I can see it now: “Billy Squier, Rock Me Tonite-The Pin™️“

The next game was probably set in stone before the lockdown and most likely is in the final development stages or at some phase of production. They’ll release it and then make a mad cash grab by releasing something they see as easy, quick money for a cash influx. Probably another homepin (license is possibly being negotiated during this lockdown) where all they really have to do is re-skin it. So, what’s a crazy popular pop culture person/place/thing/series/movie/band that would appeal to a different demographic than your usual pinball buyer? Hopefully it’s not Tiger King. That shit makes me more embarrassed to be an Okie than that bum Toby Keith. I don’t have any knowledge or claim to, I’m just basing this off what I perceive as the upcoming market strategy based off the past 75 days of humanity.

Not quite on topic but this bugs me now and then as someone who grew up on video games. How did we not get a Sonic the Hedgehog game when Sega was making games? Not that it would have been good if they made it but Sonic is such a perfect pinball theme. Just make the game look like Green Hill Zone and make sure there are lots of crazy DE style looping wire forms and you are halfway there. I've thought this for sometime now but with the new Sonic movie out (which is unwatchable for an adult btw) it's really on my mind again. It won't happen but that would be a game if like to check out. Also, the Sonic movie was LOVED by the three 6yr olds with me. They came home and immediately asked me to hook up the Genesis. Some kids movies appeal to kids AND parents. This is NOT one but it scored 100% with the kids.

You might like this project underway
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sonic-the-hedgehog-spinball

It’s been asked a lot over the years and it seems bonkers that it was never made, you would have thought it was a no brainer for SEGA at the time and I couldn’t agree more with you DE/SEGA made some crazy ramps which would have been perfect for the game!

BTW there are a couple gems from the SEGA era, Goldeneye is a personal favourite, Baywatch is brilliant and the playfield is packed and SST is great in its own way.

Led Zeppelin by the "King" will be coming this year.

Once upon a time there was a king........once upon a time. I dont get excited for Ritchie games anymore. King of flow has become a too rinse and repeat for me. Still love some Ritchie titles but hes not my king.
Oh, the crap ill take for this one lol.

Led Zeppelin is like the last of the old rock bands left to do...

After that, I guess they can do "K.C. and the Sunshine Band" or maybe "Tony Orlando and Dawn".

Yeah, I definitely agree with you there, it kind of seems like the interesting things he DOES try to add tend to get priced out of the pro models. It would be so nice to see him knock one out of the park though.

In a world of ultra deep rulesets, it's refreshing to walk up to a game, and basically know what the objectives are right away, especially as a tournament player.

Some of my favorite games are the ones that appear deceptively simple. What's the old saying? Easy to understand, tough to master?

I get the feeling Steve designs games catered more towards location play, as opposed to home play. Hallmarks of his design ethos generally revolve around fast and furious gameplay, with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek humor, based around a macho theme.

A lot of times, I don't need (or want) to play a 30 minute game to feel satisfied.

Hence my love of most of Steve's games.

Plenty of old bands left after Led Zepellen

Good Pinball Band Themes -
Ozzy Osborne
Jim Hendrix
Pink Floyd
Michael Jackson

Bad Pinball Band Themes -
Allman Brothers
Doobie Brothers
Smothers Brothers
Soggy Bottom Boys and
Biker Boyz

Yeah, but Rolling Stones REALLY got screwed.

TMNT is about to drop for the 30 year anniversary of the first movie.

I hear that, I feel like BKSOR does this quite well. My comment was really more about Ritchie's playfield layouts. The way the rules are implemented make each of his games different and unique. But if you look at the GOT and BKSOR playfields, they look remarkably similar. For the record, I would like to own either of those 2 games (especially BKSOR) as well as SW, ST, ACDC and Spiderman. haha

When it comes down to it, I just want to see Ritchie offer something with a touch of uniqueness to set it apart from his and other designer's games.

I'd just like to see the man try an original layout. It's like he knows he can just call it in so he doesnt even try with layout anymore. He just uses the same couple variations of his existing games and focuses on what new toy he can put in the newset project hes working on. So Zeppelin WILL have a fan layout then lol, an outlane kickout, probably an upper right flipper (I do love 3 and 4 flipper games though).
It gets a bit stale. I felt the same way when I first saw Stranger Things. Fun enough but so similarly laid out as his other big hits that I was bummed. I was hoping for something unique from him. Like the way Shadow feels unique. All designers go back to the well from time to time (cough Borg) but make something to surprise us sometimes.
*I actually really like Borg games but they also get a little stale to me for the same reasons.

Oh whom really cares aboot layout/rules with today buyers anyway? SR just dropped 2 games with completely unique rules, and everyone here cried their ass off aboot the art work and how it didn't have enough toys on it

Brian Eddy isn't hiding the fact that Stranger Things is essentially a lesser Attack from Mars. The Demogorgon even gets hit in the head with the pinball when you get an extra ball - exactly like the alien in AfM. All that's really missing is the stroke of luck, which essentially was moved to the saucer on the far left (although you could say the mystery shot took over its function).

I’m just a dumb fat redneck from Oklahoma, but for some reason I’m wishing for an old school hip-hop or rap if we’re going to have another music theme. 2Pac? Dre? It could attract a younger and previously untapped potential demographic...

Beastie Boys or Run-DMC

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Beastie Boys or Run-DMC

The next Stern pin should be......Twilight

You forgot to add Zone

I think he forgot Princess.

Just saw a trailer for new kids movie called scoob. The origins of scooby doo.

The fact that they left Matthew Lillard in the wind makes me not want to take my kid(unless he really wants to see it). That guy nailed Shaggy and has been doing it now for like 20yrs (exclusively). Dick move on the studios part

I thought it was weird too...seems like Forte would demand more monies and not really bring in anything new to it?

Im a metal dude but NWA would’ve been the shit when movie came out .Too late I guess but RUN DMC would be insane anytime !!

When will the Stern factory be up and running again? Will they start up at full capacity or or will there still be employees laid off at start up?

Probably a slow churn in production, then increase as more line workers are comfortable returning .?

I think if demand is there that they will be forced to return to work or seek employment elsewhere. I doubt that demand will be there for awhile though.

Ok, I thought of a great theme for a pin. Do a rock and roll tribute and have different famous bands. Do it all in 70s and 80s bands and in the end it sets up like a giant concert like the Texas Jam. Ozzy, Dio, Van Halen, Bad Company, AC/DC, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Rush. It would sell like crazy.

Haha there are hundreds of posts on this one.

Look at that football run they did, on top of a cruddy layout ....

Kind of like Monster Bash, except it will cost $37,000 by the time they secure all the rights and pay royalties.

Cover bands handling all the music and all put in a directory where they can be replaced by the user with the real thing. Covers are cheap.

So as of today with the way the world is, what do folks think will actually be the next couple of games from Stern when things finally do start starting back up? TMNT? What else? Or instead? Not games/themes we’d like to see, but games we think will actually be next.

I have said this before like the game Brutal Legend.

But NOT Brutal Master.

New game (Battle of the pinball designers)

Well, we just had a current theme, so I guess we have to have 3 or 4 pre-1990 themes...

I'd love a tiger King pin. As a theme, it has exotic animals, cowboy guns, meth zombies, sex slaves, and murder. It's ripe for comedy, has great fake Tiger Joe music, and excellent clips. I bet Joe would offer audio over the phone from jail. Instant buy.

I think Joe’s voice would get extremely annoying very fast. Kinda like hearing “ok who brought the dog” over and over.

My thoughts: people will buy an ironic Tiger King t-shirt, but NOBODY would buy a whole pinball machine.

Then.....new Stern Tiger King pinball machine designed by Keith Elwin and rules by Lyman Sheets.

Insert take my money meme here.

Well kindof but with rules other than hit each one three times. That is the problem with MB, its to easy to finish.

Not sure that I really agree...Sure, Monster Bash is pretty easy to get to, Monsters of Rock is less so, and Lyman's Lament is not at all.
It may not be as deep as some of the more recent machines, but as it was designed primarily for location play, that makes sense.

Nowadays, the home market is a much bigger piece of the pie, and making the rules more complex is a result of that.

There is also a lot more memory for extra rules, speech, music, dots/video. Games are more complex now because the technology has improved substantially over the last 25 years.

I agree, and another thing is that family and guests that don't play as much pinball don't need a deep pin - just a fun one. And MB is definitely fun

Actually, I really doubt that the cost of a larger ROM was really ever an issue. The cost of developing the extra speech/music/video would dwarf the couple of dollars per machine that a larger ROM would have been.

90's games were less "deep" because it was unnecessary, not because they couldn't do it.

Likely not until at least June when the state lockdown expires. After that, I’m not sure where pinball manufacturing falls in our governor’s 5 phase reopening.