The smart money choice for Stern would be an F-14 Tomcat sequel which would fit nicely with Top Gun 2's release. When a wave of free marketing opens up, ride that wave baby! We were going to do that at Heighway with our Queen pinball game, which was scheduled for release at the same time as the movie release. Sadly, we didn't get that chance.

How about world famous unlicensed themes that appeal to all ages from 8-80? Myths and legends don't cost a penny, so you can have King Arthur and Robin Hood. Or you could go hunting in the public domain where you'll find gems like Treasure Island and Peter Pan.

A genius game designer could create stunning pinball experiences from any of those, and have complete creative freedom.

Going all-in with a brand new theme is a tremendous gamble. So why gamble when you can have a sure thing.

Godzilla would be a terrible idea for a game, but Stern have produced some batshit crazy games that no one asked for, so who the hell knows what's coming next.

I did suggest an F-14 tomcat sequel to coincide with the new Top Gun movie a few years back. Which would be the perfect choice right now. No licenseing BS so cheap and designed with unlimited creative freedom.

BTTF is a little too late now. I designed my own BTTF game about a decade ago, and 2015 was the year it should've happened for real. 80s themes are now moving out of fashion, as the 90s start to take centre stage. Bill and Ted is a better option...and The Matrix is long overdue (new movie in the works).

I still have my creative sights set firmly in the 70s and 80s...but for real companies, making real money, you have to move with the times. There's new money in the game.

If the next Stern is based on a TV show, it will be current and massively popular (24, CSI, Sopranos, GOT, Stranger Things). And the only TV show that currently fits that MO, is Mandalorian.

I don't think Stern would go near a licenced theme now, without access to full assets. They can pick and choose their projects and make some tidy money for these companies. Honestly, why would they settle for less?

Jurassic Park was an interesting idea to set the game in the universe but not based on the movie, and it worked. And they could do it again with JAWS. But some themes, like BTTF need full assets and I'm pretty sure MJFox would agree today if asked. Stern could even donate his fee and some of the game's profits to his foundation.

As a coder and designer, I would be gutted to release my games unfinished. So I can understand the frustrations of the creatives working at Stern, who probably value the pride of their work higher than any cash value. I know I do. But Gary Stern runs the company, and I'm pretty sure he loves money....lots of money. And you guys are buying what he's selling by the bucket load, so why fanny about for years perfecting the code? Just get them out the door and move on to the next one.

I'm pretty sure that big toy thing at the back will move, probably only move it's head from side to side, but there's no way something that big would be added to a pinball game and do nothing.....no way. No one on the design team would be happy with that. If I'm wrong and it doesn't move....then you guys are getting ripped off.

So glad I'm a virtual pinball game designer, I can make all these 'dream pins' in a heartbeat. I can't imagine the pain you guys go through waiting year after year for your pin of choice to show up, only to suffer crushing disappointment when it's another bloody Rock pin. Stern are chasing the money....Mando over BTTF? One is hot, one is not. Godzilla over Jaws? One is hot, one is not. Etc, etc.

Been there, done it, bought the t-shirt.

I've said it before, unless Stern (or JJP) get FULL access to ALL the assets, a new BTTF game will be dog shit.

Be thankful, no one has attempted to make another BTTF game without it's main star - Michael J. Fox. If the community raises $100k for his foundation, maybe he'll play ball.

Schwartzennegger needs his own tribute pin, he's too big to just have a single pinball game based on a single movie. One epic pin dedicated to all his best movies, packed full of his best lines.

James Bond would probably be the most expensive pin ever made, considering the mammoth licensing costs. Luckily, I don't care about any of that stuff so I made my own....virtually. 50 features to celebrate 50 years of Bond. At the time, the most ambitious pinball project I've ever worked on. Every song from all the films is in the game (selectable via a Jukebox function)...and I deliberately left out George Lazenby...the crap Bond.

Back in 2011, I was already using LCDs with movie clips in my games, and stuck the screen in the center of the playfield. Very cool.

Full ruleset on my website, if you fancy a gander.....https://speak1970.wixsite.com/slamspinballemporium/bond-50-rules

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So Stern went old-school....

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Bond would only be economically viable if it was released with an insane price tag. It's a licensing behemoth.

I doubt anyone at Stern is looking through this thread thinking, "Genius! Why didn't we think of that". But it's fun to waste some time until the next theme is announced (already picked years ago most likely).

Jaws, BTTF, James Bond...? I made all them a decade ago for the virtual pinball community. Today, they should be looking at 90s themes (the 40-50 year old age group).

When you Google Stern Bond... this comes up...

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The movies are rich with classic lines ideal for a pinball game. One wonderful example:

"I think he's attempting re-entry" - for a ball save.

There are hundreds of them, and any attempt by Stern to go cheap and hire sound-a-likes to scream out "Jackpot!" would be terrible. But you get what you pay for, I guess.

Interesting fact: Martin Sheen's brother did the voice over in Apocalypse Now. He has a near-identical voice.

Anyone can be 007, as we'll probably see in the next movie, as James Bond is now dead. 007 is a codename for British Secret Service agent number 7 (the double zero means they're licensed to kill). The game should have Bond's name on it... it's his legacy.

If there has to be another rock band pin, they should seriously consider Tenacious D. Jack Black is a big fan of pinball and would probably do the funniest callouts in pinball history.

Their Tommy parody was pure gold.

Retro, music, trending... The Stern model, which seems to cover all the bases to maximize profitability.

Retro... Anything older than Justin Bieber is up for grabs (JAWS, BTTF are top of the wish list for many).
Music... If they can get The Beatles, they can get anyone (Ozzy Osborne, Pink Floyd, Van Halen... the sky's the limit here).
Trending... Hot new TV shows that the whole world is talking about (Rings of Power, House of Dragon, Cobra Kai... you know the drill by now).

Maybe, once in a blue moon, they'll throw in an original theme... but they don't sell well.

So, Bond ticks the retro box, now we move on to music or trending. The problem with trending, you have to strike while the iron is hot, so it can be a gamble. Retro and music are sure things.

My retro choice...

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Actually, it all began Oct 26.... see you in the future!

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Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.

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Everything from any license is up for grabs, if you spend enough cash. Reason Sigourney Weaver isn't in Alien pinball? We didn't offer her enough.

Lego get everything they want because they have all the money in the world. Licensing is all about making money. No one turns down money for doing nothing.

I agree that BTTF needs absolutely everything from all the movies to be the stella pinball experience you all want. Sadly, it will never be. My original BTTF game is the biggest and best BTTF pinball experience that will ever exist. In the digital world, we don't need no stinking permission, we take what we want (but we don't make a dime).

I hope you're right. I'm going to start watching it this weekend. If it's a pile of shit, then you're to blame for wasting my time.

I still can't believe they made a LZ pin. What the hell where they thinking?

Augmented Reality (a real pinball game using digital effects) has been considered by pinball companies for nearly a decade now. Still too niche to become a viable option to make any decent coin.

Certainly is the future of pinball though... just not for this buying generation (40-60).

I came up with the idea of AR in pinball at the start of my career, when I added digital explosions to the castle in Medieval Madness (later copied by Pinball FX in their 'remastered' version).

In my very latest remake of Stern's Avatar, I'm still using AR when the AMP suit is being attacked and destroyed. Spectacular stuff, and really does take modern pinball to the 'next level' (I hate that expression, but I can't put it any other way).

Keep your peepers glued to my YouTube channel. What you see today, you'll be playing sometime in the future. I'm about 5 years ahead of everyone else with my ideas and innovations.

Love live digital pinball! (cue Pantomime boos from the crowd). Whatever.

So glad I can make my own games. Ticking off my wish list 1 month at a time. Mad Max has been on my radar for some time now, now that would be epic.

Bravo! Now that's how you do it. New games shipping with incomplete code is a joke. If you down tools, they will soon get the message and release games with complete code.... trust me, it can be done.