They can't just put games back into production. It can only happen if Disney is open to a reasonable small batch re-licensing deal & if there's enough demand for at least 500 machines. That's a lot of "ifs". Tron is awesome but they re-ran it a bunch times while the license was still active. There are a lot out there, unlike Iron Man which was cut short before it found its fans.

Due to Disney not caring about Tron and the "true" demand not being that great, I think it's safe to say Tron is done.

Define a lot. Sure, a few people are vocal about it...but "a lot"? Can you find even 100 pinsiders who have cash ready to rock for a NIB Tron? It would be an interesting poll.

I think if 500 people were clammoring for a Tron, used game prices would be even higher. Again - Tron Pro had what - 4 or 5 runs? That was at its peak when everyone was going Tron crazy. They kept running the game to meet demand. It slowed down and ended. I honestly think most who wanted a Tron got one.

While that may be true, keep in mind not just diehard pinheads buy games. Spider-Man is an evergreen license - always relevant. Tron is niche and not mainstream. Plus, turning Spidey into a comic book version will attract an entirely new audience of players and buyers.

Between Sega and Stern, there are probably 50,000+ Whitestar games out there. There's probably more demand for replacement boards than for new LOTRs.

For one - Tron has zero custom toys. They're all Spin Master toys. Metallica, TWD, Kiss - all have custom molded toys. Sure they're not technologically mindblowing - but sculpting, producing, and painting their own toys has to cost more than just buying them in bulk from a toy company.

Tron has no metal ramps, drop targets, or magnets. Kiss Pro is "cheap" as hell - but it does have some metal & drops. TWD has drops.

Today's Pros are still pretty cheap when it comes to BOM, but I think they're a smidge ahead of the IM/Tron/BBH days.

Spider-Man is a relevant and lucrative evergreen license. Tron isn't.

Its demand was met while he license was active.

It's not like Iron Man. They barely made any Iron Man, the license expired - then it got popular and the VE was made to meet demand. Thankfully the IM license is still relevant. Tron's popularity grew within the 3 years the license was still active, and multiple runs are done during that time to meet demand. The license is no longer relevant - I find it highly unlikely they'll run it again.

There are a ton of Stern games you can point to as being excellent and deserving of a re-run...but it's a pretty vocal minority who wants NIB everything and refuses to do it the "old fashioned way" - - buy a nice used one or a shitty used one and make it nice. That's not enough people to warrant re-licensing and running 100-200 machines.

Licenses last 3 years Metallica hasn't been renewed....they're still within the original license agreement.

...and Metallica is absolutely a more relevant license than Tron. Metallica is always around. Tron came and went. Disney cancelled the animated series, removed Tron stuff from the parks, and canned the 3rd movie. Disney has no interest in promoting Tron. Metallica has interest in promoting Metallica.

Do you really think there's demand for 1000? Over the past few years there has been plenty of "Pinside Demand" for re-runs of of games...TSPP, LOTR, FGY...some are already crying about wanting ACDC to come back and it just went out of production. We're very lucky that IM came back but that's a rare situation for the complicated beast that is pinball licensing and manufacturing. It's unlikely you'll see any of these games produced again. But here's the great thing about pinball collecting - used ones are out there! That's how most of us built our collections. Keep your eyes open.

Gary says a lot of things. Personally I feel like that vault announcement was more about "Pros might get re-made so don't blame us if your "investment" tanks". But also they'd obviously want to rerun games if there's sufficient demand post-license-expiration & if the re-license is feasible and practical. That's the key. Once again, IM tanked during its initial run and the demand came later. Iron Man is still relevant and Stern had multiple Marvel licenses active. Tron was a hit during its run and plenty were made. Same with LOTR, same with TSPP, same with POTC....so - the real question from the consumer side is - what is the true demand? How many are willing to shell out for a NIB Tron at the moment? Is it 10 loud pinsiders or is it 1000's worldwide including operators clammoring for more Trons on location?

Stern's production model generally isn't concerned with what they can do in the future - they need games constantly being built and shipping NOW. Licenses provide that. People and operators see "Game of Thrones" and say "OH COOL! I GOTTA HAVE/PLAY THAT!". If they see a generic "Dragon Master" or something, they say "Eh". It might be a great game, but it won't get the front-loaded sales.

To Stern's credit, they almost always DO pick themes that are evergreen. When they do movies, they usually do franchises that already have proven themselves to be beloved, so they don't end up with a Shadow or Johnny Mnemonic (yes, great games in retrospect, but horrible licenses). TV shows like Game of Thrones will always be beloved and relatively timeless. Tron wasn't a bad choice - it's Disney, which is usually a sure bet...and it has strong strong nostalgia for a certain group of 80's kids & arcade lovers. It's still not mainstream and cherished such as other licenses like LOTR, Simpsons, Marvel comics, etc. Tron did well with the "retro arcade" crowd and pinball hardcores...but it's dead as a mainstream license.

This is the circle we keep coming around on. The game had multiple productions to meet demand of the pinball community. Most who wanted it got it. Demand was filled, production stopped. The "pinball community" aka Pinside isn't as big as we think we are. How big is this demand REALLY? 10 or 20 Pinsiders who want NiB instead of finding a used one? That's not "demand".

That's an excellent point, actually. However - Diz can make millions selling their little toys-to-life figures & video games. Re licensing a small run of Tron pinball at a price that makes it worthwhile for Stern will bring them what, a few thousand?

It's been said already, but you are wrong to make this comparison. Metallica is still under its original license agreement. It doesn't expire until the end of the year. It's quite common for Stern to keep making a game within the original 3 year window. After that, it's a numbers game as to whether it goes back into production or not. Ample demand + licensor willing to relicense + licensor not wanting as much money (or more) than the original licensing agreement. So far only 3 titles have been re-licensed past the original terms - TSPP, LOTR, and IM.

Hah! Not the molded toy, obviously - but the mechs. Look how many games Borg's put a spinning disc on. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dragon mech is the same as Star Trek's ship.

Tell that to the licensors & Stern's bean counters.

Not if like 10 customers want it. Of if Disney doesn't want to re-license. Or they want too much money.

Will never happen. Stern won't re-make LEs. Period.

Sure....how many years will these Tron threads go on for?

Sad for those endlessly waiting for a Tron re-run that will never happen instead of just playing one that exists.

Or no version cuz the game is DONE!

Offer proof if you know otherwise. Repeating a lie enough times doesn't make it a fact.

You don't have to. Thousands exist already.

Cuz it's Iron Man lol. Still relevant.

Different eras. When Tron, Avatar and Rolling Stones LE were made - there was no such thing as a Premium. LE and Premium were the same thing. To make a Premium now would be re-making the LE, which they won't do. TWD Premium fit within the definition of the current Pro/Premium/LE model.

There's no way Stern's screened art looks better than the decals. I have a Tron LE, and while I love it -the cabinet resolution looks like shit compared to the Pros that were made w/ the high rez decals. Same with Iron Man original vs. VE...VE *kills* the original screened look.

I'll come back to this thread in 2017. There still won't be a Tron re-run. Have fun guys!

I've already a stated that I think that was a blanket statement "just in case" they decide to do so - so anyone coveting their "rare" Pro like IM can't cry if it goes back into production. It's not a given that we're going to see non stop re-releases of old titles. It's a big fat "maybe" if
A.). True "manufacture worthy" demand is there.

B.) The licensor is willing/able to relicense.

C.) The licensor is willing to cut Stern a decent deal for a smaller production run.

Iron Man might be the only game that ever meets that criteria. We're going to see Spidey "comic" soon - is that a VE? Is that something else? I've heard a rumor of another theme-reskin...is that a VE? Who knows. It's semantics.

I don't know what other Stern games have enough demand to warrant more production. Probably none, honestly. The "greats" like LOTR, TSPP and ACDC have enough 2nd hand units circulating to meet demand.

Perhaps we'll see more re-skinning/updating vs. straight up re-runs to drum up interest. Shit, I'd buy a TSPP Vaultimate Edition with full color HD animation and remastered sound!

Hah, a little. MM always had good audio quality tho. Dated Whitestar sound is the one knock otherwise stellar games like TSPP and LOTR have.

I don't even see how it's more durable. A scratch is a scratch - either can get scratched. However you can replace decals, not a printed cab.

Not only that - I'm pretty sure TF was a different printing process & material. From AC/DC onward, the decal quality and resolution has been excellent. The metallic decals on Mustang LE & Iron Man VE are incredible.