I've never played AIQ, but it's very obvious on DP. The scoop light pulses, GI goes dim, and there's a "heart beat" audio queue.

Same. As stated in my fandom contract.
It would have been the same for EHOH, if not for the clause at the end: "If the deadheads look like a Windows 95 screensaver, this contract shall be null and void."

I'd be happy to never see another ZY pin again. He's good, but that style is played out.

It was certainly an improvement. Looks great. But.... so does X-Men. Good comic art doesn't start and end with ZY. It's actually the wrong look for AIQ imo. Perfect for TMNT tho.

So just because both franchises have giant lizards in them means the fandom is the same? They seem EXTREMELY different to me, but I'm not a big fan of either.

So since it's a Kapow title, is it more likely we'll get a good license treatment? Movie clips? Audio clips? I wonder if that's one of his requirements when he signs on? I suppose I'm fine with Mayor Goldie doing call-outs.

No. He teased it at 1:36 in this podcast -- https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/12947717
It's likely the first tease that sparked the rumor. The schedule and "big license" lines up also.

Maybe you're too old then. I saw it when I was like... 5? And it blew my mind. It's been my favorite franchise of all time ever since. It's a DNA-infused thing you only get when you're a kid.

Disagree. Marvel isn't in the same league as BTTF in the pinball-buying demo. The GB guys are going to hang onto BTTF. For me, those two will be the cornerstone of my lineup and will never leave. (I own GB Premium). It would need to be SUPER shitty (like 1990 shitty) for me to get rid of it.

Pinball is probably one of the only hobbies where you *don't* want them to release what you want.

I've always felt Part II was strange as well, but I don't like it any less. It feels kind of like a dream, which I like. It's also the most interesting one with the time travel element. It's the glue that holds I and III together, which were more straight-forward plot-wise.

Joe Kaminkow seems to take on projects he has personal interest in. He's got a Batmobile, and the rumor is he was Marty on the original BTTF backglass with Gary (Gary is in his inner circle of friends) contrary to the belief that Marty was the son of [I forget the designer]. I don't have anecdotal evidence for why he did Beatles, other than it's a weird choice for a license and maybe supports the idea that he and Gary will do something just because they want to, not for business reasons. For me, it's enough evidence to be sure that BTTF is coming eventually and it's a Kapow game. I can't wait.

From what I see, you're right, LE is most sought after, and there are of course a ton of Pros. Premium is kind of forgotten and retain value well also, since they seem to be about as rare as LE. I'll buy Premium if I love the theme and have no intention of selling. LE buyers seem to flip more because of the "investment".

Or Beastie Boys or Daft Punk.

Whether they perform together anymore has nothing to do with licensing or fan demand.

[RE: Speed Racer live action movie]
I quite enjoyed it. It's really the only live action I've ever seen that truly feels faithful to the source. People shit on it because they compare it with other movies, instead of comparing it directly to the animated series.

I'd love a Metal Gear Solid pin. High-tech + Military theme. It'd be pretty unique in pinball. Tons of lore to craft around too.

Which is why I loved it. Different strokes.

You’re not wrong that some people buy it anyway. But it sucks and a significant number of people pass on them for these reasons.

I have no evidence other than anecdotal Pinside talk. But no one is going to say they want a half-assed use of a license. Dunno why you’re defending poor executive decisions.

As much as I dislike wasting a slot for it, you're probably right. Harry Potter will be very successful in barcades, and probably a lot of young family home users as well.

Kaneda has built his entire life around trolling and market speculating. I'd never trust a word he says.

No. Only about 10 years observing his online behavior.

Various arcade related forums, of which he's been banned from most. Hey, just my opinion fellas.

A new title nets them millions of dollars almost instantly. And red states are mostly open, god bless 'em.

Fuck all the other nonsense in this thread. THIS is what we need. It would sell, not joking. A pin to unite us all.

True. But Dad Rock? That's hardly setting a trend. That's gray hairs making decisions because their generation likes it. As a 40-year-old who loves pinball, it's one frustrating thing about the hobby. They're quickly becoming out of touch with a growing demographic. Spooky at least got it right with R&M. Scooby is a step backward though.

If this is true, then this comment makes even more sense:

NIB buyers are people who DGAF about what it is I.E. commercial operators who buy Pros and addicts with too much money to blow on LEs.

Know what they would love even more? Music from their generation.

Because modern Scooby is killing it, isn't? People can't get enough of Scoob, can they? The same gray hairs are green-lighting Scooby "because we liked it 50 years ago".

Seems like you're still categorizing Age 0-45 as one demographic.

Twin Pines Mall. BTTF confirmed.

Really interesting how a couple decades are completely forgotten on this forum, and 30-to-40-year-olds have no money. I have money for Beastie Boys, Eminem, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, RHCP, Radiohead, Green Day, Foo Fighters, and Michael Jackson.

85-05 = 2 decades. You missed my point, then called me a gray hair which supports my point. Still interesting.

Your (and many others here) point was that people who like any music made after 1985 are kids with no money. Also what station includes grunge with LZ and Doors?

This > Mandaborian.

If Stern is at all smart with marketing and mitigating leaks, they would “leak” misinformation. Still hoping it’s BTTF. If not this round, maybe later in the year.

I like Deadpool's presentation, and I think it works better than if it was based on the live action movies. But I also think comic book themes get a pass for that. I'm fine with AIQ's half assed animation because it resembles a comic book. DMDs also get a pass to a certain extent, as long as the audio is there. If a license' source is only from a film, I expect assets from it on LCD pins. Otherwise it feels like a knockoff. I'm not paying 5-8 grand for a knockoff like JP.

How is something that happened 30 years ago relevant today? Besides, the next BTTF is a Kapow title. He doesn’t fuck around with licenses.

Logical and heart warming, but not how a corporation operates. Priority #1 is to make money. New releases generate huge revenue instantly.

I think y’all are overestimating the popularity of Mandalorian. Stranger Things was a fresh, cultural phenomenon that everyone was talking about. Netflix has more reach than Disney+. The Marvel pins had pre-pandemic blockbuster movies in front of them. Normies were into them, is what I’m saying. Mandalorian seems more nerd-culture niche in the grand scheme of things. And if Stranger Things did poorly at launch like some are saying, I suspect Mando to be almost DOA by Stern standards. But I mean, cool/lucky for you guys that like the show. Just a business misstep IMO.

Stern knows you’ll come back anyway, and at any price.

3 more years to go, smart guy.

Stern has been talking to Disney for a long time. They would know about Mandalorian well before a public announcement. A tentative deal for a pin could have been inked before the show started airing. If I were Stern, I'd set a condition that the show would need to reach a certain amount of popularity before going ahead with production. Meanwhile, Stern takes a small gamble and starts designing the pin in anticipation of it being successful. It's plausible the design was nearly finished when the show started airing. Pretty standard business practice.

And yet Batman 66 successfully exists. Also "its".

Very doubtful Disney would have control over the code, art, etc (or remembers this pinball license) this late in the game. It would fuck Stern and Stern could probably sue depending how much work has been done.

Everything has already been greenlit by now. A licensor can’t just keep changing things forever. It would ruin the licensee’s business and reputation. No way Stern would roll over if the cabinets are already in production, unless the extra money and time to remake the cabs are on Disney’s dime (which is certainly plausible). All that aside, I can’t fathom the pettiness on Disney’s part if they did that. I still don’t think they care that much about pins.

EHOH looks like a PC game from 1997. Main reason I didn't buy it.

Exactly. Watch Mando be a "home pin" and not a mainline title.
It's plausible Stern is teasing it just because it's May 4th, not because it's actually next or a mainline.

I recall a pinsider, perhaps in this very topic, complain about the final shot not being clear enough. When you’ve got a Pinsider saying it, all hope is lost for Joe Both-Flippers.

Why does everyone assume it’s a specific guy’s (like Dwight) fault? From my experience, 99% of the time it’s an executive’s fault for rushing a product that’s not ready or reassigning people to different projects. Gary had zero incentive to improve GB, so my guess is Dwight did it in his down time. Sounds like a good guy to me. I have no doubt he wants to make everything he touches awesome if he had the time. That’s the mentality of any creative professional.

You’re confirming my statement that he’s an executive with authority to ship products without them being finished. Dwight has a boss. If it’s not Gary, it’s someone else. Blame the boss. It’s silly to think Dwight is just haphazardly doing whatever he feels like.

All of the above could be true. It’s my opinion that Dwight has made some great games. It’s possible he had less time for certain games, or he works slower, or some other reason. But yes, at the end of the day, accountability falls on the boss. That’s why they’re the boss.

That his boss must approve. Curious what line of work you do if you’re failing to understand that concept.

There is precedent for Dwight making good games. So it’s more plausible that some other factor is involved with Munsters than Dwight just being a shitty programmer.

My issue is not so much the end-user flippers, but the distributors who auction their LEs for several thousands over MSRP. They are abusing their privilege and making thousands off of Stern. And the ultra-rich are gatekeeping LEs. I'd like to see two changes. 1) Stern needs to update their distro agreement and make it forbidden to sell above MSRP. 2) If distro has more demand than supply, simply choose names from a hat.

Really? Everything everywhere? GameStop can list a PS5 for $1000? Sony is cool with it? Doesn't seem likely, but I don't know for certain.

Casuals don’t pay attention to even the most basic instructions. For example, time and time again, on Scared Stiff, the spider hole:

Visual Queue: PF goes dark, DMD displays arrows pointing up and instructs player to use flippers to stop the spider.
Audio Queue: “Look up! Stop the spider!”

You know what they do? Don’t look up, stare at the PF, they think the game broke, and start mashing the flippers. There is no saving these people. I think even the most complicated rule set on a modern pin is easier to understand than solid states — but I didn’t grow up on those so might just be lack of experience. Hobbit can fuck off though.

Oh Jesus don’t weebify my BTTF.

Isn't the rumor that its primary purpose was to help casuals start a game? You'd be shocked by how many people can't figure out how to start a pinball machine; blinking start button be damned. I generally like the extra mechanic. Tacked on, sure. But it's a nice little "extra thing to do" while playing, and some strat involved on when to use it + when it's safe to take your hands off the flipper buttons. Deadpool does a good job with it.

Kapow doesn't fuck around with licenses. It'll be the full deal or Joe won't make it. I believe it's Joe and Gary's pet project so it's gonna be killer. IMO.

Could be hit or miss. He's really old and his voice doesn't have the vigor anymore. Mayor Goldie might be the better pick. It would be SUPER dope if MJF did it, of course. After everything MJF has been through, and after hearing his Fresh Air interview, I wouldn't be surprised if he's more open to fun projects like this for modest money. Baking MJF Foundation donations into the price would be a no brainer, and I think buyers would be receptive to that. I would.

How do you top Getaway?

Flippers. Not collectors.
My guess that the reason Stern doesn't do direct sales is just because of ancient legacy relationships. Old boys' club. Might change when Gary leaves.

Ethically, it would be prudent to do so.
Business-wise, new titles inject predictable millions of dollars instantly.
Which option is a business likely to choose?

I feel like there are way too many films to include the entire franchise. The different actors is a neat idea.... buuuut overall I think there will be a lot of content missing that won't satisfy anyone. Best bet for success would be to focus on the Craig era -- sorry if you're fans of others, just makes the most commercial sense.

This is the most obvious choice for newer music with wide demo. Insta-buy for me.

Unless it's JJP, Spooky, or Stern Studio that actually appreciate in value. FOMO is real.

You are blinded by bias for whatever reason. People (probably not on Pinside) spend $100k on Delorean replicas, there are often cast reunions at cons, Nike made the shoe, MJF and CL were on Jimmy Kimmel, there's a BTTF documentary about fandom, the list goes on. None of the IPs you listed, including Godzilla (in the West), have done all of these things.

Worldwide popularity of a franchise is less relevant in the context of pinball.

You're right about that. There is more nuance to it. I'm not sure a mega-band like AC/DC from Australia is a fair comparison to Godzilla. Pinball is less popular in Asian countries. I don't think Godzilla will get them playing more pinball.

Many cult hits fail at the box office. Big Lebowski is probably the best example.

So what's the codename for Godzilla if everyone is so sure it's Godzilla?

I prefer the "HEY WOMAN! LISTEN HERE!" LE myself.

If Spooky can sell out 750 in minutes, I'm pretty sure 1000 is still limited. Seems like a reasonable number after the highly-flipped Mandalorian. Flippers will start thinking twice, and those who actually want to keep their LE will have a chance.

Speed pin would be insta-purchase. Lots of material to use creatively for the pin. Don't drop below 50mph for a hurry-up mechanic is obvious. Great Dennis Hopper callouts from the movie. Etc etc.

It was a cool gimmick, but it's one of those things you can only get away with once.

Not to bring up home prices again, but the point is, the world is upside-down right now. Everything is more expensive, including other hobbies I partake in not related to pinball. But I get it, it's hard to resist complaining about it. We are in an unorthodox period in history. This sentiment goes far beyond pinball. We (society, humans) need to weather this storm and hope it improves. Get ready for a long haul.

This. Stern's animation is garbage. Spooky too. On the other hand, their 2010s dot work was fantastic. ColorDMD > most Stern LCD.

I would have liked to see this artwork, or any period artwork, over Zombie "Target Toy Aisle" Yeti.

In today's market, waiting a year doesn't necessarily mean lower price. In some cases, same or higher price.

Solid logic. It's what a lot of ops are doing these days. But it turns out to be a little counterintuitive imo, when every location starts having the same pins. I hold on to my 90s/00s lineup for this reason. I let the Jones's have their NIB. It trains pinheads to keep anticipating the next new thing, which is what you want, but when they get bored, they return to my infrequently changing lineup anyway. So it's not really hurting me. Upkeep, I dunno. I don't spend much more time on old games than new Sterns with their poorly made parts.

ETA is unknown, but all information so far makes it more likely that BTTF is happening, vs it not happening:

- Joe Kaminkow deliberately hinted at it on a podcast 2 years ago.
- Kapow hasn't released a title in awhile.
- Kapow has a track record with big licenses.
- Joe and Gary are the models on the 1990 BTTF backglass.

Marketing fail. Purple stuff every time for me.

Strange he only mentions SLE. SLE-only at $11k+ would be a big "F-you" to fans.

If it's the live action license and not the original animation I will 100% believe I'm living in a simulation. Suicide watch if Stern's "artists" attempt custom animation.

Cash is already locked away for BTTF. I didn't care for a Bond pin til after watching No Time to Die (action was amazing; plot and villain was meh). It reinvigorated my interest for Craig's Bond. For me to be interested it would need to be the Craig era. Plenty of material to work with.

"So, as charming as you are Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government's money and off your perfectly formed ass."

"You noticed?"

As an old(est) Millennial who played the shit out of Legos in youth and still buy sets to this day, I've never understood Lego [insert unrelated IP] movies, video games, and the like. I'll buy a Lego Star Wars set no questions asked, but products that aren't Lego sets don't make sense to me.

Not a huge fan of Marvel, but Loki production design was AAA+. If they could capture that in a pin, it has my attention.

While I like Radiohead, their music is about the most anti-hype pinball music ever. Beethoven is more hype.

Bob Ross pin LET'S GO. Each new game could be a random painting you need to complete. Find a great voice actor and LET'S. GO.

Calendar_810x608 (resized).jpg

In 473 pages of this damn thread, this is the safest and most practical choice. The license has gotta be in the discount bin by now. Sign me up!

Our local barcade is heavily 20-somethings into 30s. Pokemon would do well there, as well as other video game themes. But I have a hunch Stern's priority isn't ops anymore. Also someone said the new Stern Prez comes from Disney? He could be the champion we need to seal deals for more obscure fan favorites like Futurama. Can we be done with Marvel and Star Wars for awhile?

That's a little optimistic... but... I think a group like Beastie Boys is mainstream enough and blurs the genre line enough to sell very well. Personally, I'd love it. I'd also love a "YO! MTV RAPS" compilation pin -- but that's way more niche for rap enthusiasts.

If it's to promote the new film, be careful what you wish for.

For sure! Sonic is as relevant to "ball go fast" as Pokemon. Let's get a Green Hill Zone loop in there! (powered by electromagnets like Getaway)