Nefarious forces?? The world has gone to shite. Back to heavy drinking.

Talk is cheap, imo Kevin should offer an open invitation to anyone who wants a refund.

kevin started this poop storm when he collected $3000 and he promised the games would be delivered in 2014, no one else should be held hostage if they don't want to wait another indeterminate period of time. Things were fine when the initial deposit was $250. The whole premise for him demanding $3000 was to get the ball rolling.

IMO

can't argue with Aurich's summary/assessment. that's about what it says.
wonder how many will jump ship this time? i'm still in for the time being but it certainly does make me "anxious".

So now the person from the phone number on the back of the Predator CD case, who granted Kevin the license permission to make 250 pinball machines is stalling the process?

Can't say I am surprised. The licensing of the game has appeared to be amateurish at best for the last 18 months.

It's a half-assed email. It would have been better to not send anything at all. It leaves most of us to draw our own conclusions and initiate panic without any explanation of wtf he is talking about. So someone called Fox maybe? So apparently refunds will be processed, maybe? I have no idea if any machines are close to being shipped. I gave Kevin an out on my refund, basically telling him if he refunds me fine if not fine, but if not to please at least open up the lines of communication because that is truly what is pissing people off and leads us to our own conclusions of what is happening.

At this point if I'm getting my money back I'd like a time line on that since I basically gave a $4750 interest free loan for a year, I'd hope if the guy hasn't spent all the money that he at least invested it to have that money work for him a bit.

The question I ask about this whole deal is how could someone besides Kevin sabotage this machine from being built? It sounds like an excuse. If you have a license to build "Predator" what could someone on the outside do to compromise the operation?

Bingo.

If there is no problem with the license, someone "calling Fox" is completely meaningless.

Sounds like he's using it as an excuse for not building the pins IMO.

Sounds like you can't read

Or possibly I misread it. Keep in mind I did not see the E-Mail.

Not the best email I've ever received. A "major update" but then no real information in the actual email. Not a lot I can actually do about it though.......

No question it's a concerning email, but I don't think Kevin would've sent it if he wasn't genuinely concerned himself.

THE GOOD NEWS - he "promised" "no one will be left out to dry".
THE CONCERNING PART - it indicates that if you don't get your game, you'll get your money back.

The thought of the project being cancelled after all the time & sweat he's put into it is a heart breaker. Anyone who loves pinball is pulling for you Kevin...100% support from me while you tough it out mate!

I'm trying to be positive here, but let's face it the email isn't great. Without knowing what the issue is we can't make any real judgement calls. The only thing that really will kill the speculation is images of the machines actually being made - which for some reason seems to be the image that he can't actually send out.

Maybe I should just start viewing the T-shirt I got as a designer item as it's possible that it's cost me 5 grand

At least you got the T-shirt

Whysnow, wasn't there a bet or something with you on this being delivered by Christmas? What ever happened to that?

It's sad to see another promising pin seem to be sputtering out, but it always seems it's licensing, do people think they can just sell pinball machines with highly famous A+ list stars on them and no one will care? Maybe that's not what's happening, but from what I decipher here it is.

I haven't seen the email, but instead of the license, could part of the problems be that parts suppliers who also deliver to Stern or JJP 'aren't working hard' (to mildly put it) to supply to a small new company for they don't want to piss of their main customers?
Only problems I can think of reading 'the summary of the email' are problems with (parts of) the license or problems with the parts-suppliers (because of 'nefarious forces'). Or maybe a license/copyright for a part that's used?

Well, anyway, I hope all you guys get the game in the end, and for Skit-B I hope they can finish this and will make the second game as well...even though there doesn't seem much respons for it, maybe if the price stays in the lower segment (Stern Pro prices) and the game is great, it might sell quite well.

Maybe best solution is to refund all those that want out.

Then, if still viable, build Predator for those left. No new orders.

Call, it the Predator Survivors LE.

Prediction: "Free" upgrade to Experts of Dangerous for all Predator buyers.

If EoD is still being pressed forward on, then it's not a parts/supplier/vendor issue.

Not what I read Aurich.

Can someone then post the email to clear the air? At least Aurich gave us something. If it isn't a terrible email it should be posted cause otherwise we're left to come to our own conclusions. Kevin clicked "send" to the Internet, I don't see why we have to be all PPS about this.

Perhaps TDA will post it in the "locked" Predator Update thread, like he has all the other emails from Kevin.

Yeah, he always puts some bullshit biased slant on everything. Him and the other "pinball reporters" always trying to have some sort of impact on every game coming out.

It is laughable. He wanted to say, "nan nan boo boo, I got to the read the email", but then doesn't want to be "dickish" and post it, but instead wants to try and cause even more conjecture with his "summary".

He would have been better off not posting anything, but then that would not have allowed him to be part of the conversation.

Here is the summary that was provided directly from the email. In case you don't know Aurich "in short" is a way of actually summarizing...

This is directly from the email>
"In short, no matter what, nobody is going to get left out to dry on this one, I can promise you that."
<end of what was directly from the email>

This is all that matters to me. I paid in; it will be my game or lesson to learn. Kevin stating yet again that nobody gets left out to hang on this one is the summary that matters to me. I will get a game or my cash back based on that statement. I sure hope it is the game as that is what I want.

If you want conjecture, I am guessing that the folks at FOX did not do their due diligence on the original licensing when they handed it out.

NAME REDACTED (a guy from TX that loves attention) and some of his buddies contacted FOX 6-8 months ago. He told myself and others, including some mods on here, this many times, but now he will claim that is not the case. He also was talking big at EXPO last year to quite a few people about how he and his buddy Jody (he did not say which Jody, but he did say 'someone big in the pinball industry' so I am sure you can connect the dots of whom he was inferring) were going to make sure they 'got to the bottom of it'. They wanted to show how important they are while "protecting the greater good of pinball" (yes, I was actually told this is his prime directive).

Now that FOX is more interested in the Predator licenses due to upcoming releases they have planned, they are attempting to do more due diligence after getting repeated calls from TX attention dude and his buddies 'warning' them about Predator pinball. Higher ups in FOX legal are not happy with the previously issued license and have the legal team necessary to beat any small company into submission (this is just how it works with big IP owners). I am guessing this is what is currently going on and also where some meddling kids have the ability to genuinely be responsible for leading to disaster. A few of them were obviously pawns being used by someone "big in the pinball industry" (assuming TX dude was telling the truth of "jody") and they will be the ones left with mud on their faces. I was also told that they have been working with pinballnews/ Martin? to 'break' the whole story and give it legitimacy while keeping the mud off their faces. I like to think PBN is smart enough to not be involved in anyway? Honestly TX dude has said so many crazy things that I am never sure what is real or not with him.

I genuinely hope this is not the case and honestly did not believe much of what TX pinball dude told me in the past, but the recent email from Kevin worries me that he really has brought un-needed attention from higher up in Fox.

That is all conjecture, but those are the dots I can connect based on what the meddling kids were so happy to brag about 6-8 months ago and how they were going to contact FOX to try and kill the project.

This also assumes that SkitB has had a contract from Day1 allowing them to use the license and I see no reason to not think that the case, especially considering some of the IP they have in the game obviously came directly from the studio files and could not be recreated in the quality that it was without the studio assisting them at some point.

I still don't see how a phone call to Fox by anyone would make a lick of difference if everything was in order.

It is not one call, but multiple calls and messages until timing worked out for them and they found the right person to complain to at the right time.

I am not sure if you are familiar with a large corporation/business but I see it everyday in corporate America where someone lower on the ranks may have issued the original contract for the license and then later on someone higher up decides it was a bad move and they just bring in the lawyers to bully around the small company until they submit or get tied up in legal battles.

Someone insistently calling and complaining would be enough to finally get the higher ups involved. Really often just a matter of getting the right guy on the phone that is in legal or trying to make a name for himself in the organization as he fights he way up the ladder.

No phone calls from meddleing kids = no red flags.

again, all just conjecture based on the crap TX due was bragging about 6 months ago.

I don't know if Skit-B can claim to be an innocent victim of meddling, the scrubbing of the internet shows some culpability here, knowing whatever license they had was not strong and they were trying to sneak it under the radar. That definitely pre-dated any phone calls 6 months ago.

I'll grant you that if no one meddled, they may very well have pulled it off. I guess people will point fingers in different directions at this point.

The problem with all of this is that this speculation could be close to the truth or a million miles away.

We're trying to read meaning into an email that frankly doesn't tell us anything really apart from Kevin's going through a hard time.

I'm hoping for Kevin and everyone else involved that he manages to get it sorted.

more likely it shows them trying to appease some legal threats.

Fox: >> "Hey, your license does not allow for online advertising or use of images online"
SB: >> "Ok, we will take it all down"

Keep in mind that if a certain "Jody" is really involved in all this meddling, then there is a HUGE incentive to try and kill not just SkitB, but all start up pinball companies as that is just smart business to kill the competition.

They may have pulled it off, temporarily, but the repercussions of a ' higher up' seeing it already built and being sold would be far, far greater. Jail potentially.

I think at this time some clearing of the air is needed. Kevin needs to say whatever he needs to say, a detailed account of whatever his license is/was, why it was fine for him to collect money from everyone, why he scrubbed the internet, and what happened afterwards.

If there's any truth to this, Kevin needs to get ahead of this real fast. Get his side out immediately.

Not likely assuming they have a license in some form. Easily done for civil legal battles (even without merit) to stall a project but criminal charges are rare after a product being made (assuming some form of original contract).

You do realize that if there are ANY legal threats at all, then best MO is to say NOTHING...

I am not sure how it works where you reside, but that is always best practice if legal threats are actually occurring stateside.

Also, if PBN is involved in anyway I think they lose a ton of what credibility they have (I mean they already just report on pinball )

No way Stern would try to crush Skit B. They aren't a real threat. Stern's business is robust enough to not only survive, but prosper and expand while JJP delivered machines. Skit B would have little to no effect on Stern.

Yeah, seems odd if there is a valid contact, even if an underling wrote it up, they'd now pitch a fit. Unless they weren't honest with what was actually going to be in the game. Corps can be brutal no doubt, but haven't known one to waste money on a frivolous claim.

I'm not a lawyer, but that would make sense. Bummer for everyone. I hope there is a satisfactory resolution to this.

it takes almost no money for a corp this big to send some letters and scare a small company or even open a lawsuit.

Pretty sure Fox has lots of upcoming Predator plans so it is entirely possible that timing alone has given them greater interest in what contracts they have out currently for the license.

I really hope people didn't try to actively sabotage the project, that's pretty lame.

?

_{Post edited by PinFever: opps}

It seems they already have. To quote Walt Kelley "I've seen the enemy and it is us" , fucking losers, just to get attention on a forum.

There is *A LOT* of speculation going on here!

That's what happens when you send an email to customers that hints at things but it never gives an explanation of the whole story.

Yep and now some people are pointing fingers in every direction but Skit B. In the end, Skit-B is the one responsible for $1 million + in pinsider $$$, they need to get it done.

it really is that simple, isn't it? collect money, have responsibility for that money...

blame everyone except the person who took the money... yea, that'll work...

Inside scoop will be revieled shortly and made public. If you still have money in on this game, please request your refund now, although your chances are dwindling as time progresses.

Whysnow knows the truth as well and continues to feed and deceive others that don't know the details. Put his comments to the side and decide for yourself if this is still smart money to be invested into.

Oh you can't just say that and leave us hangin'!

I actually don't have any insider information other than what the group from TX have been sending to me as they have been threatening me and contacting FOX... Funny part is that they keep sending me messages from an anonymous email address because they are afraid to deal with the issues they instigated it seems.

This project hasn't imploded yet? Looks like it's time. Sooooooooo glad I got out last year. Toke it Skit-B

I got out of the Predator order awhile back and recieved my refund with in a couple days. I got this email last night and in one of the paragraphs kinda struck me. I haven't been following the thread fora few months..... but are there any people asking for a refund and not receiving it? Here's the paragraph below:

-"To the few of you who have asked for a refund, it is surely coming.  While these things always take some time, they are taking longer than usual due to the above circumstances.  In short, no matter what, nobody is going to get left out to dry on this one, I can promise you that."

Is it possible Kevin is being responsible by not shipping games until whatever issues are resolved? It would be somewhat reckless to ship games if there are underlying issues with licensing. I too was getting impatient with things and expressed this to Kevin via email about a month ago and he offered me my money back if I was no longer interested in staying in. He mentioned a few hurdles he's had to overcome that have slowed things down and I was satisfied enough with his explanation to decide to stay in. Hopefully he decides to communicate a little more with buyers to instil some confidence.