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How Many Pinball Manufacturers Could The Industry Support?
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<blockquote data-quote="CC13" data-source="post: 43856" data-attributes="member: 1151"><p>As most of us know, Old Man Stern believes that there's only room for one thriving pinball manufacturer; however, I have a feeling that we could support several more. The main reason is that pinball seems to be undergoing a resurgence—we've had three new contenders enter the ring and I'm sure one of them will pan out. In addition, people seem to want something other than Stern, so if one of the newcomers successfully brands themselves as the anti-Stern, watch out! Last but not least, if the Sterns knew so much about the pinball industry, then why, pray tell, did Bally/Williams run rings around them both critically and commercially through most of the '80s and '90s?</p><p></p><p>Anyway, my own prediction is that we'll top out at a Big 6 or so. Who will they be? Here's my take:</p><p></p><p>-Gottlieb: Gottlieb may just be a licensing firm now, but once they see that pinball is, to steal a lyric, back in black, I think they'll look into throwing their hats into into the ring once more. This would be a whale of a move—not only would the pinball media be over the moon about this happening, but they could make easy money by recommissioning old tables (which would also negate any bad will generated by their blocking pinball sites from uploading their tables' documentation) and could also pick up operators that have gotten sick of Stern, but don't fully trust the newcomers. Combine the generally softening attitude towards Gottlieb's more recent decks and you have quite the winning combination. Expect Gottlieb to be the market leader in location sales in 2-5 years should they decide to give the silver ball another go.</p><p></p><p>-Heighway: Heighway took some flack for changing the theme of their first table from Circe's Animal House (which would have been awesome) to Full Throttle (High Speed 2 invalidated any future need for car-related pins, IMO, though Corvette does look like a fantastic deck). Still, having privileged access to the European market is not to be underestimated, so they'll be a big player, especially if they can cross the pond and be a bit less wishy-washy about their themes.</p><p></p><p>-Jersey Jack: Of the three newcomers, Jersey Jack have the most developed business plan, not to mention the most publicity. WOZ has gotten fantastic press from absolutely everything I've seen, so barring a disaster, they should have plenty of goodwill from the pinheads going forward. Look for them to start slowly, but just build and build and build.</p><p></p><p>-Skit-B: I can't quite put my fingers on Skit-B's pulse. We've certainly heard the least about them and it's been a while since their last update. Nevertheless, Predator looks as though it has great potential, so don't count them out just yet. They'll be in the mix somewhere, but I certainly couldn't tell you exactly.</p><p></p><p>-Stern: They've been around far too long to imagine the industry without them, but I don't see much good for Stern in the near future. Between repeated criticisms for the cheap feels of their tables, disaffection with the constant blockbuster & classic rock themes and the period of adjustment to not being the only pinball manufacturer in the world anymore, Stern could be in for some rough times. Expect them to maintain their industry leader position for some time, but they'll lose just a little ground with each passing month.</p><p></p><p>-Zen: This will be the most controversial of my predictions here, but I have a good feeling about this one. Nobody racks up video pinball sales quite like Zen (though not for FarSight's lack of trying), so they have a pretty sizable fanbase built in should they choose to go down this road. Also, they would have great synergy with the digital division—if you wanted to play Zen's analog pins at home or on the go, then Zen Pinball/Pinball FX2 would be your only real option. I'm not certain this one will happen, but if it does, then it could be a sea change in the industry.</p><p></p><p>What do you guys think? Am I completely off base here or could a scenario like this actually come to pass?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CC13, post: 43856, member: 1151"] As most of us know, Old Man Stern believes that there's only room for one thriving pinball manufacturer; however, I have a feeling that we could support several more. The main reason is that pinball seems to be undergoing a resurgence—we've had three new contenders enter the ring and I'm sure one of them will pan out. In addition, people seem to want something other than Stern, so if one of the newcomers successfully brands themselves as the anti-Stern, watch out! Last but not least, if the Sterns knew so much about the pinball industry, then why, pray tell, did Bally/Williams run rings around them both critically and commercially through most of the '80s and '90s? Anyway, my own prediction is that we'll top out at a Big 6 or so. Who will they be? Here's my take: -Gottlieb: Gottlieb may just be a licensing firm now, but once they see that pinball is, to steal a lyric, back in black, I think they'll look into throwing their hats into into the ring once more. This would be a whale of a move—not only would the pinball media be over the moon about this happening, but they could make easy money by recommissioning old tables (which would also negate any bad will generated by their blocking pinball sites from uploading their tables' documentation) and could also pick up operators that have gotten sick of Stern, but don't fully trust the newcomers. Combine the generally softening attitude towards Gottlieb's more recent decks and you have quite the winning combination. Expect Gottlieb to be the market leader in location sales in 2-5 years should they decide to give the silver ball another go. -Heighway: Heighway took some flack for changing the theme of their first table from Circe's Animal House (which would have been awesome) to Full Throttle (High Speed 2 invalidated any future need for car-related pins, IMO, though Corvette does look like a fantastic deck). Still, having privileged access to the European market is not to be underestimated, so they'll be a big player, especially if they can cross the pond and be a bit less wishy-washy about their themes. -Jersey Jack: Of the three newcomers, Jersey Jack have the most developed business plan, not to mention the most publicity. WOZ has gotten fantastic press from absolutely everything I've seen, so barring a disaster, they should have plenty of goodwill from the pinheads going forward. Look for them to start slowly, but just build and build and build. -Skit-B: I can't quite put my fingers on Skit-B's pulse. We've certainly heard the least about them and it's been a while since their last update. Nevertheless, Predator looks as though it has great potential, so don't count them out just yet. They'll be in the mix somewhere, but I certainly couldn't tell you exactly. -Stern: They've been around far too long to imagine the industry without them, but I don't see much good for Stern in the near future. Between repeated criticisms for the cheap feels of their tables, disaffection with the constant blockbuster & classic rock themes and the period of adjustment to not being the only pinball manufacturer in the world anymore, Stern could be in for some rough times. Expect them to maintain their industry leader position for some time, but they'll lose just a little ground with each passing month. -Zen: This will be the most controversial of my predictions here, but I have a good feeling about this one. Nobody racks up video pinball sales quite like Zen (though not for FarSight's lack of trying), so they have a pretty sizable fanbase built in should they choose to go down this road. Also, they would have great synergy with the digital division—if you wanted to play Zen's analog pins at home or on the go, then Zen Pinball/Pinball FX2 would be your only real option. I'm not certain this one will happen, but if it does, then it could be a sea change in the industry. What do you guys think? Am I completely off base here or could a scenario like this actually come to pass? [/QUOTE]
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