Why?

[Caveoftreasures]

history shows during the 90's that the licenced themed/movie style pinball themes still outsold unlicensed non movie type themes, most manufacturers.

so, it seems that whilst people always want a non movie type theme, when it comes to it, pinball peoples havent poney-éd up the money for them....

I dont think things are going to change with the pinball manufacturing companies, because playing it safe doesnt make them go broke.

Just look at that pommy company which has now gone for the safe motorbike theme instead of the weird animal house theme...they played it too safe...homeowners would prefer the animal pinny, but site operators wanted a safer bike racing theme.....blame must be shared between operators and the private collector/pinball community who seems to still put up more $$$ for a licenced theme versus a un-licenced theme when the time comes. Study all the pinnys made thru-out the 90's and the numbers always fall to the licenced movie themes time n time again.....pinball people say one thing, then do the opposite when the wallet has to come out - weird hobby.lol

[Retropin]

What titles are you talking about Cavey as GTB had very poor sales throughout the 90's and can be written off.
Williams were kings and the biggest seller they had in the 90's was High Speed with 17080 - GREAT sales for a non licenced game... Fish Tales outsold IJ by nearly 1000

Biggest sellers by far of the 90's were TAF and TZ... both unique games when they came out and both sales are yet to be repeated as has the impact these games had when released

[Caveoftreasures]

What titles are you talking about Cavey as GTB had very poor sales throughout the 90's and can be written off.
Williams were kings and the biggest seller they had in the 90's was High Speed with 17080 - GREAT sales for a non licenced game... Fish Tales outsold IJ by nearly 1000

Biggest sellers by far of the 90's were TAF and TZ... both unique games when they came out and both sales are yet to be repeated as has the impact these games had when released

Gav, u answered your own question in a few ways.lol

TAF and TZ were licenced movie themes, just like STNG and Indy Jones etc etc etc. Movie themes just outsold everything else, not withstanding Fishtales etc. As a whole, movie themes accross the majority of pinny companies outsold unlicenced non movie themes.

Same for Sega, Data East etc. Bally/Williams had junkyard and 4 or so other titles around that time which were all non movie themes etc, but their sales were low. One thing I will point out but, is all of them were based on movie themes anyway. TOTAN is based on Ali Barber and the 40 Thieves style of movies IMO, I think there was a movie called Tales of the Arabian Nights from memory, and even Scared Stiff features the Elvira lady who was on TV all the time, with Attack from Mars being based on 100 movies of the same theme/style Hollywood has made n remade 100 times over the years.  

Even themes like Medi Evil Madness are based on 100 movies like Robin Hood/Ritchard the Lionheart/Knights of the Round table etc, and the list goes on. Junkyard I would have to think about, but most unlicenced themes were all pulled from TV or movie shows anyway, but all got outsold by licenced movie themes.  

I would like to see someone do a unlicenced movie pinball. I dont care if its based on something from a movie or a TV show etc, something ballsy like Black Knight 2000 with 2 x seperate, and 2 x different level playfields would be excellent.  

[Boots]

Why does every pin of late have to be a movie or music theme? Don't get me wrong AC/DC cracker pin but why don't the guys building pins go back to the roots as such and build something the will appeal to a larger group of the pinball public? I'm sure that woz,the hobbit & star trek( if it happens) will be good but I wouldn't hand over my cash for any of those themes. I'd be far more inclined to save my penny's and buy a MM. I just look at some of the non movie/music themes more fondly. What do you think would you like something different?

You nailed it mate.
I have been thinking the exact same thing.

[Retropin]

So anything medieval is movie based because theyve made movies about the middle ages? Get real.
TAF and TZ were unique games.. i remember them coming out and they were as unique as it came and played like nothing else.. couple that with a good theme and its a winner for sure.
High Speed had over 17000 sales... fishtales over 13000.
High Speed outsold pretty much everything else bar TAF... but then again, i suppose movies have been made about fast car chases also?

[Caveoftreasures]

So anything medieval is movie based because theyve made movies about the middle ages? Get real.
TAF and TZ were unique games.. i remember them coming out and they were as unique as it came and played like nothing else.. couple that with a good theme and its a winner for sure.
High Speed had over 17000 sales... fishtales over 13000.
High Speed outsold pretty much everything else bar TAF... but then again, i suppose movies have been made about fast car chases also?

YES, that is totally correct and my answer was very real. If they didnt get the ideas about medi-evil castles and all that stuff from the movies, where did they get the ideas from.....if someone said what does a castle look like, are u going to describe something u saw in a movie, or only remember it only from a book...I think Not,........lets say its books, which might be 10 percent of the imagery, the ideas are all based on stuff that has been done many times over...and your last point about High Speed pinball etc being based on various/many car chase movies/stories is also correct.

They may not be licenced pinball themes, but they certainly are all copied/based on previously released movies n TV shows.

Thats very real. !

*also, TAF n TZ might be unique, means nothing, still TV shows, licenced and created from TV, like 99 percent of pinball machines, licenced or not....

[Strangeways]

So anything medieval is movie based because theyve made movies about the middle ages? Get real.
TAF and TZ were unique games.. i remember them coming out and they were as unique as it came and played like nothing else.. couple that with a good theme and its a winner for sure.
High Speed had over 17000 sales... fishtales over 13000.
High Speed outsold pretty much everything else bar TAF... but then again, i suppose movies have been made about fast car chases also?

YES, that is totally correct and my answer was very real. If they didnt get the ideas about medi-evil castles and all that stuff from the movies, where did they get the ideas from.....if someone said what does a castle look like, are u going to describe something u saw in a movie, or only remember it only from a book...I think Not,........lets say its books, which might be 10 percent of the imagery, the ideas are all based on stuff that has been done many times over...and your last point about High Speed pinball etc being based on various/many car chase movies/stories is also correct.

They may not be licenced pinball themes, but they certainly are all copied/based on previously released movies n TV shows.

Thats very real. !

*also, TAF n TZ might be unique, means nothing, still TV shows, licenced and created from TV, like 99 percent of pinball machines, licenced or not....

Brett - have you ever been to England ? I have seen some AMAZING Castles in England and in Wales. If anyone needs to do research on Castles, there's no need to watch any movies. In fact, most movies have no idea what real castles look like. There are PLENTY of Medieval castles still standing.

A quick scan of the top 10 pinballs produced of all time. Only 20% are movie themes.

[Caveoftreasures]

I hear what u are saying. When i compiled all those lists of pinball machines by all manufacturers for the Review Section etc, the dmd numbers show time n time again that licenced movie themes were not only in the majority, but the total numbers sold were more than unlicenced.

Unlicenced isnt a bad thing, its just the fact that they are not as commercially viable compared to all these dam movie titles...I wish the pinball manufacturers did take a few more chances, but if u build an outstanding pinball machine, it will sell very very well...therefore, Stern n JJP should build a cracker of a game, unlicenced, give themselves more flexibility and not worry about the results so to speak, because a well built title, unlicenced in this era where people want diversity, should sell very well.  That my hope.

[Retropin]

So anything medieval is movie based because theyve made movies about the middle ages? Get real.
TAF and TZ were unique games.. i remember them coming out and they were as unique as it came and played like nothing else.. couple that with a good theme and its a winner for sure.
High Speed had over 17000 sales... fishtales over 13000.
High Speed outsold pretty much everything else bar TAF... but then again, i suppose movies have been made about fast car chases also?

YES, that is totally correct and my answer was very real. If they didnt get the ideas about medi-evil castles and all that stuff from the movies, where did they get the ideas from.....if someone said what does a castle look like, are u going to describe something u saw in a movie, or only remember it only from a book...I think Not,........lets say its books, which might be 10 percent of the imagery, the ideas are all based on stuff that has been done many times over...and your last point about High Speed pinball etc being based on various/many car chase movies/stories is also correct.

They may not be licenced pinball themes, but they certainly are all copied/based on previously released movies n TV shows.

Thats very real. !

*also, TAF n TZ might be unique, means nothing, still TV shows, licenced and created from TV, like 99 percent of pinball machines, licenced or not....

I give up... complete bollox

[Caveoftreasures]

yes, complete bollox. my exact thoughts also.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

So basically there can be no true unlicenced themed game as everything has been coved in movies or books ?

[joele]

So basically there can be no true unlicenced themed game as everything has been coved in movies or books ?

I am trying to work out what my fish tales was based on, so many movies with fishing in them

[Strangeways]

Just a quick scan of my collection, and they are all fantastic machines - but not one of them is a movie pin. Artwork and themes are mostly original, and some of them are based on mythology or fantasy. This was very common for the 70's and 80's. The "movie pin" is a recent trend, brought about by lazy and unimaginative designers.

I'm not a commercial movie fan - I only like horror movies. By narrowing the market even further to cater for my tastes would be a huge mistake by any manufacturer. But by releasing ONLY movie pins, manufacturers are restricting themselves to movie goers. They need to widen the audience like they attempted with AC/DC. That was a "safe" title.

Whoever produces a non licensed pinball could change the dull and monotonous repetition we are seeing recently. How about looking at the themes and artwork of the 70's and 80's as inspiration ?

[Caveoftreasures]

So basically there can be no true unlicenced themed game as everything has been coved in movies or books ?

I didnt say every machine, but most had ideas influenced by movies or TV shows.
Also, i said most dmd games from the nineties had the above. I wasnt talkin about anything before dmd nineties games.

Some machines dont come from movies ofcourse, but during the nineties, its the minority. Same since the 90's I guess, everything is movie based so far.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Trivia;
T2 was the first licenced Williams machine