Do licensed pins do better than original themes?

[Pavlov Pinball]

I've taken a look at the numbers in a somewhat unscientific fashion, but even so the results are quite surprising, given that most new pins seem to have licenses attached these days:

http://pavlovpinball.com/does-pinball-licencing-work/

Doesn't mean I wouldn't like one of Homepin's Thunderbirds machines though....

[oldskool1969]

Interesting read, I always go for the machines with the most humour as compared to ones that have serious undertones.
That is what should be looked into.
Really looking forward to Heighways pinball 

[Freiherr]

I don't think licensed pinballs alone attract too many new players. There must be something more there which catches the eye or ear of a new player. Most of the older players grew up on EM and early SS pinballs when there were more unlicensed than licensed titles. Nice art and sound of pinball in the wild was the key factor to pinball popularity over the past 50 years..
These days, I  see younger players turn a blind eye to a lonely pinball machine and head straight for the car racer and shooter games.

[Strangeways]

Interesting story, but I'm always at a loss when any article mentions that the DMD was the "Peak years" or "Peak Era" of pinball. Nowhere near it !

1991-1993 had 75 games from all manufacturers.
1977-1977 had 333 games from all manufacturers.

Based on volume, 1991-1993 would not be in the "top 10" of "Peak Years" of pinball.

Eight Ball and Flash sold a combined 38,000 units. KISS and Playboy sold a combined 35,000 units and both licenses were the biggest of the 70's.

you could apply the logic of licensed VS non licensed, but I would argue that the licenses back in the golden age of pinball were not as important as today, because of the fact pinball was far more popular in the 70's. you could put anything on a playfield and backglass and people would play it in the sixties - eighties.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

And nobody likes the non licensed MM

[Pavlov Pinball]

Yes you are quite right. Good point.  I should have said something like the final boom period of pinball or something like that.

Interesting story, but I'm always at a loss when any article mentions that the DMD was the "Peak years" or "Peak Era" of pinball. Nowhere near it !

1991-1993 had 75 games from all manufacturers.
1977-1977 had 333 games from all manufacturers.

Based on volume, 1991-1993 would not be in the "top 10" of "Peak Years" of pinball.

Eight Ball and Flash sold a combined 38,000 units. KISS and Playboy sold a combined 35,000 units and both licenses were the biggest of the 70's.

you could apply the logic of licensed VS non licensed, but I would argue that the licenses back in the golden age of pinball were not as important as today, because of the fact pinball was far more popular in the 70's. you could put anything on a playfield and backglass and people would play it in the sixties - eighties.

[pinsanity]

[Retropin]

Nicely put together... I seem to remember having a similar "discussion" regarding exactly this on  AP and found that non licenced out performed licenced. TAF does throw a spanner in the works but at the end of the day, it was a groundbreaking machine when it came out.. a great player with a great theme.
It does in the end stress that game play will dictate a machines success... Theme may carry it somewhat but if its a nugget to play then its a low seller

[Brunswick Brawler]

Its not so easy to measure, as the only real measurable is to have the exact same game released as both a licenced and not licenced theme.  Then the sales of the two can be compared.

As stated in the article, Stern and JJP wouldn't pay for a licence for no reason.  Stern has the experience to know its affect.  I heard this said many times: "I like Mustang, but I wouldn't buy it as I don't like the theme."

We often discuss if a licence sells more games, but one thing that is clear is THEMES do sell games.  Often good themes need to be licenced!

[Retropin]

Its not so easy to measure, as the only real measurable is to have the exact same game released as both a licenced and not licenced theme.  Then the sales of the two can be compared.

As stated in the article, Stern and JJP wouldn't pay for a licence for no reason.  Stern has the experience to know its affect.  I heard this said many times: "I like Mustang, but I wouldn't buy it as I don't like the theme."

We often discuss if a licence sells more games, but one thing that is clear is THEMES do sell games.  Often good themes need to be licenced!

Really??.. I thought it was more like.." I like Mustang cars.. but the pin doesn't reflect them and its a lemon"

[pinball god]

I think a themed game would carry more interest if the pinball is true to the theme. In that I mean, the missions and game play have some kind of connection to scenes in a movie etc. Themes like charlies angles and the like from the eighties really could have been any theme as far as Gameplay. The theme was purely artwork. Putting letters on targets aren't classed as a theme to Gameplay in my opinion. Kiss or even playboy weren't revolutionary in Gameplay, and so I think being a licensed theme help immensely in their sales. Would kiss the pinball have sold as well if it was car theme, or zombie or billiards? I don't reckon but others may disagree.

So in a nut shell I think licensed themes had a bigger impact in the 70's 80's than in the dmd era because a well designed and gimmicked pinball would have won players over more so than just calling it a Shrek???