First Licensed FX3 Williams Speculation

[trash80]

There is no exclusive deal in place for NBA games like the NFL and MLB. The problem lies with the players and players union. Many likenesses are used on the table and many of of those said players have retired and it's possible that some may even be deceased.

The NBPA doesn't handle license of player likenesses. In the case of NBA Fastbreak, the players are all featured in their respective team gear and would be subject to the standard NBA digital rights agreement. Regardless, It would behoove Zen (and the NBA) to update the DMD (and with current trivia questions), backglass and playfield with current players and team kits anyway, though if any of the featured players were to be troublesome (Jason Kidd) they could all easily be replaced with metallic robot players (been done before).

edit: I just played a few games to refresh my memory. If Zen could get the "linked" capability of this table to work it would be quite a fantastic table to use for promoting live multiplayer play.

 

[Citizen]

Just get a deal with Hershey and fester the table into Reese's Fast Break.

 

[Narc0lep5y]

Just get a deal with Hershey and fester the table into Reese's Fast Break.

That's just nutrageous to even suggest such a thing.

 

[Jeff Strong]

There is no exclusive deal in place for NBA games like the NFL and MLB. The problem lies with the players and players union. Many likenesses are used on the table and many of of those said players have retired and it's possible that some may even be deceased.

This is basically a sidenote post, but as a baseball geek I’m compelled to reply: There’s no exclusive deal for MLB games any longer either. 2K used to have the exclusive deal, but that expired a few years ago and they chose not to renew it and they shut down MLB 2K completely. Sony was always able to make their own MLB game (The Show) even during 2K’s exclusiveity years because the deal had a caveat that allowed 1st party console developers (Sony, MS, and Nintendo) to be exempt and develop their own MLB games if they so chose (only Sony took advantage of it, partly because baseball is so huge in Japan). So nowadays, there’s no longer an exclusive deal, but there just isn’t the interest in developing MLB games like there used to be, in large part thanks to 2K killing off the other great franchises when they secured their exclusive deal (EA’s MVP, etc.), so we went from having a plethora of great MLB games in the early 2000’s to just a couple today. Now all we have is Sony’s MLB The Show (which is a great game, arguably the best sports game out there) and the rebooted R.B.I. Baseball (not so great...which is sad because the originals were so good).

 

[Pete]

i would assume they have heard our "give us something new cries" and we will get indiana jones

 

[wilbers]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxffqId09Kk

Near the start of the video is a line-up of Star Wars Episode I, Metallica, Indiana Jones, ST:TNG, and Twilight Zone. Could those be the first 5 licensed tables, and Metallica is a Stern table so does that mean they have acquired a license to make that?

 

[Narc0lep5y]

i would assume they have heard our "give us something new cries" and we will get indiana jones

I would love otherwise but I can’t see anything happening here license wise with Lucas/Disney until 2021 (raiders 30th). Especially if that’s the same year as Indy 5.




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[Pete]

metallica would be so cool! if they do it though (and this goes for all modern sterns like star wars aerosmith batman66 ect ect) I hope they give us the option of pro & limited edition and without buying it twice... at a glace the differences of versions may look small, but they change up gameplay and rules enough to really make a difference. IVe played both versions of metallica and have completely different strategies for them. On aerosmith LE the added option of locking balls on the upper playfield changes the whole flow, and you can achieve a pretty easy ricochet off the right side of the toy box into the lock as well which never seems to work on pro.

As far as waiting 2 years to coincide with an anniversary I really doubt they will push anything back that far for a digital pinball table, maybe if they were making a new movie

 

[shogun00]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxffqId09Kk

Near the start of the video is a line-up of Star Wars Episode I, Metallica, Indiana Jones, ST:TNG, and Twilight Zone. Could those be the first 5 licensed tables, and Metallica is a Stern table so does that mean they have acquired a license to make that?

I wouldn't read too much into this. There were photos of their office posted on their forums a couple years ago and a couple of those tables (Metallica and Episode 1) we in those photos too.

 

[Citizen]

First licensed tables around Halloween. Interesting.

I know that licensed tables are normally planned to be done as individual releases, but I'm pretty sure I heard Mel pluralize there. So maybe a Universal CftBL/MB pack?

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Alphanumerics are coming, per the Blahcade Interview. YES!

I imagine Banzai Run won't be difficult for them, since they've done Paranormal previously.

/off-topic

Yeah, I imagine since it's near Halloween, it makes sense to go after the Universal Monsters.

 

[Pete]

he made a funny face right after saying it like oops probably fed all these crazy speculation people too much information. so obviously were going to get some or one of the following tables
-Monster Bash
-Creature From The Black Lagoon
-Scarred Stiff
-Bram Stoker's Dracula
-Addams Family
-Twilight Zone

 

[Blkthorne]

First licensed tables around Halloween. Interesting.

I know that licensed tables are normally planned to be done as individual releases, but I'm pretty sure I heard Mel pluralize there. So maybe a Universal CftBL/MB pack?

I was curious if the first licensed ones come out around Halloween at the end of October, with volume 5 coming in July/August, then volume 6 would be the licensed tables in Oct., that would mean the last of the unlicensed DMD's would be volume 7 then in December?

 

[trash80]

he made a funny face right after saying it like oops probably fed all these crazy speculation people too much information. so obviously were going to get some or one of the following tables
-Monster Bash
-Creature From The Black Lagoon
-Scarred Stiff
-Bram Stoker's Dracula
-Addams Family
-Twilight Zone

SGI (the Williams license owners) has a vested interest in both MB and CftBL. While Scared Stiff is still covered under an independent likeness deal with the other guys.

The other tables in this list have a LOT to get worked out before they can be considered.

 

[trash80]

I was curious if the first licensed ones come out around Halloween at the end of October, with volume 5 coming in July/August, then volume 6 would be the licensed tables in Oct., that would mean the last of the unlicensed DMD's would be volume 7 then in December?

Zen hasn't been afraid of releasing more tables more often in the past. I'd expect the Universal Monster 2 pack to be treated as a bonus release.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Keep in mind that licensed releases will be set apart from the Volumes. Volume 6 will have the remaining unlicensed DMD games.

 

[dmil666]

Yeah, Monster Bash and Creature ftBL sound like shoo-ins for a Universal Monsters release.

 

[Pete]

yeah i pretty much am sure it will be Monster Bash & Creature that's why i put them at the top, but decided to just list all the licenced horror tables so we can speculate possible curve balls

scarred stiff is like my #3 table of all time so I'm hoping something gets worked out on that. It's got that completion thing of collecting the tales to start the stiff-o-meter which feels like going for Battle for the Kingdom on MM only wayyyyy easier to complete. it's like you know what youve got to do and you do it and you feel good when you get it.

 

[shutyertrap]

So you all are applying the FarSight model of horror themed pins at Halloween to Zen? Nobody thinks the first release might be something new to digital? Just curious.

 

[Citizen]

I mean, it's not like FarSight invented the concept of releasing horror-themed stuff around Halloween. The movie industry beat them to that. And the breakfast cereal industry. And pretty much American society in general. That's why I guessed it'd be a Universal Monsters pack, not specifically because of what FarSight used to do.

That being said, something new to digital would make me even happier. So I'm looking forward to it either way.

Edit: Granted, I have no idea if Hungarians care about Halloween. But I would assume they at least know we do it here, where most of their consumerbase is.