Why The Recent Emphasis On Licensed Tables?

[Mark W**a]

It just occurred to me that FarSight have followed an odd pattern where licensed tables are concerned. After having 1 licensed table (RBION) in their first 8 offerings, FarSight have had one licensed table per DLC Pack since DLC Pack #3, in addition to Twilight Zone. Personally, I would have loaded up on the license-free tables first, then use the receipts from those tables to go after big-shot licenses such as LotR, The Simpsons or The Twilight Zone. What made FarSight opt for a different approach?

It's because the Elvira and the Universal Monsters licenses were package deals. Monster Bash and Creature are both covered under the universal license more or less, and Elvira was a smart buy since both her tables are awesome and again, part of a package. Smart moves by Farsight. It might happen again with T2, we might get T3 as well. Could happen with Simpsons also.

Going forward though unlicensed tables are set to outnumber licensed ones in a big way, the way things have been has been a bit of a lucky fluke you could say. Dr. Dude, Attack from Mars, Pinbot, Whirlwind, Genie, Centaur, Firepower, Victory, Space Shuttle, Cactus Canyon. That's 10 confirmed unlicensed, whereas only TNG and TZ are coming license wise. And T2 and Simpsons may only be single table as well. So 10 to 4(6), and that's just what we know so far.

 

[Worf]

Yeah, well, the licensing of the original tables is a lot easier. The licensed ones really are meant to round out the top 10 list of pins people like. After that, who really knows? Simpsons probably would get made (it's pretty high up - in the top 20). and I know T2 was one of those "killer" tables, but it's not that high, so it's more iffy.

Take a peek at the IPDB lists some day and you'll see which are the ones FarSight is probably concentrating on first.

 

[Groni]

But a IPDB Entry in the Top20 doesn´t mean that this are the tables that FS concentrate on. Gorgar is 118 in the List and already made. But even if Licensing is a big thing on tables like LOTR or TSPP. I guess FS earned enough money with all that DLC´s and different Platforms, that they could easily own a LOTR License. This would be the best Pinball Arcade Table ever, and I would pay alot for that

 

[Brandon Debes]

I guess FS earned enough money with all that DLC´s and different Platforms, that they could easily own a LOTR License.

How do you figure that?

They launched a Kickstarter to secure the ancillary license to a television program that went off the air in the late 1980s. Now a couple months later you reckon they have built up enough of a warchest from selling three dollar add-on tables to the ever-shrinking number of people who haven't yet had their fill of the incessant bugs to easily secure licensing to actor likenesses from one of the most popular film franchises of the current millennium? Riiiiiiight on…

 

[Worf]

Gorgar was done because it was on PHoF. As was Black Knight. They're slowly working through the PHoF tables.

FarSight's priorities are the top-10 tables (they're nearly done), and to bring in everything that was in PHoF. The latter is a lot easier to do as a lot of the work has been done.

Once FS has completed the top-10 list and PHoF tables, who knows what tables are done. Though, Big Shot was somewhat unusual, but I guess it was just an easy to get out of the way EM table.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Gorgar was done because it was on PHoF. As was Black Knight. They're slowly working through the PHoF tables.

FarSight's priorities are the top-10 tables (they're nearly done), and to bring in everything that was in PHoF. The latter is a lot easier to do as a lot of the work has been done.

Once FS has completed the top-10 list and PHoF tables, who knows what tables are done. Though, Big Shot was somewhat unusual, but I guess it was just an easy to get out of the way EM table.

Big Shot was a PHoF: Gottlieb Collection table, like Black Hole. That indicates to me that they're willing to dip into the Gottlieb list for some variety, which increases the back catalog they can draw from and makes the future a bit harder to predict. I suppose it was unusual in that, since it's an EM, it's necessarily scripted, and they've expressed a preference for emulated tables going forward.

 

[Worf]

Ah. That explains it.

So basically, they're doing all the tables done in ever PHoF game and the top 10 list as priorities. Makes sense.

 

[Wehrwolf]

So basically, they're doing all the tables done in ever PHoF game and the top 10 list as priorities.

Apparently except Jive Time (they mentioned it being less popular, and I wonder if they also want to keep something unique to PBoF)

 

[Worf]

*shrug*. I went through the Williams Challenge to unlock Jive Time. Man was that a disappointment. Big Shot is way more fun.