Will farsight’s TPA see an eighth season? (Your Thoughts)

[Garycope]

What are your thoughts on a TPA eighth season. I myself think farsight will discontinue TPA and work totally on Stern pinball arcade. $10 bucks a table and maybe 5 tables per season.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

We might see one more season; they've been going at Pinball Arcade for almost 6 years now. Who knows when they'll stop.

Stern Pinball Arcade is still a given. They don't release new tables at the rate TPA has, though, and Stern still has a bunch in their backlog, especially in Data East and Sega.

 

[Blkthorne]

I personally think they could easily do another 5+ seasons on just tables without any big licenses attached.

 

[Citizen]

It's hard to say. Someone mentioned recently that FarSight has said that S1 is still the best selling season to this day. That means they have at least some steady revenue coming in from TPA, but perhaps no real incentive to keep making new seasons when they can keep making money off of what they already have.

In regards to SPA, do we know how well those tables have actually been selling? Do we know if they're actually turning a good profit on it? Because keep in mind that, unlike many of the unlicensed Williams, Bally/Midway, WMS, Alvin G., Stern Electronics, Gottlieb and Premier Gottlieb tables that aren't in TPA yet, most of the Stern Pinball, Data East and Sega tables that aren't in SPA have licenses attached to them. I doubt Stern will keep funding these tables if SPA isn't turning a pretty substantial profit, and so far the reception to SPA hasn't been great. Though, given the recent Switch release, I have to assume it's doing well enough for now.

I don't really think duration of time is that much of an issue, just profit. I do agree with Blkthorne that there are plenty of good unlicensed tables left.

Forgive me dumping a list in the middle of the thread:

Joker Poker
Centaur II
Embryon
Devil's Dare
Mousin' Around!
Bad Cats
Space Station
Radical!
Fireball II
Mata Hari
Jungle Lord
Time Warp
Future Spa
Operation: Thunder
Barracora
Time Line
Comet
Skateball
Alien Poker
Blackout
Sinbad
Meteor
Jokerz!
Flash
Police Force
Road Kings
Strikes and Spares
Nitro Ground Shaker
The Pinball Circus
Road Show
Quicksilver
Medusa
Frontier
Seawitch
Spirit
Star Gazer
Catacomb
Stingray
Grand Lizard
Viking
Stars

Taken from the Database top 150 and Pinside top 150. Unlicensed tables only. SS tables only. Only companies that are already represented in TPA. No Stern Pinball, Data East, or Sega tables listed. Didn't list Revenge from Mars since it's Pinball 2000. Didn't list Banzai Run because it might still be in S7.

Are those the cream of the crop? Mostly not, no. But I'm guessing most people around here have a few favorites on that list, and would be happy to have (most) of the rest in TPA. The question is, would those draw enough sales to be worth it?

 

[wolfson]

I`m optimistic , 3-8 seasons !!! go on tell me , I`m dreaming !!! ( a little bitsy )

 

[Jeff Strong]

They've said in the past that as long as it's profitable to make new tables, they will continue to do so. I don't see why that wouldn't still hold true.

 

[Kolchak357]

I wonder if they have any more licensed pins coming to TPA? A hint on pins for next season would be cool. They get leaked anyway, so let's have some fun with it.
Yeah, I think they have another season or two in them.

 

[Heretic]

**** it I’m still surprised we got a 2nd b7ncha pinball nerds

 

[Fungi]

8 seasons and a movie!

 

[Garycope]

I sent a email to farsight asking about a season 8 and this is their reply.

Hello there!

We do not have plans to release season 8 just yet, but maybe in time. ��

 

[Byte]

They've said in the past that as long as it's profitable to make new tables, they will continue to do so. I don't see why that wouldn't still hold true.

The problem with that is the definition of 'profitable'. If that switches to a very short-term perspective, it may not be. If it is a multi-year perspective, it might be very profitable, for current-gen platforms that is. The next thing on PC and consoles will be 4K HDR (some already have it, but I'm talking about the masses). Will it be profitable (and manageable!) to re-do all Season 1-7 table art in 4K and sell them as upgrade packages? The number of SKUs will double and download sizes increase dramatically where a "megapatch" approach applies.

PS3 might or might not see a Season 7, I doubt it will see Season 8. Perhaps we can convince Farsight to do one big final bug-fix "Thank You!" release, say a year after the last table releases, so devs have a year to use spare/unscheduled time to track bugs down and fix as many of them as time allows. Will that be profitable? Depends on the number of PS3 players that still play and do not own all seasons and held off because of long-standing bugs and might want to complete their table collection. Perhaps that would be the time to hold a PS3 PSN sale.

 

[Heretic]

The problem with that is the definition of 'profitable'. If that switches to a very short-term perspective, it may not be. If it is a multi-year perspective, it might be very profitable, for current-gen platforms that is. The next thing on PC and consoles will be 4K HDR (some already have it, but I'm talking about the masses). Will it be profitable (and manageable!) to re-do all Season 1-7 table art in 4K and sell them as upgrade packages? The number of SKUs will double and download sizes increase dramatically where a "megapatch" approach applies.

PS3 might or might not see a Season 7, I doubt it will see Season 8. Perhaps we can convince Farsight to do one big final bug-fix "Thank You!" release, say a year after the last table releases, so devs have a year to use spare/unscheduled time to track bugs down and fix as many of them as time allows. Will that be profitable? Depends on the number of PS3 players that still play and do not own all seasons and held off because of long-standing bugs and might want to complete their table collection. Perhaps that would be the time to hold a PS3 PSN sale.

Nice post

 

[Citizen]

Buncha pussies, I’m a dog person

So, Big House, then?

 

[Heretic]

Maybe san quietin o4 I don’t get the reference...it’s booze o clock speak proper

 

[Citizen]

I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm sober right now, I can't speak proper drunk.

So I'll just be lazy and post a link: http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=256&picno=56641&zoom=1

It was the first machine with dogs I could think of.

 

[IGoFirstIndy]

i think we get at least one more season.

there's still a couple of big tables out there, that wouldn't be licensing nightmares. and i like them folding in modern tables like they did with ghostbusters this season.

plus i need Space Station and Banzai Run!

 

[jonesjb]

It would be nice to see an even 10 seasons, I’d really like to see:

Shadow
Congo
Roller games
Mousin’ Around
Johnny Pneumonic
Blackout
Jurassic Park

 

[Nightwing]

I would love for them to keep going,personally. There are a ton of tables still available. However, I'm thinking if there is an eighth season,it won't be a full 10 pack season.

 

[Heretic]

Tpa never exsisted it was all a fever dream

 

[wolfson]

Heretic , great dream , I thought !!!! if I could meet my hero Georgie Best in my dreams that would be it for me , to see Georgie , Bobby Charlton and the mercurial Dennis Law play again , that`s a bloody great dream !!!!