Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Second Visit from Nintendo
Is this Mr. Yamauchi?
The sudden appearance of Nintendo's president caught Ethan by surprise.
However, the strangeness couldn't hide normal etiquette. He greeted, smiled, and then urged this middle-aged man, who was twenty-eight years older than himself, to quickly rise.
Extending his right hand, they shook hands.
After exchanging pleasantries, Ethan finally asked what was on his mind.
"Oh, Mr. Yamauchi, it's really unexpected to see you in Boston."
"If I'm not mistaken, are you here for sightseeing?"
"And this beautiful lady by your side... is she your wife?"
This speculation made Yamauchi smile and nod, saying, "Mr. Jones, you are absolutely right. I'm here for sightseeing, and this lady is my wife, Michiko Inoue."
While speaking, he also introduced Ethan's identity to his wife.
Since Yamauchi spoke in Japanese, Ethan didn't understand. But when the lady bowed and, in a strange tone, said the 'Nice to meet you' from Ethan's memory, he almost blurted out 'me too.'
Suppressing his instinctive reaction, he changed it to, "Same here."
"And this is..." After introducing himself, Yamauchi became curious about Evelyn's identity.
Ethan responded with a smile, "My sister."
"Oh," Yamauchi's smile deepened, bowing again, "Ms. Johnson, I've heard of your name. It's an honor to meet you today."
"Hello." Evelyn extended her right hand for a simple shake.
After the handshake, Yamauchi voluntarily explained the reason for their trip.
Nintendo and many American companies have collaborations, so during the celebration of America's bicentennial, some old friends invited him to witness history. Due to their friends' enthusiasm, he and his wife arrived in America half a month ago.
Their first visit was to Ohio, as the United States Playing Card Company there had decades of cooperation with Nintendo. Then they went to Illinois to visit Magnavox, followed by California, meeting Disney and watching the celebration performance. The reason for coming to Boston was to witness their own country's sailboat in the grand festival.
Yes, in the international sailing team that participated in the bicentennial celebration in New York, there was an island nation sailboat named "Honmaru," a sail training ship.
Upon hearing this, Ethan exclaimed at the coincidence, mentioning he came from New York.
Simultaneously, he jokingly said that if Yamauchi had appeared earlier, he might have seen him disembark from the boat.
After a brief exchange, Ethan was about to say goodbye, but as he marveled at how small the world was, thinking that he could meet someone he knew in Boston, Yamauchi bowed again with apologies, saying, "Mr. Jones, forgive my presumption. Will you be returning to California soon?"
Seemingly aware that his words might be taken as offensive, Yamauchi immediately explained, "Because, according to my itinerary, I planned to visit you. However, just before leaving, some tricky matters emerged in the company, so my trip to the States got delayed by a few days."
"So, when I arrived in California as per the original plan on July 2nd, due to the approaching holiday, I hesitated to visit your company. I originally intended to apologize to you after the celebration, once the whole country resumed work. But unexpectedly, we met here..."
Yamauchi's explanation made Ethan nod slightly.
He felt he understood what the other was saying.
This guy probably wanted to use the opportunity of the celebration to strengthen ties with American partners but had an unexpected encounter, disrupting his entire schedule.
Understanding this proactive intention, Ethan acknowledged it, but he thought he could do without the social interaction.
"Oh, Mr. Yamauchi, luckily you didn't go to my company, or I would be the one who behaved improperly."
"In fact, in mid-June, I had already left the company for a vacation."
"And recently, we have no plans to go back. After all, the four-quarter system's schools openly taking a break during the summer is a once-in-a-few-centuries thing..."
Stanford operates on a four-quarter system, dividing the year into four quarters, and students can choose different courses during each period. In this scenario, many students can take classes during the summer.
Of course, the school doesn't force students to attend summer classes. If students want to study, they can stay, and if not, they can rest during this period.
But this year was different because of the special bicentennial occasion. The school directly gave a long vacation, allowing Evelyn to come out. This was not only because she wanted to have some fun, but also because the teachers were out celebrating.
And in the short term, there was still room for shipping for "Pac-Man"...
Returning early was also fine!
Just when Ethan thought that a few casual words would be enough for this meaningless courtesy, Yamauchi's face was filled with endless joy, and the nearly fifty-year-old man directly exclaimed, "Oh, is that so? I am really fortunate to meet you here."
"???"
Ethan didn't understand.
The next second, Yamauchi had already clarified.
"Mr. Jones, it's like this. Besides offering my blessings, I actually have some things to discuss with you. If I can't find you after going to California, it will be a regret for me."
"Discussing business?"
This direction made Ethan laugh.
He thought Yamauchi came to build relationships! Turns out it's about business?
Well—
Seems like he was too self-confident!
And since it was about business, and they happened to meet, Ethan turned his head and glanced at Evelyn. Seeing the girl nodding slightly in understanding, he smiled and casually suggested.
He raised his hand in invitation, asking the hotel to arrange a private room for them.
After settling into the private room, Yamauchi, who understood the value of time, immediately brought up work matters.
Firstly, he shared with Ethan and Evelyn the sales situation of "Snake Game" on the Honmaru.
Although the contract was officially signed only in November of the previous year, after obtaining authorization, Nintendo immediately organized the production of arcade machines. In December of the same year, they heavily purchased radio advertisements for promotion. With the massive publicity, the distribution at the end of the year went smoothly. By the arrival of the new year, game arcades in various regions of Honmaru were packed. From idle middle-aged individuals to young people with no homework, everyone was enjoying themselves in the entertainment centers.
"When I came over, the shipment of 'Snake Game' arcade machines had already reached 15,000 units. Our external selling price is 599,000 yen per unit, equivalent to about 2,000 USD. In just six months, the sales of 'Snake Game' on the Honmaru have reached 30 million USD. The dividends belonging to both of you amount to 4.2 million."
"Considering the current situation, this explosive trend is likely to continue. Cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and Nagoya still have a high demand for 'Snake Game' arcade machines. For the 50 million people gathered here, 15,000 arcade machines are simply not enough."
Yamauchi smiled as he presented these numbers.
And honestly, this dividend was indeed higher than in North America!
"Oh, Mr. Yamauchi, it seems choosing Nintendo was indeed the right decision. If it were another company, I think they wouldn't be able to provide such favorable data in such a short time."
Ethan and Evelyn exchanged glances and chuckled simultaneously.
After all, no one could resist the allure of crisp green bills.
Yamauchi's compliment also earned a nod of approval from Ethan.
At the same time, he humbly replied, "Mr. Jones, you're too kind. The outstanding performance of a product depends not only on the promotion during sales but also on the excellence of the content itself."
This flattery made Ethan burst into laughter.
After briefly discussing the sales situation of "Pac-Man," Yamauchi expressed his desire. After coming to the United States, he discovered that "Snake Game" was outdated, and the most popular electronic game now was the newly launched "Pac-Man" by Ethan and his team.
He had experienced this game at Disneyland in Los Angeles, and its astonishing gameplay ignited his desire to become its agent. "Mr. Jones, Nintendo would like to maintain good cooperation with you and continue to represent 'Pac-Man.'"
"For this, we are willing to proactively modify the terms of the 'Snake Game' contract."
"Previously, when signing the 'Snake Game' agency contract, we agreed that the quantity for dividend settlement would be based on the annual shipment volume, the issuance of the dividend report would be at the end of the first quarter of the following year, and the payment time would be within three months after the report was verified."
"But now, if Mr. Jones still agrees to entrust 'Pac-Man' to Nintendo, we are willing to settle dividends every six months. That is, settling dividends twice a year within a natural year. At the same time, the issuance time of the settlement report will be changed from one quarter to within two months, and the payment time will be changed from three months after the report is verified to within one month."
"Regarding this..."
"I wonder if Mr. Jones and Ms. Johnson are willing?"
Since everyone went from vacation mode one second to sitting in a hotel private room discussing business cooperation the next, Yamauchi didn't have the specific contract with him. Nevertheless, the detailed terms he mentioned already proved that he came prepared.
As for his proposal...
Ethan understood.
But he didn't immediately respond.
"We need to consider this."
Ethan grinned at Yamauchi and said, "Mr. Yamauchi, I can feel your sincerity, but I need some time. I hope you understand."
"Okay, no problem. I'm not in a hurry..." Yamauchi gestured an OK sign with a smile and nodded. "Mr. Jones, I completely understand your feelings because I also don't want to talk about work during my vacation. But what can I do? Unexpected things happen, right?"
After nodding slightly and exchanging a few courteous words, Yamauchi mentioned another matter, "Mr. Jones, besides these two things, I also have something else I'd like to discuss with you."
"That is the MOS 6502."
When he mentioned this chip, a look of reverence appeared on Yamauchi's face.
"Mr. Jones, I have learned the story behind the MOS 6502. Your contribution and assistance to the tech industry are truly admirable. When I learned that this chip would have a huge impact on the electronic gaming industry, I knew that if Nintendo couldn't catch this train, we would be ruthlessly eliminated by the times. So I had an idea, which is to try to lead Nintendo into the field of chip gaming."
"So..."
"I contacted our Nintendo partner, Magnavox."
At this point, a sense of embarrassment also appeared on Yamauchi's face.
He rubbed his hands and said, "Mr. Jones, here I want to apologize to you."
"When I contacted Magnavox, I learned about the conflicts between you and them."
"But rest assured, I absolutely did not disclose the details of our cooperation to them."
"And what I learned from them is the sales situation and prices of MOS 6502 in North America. When I learned that their idea of bulk purchasing hasn't received a response from Chuck Peddle's company to this day, I knew that expecting to purchase MOS 6502 in large quantities at a low price might be a luxury."
At this point, Yamauchi paused.
He looked at Ethan with a bright smile and said, "But whether we can purchase MOS 6502 in large quantities is not important to me."
"Because I heard that Mr. Chuck Peddle wants to change the world with this chip?"
"I wonder if Asia can enjoy this glory?"
With a smile on his face, he looked at Ethan, eager to get an accurate answer.
Because he believed he had made his intentions clear!
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