(Topic ID: 194177)

What would happen if everyone stopped pre-ordering from Stern?

By playboywillis

6 years ago


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    #1 6 years ago

    I'm genuinely curious. This came about in another thread. Tron and AC/DC were big successes in terms of being able to sell them for more than they were bought. After that it seems like there's a plateau. Walking Dead and Metallica are good games but as far as I know, not a moneymaker like a Tron LE. (I could be wrong but I'm just winging this)

    So what if Stern was not able to maximize preorders? Would they fold the company like Williams? Would they have to cut their workforce, coders and designers included? Would they just concentrate on one great title a year and mass produce? Could Stern even operate on one a year considering their manual labor workers need to work year-around and if they made a stinker they would be ruined?

    I'm just curious what you think.

    #2 6 years ago

    I would think they would sell close to as many, just over a longer period of time post launch. The preorder craze is pretty limited to hardcore collectors, which is probably the smallest customer segment.

    #3 6 years ago

    For every person here that says they will never pre-order again, steps in 2 newbies that fill in that vacuum.

    #4 6 years ago

    Yeah, I agree, but this is a hypothetical.

    #5 6 years ago

    Stern does not take orders, their distributors do. Furthermore the distributors don't take pre-orders, they can only have people on a list and can't take money until games are announced, pictures shown and entering production. Big difference.

    #6 6 years ago

    you mean like paying a dist some money before ifs actually shipped? prob wont stop as many operators want to get the game quick so it can have its largest earning potential. new games make the most money the first 2 months that they are on location after the release.

    #7 6 years ago

    Stern doesn't take preorders and neither do their distributors.

    Williams folded because arcades died off and there was no home market. Now there are a ton of barcades and a healthy home market.

    TWD and MET have significantly out-earned Tron for me (though Tron is the oldest of those three and I didn't have it when new).

    #8 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    Stern doesn't take preorders and neither do their distributors.
    Williams folded because arcades died off and there was no home market. Now there are a ton of barcades and a healthy home market.
    TWD and MET have significantly out-earned Tron for me (though Tron is the oldest of those three and I didn't have it when new).

    Tron is one of those few like Twilight Zone where it never hit big on location, but the home market gobbled it up.

    #9 6 years ago

    Stern has required deposits on their LEs for the last few games. I assume some of the distros are passing that on for customers. To me deposit is another way of saying pre-order.

    #10 6 years ago

    What would happen if everyone stopped pre-ordering from Stern?

    They would still raise their prices.

    #11 6 years ago

    How bout if everybody just stopped ordering from Stern period. I know I have....

    #12 6 years ago

    Williams DIDN'T "fold".

    They are still very much in business today - probably bigger and more profitable than they were when they used to make pinball machines.

    Williams simply changed direction and put all efforts into poker machines and sold off the rights to use their pinball assets (which they still own today).

    #13 6 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    How bout if everybody just stopped ordering from Stern period. I know I have....

    Have you been clean six months yet since your BM66 relapse? I hear the first year in recovery is the hardest.

    #14 6 years ago
    Quoted from Homepin:

    Williams DIDN'T "fold".
    They are still very much in business today - probably bigger and more profitable than they were when they used to make pinball machines.
    Williams simply changed direction and put all efforts into poker machines and sold off the rights to use their pinball assets (which they still own today).

    Yeah, I saw the movie.

    #15 6 years ago

    Stern doesn't really do preorders. You pretty much know that when a game is announced it will be shipping soon. I guess LE buyers have to pay up early before they sell out. It's not like the other guys where you are buying a game long before it's on the factory line. If a game sells, they keep making them - sometimes for years. If a game flops, they just move on to the next one. Vault editions fill the gaps. They know they will sell games because there is a history of such and little competition. Some may complain about prices, qc, code, etc. but in the end games get sold. If you want to make a statement, don't buy Stern at all. For me, I expect a lot more from their games as prices have gone way up. Color lcd is a good start but I expect a game to really blow me away.

    #16 6 years ago
    Quoted from fosaisu:

    Have you been clean six months yet since your BM66 relapse? I hear the first year in recovery is the hardest.

    Several months later and they have only added a Bat turn feature, while I've gone thru numerous bottles of Jack and countless bong hits. If that thing was still here, I probably would have taken a sledgehammer to it by now.

    #17 6 years ago
    Quoted from spazzman90:

    Tron is one of those few like Twilight Zone where it never hit big on location, but the home market gobbled it up.

    I played the hell out of it on locations - but yeah - home environment would likely be awesome (I wouldn't know)

    Quoted from jawjaw:

    Vault editions fill the gaps.

    Bring on the TRON Vault already! PUHLEASE

    #18 6 years ago

    Calling what stern offers "pre-orders" is a total joke as far as the accepted pin definition these days. You "pre order" a
    Stern when the game is about 4 weeks away from entering production.

    Everybody else, your "preorder" is generally measured in years and unless it's a JJP game there's a better chance you never get your game than it actually materializes.

    Stern doesn't depend on preorders, their distributors do. If people "stopped buying them" it wouldn't make a difference.

    The boutiques/startups/pretenders? Yeah it would kill them in a few months.

    #19 6 years ago

    K

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