This is a very interesting post because at the heart of it you are all talking about pinball and it's survival in an ever changing world. Other industries and companies go through similar trauma and changes, take for example Fender guitars. What have guitars got to do with pinball you may ask. Well, if you read the following article, the parallel of Fender with a company like Williams is unmistakable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/business/fender-aims-to-stay-plugged-in-amid-changing-music-trends.html?pagewanted=allI often wonder how guys like Jersey Jack have the guts to start such a risky and didifficult venture of pinball manufacture.
If you employ at least 20 talented design people and just as many production staff, the wage bill is fairly hefty especially when you first start up. How could you run a profit if you do not sell 3 or 4 titles or 20,000 units per annum?
