บท 118: Chapter 118: Caution and Prudence - Part 1
Even if Ethan discovered the inspiration behind "Space Invaders," he had no immediate plans to create it. It was only mid-June, just over a month since the official release of "Pac-Man." While developing new products before reaping substantial profits was essential for maintaining a competitive edge, releasing new products during the peak of the era was the fundamental rule to dominate the industry.
So, as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Star Wars" were in production, with a long way to go before their release...
Ethan wasn't in a rush at all. After realizing his lack of interest in filmmaking, he didn't bother Spielberg anymore. Instead, he and his sister wandered around Los Angeles.
They first visited Santa Monica Beach, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and witnessing the crowded scenes. Fortunately, there was an amusement park with attractions like a Ferris wheel and roller coaster, making it more than just a military tourist destination; otherwise, it would have been a quick visit.
They also went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, attended a performance by the orchestra conducted by the famous Zubin Mehta. It happened to be a Tchaikovsky special, featuring everything from the fantasy overture "Romeo and Juliet" to the "Pathétique" in B minor. Although Ethan hadn't appreciated such things before, with money spent and company gained, the feeling was indeed different.
To attend the musical, Ethan even bought a last-minute suit. Despite complaining about the trouble throughout the process, when he discovered the presence of "Pac-Man" near the Westfield Century City shopping center in Los Angeles, he was genuinely surprised!
Mind you, this was a place where high-end brands were prevalent!
Tiffany, Gucci, all these brands had storefronts here! When a brand that always touted sophistication like these had the presence of "Pac-Man," representing popular entertainment...
Ethan couldn't help but find it somewhat unbelievable!
At a certain moment, he didn't know if he was being cool or the local bosses were just playing around!
And when this situation occurred, Ethan, who initially thought watching the play was troublesome, suddenly became happy.
Is a musical too serious?
No problem!
As time goes by, classic video games will eventually make it to the stage.
After staying in Los Angeles for nearly half a month, the two of them directly abandoned their car, bought tickets, and flew to New York at the end of June.
Because the upcoming July 4th was the bicentennial anniversary of America's independence.
Although Los Angeles also had celebratory parades, the momentum in New York was even more magnificent. Apart from delicate fireworks floating in the city sky, there was also a large international fleet of tall-masted ships gathering here, celebrating with the people on the waterfront.
After arriving here, Ethan not only saw the Amérique Vespucius, made of black canvas and belonging to Italy, but also witnessed the world's longest sailing ship, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano from XBY, and the weather-beaten Kruzenshtern, built by the Hanseatic Cat and later given to the Russians as war reparations.
When sixteen sailboats with a medieval maritime atmosphere lined up in a single file on the deep blue sea, the spectacle was quite spectacular.
And when a hundred and thirteen support ships accompanied them, the overwhelming black pressure, like a marching army, made Ethan marvel.
Finally, when powerful lasers shot from the top of the sailboats, displaying the words '1776-1976' on the coastline in broad daylight, the thunderous cheers were like a thunderbolt, piercing Ethan's eardrums.
"Oh! Damn! This is too lively!" Ethan exclaimed loudly.
"Isn't it normal?" Evelyn responded with a big smile. "Who asked for such a rare event to happen?."
While talking, she also raised her newly bought Polaroid camera, clicking away, documenting the tangible history.
Since this fleet would travel along the coastline from New York to Boston, Ethan, who had never been on a sailboat, wanted to experience it.
This suggestion also brightened Evelyn's eyes, who had never experienced it before, eagerly supporting it.
Although this international fleet did not sell tickets to the public, it didn't stump Ethan. After making some calls one after another, he then, thanks to Professor Ralph H. Baer's connections, found a way to board the Høst Vesel, a sailboat previously manufactured by Hanseatic Cat and now belonging to the United States Coast Guard due to war reparations.
Because a big shot had made arrangements, as soon as Ethan boarded the ship, he looked around like a curious baby, turning the whole sailboat upside down. In the following days, under the guidance of the crew, he learned to climb and lie on the mast. The former, just like climbing to the top of the mast in a large ship, he cheered with open arms at the top. The latter, on the inclined mast at the bow of the ship, he opened his arms, embracing the world.
When the howl of the wolf-like roar appeared, the Polaroid camera in Evelyn's hand also made a loud bang. When Ethan received his own photos, he immediately swept his bangs, laughing and saying, "I was right, wasn't I? I'm handsome! Handsome anywhere!"
Because this fleet traveled along the coast, it was like taking a boat tour during the day and resting ashore at night—a great feeling.
As it should be, the journey that should have taken a few hours ended up taking them four days.
When they finally arrived in Boston, the spontaneous and relaxed atmosphere made Ethan feel that this was life!
After having enough fun, Ethan didn't forget his main business. He bought some gifts, detoured to Nashua, and visited the old man who had helped him.
While chatting with the old man, Ethan also heard some news.
"It seems that Magnavox's internal operating strategy has undergone some changes because their recent reactions have been strange. As far as I know, around the time of the anniversary celebration, they made several deals, all of which were massive acquisitions of external gaming companies."
"Midway Games, Exidy, and the video game manufacturing departments of Ramtek—all of them were bought by them."
"Spent almost two million dollars in total."
"What?" This news stunned Ethan for a moment.
But the next second, he smiled. "Oh, it seems that Magnavox has realized that in the gaming industry, content is king. Even if they create the world's best machines, without good content to sell, they still won't succeed."
What Ethan said was actually the escorting blockbuster theory that many companies had shed blood for.
Why couldn't Microsoft's Xbox outsell Sony's PS?
The core problem was the lack of exclusive titles.
When Sony could pull out a bunch of IPs, wasn't Microsoft's Xbox just a big-sized player?
And now, Magnavox's situation was similar to Microsoft in Ethan's previous life.
Despite having the world's first commercially available home video game console, ordinary games didn't really appeal to the public. Or, if they didn't start with games, no matter how they sold the machines, they would eventually leave the scene in disappointment.
And games...
Hehe.
"So, you're not nervous at all?" Ralph H. Baer asked, smiling at Ethan's reaction.
"Oh, Rudolf, why should I be nervous?" Ethan shrugged and said, "You must
have heard a saying: when enemies spontaneously unite, it's not that they've figured something out, but that their opponent is strong."
Pointing at his chest, Ethan said, "I am strong."
Then, he spread his hands, smiling, "Since I am strong, why should I be nervous?"
"Hahaha~~~~" Ralph H. Baer burst into laughter at Ethan's words.
While clapping his hands, he said, "Very good, very good... Young people should be full of confidence."
Although Ethan didn't panic on the surface, after returning to the hotel in Boston, he still dialed the company's number. After inquiring with Eulise Noble, he learned that during his vacation, there had been a significant upheaval in the gaming industry.
First, Magnavox paved the way with U.S. dollars, acquiring three gaming companies. Then, Atari started to make a move, contacting a game producer named Kee Games and successfully merging it under Warner's guidance.
To be honest, the reactions of Magnavox and Atari were within Ethan's expectations.
After all, circuit board games and CPU games were products of two different generations, not something small companies could sustain.
Acquiring some companies at this time was indeed a good way to take advantage of the situation.
But the coordinated actions of these guys were beyond his expectations.
Because all of them completed their acquisitions around the bicentennial anniversary celebration of the United States.
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