Pinball is a game in which you use flippers in an attempt to hit targets with a ball. That's it. Anything beyond that is implementation.

I'm a Video Game kid from the 80's. And 90's. And 2000s and on.
I would have no interest in Robotron or most the 80's arcade staples outside of once in a blue moon trip to a place like Galloping Ghost Arcade.

And while video games have evolved an awful lot, new games done in the style of "classic games" has always been available.

Which almost gets to the real issue: Pinball has a content delivery problem.

The fact that these expensive boxes nearly always have only one game on it.

What we commonly see now as a combined "modes and score" type game. That could still be the default game type on new machines... But what if one could select a "scoring only, no modes" game, or only mode progression with no scoring (you made it to level X), there could be a "stopwatch mode" (complete goal as fast as you can). There could be a "countdown mode" where you need to score or progress as far as you can in X amount of time, then you need to do it again in less time, or maybe a more difficult goal in the same amount of time. A game type where they whole game is played withing on of the modes of the default game - like a multi ball only mode. Or only playing the wizard mode.

If pinball modernized to the point where one could purchase and download additional games for their home machine, it wouldn't matter if a given individual disliked 90% of the game types, as they could just not purchase them. People who just want to hit shit and see a number increase would be satisfied. People who like variety would be satisfied.

Home theater aficionados are not forced to buy a projector and screen for each movie they want to watch or a dedicated box with speakers for each album they want hear. Video games sloughed off the one game per box model decades ago and exploded in popularity and left pinball nearly dead and in a ditch.

Now we just need pinball manufacturers to stop complaining about how expensive software is and realize that it is actually their largest profit potential. Most people want variety, most people also want to Not dedicate hundreds of square feet of their homes to get that variety.

Pinball without flippers

I never really answered the question in OP before slinging some TL;DR BS.

So to condense: The amount of room in pinball for other types of games is limited by the amount you can put on one machine.

Almost no-one would want a story-mode only machine. It would have to be a choice along with the current standard mode of game.

You are making assumptions of the rules of this imaginary game. There is no reason it would HAVE to be that way.

Let's think of a way, disregarding how much "fun" any one individual might think it would be.

Story mode: You play until its done, unlimited balls. Once you reach the end of the story, it tells you how many balls you used.
Story mode done.
Want More? It also tells you how long it took.
You would never have enough free time to beat the game in one session? Add a "checkpoint" shot that can be qualified. Hit the shot and you can choose to continue playing or to save your progress and quit, enter your initials and a PIN or something, and you can turn off your machine.

Almost all of the objections in this thread can be eliminated by having choice of game type, and smart design.

You're right, no-one makes money selling software now-a-days /s

But enough snark.

Odd to complain about how a thing that was never implemented has been implemented. Add the latter is lazy prognostication; the easiest bet in pinball is that things will only be how they've been.

Why would any manufacturer have to? Does Microsoft or Valve or Sony or Nintendo develop every game for their platform? No. They charge 3rd parties to "certify" their software and/or take a cut of the sales.

What a manufacturer would have to do is:
1) Develop system software that can accept additional games to be added to its menu.
2) Ideally a certification system so the consumer has a reasonable expectation that they software they bought wont blow up the machine.

If anything this system could be used to make it less risky, a manufacturer could choose to ship rulesets of "Hit X get Y points", No Callouts, No video, No Animation. I get the feeling some people here may love that. Super cheap, low risk, easy to be "code complete" on the shipping date. Or just the same type of game they are doing now.

The above is all bare-bones, but all we need to consider here is software development and sales. The amount of risk is such that there are an uncountable number of software companies that are able sustain themselves. How many pinball manufacturers do we think are sustainable?