Düsseldorf
Quoted from pookycade:Look I love the game, but it doesn’t seem much new has been added in the last decade. It’s starting to feel like walking into a casino. There are a million themed slot machines (one for wheel of fortune, another for Elvis, yet another for Seinfeld and it goes on). But they are basically all the same, ( replace cherry, orange, lemon on the slot dials with pictures of Taylor Swift). Pinball is feeing a lot like that (ie couple ramps here, few drops and stand up targets there, throw in spinner, 3 pops, and 3 flippers, couple of multiballs, then slap on the theme of the day, photorealistic art, add themed callouts, and run clips on the video screen of said theme integration and you get GOTG, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Iron Maiden, Stranger Things. There’s a reason Stern can slam so many out a year. I mean is there anything special about the layout even, or could you put ANY theme on most of them ? They are all still fun to play, I keep buying them, but there’s probably a reason my wife keeps asking why I need so many when they are all so similar (Though at 70+ pins she kinda does have a point). It just seems there was so much more innovation going from 1979 - 1999 compared to 2000-2020. Have we run out of ideas here ?
I don't think pinball needs to be innovative (and besides Multimorphic we'll see what Deeproot will have to offer) but what you describe is more the lackluster slap of paint that's changing with every license.
Take a game like Championship Pub. It has lots of toys, the main mech being a completely interactive Boxer, only built for this game and never again used.
It's unique, stands out, and is 100% cohesive and built for the theme. - And again it had lots of others.
Theme integration is not only the art, sound and code, it's the toys as well.
So how "unique" is (since you mentioned TMNT) a diverter - that has a toy stuck on it? Or a Ball Lock, but this time not as an uppost but making the Turtle Bus door open and close? - It's ok I guess but nothing that really brings the license to live, or is unique to the game.
How many People said beforehand: Man a glider on a diverter would be bad ass!? 
(Most postings I recall asked for a Subway...)
So yes, I think you can still find innovation. AP does an outstanding Job with the mechs an theme integration with Houdini.
Sterns Elvira really has a no cost cutting Williams vibe to it as well.
JJP games are usually way different from another, whereas I thought Willy Wonka played it safe.
And yes even regular Sterns can have innovation, it's just not as packed as in the Williams days; like the Black Knight Toy in SoR, with it's flail and the moving shield/ target backkicker.
