I have no knowledge of what went down....if it was a private negotiation and Stern crashed it then yeah it’s a dick move.
Now if the truth is there was a gentleman’s agreement that Stern would not pursue the license and the meeting was not private but for others to make offers then it’s business....dick move still but even shittier by rubbing it in if there is no intention by Stern to make the game.
All these politics and secrecy leave a sour taste in my mouth. Spooky has always said they are not interested in being the big dog and taking down Stern. Well all this tells me is the niche market Spooky is selling to IS hurting Stern. Yeah there are more titles and games selling than there has been in a long time but understand we are talking small numbers of each title being produced so all these companies need every sale they can to survive.
Captain obvious here but the smaller companies have to secure a license that is a hit or do killer original themes and they know this. Stern is the big dog and will protect their interests. If it costs Stern money to buy a license that prevents a competitor from cutting into their sales that’s what they are gonna do. Gary truly has a passion for pinball but his bigger obsession is obviously money and the legacy and survival of the company. That’s business.