IF they can make money, and satisfy a niche market, then why not. I am all for small runs. BUT i hope the guys doing it can make money so they can do it again and again.
Any money making venture today is tough. take my hat off to anyone who can have a big go and make something work. Whilst i am cautious about the idea, I wish them every chance of doing a winner like Big Bang Bar. It can happen. Hopefully the static from Stern and JJP doesnt take up too much of the radio signals being sent out in the pinball universe, redirecting those hard to find pinny dollars. So many choices at the moment, which is good for the end consumer.
look at how many new sterns u can chose from, how many private containers are streaming in. Man there is so much dealer stock, private stock, Stern stock. Great choices with so so much going on..and YES, I LOVE Whoaa Nellies Great big TITs. lol 
It is not always about making money, but I see your point. This project is a labor of love. I don't think the intention is to rival Stern or JJP. I agree that Stern and JJP have the development team and the resources to make that "special" machine. But sometimes, a new idea can come from the passion of pinball. You can throw all the money you like at a special game done by Stern, but "whoever" comes up with a NEW technology, or a new feature on a game COULD be more important to the buyer.
Never underestimate the great mind of John Popadiuk, and have a look where his inspirations come from - Steve Kordek. Also, one of my favorite designers worked on two masterpieces 15 years apart - Gottlieb Spirit and CFTBL - John Trudeau. So these guys NEVER lose their ability to create - they are often held back by the technology at the time.
I think the proof of the pudding will be to have the three games next to each other - Zombie, WOZ and AC/DC. From a designer perspective, I would look forward to playing Zombie - purely to see the magic of John's creation.
