At this point, I think anyone who is an actual fan of the franchise would genuinely hope that ANY PINBALL MANUFACTURER would be able to secure the license, as that would guarantee that this "holy grail" of licenses actually came to fruition, that has seemed to be impossible to secure in the past.
But, similar to Star Wars, and similar to what we're hearing about The Beatles (shhhhhhh!, don't want to start another "speculation" thread!!!) many know that this theme has both the source material and also a giant fan base to be a great pin. But with licensing and whatnot, I personally don't want this to be another SW Pro. Yes I just played a SW Pro for an hour tonight and still have a lot of fun with it, but there's been what now, 4-5 Star Wars pins now, and none of them can claim to be the outright best?
Harry Potter, if it ever becomes a pin, won't have that luxury to go through 4-5 iterations across 3-4 manufacturers. If there's any shot, the first shot needs to be the best (and probably only) shot... and for that, I personally hope Harry Potter doesn't go to Stern, and goes exclusively to JJP, even if that means I won't be able to own one NIB.
I'd rather this title get the pin it deserves, and maybe play it at a friend's house or on location, than be a stripped down title where the Pro has a wand on a spring that has a tip that lights up, and a "he-who-shall-not-be-named" as a stationary figure with a kickback coil underneath.
Sorry Stern, you've made a lot of pins I love to play, especially lately, but that's because they're real good shooters (*cough IMDN, SW, & AS cough*) but theme integration isn't your forte, and for the theme of all themes that deserves immersion, I hope JJP gets this one... but if you've somehow secured this one, can you please make the Premium not suck, and at least somewhat worth the cost???