(Topic ID: 228370)

How BAD are BEATLES sales so far?

By iceman44

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 975 posts
  • 253 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by manadams
  • Topic is favorited by 9 Pinsiders

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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider crazylevi.
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-9
#85 5 years ago
Quoted from jgentry:

Most people are getting quoted 7600-7800. And be reasonable, there's no way The Beatles theme is not going to draw in more plays. Add in that it's simple to follow and it's just going to be a lot more appealing to casual or newer players then DI. DI is a really good game and pinball people will like it. But mom jeans and cell phones are not going to attrack plays like The Beatles will be able to. If you can afford to buy JJP pins for rout then I think you are crazy to not be interested in this game just for it's rout potential. Is it over priced, you bet. Doesn't matter if it can earn as well as a JJP pin though.

All true.

Beatles is going to cost less money, be more reliable, and make more money than any JJP on route. Seems like a much more sound investment for a location kinpin to bring in the cabbage!

#90 5 years ago
Quoted from pinballkyle:

I didn’t see an actual proper coin door in some pics. Could you even route it or will it be home only?

Apparently, just to confuse the hell out of everybody, Stern released "mock up" photos of the game without coin slots. When in fact it will have coin slots.

or something. I guess we'll find out next week?

All I know is I'm glad we have 4 different threads to make all the same statements.

I THINK BEATLES IS GONNA SELL GREAT!!!!

#95 5 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

My guess is, they released that picture to see how badly everyone would freak if it didn't come with a functioning coin door.
Mass freak out occurred, so they're going to be putting 38 more dollars into the BOM to give everyone their goddamned coin door!!!!

Hey it worked with MMr.

Errr.....

#98 5 years ago

Just an FYI, beyond the silliness of the "audition tape," Distributors reached out directly to customers with Batman SLE too.

I know because a friend bought a Batman SLE after receiving a "you are a priority customer so here's your chance to spend $15K on Batman!" email. He even forwarded it to me. Exact same come on as what Tex is talking about.

So this is nothing new, and no sign that BEATLES sales are BAD so far.

Not sure why anybody would be surprised that people who make a living selling pinball machines are trying to sell pinball machines.

-1
#102 5 years ago
Quoted from luvthatapex2:

Sales are BAD on this title? I didn't think its even for sale yet. I didn't see the flyers and grid yet.

It's SALES bro. And yes they are BAD. Even though the game isn't for SALE yet.

#107 5 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

well, compared to other titles which sell themselves I would say it is a pretty clear indicator of how bad sales are.
When a title is hot, people are calling their distributor.
When a title is not, the the distributor has to attempt to drum up sales.
I was cold called by a distributor I have never bought a game from asking if I was interested in Beatles. It was odd and telling to me.

An interesting point.

These games don't have to fly off shelves overnight to make the project a success, which seems to be the artificial barometer being used here.

Back in 1989, a Rolling Stones concert at Giants Stadium (70,000 tickets) would sell out in 20 minutes at $25 a ticket.

Now, the Stones play Barclays arena (18,000 seats) with tickets priced as high as $1500. And it takes until a week before the show to sell out, if it even does. Nobody gives a shit. They are playing one night instead of 5 and making more money.

It's all speculation at this point. But everybody is taking every tiny little catnip chunk of available information and wildly amplifying it to coincide with their bias.

We might just have to wait this one out folks. We certainly can't draw any grand conclusions a week before the game is even officially revealed.

I think you know my current thoughts on it - like everybody else I've made my opinions clear in half a dozen threads already.

11
#111 5 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

serious question? Are you now employed by Stern or have an application in?
First you come with the hype beast and now that the majority of Pinside has shared their opinion on the game/pricing you are in deflect mode.
It is honestly very odd how you are acting now and seems like such a dramatic change that there must be an underlying reason. You are such a huslter and a smart dude, that you seem to have a motive behind most things. This stance on Beatles seems very purposeful for you.

Serious question; why are you trolling me when I'm actually tying to have a civil, intelligent conversation with you?

My all time favorite thing on pinside right now is people who have never liked me or my posts complaining that I don't post like used to.

#181 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Stern knows they will sell every single Beatles pin. Every one.

Are you currently drawing a paycheck from Stern??!??!!

Or just not a moron?

hard to tell around here these days!

#185 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Yes, Gary is paying me to criticize his products on a public forum.
It's the secret to Stern's success.

How DID they manage to sell 9,000 Time Warps? It's an awful game.

I guess the success of Flash coupled with a good sell on the Banana flippers gimmick was enough to move them?

I can't imagine that thing earned. As an aside, it's the first pinball game I remember playing, in Chinatown NYC. Can't forget the bananas.

#187 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Time Warp earned, and that's why ops kept buying them.
At the final end of the production run, they were shipping them with standard flippers, and those did not earn as well.
Disco Fever sold over 6,000 units, with a much crapier layout (and theme), but again, I think the curved flippers attracted players who otherwise would have walked by without dropping a coin.

Then why do you reckon they stopped producing these games?

We all know sales doesn't always equal coin drop. TZ didn't earn. Popeye didn't earn. I'm sure there are more examples. (Disco Fever maybe?)

Maybe Williams was happy with their returns on the banana flipper experiment and decided not to push it.

#189 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

There was only so much room on the production lines.
The moment euro orders started to slow, that was the signal to start gearing up for the next game.
The next games after TW had voice (like Gorgar and Xenon) so it probably was better business to push the more expensive games.

I meant, why do you reckon they stopped designing new Banana games if the old ones were selling and earning? I suspect they were getting operator/distributor feedback that they weren't earning. Maybe they did for a short while till the novelty wore off?

#193 5 years ago

Tough but fair. And true! (Besides the “we love you” part)

#261 5 years ago

Lmao so true Frax

Gotta love all these pinside macho alpha males running into the forest with nothing but a loin cloth and a spear and emerging with a blood-drenched Jackbot.

Showing us how it’s done!!

12
#271 5 years ago
Quoted from robotron:

beatles are so macho! beta males will love this pin.....

I gotta admit, when I think “alpha male” I think middle aged pinball collectors. A rougher, tougher group of studly macho men is almost impossible to find!

Have you ever been to a pinball show? The testosterone in the air is enough to arouse anybody!!!

#273 5 years ago
Quoted from Yelobird:

If that’s what testosterone smells like yikes!

Only a beta male wouldn’t love the manly, studly aroma of alpha juice!

To be a pinball collector, you gotta RUN WITH THE BIG DAWGS baby.

Get with the program or take up doll collecting. Pinball ain’t a hobby for sissies! It’s for manly alpha men only!

#275 5 years ago
Quoted from Cruster:

this game will be sold out. if nothing else yoko will buy them to show the beatles are still relevant.

Why would Yoko give a shit?

You realize she's like, a billionaire, right?

#321 5 years ago
Quoted from heryworm:

I'm getting my Beatles around Thanksgiving. I let you guys know how it plays.

Please stop upsetting people around here. Have you no heart?!

#324 5 years ago

How BAD are BEATLES sales?

beat (resized).jpgbeat (resized).jpg
#328 5 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Let the hype begin

didn't it begin a couple weeks ago?

#334 5 years ago
Quoted from CaptainNeo:

I would be hard pressed to pay $800 for seawitch, so yeah.

BOOM!

Feel the burn, Stern!

#389 5 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

during that interview, he continues to tell everyone to "lighten up" but then proceeds to bash JJP (too many f*cking rules according to him) and other companies for their products

Did he call anybody out by name, or just use vagaries?

#398 5 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

this was the podcast that I was referring to
http://www.head2headpinball.com/2018/11/05/episode-68-joe-kaminkow-on-the-beatles-pinball/
joe's interview starts around the 9:30 mark, and starts to get a bit controversial after the 15-16 min mark, 16:10 min mark for the JJP dig
I think that one of the nicer parts about the beatles is how they update the design by eliminating the original flexible ball guide that the initial plunged ball pushes to get into the playfield proper (this guide works well on a nicely tuned sea witch, but seems to fail miserably on one that isn't) and how they changed the orbit trajectory (from the flippers) so that you can make loops better (but then it seems that they killed this change by stopping the ball at the top of the loop with the magnet because according to joe, you don't want have endless loops (around the 14 min mark)
I think the best comment is "we were trying to make a game that wasn't overpriced"

Jack also hilariously trolled Stern by posting a pic of himself at the Cavern Club in Liverpool the day Beatles announced. I thought that was pretty good Pwnage.

These guys are all big boys and they all take little digs at each other. What would pinball be without the bitchiness?

WE ALL LOVE IT!

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#411 5 years ago
Quoted from Normscoffee:

That's what I meant. Sorry for my sloppy language. I am convinced that Stern has sold out but distributors still have stock of gold.

Stern is never gonna get left holding the bag on stuff like this. That’s the point of games like supereme and Beatles.

Is there a bag to be left holding? Who knows. The holiday season is upon us!

#425 5 years ago

Seriously!

I'm trying to remember who started this thread!

Speaking of which I'm thinkin of bringing back the Beatles Lovefest thread...

-1
#451 5 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

It's weird, to me at least, that a decade of work and all this excitement only warranted a retheme of an old layout. Couldn't even be bothered to make a brand new game.

This is a brand new game.

#460 5 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

No shock really.
World population is 7.7 billion.
77000000000.
Beatles games 1964.
That's roughly 1 game per 3.5 million people!

There are people here who are genuinely shocked or in denial, and thought Stern was finally about to receive its comeupance for the unforgivable crime of producing, building, and selling pinball machines in a timely, profitable manner.

Well, there's always next time.

11
#464 5 years ago
Quoted from TreyBo69:

This whole thread is just a weird circle jerk of negativity.

Can you imagine an actual Pinside circle jerk?

"Ugh.. You are doing it wrong!"

"Man you don't know the FIRST THING about jerking off."

"If you think THAT'S good technique, I feel sorry for your wife! How about some innovation? You are just doing the same old stroke!"

"This circle jerk sucks and is not worth the gas money I spent to get to this $40 an hour motel room."

"If this is the best you guys have to offer, you might as well stop jerking off altogether!"

"yeah, Great jerk off. Awesome. I can't wait till the deep root guys show up and bring something fresh and new to this circle!"

#467 5 years ago
Quoted from megadeth2600:

I have two that haven't dimpled at all. Flash Gordon and Black Knight 2000.
They're NOS though ... and I still need to clear and install them .
I'm convinced that better lighting is what caused people to notice dimpling. I never really noticed them on my TZ until people started talking about them. When I switched my TZ over to LEDs, they were a lot easier to see.
What's sad is that you know there is *one* collector out there that has a pin set up, but will not play it due to dimpling.

Better lighting
Better cameras
More cameras
Increased scrutiny
An unprecedented need to bitch about everything under the sun

It’s all added up to increased dimple phobia. I was in this hobby for 15 years before I ever heard the word “dimple” in relation to pinball.

#469 5 years ago
Quoted from docquest:

This is a certainly a new game.
Anyone who believes this is not a new game doesn't appreciate the amount of work it takes to make something that is manufactuable.
I would think the amount of engineering and manufacturing work needed take a 38 year old early SS game into their current design/production systems was almost the same amount of work needed as starting from scratch.
They might have saved a small amount of time on the front end but I doubt it was overly significant in the grand scheme of things.

This is of course a million times true. Not to mention the playfield has been changed.

You’d think someone who was involved in Alien would realize that nothing in pinball is “easy.”

#509 5 years ago
Quoted from Yoski:

Should be doable in the $4-5K range.

NOTHING IS DOABLE IN THE 4K RANGE.

Please stop saying this people. It's never, ever going to happen.

The lowest price point for a new pinball machine is a Stern pro, about $5300 or so. That's not going to change no matter how many "it should be" posts people make.

1 month later
#617 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

That's bad.
He'll be dead before year's end.

The good news is keith's probably lying. It cannot be cheap to insure a Stones tour these days.

#666 5 years ago

So basically the bubble is finally going to burst?!?!?!

And Beatles is the pin that's gonna prick it?!?!

Goddamn, I knew the end was near, as it has been for 20 years, but clearly, this is the final blow!!

(BTW you guys are nuts if you can buy a HUO Beatles for $5500 in a year I'LL BUY YOU ONE!)

#672 5 years ago
Quoted from Colsond3:

Classy. With that attitude, you are a gentleman and certainly want this hobby to thrive for a long time.
I’m not speaking about myself and all the other people on this site and in this hobby that love to piss away money.
I am constantly selling people their first game, and trying to get new people into this hobby. That is who I’m talking about. If every game is $3000 to $5000 at minimum, it will definitely shy people away from getting into it. Then once all the old-timers are gone with the massive collections, there will be no new blood for this thing to continue for a long time. Not many people want to spend a few thousand bucks on their first game.

Let's be fair- you can get into this hobby for 500 bucks. Or 900 bucks! That Dracula you have for sale is a fantastic deal.

If it's a "rich man's hobby" for someone, they need to adjust their expectations of what pinball is all about. My first game was 350 bucks, and I'm sure that's true for many folks!

3 weeks later
#800 5 years ago

Guys I’m gonna offer up a shocking opinion that will blow your minds and reboot your entire perception of what Pinball criticism means:

Beatles is fun.

But........wait for it.....

Wait for it.....

It’s not $8k worth if fun!!!

booooooooom!

Consider your very existence redefined.

1 month later
#840 5 years ago
Quoted from yancy:

Once we start counting coils or measuring BOMs I think it's thread lock time.

It really is our "Hitler."

#842 5 years ago
Quoted from yancy:

I thought carguments were our Hitler.

We have a lot of Hitlers.

#850 5 years ago

I can't quite put my finger on why but all of the Beatles threads have been much more pleasant lately.

#859 5 years ago
Quoted from arcadem:

Finally got the chance to play several games on a diamond version yesterday. What a boring experience! The game really sucks. With all of the other machines out there now that offer so much more in features, game play, etc. why would anyone other than a Beatles fan choose this one? Just asking....

The “just asking” at the end of this post puzzles me.

-2
#861 5 years ago
Quoted from arcadem:

As I said, why would anyone other than a Beatles fan choose this over all the other great machines that are out there now and more coming?

Because they want the Beatles?

Also, have you noticed that almost everybody is a “Beatles fan” to one degree or another? Just asking.

Also have you ever noticed that almost nobody will spend NIB money to buy an NIB game that has a theme they dislike? Just asking.

Do you realize that kind of renders the question you are just asking moot? Just asking.

#876 5 years ago
Quoted from Aussiepinwiz:

May we please get back to what this thread is about, and post all the other interesting thoughts on the other Beatles thread?
Anyone got any idea how sales are going?

Beatles sales are an embarrassment and may cause Stern to go bankrupt.

Or they are doing just fine.

These are the ideas people have on how sales are going.

#878 5 years ago

It's been a while since Vic Ireland has updated us on Beatles store sales.

#890 5 years ago
Quoted from Aussiepinwiz:

As requested earlier, may we please get back to what this thread is about, and post all the other interesting thoughts, and complaints, on the other Beatles thread?
This thread is about SALES.
Any distributors out there sold all their stock yet or close to it?

THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON THAT.

You can beg, you can plead, you can cajole, you can whine. Nobody is going to release sales figures. It's all speculation. If you really want to know, you'll have to get a job with Stern or become a distributor yourself and see how the title sells.

This applies to every game released since Williams closed, by the way.

11 months later
14
#910 4 years ago

Such a killer game. I love playing Beatles.

I'd be interested in a used one if the price got around $5K but I don't see that happening.

#920 4 years ago
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

sucks?! ghastly?!
Art appreciation is subjective and to each their own, but this criticism seems a bit harsh.
Granted, the art package doesn't reflect actual Beatles album artwork (which surely would have cost mega $$$ beyond the already expensive license rights obtained), but I think it accomplishes what it needs to - a colorful, fun looking, arcade GAME that captures the essence of other mass marketed early Beatles products - within a modern pinball machine geared for sales in a nostalgic sales market.
Just my personal opinion, but FWIW, I think Chris Franchi and Ka-Pow did a great job with this and I will be only too happy to add a Beatles to my gameroom!

Art package is great and reflects the "Beatlemania" early 60s theme.

Stones is covered in Stones LP covers and everybody hates it.

2 months later
12
#959 3 years ago

For you BOM size queens...

Drop target banks cost more than ramps.

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