Premier, overseeing engineering projects until 1995. His designs helped shape pinball’s evolution into the solid-state era, and his emphasis on careful development and experimentation remains evident in many of the machines he worked on, which collectors and players still value for their balanced rules and inventive layouts.