Black Fever
Playmatic, 1980Ok. So the rap thread seemed a bit divisive, so let’s try dialing it back a notch. Would any of these themes have any crossover ability to the current pinball buyer, while potentially expanding into new markets. Pick as many as you’d actually consider.
Of the themes you have listed I would be interested in black panther, wonder woman, Alice In wonderland, and jumanji.
Quoted from Coolpinballdino:Of the themes you have listed I would be interested in black panther, wonder woman, Alice In wonderland, and jumanji.
there's checkboxes for voting 
I would be in for a Prince themed pin! Greatest musician of my lifetime.
Black Panther using the Kendrick Lamar produced soundtrack would be my 2nd choice.
A pin for the younger generation?
It could have a layout with a residence in the parent's basement, feature bikes and public transportation to get around, the "score" could be racking up student debt for a major ethnic studies or art appreciation, and oh yeah, at the end of each game the player gets to enter their initials for participating in the game.
Of course I'm kidding. Sort of. 
Oh, sure, millennial pinball! Hit the left ramp to never own a house, combo to the right ramp to work until you die, and wail on that spinner for that sweet uninsured-injury hospital bill hurryup. After you drain, your bonus goes to a baby boomer's retirement fund.
In not-joking terms, TNA is probably on the right track - rad score, cool nuclear theme, nifty 80s-wave artwork, and simple, understandable gameplay, so more stuff on that wavelength couldn't be a bad idea, though I have no idea how it earns on location.
Quoted from trunchbull:In not-joking terms, TNA is probably on the right track - rad score, cool nuclear theme, nifty 80s-wave artwork, and simple, understandable gameplay, so more stuff on that wavelength couldn't be a bad idea, though I have no idea how it earns on location.
This is a good call. Very impressed with Scott’s call to make a woman the hero of the game.
What about a pinball machine specifically targeted at virtue signaling social justice warriors. That's probably a Marvel theme already.
Oh yeah, and shut pinside down so the manufacturers have no idea what old white nerdy pinball farts want in a game theme and let them go back to the drawing board.
Chances are they might come up with something cool like they used to.
Prince to me seems like it would be another Nugent pin. Wonder Woman is great....what white male American comic book lover wouldn't want that? So maybe that's not quite "outside the box" enough for the point you are making. Michael Jackson gets my vote for your post.
Look at the licenses from the 70/80s
games were made to appeal to 15-25 yo males
most licenses were from things that had been around for a few years
I'd look to TV and video games
Deadpool
Batman, Arkham Asylum
Joker (no Batman)
Quoted from TractorDoc:Wasn't someone all excited about a My Little Pony Pinball sometime back?
It actually became a reality as "Magic Girl".
I could be down with a 1960's-70's Motown-themed pin with a classic design with modern ingenuity (like accomplished with TNA). Isley Bros and MJ modes with a J5 hurry-up, Stevie Wonder mystery scoop. Tracks from the Four seasons/DR and the Supremes/and Smoky Robinson mixed in...yeah, it could be a pretty chill pinball to play...
Quoted from Cruster:lol, aren’t most of those titles old and white?
That's what I was thinking! lol
Here's one that would at least solve half the problem.
download (resized).jpgIn all seriousness, I think Stranger Things could actually gain some traction.
As much as I am a child of, and a fan of the 80's, I'm really happy to see that games like GOTG, TWD, and even Dialed In are around and successful. Nostalgia definitely seems to have an expiration date, it's good seeing the pool get refreshed.
Of course, Stranger Things is a current show set in the early 80's, so maybe I'm off base. 
I know it will never happen, but one of my favorite current shows is "The Expanse". I think it's got some great pinball potential.
A straight up DISNEY game...princesses and all. They could have different modes ALA Monster Bash and make it truly family friendly. Disneyland Pinball, Pixar Pinball, seems like a no brainer to me. How many people get married at Disney a year??? That makes it an easy sale for the husband if the wives are on board, not to mention kids. Not sure if this helps the race part of the equation but it does bring more women into pinball IMO.
The thing is, Im pretty sure the market that pinball manufacturers target is....wait for it....
Old, Male, White, and thats because we are the ones buying and playing these games, primarily.
I personally dont know any young black, Hispanic, or Asian dudes or many women that are into pinball. Im sure there are some out there, but most shows and expos Ive been to were dominated by middle aged white guys. I just dont really expect to see Stern or any other manufacturer pouring money into producing a game aimed at a demographic that probably wouldnt be very interested in spending money on it when they know that they have a solid market with us old white geezers. Aside from Stranger Things, I have zero interest in any of the themes in the poll.
Quoted from Sinistarrett:The thing is, Im pretty sure the market that pinball manufacturers target is....wait for it....
Old, Male, White, and thats because we are the ones buying and playing these games, primarily.
I personally dont know any young black, Hispanic, or Asian dudes or many women that are into pinball. Im sure there are some out there, but most shows and expos Ive been to were dominated by middle aged white guys. I just dont really expect to see Stern or any other manufacturer pouring money into producing a game aimed at a demographic that probably wouldnt be very interested in spending money on it when they know that they have a solid market with us old white geezers.
You’re reason is exactly why you’d want to expand. It’s a typical market leader strategy to expand the market. The goal would be to pick a theme that doesn’t alienate your current base, but at the same time expands your market. I wouldn’t suggest going all in on a non-traditional theme, but prioritizing some thing with crossover appeal like Black Panther would make total sense.
Quoted from Mizzou0103:More
You’re reason is exactly why you’d want to expand. It’s a typical market leader strategy to expand the market. The goal would be to pick a theme that doesn’t alienate your current base, but at the same time expands your market. I wouldn’t suggest going all in on a non-traditional theme, but prioritizing some thing with crossover appeal like Black Panther would make total sense.
True, True. I haven't seen Black Panther, I heard it did very well. Would a Black Panther pin lead to more sales from African Americans? Maybe, I dont know. Heres a straightforward question which Ive pondered in the past. How many pinside users here are not middle aged white dudes? Lets hear it from any Black, Hispanic, Asian, female, or any other non white male members.
i would think theme is less of factor than
- overall lack of location pinball
- the fact that the pinball is a super tiny niche
- kids today aren't interested, of all types
- the old white guys were once young and liked arcade/pinball and nostalgia is the reason why it exists at all now.. my guess is that in other communities this wasnt the case for whatever reason.
so, anyways.. seems like up hill climb that needed to have started 25'years ago to make a dent.
heck, Supreme pinball was prob the best effort in this space recently. more of that i guess.
Honestly if women were more involved in the design of pinball, and not just the artistic design, but rules and layout and coding there would probably be some different styles of games out there. I look at how pinball has evolved and it keeps changing with the times, but women rarely have influence. I know that there are some women involved now and in the past, not overlooking their input to our hobby.
There is something so pure and perfect about pinball. Sometimes when I am playing an older game and the theme is almost non existent, I feel better about the machine. Themes are so temporary, but I have to admit they cater to males who are the target demographic.
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