Mandalorian Pinball Machine – Pinball Rumour Mill

Mandalorian Pinball Machine

Mandalorian Pinball Machine – Pinball Rumour Mill

Rumours have recently started circulating about the possibility of a Mandalorian pinball machine. Are these rumours true? And if so, who would produce it, and when?

The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian is an American space western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the Star Wars franchise, beginning five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. It stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, a lone bounty hunter who goes on the run after being hired to retrieve “The Child”.

The Mandalorian premiered with the launch of Disney+ on November 12, 2019. The eight-episode first season was met with positive reviews, was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, and won seven Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. A second season premiered on October 30, 2020, and a third season is in pre-production, with Disney confirming that the release date is Christmas 2021.

The popularity of The Mandalorian makes it the perfect licencing vehicle, but if a pinball manufacturer were to agree a licence, who is it most likely to be?

Stern & The Mandalorian

If anyone were to agree a Mandalorian pinball machine licence, the smart money would have to be on Stern. The theme would be a natural fit, as The Mandalorian is a Disney title and an offshoot of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars; Stern already has a positive relationship with both.

The Mandalorian could also figure as part of a Stern incentive to expand the pinball demographic to a younger age group. After all, Stranger Things’ main demographic is 18 to 24 year olds, while George Lucas told Jon Favreau the target audience of The Mandalorian should focus more on kids.

And although The Mandalorian only notched up an initial 40 million views, as compared to Stranger Things’ 64 million views, it has to be pointed out that Stranger Things was launched on the already highly popular Netflix platform, whereas The Mandalorian premiered with the launch of Disney+.

Given that Disney+ has expanded from just 10 million subscribers at launch to a whopping 73 million at the end of last year, there is the distinct possibility that The Mandalorian Series 3 will outperform Stranger Things. So, if Gary Stern was looking to introduce pinball to a younger demographic, he might well have hit the nail right on the head.

Mandalorian Pinball Machine Release Date

With The Mandalorian 3 not showing until Christmas 2021, Stern has got two choices: launch The Mandalorian pinball machine now based on Series 1 and 2, with future Series 3 updates available, or wait for the launch of Series 3. Whatever they decide, a Stern Mandalorian pinball machine will be much in demand. So, as soon as we hear anything concrete we will be sure to let you know.

Christmas is a long way off, and the rumours are already circulating. Don’t blink or you might miss it!

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