Lets look at Stern's last few releases since Star Trek:
Mustang - total flop, nobody cares about that game.
The Walking Dead - a pin they could have sold 100,000 of but screwed up the license and as confirmed by Stern staff, has been abandoned.
WWE - a total WTF moment. They haven't even been taking around to all the shows. No distributors at Pinfest in the states had it this year.
Whoa Nellie - very limited appeal to collectors
Kiss - who does this outdated remake appeal to apart from a handful of home buyers? Remember Metallica gets very little love.
Flop after flop. Add to this the interest in other pin manufacturers, and the fact Stern are destroying their reputation because they sell unfinished games. Operators don't care about code but home owners do.
It's my personal opinion that Steve Ritchie's next game will be make or break for them.