The problem with choosing a title or style of title for next years pinball machine, is that you have to be absolutely close to spot on or you are going to lose money. Too safe is boring, too unique could be dangerous. If it costs half a million dollars to buy and develop a licence or theme, if you don't pick a title or theme that is going to appeal to a very wide market, you are going to lose money. Even a established company like Stern can't afford to get it wrong.

I can't see 90 perrcent of the titles being offered by the boutique startup pinball companies as being profitable at all.
I would bet money that Stern and maybe JJP and hopefully HOMEPIN will be the ONLY companies standing in 2 or 3 years.
From a profit point of view, how can these startup companies possibly set up premises, set up tooling and staff and the other 100 things and possibly survive on only a couple hundred sales of each of their first 1 or 3 pinball titles.

If someone does a speculative thread about a future pinball title or licence, and u get lots and lots of people joining in and saying I would buy that machine, companies like Stern USA take note and look closer at developing that title after further market research.

That EXACT situation is how titles like ACDC and The Walking Dead pinball became reality.
So to me, threads like this can stimulate the seed needed to get something from a dream to reality.

Maybe someone did a thread like this which got Heighway Pinball in the UK to do a ALIEN Pinball.
Maybe TBLebowski came to fruition from a forum discussion a few years back. ?

Without some imagination, boring or crazy, nothing comes to fruition.
Someone might say a big YES to a Guardians of the Galaxy Pinball. Someone might say boring as batshit, but nothing happens anywhere without sharing ideas.

Last point, is that half of the time, if not three quarters of the time you hear a rumour about Sterns next title, most of the time it comes true. I reckon this is a smart way for companies like Stern to get free and important feedback from a wide range of people without spending and wasting money on fruitless market research.

I know for a fact Stern watches and monitors all of the Pinball forums because these people know that the diehard pinball fans with their fingers on the pulse and hands on wallets are the people who are most suited to get valuable feedback from. Listening or not listening to your repeat customers is vital to survive.

JJP created their forum for the same reasons. $$.

If anyone has an idea for a licences or unlicensed theme, do a thread. You never know, the right person sitting at a design desk at a pinball company just might read your idea and run with it. Doesn't hurt to bounce around any ideas.