Rebirth of America, this is my time

Although Ethan raised the corner of his mouth and smiled, the insincere expression still made Arakawa shudder. He stared at COLOR TV GAME 6 and COLOR TV GAME 15 on the coffee table for a few times, deeply He took a breath, as if to confirm something, but more like to build up confidence in himself.

After a moment, he moved his gaze back to Ethan and looked into his eyes.

Mr. Jones.

Arakawa Minoru's Adam's apple twitched and her tone was calm.

As you said, I know what kind of conflict there is between you and Milohua. You worked at Milohua for a period of time, and then you were forced to leave there due to internal reasons at Milohua. After that, Milohua Hua sued you again due to the Snake fire. Although you finally reached a settlement, you continued to collide with each other in the following years. Until the middle of this year, you completely defeated the Star Wars Mi Luohua, Mi Luohua's parent company couldn't bear the loss of tens of millions, so it fired all the original management of Mi Luohua, and the friction between you has come to a temporary end...

Arakawa pursed her lips, looked at Ethan seriously, and said: I know all this, so I can understand your mood at the moment. When a partner who is more pleasant to cooperate with in business suddenly takes out his opponent's For similar products, no one can accept this kind of thing.”

Not to mention, the rival products displayed by the business partners are still old products from a few years ago. That kind of close cooperation that spans a lot of time will really make people angry.

Haha—— Ethan laughed.

He thinks Arakawa Minoru is quite funny.

Analyze things rigorously?

Wow!

This guy is really calm——

Mr. Arakawa, are you doing academic work? Ethan crossed his fingers and put them on his lap.

He stared at Minoru Arakawa with a smile, Mr. Arakawa, I personally think that if you don't do business, it would be good to be a teacher. You can teach law, because they are best at demagogueing people.

The slightly sarcastic words made Arakawa Minoru smile and nod.

He didn't seem to be much affected and continued: Mr. Jones, although I have no right to advise you to be generous, and I can honestly say that I personally don't know why the product COLOR TV GAME was launched, but I would like to say that it is not in our interest to launch this product when Nintendo, or my father-in-law, has cooperated so well with you.

You have also seen the report I just brought. Under the management of our Nintendo, a total of 65,000 units of Snake were sold in our country. Among them, the single unit price of 37,000 units is The remaining 28,000 units are priced at US$1,500 each. This project alone has brought us Nintendo an operating income of 11.6 billion US dollars.”

Among them, the share that belongs to you is 16.24 million. The production cost, sales cost and some administrative expenses and financial expenses add up to almost 60 million. After excluding these, the share that belongs to us at Nintendo The income should be 39.76 million.

Although we at Nintendo deserve this money, because my father-in-law really found a lot of connections in order to promote this product. He used strong methods to make Snake appear in all major stores in our country at the same time. In electronics stores in the city, he asked all major TV stations in our country to play advertisements for Snake, but... if the product Snake is not excellent, no matter how tough my father-in-law is, then... It’s impossible to make a profit of close to 40 million US dollars in one and a half years, right? This is a success that belongs to our joint cooperation.”

Speaking of this, Minoru Arakawa smiled at Ethan.

Mr. Jones, when Snake is selling so well, when Pac-Man is a better project on the horizon, and when we know Star Wars is more profitable, why do we To make you angry?

There's no reason for that, right?

If I were the president of Nintendo, I would definitely kill the COLOR TV GAME project. Even if this project has cost us five million, ten million, or twenty million US dollars, it will still be It doesn’t matter – because we can make more money by working with you!”

Minoru Arakawa cast a sincere look at Ethan.

The wide-open eyes showed sincerity, and the twinkling pupils were full of seriousness.

At this moment, he even wanted to take out his heart and show it to Ethan!

He couldn't wait to prove to Ethan...

Mr. Jones, could this be a misunderstanding?

Arakawa Minoru raised his eyebrows and asked for Ethan's opinion, What do you think?

Pah, pah, pah—

Ethan clapped.

Leaning on the sofa, the smile on his face became even wider.

To be honest, he actually knows who Minoru Arakawa is.

In his previous life, this guy was the president of Nintendo of America.

If Gunpei Yokoi, Masayuki Uemura, Genhiro Takeda, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the four great kings, supported Nintendo's research and development work, then Minoru Arakawa single-handedly opened up Nintendo's market in North America. That kind of real ability cannot be erased with a few words.

And now...

The coping skills this guy showed...

Not bad indeed.

Misunderstanding? Ethan sighed with a smile, What a wonderful term - He looked at Minoru Arakawa, who was neither humble nor arrogant, and kept nodding his head: Mr. Arakawa, do you believe this?

Although it was a question, Ethan did not give the other party a chance to answer.

He sat upright again, patted the armrest of the sofa, and said: Okay, since you said it was a misunderstanding, I will give you a chance to prove it. Tell me, how many days do you need? How many days do you need? Only then can you prove to me that the COLOR TV GAME project is a misunderstanding?

Ethan put the four fingers of his left hand together and pointed briefly towards the machine on the table.

He made a please gesture towards Arakawa Minoru.

At this moment, he really didn't believe that Minoru Arakawa could continue to talk.

And Minoru Arakawa didn't seem to expect Ethan's approach to be so radical.

He stared at the two Nintendo game consoles on the table for a long time, and then...

The palms on his legs tightened.

The next second, he looked up instantly.

Mr. Jones, to show my sincerity, I would like to borrow your company's phone number.

According to the normal procedures, I should contact the company immediately after returning to figure out the problem as soon as possible and try to give you a satisfactory answer in a short time. But I know that doing this will not calm you at all. The anger. So I want to stay with you for a while and get in touch with the company directly. I also hope that you can allow it...

Arakawa Minoru's suggestion made Ethan wave his hand.

Please help yourself.

He agreed without thinking.

I'm waiting for you.

He wanted to see what stories this guy Minoru Arakawa could come up with in a short period of time!

In Ethan's view, the fact that Nintendo is Milo's son has long been established. When Philips stabbed MCA in its optical disc cooperation, it attempted to hang MCA and wait for the patents in MCA's hands to expire while acquiring Milo. When China is eager to use this well-known American consumer electronics company to embezzle all the benefits of optical discs, Nintendo, which appears as Helix, must be related to these plans.

Although he doesn't know what role Nintendo plays in this, and judging from the current size comparison between Philips and Nintendo, Nintendo is probably a sharp knife that is being used, because they are not worthy of being Philips's ally now, but …

So what?

Just like Arakawa Minoru said just now.

If Hiroshi Yamauchi is a smart man, then he should kill the COLOR TV GAME project and pretend to be at peace for all eternity!

For the sake of profit, Nintendo should not launch this project with uncertain prospects!

For the sake of profit, Nintendo should not cut ties with Ethan Jones!

For the sake of profit, even if the project is completed, you have to break your teeth and swallow it!

After all, before the product COLOR TV GAME was launched, Ethan Jones had already decided the winner with Mi Luohua! He slapped Mi Luohua out!

Under such circumstances, Nintendo still dares to jump out and look for trouble?

Isn't that just——

Is there something wrong with your brain?

Following Ethan's response, Arakawa Minoru stood up and bowed, followed Alan Massey who was standing by and left the living room, heading to the administrative department to borrow a phone.

Since there is a time difference of nearly 16 hours between the west coast of the United States and Japan, when Arakawa went to the Telecommunications Union headquarters at 10 a.m. Western time, Ethan actually did not feel that he would be able to get the answer in a short while, so he returned to the office Go handle your own affairs.

However, only forty minutes had passed when someone knocked on the closed door from outside.

The sentence Please come in attracted two figures and a piece of news.

Boss, there is a result.

As soon as Alan Massey, who had been accompanying Minoru Arakawa, walked into the office, he told Ethan what he wanted to hear, Mr. Arakawa has been in contact with Mr. Yamauchi.

As soon as he finished speaking, Minoru Arakawa, who entered the room together, bowed to Ethan and said, Mr. Jones, our president, my father-in-law, Mr. Yamauchi, is eager to communicate with you.

‘? ? ? ’

This fact stunned Ethan for a moment.

Although transoceanic telephone calls using radio waves and submarine cables had already appeared in 1915, in 1927, New York and London had already achieved formal wireless telephone interoperability. After decades of development, America's transoceanic phone can now reach every corner where the muzzle is pointed. However, due to the need for transfer, it is still not as convenient to operate as it will be in the future. What's more, the current notebook , that’s four o’clock in the morning!

At this time, which was neither early nor late, Minoru Arakawa dialed Hiroshi Yamauchi's phone?

Wow--

I'm afraid these people didn't come prepared!

It was so fast that Ethan felt that he might have been tricked by the Nintendo people!

Arakawa kept saying that he didn't know what the product COLOR TV GAME was, and kept stating that this was a misunderstanding, but what was the result?

It only took him forty minutes to contact Hiroshi Yamauchi at four in the morning?

This speed code is faster than Barry Allen's Speed ​​Force!

If he hadn't been prepared in advance, would Yamauchi Hiroshi talk to him at this time?

oh--

Okay, bring me in.

Ethan didn't want to continue watching this clumsy performance.

Following his instructions, Allen Massey came out again. After a while, the landline phone in Ethan's office rang. Ethan, filled with anger, directly picked up the receiver. At this moment, he really wanted to be the embodiment of compassion. Maxim Bodhisattva used his mouth to vent his anger to Shanuchi Pu, but...

When the words came to his lips, he held them back.

He was angry, but he didn't want to curse like a madman.

Especially the guy who got scolded...

Or maybe he's a villain.

Driven by this emotion, he took a deep breath and said with a smile: Mr. Yamauchi?

Mr. Jones. A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

That calm voice made Ethan have the urge to punch his fist, and said sarcastically: I didn't expect Mr. Yamauchi to have a rest at four in the morning? It seems that Nintendo's business is really good recently!

Oh - Mr. Jones - Arakawa has told me everything, so here, I want to apologize to you first. The old guy on the other end of the phone did not answer Ethan's words, but He said straightforwardly: As you guessed, I did not dare to come to North America because of the product COLOR TV GAME, because I was afraid that you would be very angry after seeing me...

‘Clang! ’

Ethan only felt a loud noise in his ears!

Yamauchi Hiroshi's words were like the hammer of a coffin, driving a sharp nail into his heart!

Although Ethan had already guessed the outcome of the matter, he really didn't expect that Yamauchi Hiroshi didn't even mean to struggle and directly admitted what he had done!

And when all his guesses became reality...

What were the previous collaborations?

‘Special code! ’

‘Am I a clown? ’

Ethan's eyes were red.

And just when he was about to lose control of his emotions and curse, Yamauchi Pu on the other end of the phone changed the topic again and said: Of course, there is another reason, that is, I am afraid of being beaten to death by Milohua's people. Or maybe I’m afraid that Philips will get stuck in North America and not be able to return home...

This turning point almost hit Ethan’s waist!

What do you mean? he asked in a deep voice.

It's very simple. Hiroshi Yamauchi said: Mr. Jones, the product COLOR TV GAME that is making you angry now is not authorized by Milohua. It is an infringing product, or... it is a product similar to Pong-like plagiarism.

What the fuck? ? ?

This result shocked Ethan!

He never expected that Hiroshi Yamauchi could say such words!

Mr. Yamauchi, are you kidding me?

Ethan laughed angrily, Do you think I'm that kind of kid in kindergarten?

Is COLOR TV GAME an infringing product?

You didn't get authorization from Mirohua?

Then what does your previous cooperation with Mi Luohua mean?

They paid you dividends after using your light gun patent, right?

In this case, you're telling me that you don't have a patent on Odyssey?

Do you think I will believe your nonsense?

ah?

At this moment, Ethan thinks Hiroshi Yamauchi is even funnier than his son-in-law Arakawa Minoru!

In his opinion, when Hiroshi Yamauchi said that the COLOR TV GAME project did not obtain the patent authorization from Mirova, that was even more nonsense than Hiroshi Yamauchi saying that he was a sharp knife sent by Milova!

Who in North America doesn't know that the cooperation between Nintendo and Milowa began as early as 1972?

The box of the light gun accessories sold by Mi Luohua even has the Nintendo logo painted on it!

in this case……

COLOR TV GAME is not authorized?

This is simply pressing his IQ to the floor and constantly rubbing it!

Does Ethan Jones look that stupid? ! ! !

Ethan Jones is going crazy!

Hiroshi Yamauchi on the other end of the phone laughed helplessly, Mr. Jones, I know what I said sounds very outrageous, but the reality is like this. Because -

COLOR TV GAME, this project was never ours from the beginning.

This project was first born in 1974. Their real leader is another company in our country, Mitsubishi Electric. The original purpose of this project was because Mitsubishi Electric saw the broad prospects of the electronic game market and wanted to enter this market. The group is making crazy profits.

Since they only knew about motor manufacturing and not game creativity, they found a partner to make home consoles together. The company they chose at that time was called Systech.

But unfortunately, not long after the project was launched, the company Systech went bankrupt due to the calculator war. Their disappearance caused the COLOR TV GAME project to almost go bankrupt.

According to the normal situation, what Mitsubishi Electric needs to do is to find another partner to promote this project, and the reality is also like this, and then...

They just picked us.

You are not from our country, so you may not know what Mitsubishi means in our country. When they select us, we at Nintendo cannot have the power to refuse.

We accepted it, and then we learned that they needed a console similar to Mirova Odyssey, and then... the product COLOR TV GAME appeared.

“After we worked together to complete this project, we discovered that Mitsubishi had no intention of obtaining patent rights at all, and they were not prepared to sell this product under their own name, and they have repeatedly stated that this product will only be sold by us. National sales so no issues will arise…”

That's why this product is sold so cheaply.

It's so cheap...I can't even afford the patent fees...

Having said this, Yamauchi Hiroshi paused.

Immediately afterwards, a voice full of helplessness came from the phone receiver——

Mr. Jones, I know you are angry and you feel that you have been deceived by us, but what I want to say is that I, Hiroshi Yamauchi, am not a fool.

I have worked with playing card companies in your country.

Very happy.

I have worked with Disney in your country.

So far, Disney has not sued us because of frictions in cooperation.

When I took over Nintendo from my grandfather decades ago, I took business seriously. If I wanted to play, I would only play monopoly.

Because other methods are not only slow to make money, but also boring!

And in this case, what I want to say is that I had been in contact with Milova before Milova Odyssey was released, and that was all before 1972!

If I really wanted to make this kind of circuit board game console, then why didn't I get the authorization from Mirowa in 1972 and immediately launch a product like COLOR TV GAME. Instead, it would take until 1977 for it to be sold all over the world. What about home consoles that use circuit boards when used in arcades?”

Hiroshi Yamauchi on the other end of the phone asked a question.

Immediately afterwards, countless question marks followed -

Mr. Jones, there was five years between 1972 and 1977, right?

“How much can you do in five years?”

That can make Atari rise and Atari fall!

When you prove to the market time and time again that the Odyssey product is not working, are we, who have made a lot of money with you, out of our minds? We insist on making a product that disgusts you and has been proven by the market. Doesn’t it count as a successful product?”

I, Hiroshi Yamauchi, may have many faults, but——

I'm not mentally ill!

I'm really not sorry for you!

A roar came from the phone receiver.

This development made Ethan confused and even more headache-ridden.

After Hiroshi Yamauchi finished yelling, he really couldn't understand why COLOR TV GAME, the machine that printed the Nintendo logo, suddenly got involved with Mitsubishi Electric?

Also, what the hell is this company Systech? Why hasn't he heard of it?

‘What’s this all about! ’

‘What a mess! ’

Ethan mentally scratched his head.

Really, he felt like he was going bald.

Note: ① There are actually two opinions about whether COLOR TV GAME is produced by Nintendo or Mitsubishi. The first one is published on the English Wiki, saying that it is produced by Nintendo. The source is Game written by David Shafer. Over book. I have this book, and it does say this on page 30 of the Chinese version. But there may be some problems with this statement, because Professor Naoki Fujita of Kyoto University, the hometown of Nintendo, mentioned in the history of the development of the electronic game industry written in 1999 that COLOR TV GAME is a Mitsubishi project, and the situation is the same as what is written in the article. Mitsubishi's partner failed, so they turned to Nintendo. This also led to a new follow-up, that is, COLOR TV GAME did not obtain the license from Milohua, but Milohua paid dividends to Nintendo because of the light gun, which led to Milohua's dissatisfaction with Nintendo. The behavior was so hateful that when Nintendo promoted arcade games and FC in North America, Milovanna sued Nintendo to death based on the patent he had written before. Hiroshi Yamauchi had no way to countersued Milova and asked the U.S. court to rule that Ralph Bell's patent was invalid. The feud between these two families was forged on COLOR TV GAME. The statement in the book Game Over that Nintendo obtained the patent is actually correct, because Nintendo had already lost the lawsuit when the book was published, and they had already lost money to resolve the matter.