A Tale of Two Launches: How Portal Upstaged Merlin and Revealed the Limits of Original Pinball Themes

Why do some pinball launches explode into mainstream media while others quietly fade into niche obscurity?

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The answer often comes down to a single strategic decision: licensing. To illustrate why licensing is such a vital component of successful pinball marketing, let’s compare the recent launches of two competing pinball titles—Multimorphic’s licensed Portal and Turner Pinball’s original-themed Merlin’s Arcade. These releases clearly demonstrate how attaching a recognizable IP can dramatically amplify media coverage, social engagement, and sales potential, transforming a standard product launch into a widely celebrated event.

Leveraging Licensing: The Portal Launch

Let’s start with a look at the launch of Multimorphic’s Portal game, based off of the popular Valve-owned video game franchise of the same name. The launch followed a pretty typical cadence for most modern pinball releases; rumors followed by an official teaser followed by a larger formal launch. 

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Pinball media outlets were some of the first to pick up the story. Pinball News had launch content, LoserKid Pinball Podcast had an interview with the team, and others (like ourselves) had our own release content as news trickled out. 

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This is where things start to get interesting.

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If Multimorphic had released a more generic theme, like the entirely made up Robot Ralph’s Retro Adventure, the release is where organic coverage would have ended and Multimorphic would have to shift into more costly marketing activities like paid media campaigns or wait on the slow burn of grassroots word-of-mouth as the community got their hands on the game. 

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However, because Multimorphic didn’t go with a generic original theme for their game, they were able to tap into the existing media ecosystem around the licensed IP they attached themselves to, in this case fans of the Portal video game franchise, the company Valve, and associated games media outlets desperate for delicious morsels to feed the always-starving content machine. 

Shortly after launch, news of the release broke containment of the pinball media bubble and I started to see headlines in mainstream gaming and tech media outlets like Ars Technica, The Verge, and PC Gamer that don’t normally cover pinball. This kind of earned media attention (aka “free”) acts as a massive amplifier for the original launch campaign, drives larger volumes of conversation within social media sites and helps Multimorphic reach net new pockets of prospective buyers that would not otherwise be activated. 

Limits of Original IP: The Merlin’s Arcade Launch

Let’s compare this with the launch of Merlin’s Arcade, an original theme by upstart manufacturer Turner Pinball. Despite only having a single release under their belts, the well-recieved Ninja Eclipse, I thought Merlin’s Arcade received good pickup among the pinball media circuit and some favorable buzz in enthusiast communities. 

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However, unlike Portal, coverage of the Merlin’s Arcade release never expanded beyond the pinball enthusiast bubble and I have yet to see any coverage by mainstream media and influencer outlets. This is despite having comparable product, distribution potential, and release timing as Portal.

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And why should it? There’s no story hook baked into Turner’s release that would appeal to larger mainstream audiences and, more importantly, the media ecosystems that already serve them.

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To further illustrate this point, imagine a universe where Turner Pinball had taken their quirky fantasy concept and instead of developing wholly original IP had secured the rights to a franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now you’ve got a story hook that larger audiences care about! 

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Think of the lush landscape of media and influencer outlets that already cover a franchise like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Well, just like with the Portal example, now they have a reason to talk about pinball, too. And for how much additional effort? Compared to all the R&D and labor involved with building a commercial pinball machine to begin with?

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Of course, there can be some advantages to original IP in pinball. Theoretically lower cost (no licensing fees to price in), faster to produce (no need for approvals by the licensor), and more creative freedom (no pesky brand restrictions). 

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But do those benefits outweigh the costs in marketing and sales potential? 

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Multimorphic seems to think not; 3 of their last 5 major releases have been licensed (Portal, Princess Bride, Weird Al). 

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Even Chris Turner (founder of Turner Pinball) seems unconvinced! When asked recently about the costs of original vs licensed IPs, he said, “I think people have this thought that like making a licensed game is much more expensive than an unlicensed game and I would tell you from what I've learned so far that I don't think that's true at all.”

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The kind of amplifying effect on display in this particular case is a great example of why licensed IP is such an important ingredient for successful modern pinball releases, and why going to market without one attached to your product is often a recipe for lackluster results.