I see all the Pokémon posts and I agree it would be a huge hit. My family is only recently into pinball and my kids are already asking me to find a Pokémon machine. They just presume it exists. Talk about taking Insider Connected to the next level.

No. Different demographic entirely. And we're not even ready for another NFL pin, either.

Hey some of us grew up on rap and hip-hop, the community I grew up in was mostly African, Caribbean, Jamaican etc and hip hop was pretty much the foundation of everything, pinball was adoptive fathers little influence

It’s certainly not the norm in this hobby, I think I stand alone in the hip-hop camp over this side of the pond, most if not all of my pinhead friends are from rock backgrounds and Stern know this better than anyone.

If it was done very well, it could work. There's a lot more ways it could go sideways than done well, but it could work. A Snoop or Beastie Boys pin would be $$$$ on location. Just like Pokemon. Time to start thinking outside the box. It's really hard to believe sales will continue to increase with Rock pins after Rush. Are we saturated yet?

How about a Tom TB12 Brady pin - if TB wins the SB this year, it could have a layout similar to STh with one side with Patriots type objectives and the other side with TB based objectives

Any rumors of what the VE is going to be?

or, for the TB12 haters - a Beat Tom Brady pin with each mode representing a SuperbOwl ring you're trying to keep him from winning

^ that's both OTT hilarious and sadly depressing all at the same time

Mystery scoop awards a different cheat each time. Deflategate, recording opponents practices, etc etc!

Not happening is what I am hearing.

Wait for it….Wait for it….(The Price is Right) Pinball.

I understand your points, but just to clarify: You don't normally see rap and hip hop fans at pinball shows. Take a look at the music pins that have come out: GNR, ACDC, Metallica, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Rush, Maiden. What's the common thread? They're all hard rock, and that fits the pinball "vibe" (for lack of a better word). I think Stern and JJP have a good idea of who their demographic is when they're determining the next music pin; it's certainly worked out well for them to this point.

How can you tell if someone is a fan of hip hop? I go to pinball shows and I love hip hop but you may not ever realize just by looking at me. I would be a day one buyer on Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang Clan, De la Soul, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy etc etc. Hip hop fans are everywhere and the majority of them don’t walk around with a pimp strut.

Again...I think the pinball companies know their demographic. What I see at shows is hard rock t-shirts for the most part. Not yacht rock, R&B, and not a whole lot of rap representation or enthusiasm from the majority of people I've seen. Would they be able to sell some people a rap game? Sure. Would they sell enough to justify making it? Probably not.

In time, eventually Stern will exhaust the epic classic rock themes and the demographic will shift. Maybe slowly…with a Hendrix then a Funkadelic…or a Prince then a hip hop or electronic music theme. Keep in mind that hip hop began in the late 70’s so a lot of the the real day one hip hop fans are in their forties and fifties now. And let us not forget that Lil Uzi Vert sampled Windows Space Pinball on ‘you better move’ recently…for whatever that’s worth haha

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Oh baby.

Great Scot!

Already been suggested, but worth a repost. It would have to be spooky so they could put a MONSTER fucking sub in it. Take my money! NWA (resized).jpg

Definitely mate, like I said above I think I am alone in the hip-hop camp over here in the U.K. in fact I don’t think I know of anyone in the hobby over here who is into hip-hop or rap in the slightest they are all Rock fans though and Stern know this better than anyone.

As the years pass and the buying demo changes we will probably see a change in music themes but we are certainly a way off that. Out of curiosity how popular are bands like LINKIN PARK in the hobby over in the US? I keep hearing them mentioned on different pinball podcasts and i would be up for an LP pin.

That's a bit of a niche band here...they haven't held up too well through the years in terms of popularity. They still have a following, to be sure, but not one that would seriously merit a game.

I was a huge Linkin Park fan when I was growing up! That said, I don’t think I would buy an LP pinball based on theme alone. If the gameplay was awesome and I could listen to LP, then that’s a different story though.

Still find Jaws hard to believe.

BTTF may be my next pin though.

As if anyone could ever forget that!

Spoken like a true corporate crony. "The demographic" are getting old fast. The pin industry better start pivoting soon. Will another 10 Rock pins over the next 10 years be just as profitable as they've been for the last 10 years? At some point risks must be taken in business, or shrinkage is inevitable.

That was kind of a joke, I thought that was obvious haha

They did take a risk. It was called WWE. You can still get one at your local distro...I think that's the only game that hasn't gone up in value.

At the end of the day Stern is in the business to make money and rock pins have done very well.

rock pins are great. I am not even an Iron Maiden fan but I dont mind the music and the pin is perfect. Also great design.
I have come to learn, that I really have to hate the theme and the layout to not like a pin... ultimately, theme is not very important unless it is just stupid.
In other words, theme is not very important!

I agree

Not an Iron Maiden fan but the pin is fantastic

I'd prefer to buy a product that actually comes with what most would want... so spooky. TNA is a great game with killer sound. Stern is bottom of the barrel for sound, even in the LEs.