I agree that the title would be a massive hit with younger generation. Id buy one for sure. So many possibilities

If they could ever get the license for this, it would be a home run at the coin box.

Bump, please make this machine @STERN

Instabuy

I've got the cash in pocket for it. Make it happen, Stern.
This is a game that many 30ish year olds AND children can instantly relate to.

I'm not a pokemon guy and only just learned about it from my kids.

All I can say is if you put a card dispenser on this game (like Slugfest) and it spits out pokemon cards, my kids would spend every dollar they have on the game just to win a new card.

I doubt Pokemon is about to come out, but I like that there are Pokemon fans in there. Gives a glimmer of hope for a potential huge location theme.

It is in sterns style to release a 30 year old franchise

I'd be on board. I played the old Pokemon Pinball game for the GBA obsessively back in the day.

Pokemon and Harry Potter would both be goldmines as far as pinball can be a goldmine. Both are popular and long-lived so nerds and their nerdy kids can both nerd out on them. I’m in.

Apparently JK Rowling doesn't like the idea of pinball machines as she has the archaic view that its a form of gambling or something silly like that. So Harry Potter will never happen.. Luckily Pokémon is known to throw their name on just about anything so hopefully this actually happens!!

I believe this to just be a rumor. No one has ever shown any proof of this. Not in a video or print interview. It's just hearsay, unless you've got proof

“J.K. Rowling doesn’t want a pinball machine at the moment. The category is not one she wants to happen,” says Sharpe

http://pavlovpinball.com/pinball-licencing-101-how-much-why-and-harry-potter/

Pretty sure Roger Sharpe is extremely credible...

That is the 1 independent reference in all of google. I guess we’ll assume it’s true. Did Sharpe speak to her firsthand? More likely via a licensing agent or something. Was anything lost in translation? How was the question posed? Did she even have the state modern pinball explained to her? I picture a half listened to question of a very busy billionaire. HP isn’t over. No way

Rare for me but it would probably be a hard no buy for theme. But you never know.

Good quote from 2014. Thanks for finding some proof. The very next sentence after your quote is

But there’s possible good news for Potter fans.”I am first in line for the licence, and I am waiting for when the timing is right,” he says. “When it is I will see if a particular manufacturer will step up – or I might like to do it myself.”

So 5 years have passed, maybe the time is right.

Also Harry Potter and pokemon both have mobile games made by niantic. What does this have to do with anything. Nothing. But both of these licenses have become looser with their IP in the last 5 years.

I think the main issue was always about the game ending up mostly in bars.

The games by Niantic are probably an easier sell because they're about walking around and visiting all sorts of places.

I think there will be a Harry Potter game someday, but likely when Rowling is even less involved with how the property is licensed. It would be interesting how they tackle the game. If they go pure books with all original assets, or if they would license the Warner Brothers movies and all of those actors/videos/audio/music. (I'd prefer books. I was young enough to enjoy the first few novels, but never saw more than the first movie)

Probably not well received by the pinball community. But if Stern really wanted to capture the low end of pinball sales with their home table. This would be the title to go with.

It’s 20 years old and was played by kids to adults when it came out so plenty of age range today

Not to mention any parents that want to get their kids into pinball, here's the gateway theme. Pokemon is still wildly popular with young kids.

Replaying Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow via the edition you buy. The artwork on the sides would be uniform, but each backglass would focus on the starting pokemon! So you'd have to meet up with other players/editions or play them on location & truly catch them all. You could even make the few rare pokemon that do require you to play a different edition be a special multiball that starts almost immediately once you log in via a built-in WiFi that allows you to connect your Pokemon Go account. Ditch the story other than an intro when you first create your save file, but then it's all just battling, catching, gyms. Catching & battling would get a bit tedious, so that's where the save file comes in handy. Plus, you could have it build in complexity as the pokemon you are catching level up. The first few are caught by switch hits (anything on the playfield getting triggered) that build towards capturing. Then you have to hit specific shots, then combos, etc. (I love the ideas people have been throwing out for different modes. Catching by shooting a moving drop target or moving arrow/shot.)

Your save file is a click away via the app & a QR code on the machine's screen lets you pick up where you left off. That way you're not sick of the same basic animations being tied to the beginning pokemon, but you can make it through the grind of the game because, hey, at lease the Pokemon on the screen is changing, right? OMG & you could have a choice between the original animations or a remastered. Before you start the gym battles you'd change your lineup with a menu navigated by flippers/action button. I don't know how but you'd have to come up with a way to streamline the battles.

OH Okay, you could also incorporate a little mini screen (or if this Stranger Things idea works out, a projector, where you could change the drop targets & ramps to have the symbol of whatever Pokemon you just caught. Then the possibilities are endless!

I’m just bumping this again because the thought of owning a Pokémon pinball machine where you have to defeat all 8 gyms to get to the elite four wizard mode is keeping me awake at night

I’d buy one in a heartbeat. Probably the only title I’d buy without even seeing gameplay/images of first

Definitely a theme that would make for a cool pin.

Reposting on this because it would be an unreal theme.. I agree I’d buy without seeing

Well your in luck!

Until pinside resolves the image issue you likely won’t be able to see a picture of a flyer (and one was built) for this Pokémon pinball machine.

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