Rebirth of America, this is my time

Four days ago, I was in Kyoto, Nintendo headquarters.

Hiroshi Yamauchi, who has his black hair combed meticulously, is wearing his favorite brown sunglasses and is sitting leisurely on the sofa in the office. His short-sleeved shorts and big sandals make the place full of midsummer feeling, and in front of him is Imanishi Hiroshi. Wakawa Arakawa was wearing a suit and leather shoes, showing his caution.

He picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. The refreshing feeling made him instinctively close his eyes and hum.

After a while, after the rich and sweet taste passed, he asked: Arakawa, you mean, Ethan Jones called you yesterday to urge us Nintendo to settle the sales revenue for the first half of the year?

Yes. Minoru Arakawa nodded: I came back after receiving his call.

Why? Hiroshi Yamauchi asked, You only need to give me a call for this kind of thing. I will have someone give you the latest report.

The same operation method as usual made Arakawa nodded, and he also said: But I think this matter requires an interview. Do you still remember the phone call I called you at the beginning of the year? I told you on the phone, Ethan Jones should be targeted.”

Speaking of this, Arakawa Minoru stopped, and he carefully observed his surroundings with his eyes.

Yamauchi Hiroshi looked calm, while Konishi Hiroshi nodded and smiled, seemingly in response.

This state also led Minoru Arakawa to continue: The situation is also the same in the end. Both Hollywood and Philips have violently attacked Ethan Jones. Whether it is Destiny Pictures changing partners or MGM releasing a new game, That all took a toll on him.

These words made Yamauchi Pu's head slightly raised.

Leaning on the sofa, he looked at his son-in-law with a condescending look.

His eyes flickered and he said, So?

So I think Ethan Jones' unsolicited call was a sign.

A signal that the battle has entered a fever pitch.

Minoru Arakawa looked at Hiroshi Yamauchi seriously.

Although Hiroshi Yamauchi's serious face seemed to be able to stop the child from crying, Minoru Arakawa was not afraid. After all, he was also a wealthy man. In the absence of his wife's father-in-law joining Nintendo, Hiruna Yamauchi is his wife's father and father-in-law, not the patriarch of the family.

The son-in-law's calmness made Hiroshi Yamauchi chuckle and push the empty cup forward.

Imanishi Hiroshi, who was sitting opposite, immediately stood up and helped him pour wine.

Shaking the cup in his hand and staring at the amber liquid, Hiroshi Yamauchi asked: Then do you think Ethan Jones has the upper hand or is at a disadvantage?

When this question came up, Yamauchi Hiroshi's eyes instantly glanced up, wanting to observe his son-in-law's reaction.

However--

have no idea.

Arakawa Minoru shook her head decisively.

...

Yamauchi Hiroshi was stunned for a second by his unconventional answer, and his shaking glass stopped for an instant.

The golden liquid emerged from the mouth of the cup, and then suddenly fell down, soaking the sofa.

This situation did not anger Yamauchi Hiroshi, but made him laugh, Hahaha——

Arakawa.

Yamauchi Put down the wine glass in his hand and said, Is this why you came back?

Yes. Minoru Arakawa said unabashedly: I can't see clearly the current situation.

Half a year ago, when 1978 just arrived, Arakawa Minoru, who reported the situation in the United States to his father-in-law Hiroshi Yamauchi, felt that the situation in front of him was clear. An article in Fortune magazine placed Ethan Jones and the Game of Destiny. The video game industry's unparalleled ability to attract money will cause countless capitals to swarm in, trying to get a piece of the pie.

This is also true. Unwilling to do so, Philips united America's creative factories and launched a fierce attack on Ethan Jones. Whether it is cutting off the branch business of Destiny Games, disrupting the cooperation between Columbia and Ethan Jones, causing rifts in the relationship between Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ethan Jones; or Blocking North American theaters from purchasing arcade machines of Destiny games; or the current head-on confrontation with the release of new games, these are the best manifestations of fierce competition.

Although on the surface, the North American game industry is already in turmoil, Minoru Arakawa always feels that something is wrong. Because there are more game companies in North America than Milowa controlled by Philips! In addition to Destiny Games, companies that can produce games without being restricted by patents include Warner Communications! When Philips has united allies that can unite and bullies forward with fists waving, where is Warner Communications? They are watching the show!

And this kind of behavior is completely inconsistent with common sense!

I always feel like the current situation is a little weird.

Arakawa looked at his father-in-law seriously and said: Because I don't know why MGM fired the first shot of this war. If they have not given up on the movie business, they will finish building Las Vegas Hotel will return to Hollywood, so it is a very right thing for them to take action on Colombia after receiving the cooperation invitation from Philips.”

Because it's a win-win for them—

Win twice!

First of all, they can get rid of the patent shackles and enter the video game industry.

Secondly, they can regain their leading position in the film industry.

Both of those are very good for MGM, so I can understand what they're doing, and I can understand what Philips is planning and Paramount and Disney are following.

The former Philips cannot easily accept the fact of its failure after acquiring Milova; the latter Paramount and Disney cannot watch their peers enter the field of video games to make money. But they themselves have stopped moving forward.”

But even if Philips' alliance and MGM's move make sense, what about Warner?

In the past six months, Warner seems to have disappeared!

And this situation is completely inconsistent with business logic!

Because Warner Communications' involvement in the video game industry is carried out through acquisitions!

They bought Atari!

When tens of millions of dollars have been spent, they can't just sit back and watch!

Arakawa Minoru expressed his thoughts with a serious tone and a firm tone.

And his words also made Hiroshi Yamauchi turn his attention to his chief of staff, Hiroshi Imanishi.

After catching the boss's eyes, Imanishi Hiroshi also smiled and said, So, Arakawa, do you think we seem to have missed some important information in this war?

Yes. Arakawa nodded vigorously and said, That's why I took Ethan Jones's call as a signal. Under normal circumstances, he only needs to wait another week to see us. Because before we In the agreement between the two parties, we confirmed the time for submitting the report.

But now he doesn't want to wait!

That could mean one thing.

He may need to use overseas sales results to suppress those provocateurs in North America, even if this suppression cannot affect the sales of the machine, because such overseas sales results will give North American arcade buyers and video game consumers a sense of Huge sense of superiority!”

It's like someone in a class who wants to always be first in the exam!

Academic performance is not what makes these people happy. The self-confidence that I am the best in the world is the key to providing them with a real sense of comfort!

And this kind of thing...

That's the core of American pride, isn't it?

And when a business needs to portray itself to others in this way...

Then they are definitely in a very critical situation!

It's a pity that we may not know where the crisis lies yet!

Hahahaha—— Minoru Arakawa's words made Hiroshi Yamauchi laugh again.

Imanishi Hiroshi on the side also nodded with a smile.

At this moment, they have completely understood the meaning of Arakawa Minoru's excitement, or in other words, Arakawa Minoru's words make sense. Because the whole world knows that Americans are the most confident people in the world, and their eyes are not on the top of their heads at all! But on the big buttocks! Because only in this way can they better laugh at those tiny humans who can't even see the taillights of their cars.

And where does the American's confidence come from?

For the general public, the answer to this question may be a difference in education.

For example, Americans have been taught to be winners since childhood.

In other words, America has a tradition of telling optimism.

This habit will make them talk about ‘I have a dream’ and ‘I can make a difference’.

But all the above is bullshit!

The source of their confidence is actually that America has been winning!

When America wins again and again in the past decades or even centuries, let alone a person, it is a dog with that special code and confidence!

But this situation changed dramatically during the Cochin War.

When the anti-war demonstrations in San Francisco ignited North America and the Iron Fist of Saigon became a world-famous painting, the word confusion came into being. The hippie culture was actually a microcosm of the social trend. When the North American public fell into a dark cloud , how to improve self-confidence, how to continue shouting that we can win, and how to make the people believe in America again, that is a headache for all senior leaders.

And at this time, an emerging industry suddenly colonized the outside world?

Then this is the best publicity point!

And when leading companies in emerging industries take the initiative to put on this coat...

They either want greater success or they want to withstand a huge crisis.

The former is not applicable to the current Destiny game, but the latter... it really fits perfectly.

It was precisely because Minoru Arakawa realized this that he rushed back home.

Because he doesn't know what crisis Destiny Game is resisting.

I don’t even know who poses a threat to the Destiny Game.

Faced with his consideration, Yamauchi Hiroshi raised his chin at Imanishi Hiroshi. After receiving the boss's clear instructions, Imanishi Hiroshi said: Arakawa, you are very quick in thinking and have a strong overall view. Consider The things are also very detailed, and everything you mentioned is indeed possible.

but--

Imanishi Hiroshi lengthened his voice and said: This is not the reason for you to come back.

Why? Arakawa really didn't understand.

He loudly said: If we figure out what crisis Destiny Game has encountered, then we can decide our actions based on the content of the crisis! If they really need our dividends and our sales, then we Just cut off their cooperation! The loss of tens of millions of dollars and the collapse of overseas sales will put Ethan Jones into an even worse situation!

What if not? He is not in the crisis you imagined now? Imanishi Hiroshi asked.

Then give up. Minoru Arakawa spread his hands in a very bachelor manner.

At the same time, he also focused his attention on his old father-in-law.

His behavior of not missing any opportunity made Hiroshi Yamauchi nod with satisfaction, Very good, very good.

Staring at his son-in-law who may become Nintendo's successor, Hiroshi Yamauchi said: If you are here because of this, then I will be very happy, because not being inferior to others is the only reason why we at Nintendo can survive until now. But at the same time, if If you come here because of this, then I will also be very disappointed, because I told you at the beginning of the year that the straw that broke the camel's back was the last straw.

We don't need to be personally involved in the struggle that's happening in North America.

All we have to do is watch them fight.

See how bruised they were, and how bruised they were.

Because the companies that have the last laugh in an industry are rarely the companies that have been involved in the industry for the first time. As newcomers, they will definitely be the target of all latecomers. At the same time, the companies that have the last laugh are also the ones that have the last laugh. There are very few companies that are growing rapidly, because although the sudden expansion of a company can make them make a lot of money, it can also cause countless problems to suddenly break out in an instant.

... The old father-in-law's words made Arakawa open his mouth.

He wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

After a long while, he said: Then we just give up?

No. Hiroshi Yamauchi continued to shake his head, We will not give up.

On the contrary, it's a great opportunity.

? Arakawa really didn't understand what his father-in-law meant.

Hiroshi Yamauchi smiled and said: Although there is a very popular saying in the business field, that is, business is business, but betrayal always has a price.

We stabbed Ethan Jones with Mirova last year and it didn't work out.

So we were forced into a 25 percent share contract.

We choose again this year, when we stand with them...

We're going to get something unexpected.

Do you believe it? Hiroshi Yamauchi looked at Minoru Arakawa with a smile.

Arakawa shook his head instinctively.

This reaction was already expected by Hiroshi Yamauchi. He picked up the wine glass again and took a sip, and then said: We directly closed the order for 200,000 electronic arcade machines to him.

Ethan Jones will be very happy when that fact comes out.

Then, if he still wants to talk to you about something, then you just tell him...

We at Nintendo are being sued by Philips.

…………

The words of his old father-in-law brought Minoru Arakawa back to his senses.

Looking at the smiling Ethan, he said: Of course, Mr. Jones, before coming again, our president specifically told me to tell you that Philips has filed a lawsuit against us.

What? Although his tone was surprised, Ethan's face was full of understanding.

Philips sued you? Why? he asked casually.

The next second, he said again: COLOR TV GAME?

Yeah~COLOR TV GAME.

Arakawa Minoru nodded and said: Because the COLOR TV GAME project is not led by our Nintendo, Mitsubishi who proposed the project did not obtain the patent authorization from Milohua, so it is indeed an infringing product. Therefore, when Philips After learning that Milohua was paying for our light gun patent while Nintendo was infringing on their interests, they took us to court.

Here are copies of documents related to the lawsuit.

When Ethan took the document from Minoru Arakawa and briefly read it, the bilingual content made him smile and narrow his eyes. Philips, which has business in Benzi, asked Nintendo to stop its infringement and recall all infringements. products, while taking all responsibility for Philips' losses.

The compensation they requested was US$50 million.

Of course, just take a look at this kind of figure, which falls within the range of demanding high prices and paying back the money.

It seems that your company is a little careless in choosing business partners.

Ethan said with a smile.

We at Nintendo will never betray any of our allies.

Arakawa replied with a sincere tone.

How many units of your COLOR TV GAME series have you sold?

Ethan closed the document and handed it back.

The combined number of 6 and 15 exceeds 500,000 units, said Minoru Arakawa.

Oh - the sales are pretty good -

Ethan nodded and said with a smile: Is there anything else?

…………

Then we tell him we have great ideas for their new game.

Hiroshi Yamauchi continued: We also want to obtain the rights to their new games.

However, unlike before, we will not sign a 25% share contract with Destiny Games, nor will we agree on any guaranteed sales with them.

Because that's not fair to us.

…………

Oh, I think the current contract is quite fair. Ethan shook his legs and said, The guaranteed sales can give you a certain amount of pressure to sell arcade machines better, right?

And the 25% share contract is within your acceptable range.

After all, you can make money from players.

But Mr. Jones, our store also has costs. Arakawa argued, The property tax in our country is very high...

There are three main categories of property taxes in this book, namely acquisition, retention and transfer. Acquisition class refers to the tax that needs to be paid when purchasing a property. Tenure refers to the taxes that need to be paid during the period of holding the property. Transfer classes refer to taxes that need to be paid when a property is sold.

Under this subdivision, the tax that stores located in Benzi need to pay every year is a retention item, and there are two main tax items for this project. One is fixed asset tax, which is generally 1% of the store’s valuation. Point 4 is levied, and the other is the urban planning tax, which is 0.3% of the valuation.

In other words, if the assessed value of a store is 10 million yen, then their annual tax payment on preservation items will be 170,000 yen.

This number may not seem high, but it can still put a lot of pressure on store owners.

When they own a store, they cannot leave it vacant. Either they operate it themselves and dilute the property tax, or they pass it on to tenants. In short, they cannot just give money to the state.

But what does this have to do with Ethan?

I don’t own those stores of yours, so it’s none of my business whether you pay taxes or not?

“Although the cost is high, the value is greater, isn’t it?”

You know, you are now the second largest economy in the world!

Ethan smiled and said: At the current rate of development, your country's economy will soon reach a greater peak, and may even surpass us and become the number one in the world. In this case, your country's real estate industry will It will become the most valuable industry in the world!”

When the time comes, it will be no problem to sell the entire Tokyo and buy the entire United States!

So don't get stuck with me on such small issues as taxes and fees.

…………

No! Why should we do this?

After hearing what his father-in-law said, Minoru Arakawa almost jumped up from the sofa.

Ben's narrowed eyes were now wide open.

Eyes full of confusion suddenly shot out from his pupils.

His question made Hiroshi Yamauchi laugh without saying a word. When Minoru Arakawa could hardly bear it anymore, Nintendo chief of staff Hiroshi Imanishi said: Arakawa, this matter is actually very simple.

When Ethan Jones called your phone, on the surface, he was rushing us to check out, but in reality, he wanted to explore the status of our relationship.

As you said, when several highly competitive players suddenly appear in the North American video game industry, stable cash flow is the most important thing.

And our backstab will make him extremely uncomfortable.

Speaking of this, Imanishi Hiroshi stopped.

Hiroshi Yamauchi took over the conversation and said: Although our attack at this time will make him suffer from enemies from both sides, this painful but not death method will not make him fall into the abyss of failure.

Since we can't kill you with one blow, let's not take action.

Not only that, we have to be very nice.

Let Ethan Jones believe that we are harmless, and after what happened last year, we have realized our mistakes and firmly want to stand with him.

But it's impossible for him to believe it! Minoru Arakawa retorted loudly.

It's not important, right? Hiroshi Yamauchi also raised his voice and said, It's his business to believe it or not! It's our business to do it or not! And! Does he have a choice now?

Kick us away and find another agent?

Do not make jokes!

Last summer was his best chance! But he missed it!

When powerful North American enemies are around, he can no longer kick us away!

So as long as we don't break up with him, he will only cooperate with us in a tacit understanding!

As long as we stay by his side, no matter whether he guards against us or not, we can control all his gains in our country! When he sweeps everything like Caesar, these things cannot make him fall! But when he When in trouble, this is the last rope that can strangle him!

What we have to do now is wait!

Wait? Arakawa smiled angrily.

Father-in-law, you have been saying this word for a long time!

But you never took action!

Yes! But so what? The son-in-law's attitude made Yamauchi's pupils bristle, and he shouted loudly: Arakawa! Do you know why there are some long-lived old people in this world?

That's not because they have good genes!

But they can endure it!

If you want to live longer than others, then you have to forget time!

Hiroshi Yamauchi's scolding made Minoru Arakawa open his mouth.

Shock and confusion were written on his face at this moment.

After breathing for a while with his chest rising and falling, Yamauchi's eyes gradually softened.

Just wait a little longer.

It won't be long this time.

Because those Americans can't possibly be more tolerant than us.

Such words made Arakawa Minoru take a deep breath.

Stand up and bow.

Turn around and say goodbye.

…………

Mr. Jones, I will bring your request to our president.

At the door of Destiny Game, Minoru Arakawa bowed to Ethan at the bottom of the stairs and said.

Okay, I'll wait for your news.

Ethan put his hands behind his back, smiled and nodded, and under his gaze, Arakawa Minoru got into his car.

As he left, Ethan also went upstairs again and got into his sister's office.

When Evelin discovered that the door to her office had been pushed open unreasonably from the outside again, she knew exactly who it was, and without raising her head, she asked directly: Is Hiroshi Yamauchi's son-in-law gone?

Yeah. Ethan sat down on the chair in front of his sister's desk.

How was the conversation? Evelin asked.

It's quite pleasant. Ethan replied.

After a brief conversation, the only sound in the huge office was the sound of Evelin's fingers flying.

The clicking sound was from green-white fingers tapping on the keyboard.

In the sudden silence, the girl turned her head to look in front of her.

When Evelin, who was wearing thin-rimmed glasses, moved her eyes away from the Apple monitor and focused on Ethan, her intellectual face was filled with curiosity.

Do you need a mirror? she asked.

how?

You should see your own face.

Is it ugly?

At least right now it doesn't represent happiness.

This joke made Ethan laugh to himself.

He immediately shook his head and stared down at his hands.

After a long while, he said: It's exactly what I thought.

Nintendo has made the choice that's best for them.

When Ethan discovered that MGM dared to post unscrupulously to harass him, he knew that there would definitely be problems on the notebook side, because Nintendo would not be willing to be lonely.

When facing Philips, they dared to directly backstab him. When Ethan Jones was strong, they dared to directly turn against him. This not only proved that they had great ambitions, but also proved that they did not include it in the commercial contract at all. Keep the agreement in mind.

But the latter is also normal.

Because the contract is only useful when both parties are equal in strength.

But when Ethan knew in his heart that Nintendo was still ready to move, calling them to pay the bill was the best choice at the moment. Firstly, it can use overseas sales to attack peers in the industry in terms of public opinion. Secondly, it can sell a flaw to Nintendo to see if they will backtrack.

If they rebel, that's actually a good thing.

This is like taking the initiative to pop an abscess when it exists, so that it can be recovered more easily.

But if they can't stand it...

That would be very uncomfortable.

What's even more uncomfortable is that they deliberately showed submission.

Is this what you call pleasure?

Evelin poured Ethan a glass of water, So why did you continue to cooperate with Nintendo last year? Because they paid more? Or is it that our cooperation with them is no longer easy to separate?

All of them.

Ethan spread his hands and said: Twenty-five percent of the selling price should be the highest price we can get so far, and since we have licensed Pac-Man to them, Change partners and use Star Wars to impact Pac-Man...

That would be a huge loss for us.

Ethan admitted that the continued cooperation last year was out of profit considerations.

Cooperating with Nintendo can maximize your own interests, it's that simple.

Moreover, when making this decision, he also took into account the integrity of his people.

If Nintendo really breaks up with him, then they will definitely be able to directly copy the code of Pac-Man, change the name, change the skin, and sell pirated versions.

In that case, the loss in their fate game will be greater.

Therefore, continued cooperation is actually inevitable.

As for saying Nintendo might defect again?

This Ethan is actually mentally prepared.

But what if you are prepared?

Because trouble is like a lump of stool when you are constipated. Only when it reaches your butt, you will know how uncomfortable you are.

Since this matter is our own choice, we can only accept it.

Evelin leaned back on the table and reached back to support the table with her hands.

Furthermore, Nintendo is willing to settle the payment with us this time with a guaranteed sales volume of 200,000 units! When they transfer 70 million to our account, even if they betray again in the future, we will suffer losses because of these It becomes less with the arrival of cash, doesn’t it?”

His sister's optimistic words made Ethan laugh, Yes. He nodded: If you look at it from this perspective, they really spent a lot of money to gain our trust...

So, are you happy? Evelin tilted her head and smiled.

Without giving Ethan a chance to reply, he turned around and turned off the Apple computer on the table. After stuffing the five-and-a-quarter floppy disk into the bag, the girl also grabbed Ethan's arm and pulled him up. .

Let's go, let's go~

what?

It's time to get off work!

No! It's four o'clock in the afternoon, right?

I said I got off work right after work. Evelin pushed Ethan toward the door, There is a new French restaurant in San Jose. I heard that their Burgundy beef is very good. I want to try it.

...Okay... Ethan, who understood his sister's thoughts, smiled and accepted the invitation.

As Evelin said, as long as Nintendo can bring in money, it means that the cooperation between the two parties is still on the right track, and the fact is...

Nintendo is faster this time than every time before!

Ethan met Minoru Arakawa on July 20th, and by July 27th, Destiny Games had received an eight-digit dollar payment from Nintendo in its corporate account at Wells Fargo Bank.

When the figure of 70 million is quietly lying in their accounts...

What betrayal is not betrayal?

This horse riding horse has the scent of green dollar bills?

Ethan immediately suppressed his previous worries!

As long as Nintendo can keep making money, then they're doing great!

Special code!

“It’s still nice to collect money!”

“It would be even better if I could get paid without working!”

After kissing the bank statement hard twice, Ethan began to think about how to spend the money. As for paying taxes? That's completely impossible, right?

And just when he was thinking about whether he should buy something from outside, a sudden knock on the door almost scared him to death. Who is it? he shouted unhappily.

I'm the boss! Ballmer shouted and pushed open the door.

Ethan's eyelids jumped at the sight of his irritable behavior.

Before he could ask, Ballmer handed a newspaper to him.

The boss is bad!

Rockwell suddenly published a statement in the newspaper today, saying that they already hold 5% of Allen Bradley's outstanding shares! Now they have officially launched an acquisition of Allen Bradley!

... The machine gun-like words made Ethan confused.

At this moment, he even wanted to ask Ballmer what was wrong with him!

What company is Allen Bradley? He doesn't know at all!

In this case, Rockwell's acquisition of them has nothing to do with him, Ethan Jones!

But when he lowered his eyes and scanned the newspaper in front of him...

The instantly identifiable 6502 made him jump up instantly!

Sxxt! The major shareholder of MOS? He looked up sharply after seeing the report clearly.

Yeah! - Ballmer shouted back.

The words of affirmation made Ethan's expression change suddenly. He picked up the receiver on the table and wanted to make a call. But just when he was about to dial, he found that he couldn't remember the other party's number at all. After being stunned for two seconds, he He directly pressed the receiver firmly on the phone.

MFxxk!!!

Get me Chuck Padore's company!!!

Oh no!!!

Go call the driver!!! We have special numbers and are going to Mountain View now!!!

When Ethan was hurriedly preparing to leave, Minoru Arakawa in Vancouver received news from his classmates in New York. After hanging up the phone, he made a direct call across the ocean.

After waiting for Hiroshi Yamauchi, who was sleeping, to be awakened by the shouts of his subordinates, after listening to the phone call, he also lay on the window sill of the house, looking at the bright moon in the sky, his face covered with time was filled with relief.

got windy.

he murmured.

After a moment, the corners of his mouth raised involuntarily.

Hahaha--

Ha ha ha ha--

Hahahahaha——

Excited laughter soared into the sky and resounded throughout the sky.