Quoted from BrewNinja:In the April fools BK stream, Steve mentioned that there is a lot of risk in this pin. Stern basically said OK to an "unlicensed" theme (I use it in quotes because it technically licensed from Williams, but its not like a movie/band type license).
Agree, There is risk but this release is built around an established Black Knight license. So there is brand recognition... Not to mention the medieval/Metal vibe is still hot. You have GOT premiering this weekend which will help marketing a bit over the next 3- 4 months and help drive the subliminal theme.
I believe the financial reward could be somewhat higher for Stern. The licensing fees I am sure are substantially lower than normal and the machine doesn't appear to have anything overly expensive incorporated so it is possible that the margins for Stern could be higher.
I think the biggest risk is if the game doesn't meet the high expectations it could tarnish the end of a spectacular legacy for Mr Ritchie...