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87.74% Game Maker 1975 / Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Something's Off - Part 2

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Something's Off - Part 2

Under the meticulous siege of big corporations, they managed to turn the tide and strike back with the force of a thunderbolt? Such feats are even more exhilarating than the plots of Hollywood heroes! Unfortunately, the girl's praise didn't elicit a smile from Ethan.

He remained stoic, saying, "Oh, Evelyn, I think it's not that simple."

"Is Magnavox and Atari's motive merely to smoothly launch their new products? Such a reason sounds too far-fetched."

"Both Apollo and the New Generation are epoch-making machines. Magnavox and Atari must be well aware of the strength of their products."

"When the products they put forth are enough to instill fear in us, normal confidential R&D would have sufficed. There was absolutely no need to resort to such despicable tactics to hold us back."

In Ethan's view, unless the leaders of Magnavox and Atari were time-travelers, it would be impossible for them to be as wary of him as one would be of being cuckolded. Even if they feared him continuing to develop games like "Snake" and "Pac-Man," resorting to external assistance and underhanded tactics to distract him seemed ludicrous. Moreover, they weren't time-travelers. If they were, with their wealth and technology, they would have copied everything already and wouldn't just dawdle and wait for him.

So...

"I just feel... something strange must be happening behind these anomalies," Ethan stated, crossing his arms.

Yet, the girl just shook her head with a smile.

"Oh, Ethan, I think you might be too tired, overthinking things."

"Isn't this what they often say in the military about focusing on strategy over tactics?"

"Although we are competitors, I actually think what Atari and Magnavox did was quite commendable."

She felt Ethan might be suffering from a bit of paranoia.

When Magnavox's higher-ups have been optimized by Philips and Atari's founder, Nolan Bushnell, was kicked out by Warner, everything had already ended.

"Even if their actions are distasteful, haven't they paid a corresponding price?"

"Now, what truly troubles us is Nintendo, right?"

"If we had known they were called in by Magnavox..."

"I certainly wouldn't have voted in favor of cooperating with you."

Evelyn's words only added to Ethan's frustration.

Damn it!

He thought he had been wary enough of Nintendo!

But he never expected Nintendo to be such a ghost!

When Hiroshi Yamauchi met him, he was openly honest about his cooperation with Magnavox and even openly expressed his regret over the conflict between them and Magnavox. But for the company's development, he had to come, hoping Ethan would understand blah blah blah...

At that time, Ethan thought this guy could be dealt with.

At least he laid everything out openly, not pretending or feigning ignorance until Ethan had to clarify everything for him to sheepishly explain.

During their trip to Japan, whether it was project arrangements, accompanying explanations, or his earnest pleas, that guy had sincerity written all over his face.

But...

Who would have thought his cooperation with Magnavox was that deep!

Not only was there cooperation on the light gun but possibly even on the console itself!

Such deep integration was utterly disgusting for Ethan!

Honestly, Ethan didn't now how to deal with Nintendo anymore.

He admitted, Nintendo indeed was a good partner, as they were very proactive in payments, having already settled over ten million dollars with him on the "Snake" and "Pac-Man" projects alone.

But if all the cooperation was based on deceit, then he felt they couldn't continue any longer. He would terminate the contract himself, refusing to let Nintendo earn money off him while laughing at him in the shadows.

"Nintendo will send this year's half-year cooperation report this month."

"I've already told Alan Macy that we will meet with their people then."

"Some things must be resolved."

Ethan made a decision and also changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about these nauseating matters. Did you look at the console design I gave you the other day?"

Although Ethan was appalled by the potential cooperation between Nintendo and Magnavox, it didn't mean he would just wait idly for news. While Spielberg helped him get the COLOR TV GAME, he also sketched out some home consoles based on his memories.

As for his 'design' in the realm of home consoles, Evelyn indeed had something to say.

"Oh, Ethan—your ability to design games is indeed amazing, but as for hardware..."

"I think it's best if I handle it alone."

Talking about it, Evelyn's face was full of helplessness.

"Did your designs have any practical use at all?"

"When you said you'd give me the designs, I thought you were going to give me something about circuit boards!"

"But when I saw it, you really didn't even understand what central processing units, graphic controllers, sound generators, or BIOS chips were!"

"In your designs

, there was only the console's shell!"

"If you expected me to design the internal boards and layout the various interfaces based on your shell design, then you might as well do it yourself."

Evelyn glared at Ethan, unamused.

Ethan felt a bit embarrassed.

When he was pondering which past console to copy, he realized that consoles and games were different. The latter could be described through game content for technicians to grasp the idea, but the former, without understanding the technology, truly couldn't describe the hardware inside.

So, all he could replicate was the console's exterior.

When he handed the designs to Evelyn, he knew he might get scolded, but really being scolded made him think he could still salvage the situation.

Thus, he stubbornly said, "Didn't I also draw the game controller? That should be something you can make, right?"

"Hmph…" Evelyn was too lazy to bother with him.

"If it weren't for those controllers, I would've hit you by now!"

Although Ethan wasn't the type to dictate how internal experts should work, he still wanted to inquire about the development of the console, as it was currently the most critical strategic plan for the company.

However, when he followed Evelyn into the study and looked at the dense sketches, not understanding any of it, he strategically gave up and entrusted everything to Evelyn.

And on this matter, Evelyn was highly committed.

Since she officially started designing the console, she stopped going to school, just like when developing "Pac-Man" and "Star Wars," staying at home every day.

Although this long-term absence seemed odd, Evelyn didn't care because Fred Terman, the principal, had publicly stated the school wouldn't hold back her graduation.

In the principal's words, the game "Pac-Man" alone was worth countless students' theses. When a market-facing product had already received universal recognition within and outside the industry, if Evelyn couldn't graduate, then hardly anyone in American colleges could.

The principal even asked Evelyn if she wanted to pursue a Ph.D. She could skip the basic courses if she wished, and the principal had already thought of a research topic for her: [When Artificial Intelligence Meets Video Games—A Linear Study of AI Based on the World's First Game to Use Artificial Intelligence Logic Algorithms, 'Pac-Man'].

Eh~

I'm copying myself. JDP

Since Evelyn was willing to focus all her attention on game development, Ethan was reassured. Upon arriving at the company, the content development department's team was working methodically.

Ethan didn't assign them specific tasks, simply asking them to write down their interesting ideas according to their preferences and inspirations and submit them to him. After reviewing them, he would decide whether to turn those plans into reality.

Ethan wasn't sure if this was the work mode of future game companies, but he knew letting creators freely express themselves might better stimulate their desire to express.

He needed a group of artists, not engineers, to help him build a vast game content library to ensure the smooth launch of the home console.

The salaries Ethan offered them weren't low either.

Each person had an annual salary of twenty thousand dollars, plus they enjoyed a five percent project commission.

Of course, under the company's training, the copyright for the games they developed also belonged to the company.

After making sure the entire company was operating smoothly, Ethan finally returned to his office. When he leaned back in his soft executive chair, his wandering thoughts brought him countless irritations. Nintendo, Atari, and Magnavox hovered over his head like specters, preventing him from settling down to think and work.

After being wrapped in negative emotions for a long time, Ethan couldn't help but call over Eulise Noble.

"I have a task for you."

"Help me gather all the news about Atari and Magnavox in recent years."

"What?" Eulise Noble was confused by her boss's request.

"All the news?" She was surprised.

"Yeah! All the news!" Ethan nodded seriously, "I need everything about them since their inception, the more comprehensive, the better! Whether it's their official releases or some untraceable tabloid reports, I want it all!"

Indeed, Ethan Jones still felt those companies were being overly cautious.

He always sensed something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint where.

Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to the skill he was best at in his previous life, also a basic skill for a financial worker… data analysis.


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