Capítulo 113: Chapter 113: The Second Wave of Smuggling, Ethan's Aversion
Although the promotion of the Apple 1 by "Pac-Man" seemed a bit absurd from Ethan's perspective, he didn't dwell too much on it. After all, even if it was absurd, he made money! The funds were already in his pocket, and he couldn't just take them out, right?
What he could do now was to make things difficult for other computer manufacturers in the market. These guys hadn't done anything, yet they were kicked in the butt by consumers for no reason. That was really unfortunate!
After the moment of silence, Ethan changed the topic and asked Jobs about another matter.
"Hey Steve, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Go ahead." Jobs was in a good mood, "Don't be so polite, brother."
"Well, before the release of 'Pac-Man,' I heard from my company's employees that Atari would launch a game called 'Breakout' this summer, after the expiration of the exclusive agreement with Magnavox. Do you know about this?"
"Yeah, I've heard about it." Jobs sounded puzzled on the other end of the phone. "What's the matter? Any issues?"
'?' This questioning made Ethan purse his lips, and he reorganized his words.
"It's like this. I'm interested in that game because the name alone seems intriguing to me. But you know about my relationship with Nolan, so... I wanted to ask if you know anything about that game?"
In early April, after completing the development of "Pac-Man," Ethan returned to the company. When he heard about Atari's current situation from his subordinate Eulise Noble, he felt a bit puzzled because he heard about the game "Breakout" from her.
In his memory, this game was clearly the work of Jobs and Woz.
Do you know, in his previous life, it was because these two guys came up with "Breakout" that they left a significant mark in the history of electronic games. However, in this life... Ethan didn't say he was with them every day, but he at least witnessed the birth of the Apple 1. When they were so closely connected, how could Atari still release the game "Breakout"?
This...
Ethan couldn't figure it out!
When did Jobs, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, betray them? He didn't ask before because the timing wasn't right; he was rushing to release "Pac-Man," and there couldn't be any problems. But now...
Humph!
If this guy sneaks around and sells the game to Atari when he's not paying attention...
Then this guy is in big trouble!
However, Ethan's inquiry left Jobs on the other end of the phone a bit confused.
"Oh, Ethan, I'm not a prophet. How would I know what 'Breakout' is like?"
'???'
"You don't know?" Ethan instantly felt like he crossed over again.
Jobs didn't know about "Breakout"?
What kind of upside-down world was this!
His confusion made Jobs even more bewildered. "Ethan, why would I know about 'Breakout'? It's not a game I made!"
"If you want to know about the content of 'Breakout,' I really can't help you. But if you want to know when this game was created, I can tell you. In my memory, it was Nolan's idea long before the expiration of the settlement agreement with Magnavox. However, at that time, the market was flooded with ball games, so he didn't have the intention to produce it."
"Later, after Atari and Magnavox settled the infringement case on 'Pong' out of court, Nolan had no way to produce it because he didn't want to give the copyright of this game to Magnavox."
Jobs' words unraveled the mystery in Ethan's mind.
"So, 'Breakout' was Nolan Bushnell's idea?"
"This guy still has something!" Ethan thought.
At the same time, Ethan's filter for Jobs shattered into pieces.
He always thought Jobs played the role of an inspiration provider in the game "Breakout."
But unexpectedly, this guy was really an intermediary! Nolan Bushnell provided inspiration, Steve Jobs produced, and in the end, Steve Jobs found an outsourcing partner, handed over all the work to Steve Wozniak, and took away all the rewards???
What a cunning businessman!
Ethan was impressed.
As he shook his head with a smile, not knowing what to say, Jobs on the other end of the phone said again, "Oh Ethan, I think your concern is unnecessary because many game companies are struggling to sell their products now."
"The market feedback for 'Pac-Man' has caused them a lot of pain, and this pain..."
"I believe it will also be reflected in Nolan."
Ethan thought it made sense and didn't bother about these small things.
While they were having a casual conversation, over at Atari, Nolan Bushnell's office was gloomy.
When the door of his office was knocked, the tone inviting someone in was weak, and seeing the figure holding documents, he shook his head helplessly, saying, "Is nobody coming to our new product launch?"
Although he didn't specify the reason, the simple-dressed young man nodded silently.
Even though he didn't explain the reason, Nolan Bushnell knew everything.
"Oh..."
"This is really miserable..."
He sighed, hands on his head, constantly rubbing. After a moment, his hands were flying around randomly.
Then, a bird's nest appeared on his head.
"Okay, put the documents down and go out to work." Nolan Bushnell waved his hand at the subordinate.
With his call, the entire office was left with him alone.
He picked up the documents, flipped through them, and looked at the full list of reasons noted on the contact list. He chuckled at the many reasons.
"All businessmen."
"So realistic."
With a toss, hands behind his head, Nolan Bushnell leaned back on his boss chair.
The white ceiling seemed like a magical screen, showing him himself six months ago.
At that time, because of Ralph H. Baer joining the fate game, he went to Warner to meet the CEO. Although he was anxious at the time, the other party didn't explode in anger. Instead, in a friendly tone, he said—
"Nolan, we understand that Ralph H. Baer's choice of which company is not something you can decide. So today's matter has nothing to do with you. The reason Warner acquired your Atari is that we want to enter the video game industry, and Atari is the most experienced group in this industry."
"So you don't have to worry about today's matter. We, Warner, don't have the intention to pursue responsibility."
"At the same time, we hope you can readjust your mindset, continue to move forward, and create brilliance in the gaming industry..."
"Create brilliance?" Nolan Bushnell smiled bitterly.
"No one is buying games anymore. How can I create brilliance?"
"Unless..."
He thought for a moment, opened the drawer of his desk.
Then, a document with curled pages appeared in front of him.
The slightly wrinkled cover was written with a row of large words—
'Atari Home Video Game Console Planning Case.'
Nolan Bushnell carefully picked it up and placed it in front of himself.
"Now, I'm afraid only you can save me."
He touched the cover, murmuring to himself.
"Ethan Jones, I lost in the
arcade field, but that doesn't matter, because the home game console industry is also a vast market."
"I can't beat you, but can't I beat Magnavox?"
Yes!
Even if Ethan Jones's "Pac-Man" brought a huge shock to Nolan Bushnell, causing the merchants who used to support him to leave, he still had confidence in standing in the gaming industry!
If I can't compete with you, then I won't compete!
Can't I change lanes?
However, just as Nolan Bushnell thought that doing so would change Magnavox's fate...
After flipping through the first page of the plan, he was stunned.
Because in the specifications of the home game console, under the CPU section, it was written—
This planning case prioritizes the use of the MOS 6502 chip.
"Oh, Ethan, why are you everywhere..."
Nolan Bushnell was annoyed.
At this moment, his only thought was to contact Magnavox and see if they had 'Ethan Aversion Syndrome.'
And over at Magnavox...
To be honest, the old man's situation was much better than Nolan Bushnell's!
Note:
"Breakout" was Nolan Bushnell's idea, and Jobs and Wozniak only did the production. There's a joke about this game. It was officially released in 1976, and the copyright was officially registered in 1992. The reason was that the idiots at the U.S. Copyright Office refused to register it earlier, citing that individuals or companies cannot claim copyright ownership of graphic images on electronic computers. Furious, Nolan Bushnell sued them. The lawsuit went on for several years until it reached Judge Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This case was the last major case she handled before becoming a Supreme Court justice. It was her ruling that allowed this abstract game concept to receive copyright protection.
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