This is not a super complicated discussion.

If unlicensed themes did better than licenced themes, manufacturers would make more unlicensed games.

If you want to pre sell out a game get a license.

If you want to bleed money on most releases go unlicensed.

This has been discussed so often there should be an emoji for it.

I am surprised Crazy Levi does not have a bunch of copy and paste prior threads to nip this in the bud.

For the umpteenth time this thread alone BKSoR sold like poop by all accounts. If it sold better than JP and Godzilla, more "unlicenced" games would be flowing from Stern. Fortunately for us, they like to stay in business... so they make what actually sells. Imagine that.

And like many other people, theme seems to be king for you. You said it at the top.

Even great pinball podcasters like SDTM are theme theme theme.... then everything else seems a distant second.

I am in the "seasoned pinhead" camp in that if I really want say the Goonies, I can watch it on my TV. If a Goonies game comes out that is all round great, and challenging, and something I would want in my home for years... then that is also cool. But I am not going to buy a pin with a janky or "too easy" layout, annoying sounds, unfun rules "because of the theme".

I have a pretty simple rule for my collection - "if it is not getting played, it is out". Who gives a crap about theme if you are not playing the game because you are done with it, or you just want something new? Oh yeah, the person you are hoping to sell your game to... Licensed themes are king when a manufacturer is revealing a game, and when you go to sell it. What can you do.