Chapter 115: Celebration

Who would have thought that the promotional opportunity was right at hand!

"So... Magnavox doesn't really care whether Ethan Jones collaborates with Nolan Bushnell?" The thin man swallowed a mouthful of saliva at the thought. "Do they even care how much money our lawsuit made Ethan Jones pay?"

"Was their previous questioning just venting frustration?" The question left the elder silent for a few seconds.

In the end, he shook his head and said, "You're right, but also not entirely."

"Magnavox cares about the game 'Snake,' so they will hold us accountable for losing the game."

"But at the same time, they have realized that the loss of 'Snake' or, in other words, Ethan Jones's rise, has brought them, and us, a better opportunity."

"???"

This statement left the duo puzzled.

The elder smiled and continued, "A few days ago, when the chairman called me in, he said that Magnavox is currently very pleased."

"They are delighted that a monopoly has emerged in the arcade market with Ethan Jones dominating it alone."

"When Ethan Jones single-handedly rules the arcade game market, other companies with excellent creative ideas will inevitably face financial difficulties and market gaps."

"Some may choose to follow in Ethan Jones's footsteps and continue making CPU arcade games."

"But more companies will be afraid of the development difficulty of CPU games and choose to stop here."

"At this point, we can acquire those companies on the verge of bankruptcy at a very low price, place the games that once caused a huge stir in the game market into the Odyssey, and absorb a group of excellent creators into Magnavox..."

"Now, in the entire market, we are the only ones making home game consoles!"

"But at the same time, in the entire market, there are countless game companies afraid to make electronic arcade games!"

"As long as we get those creative ideas onto our home game console, we can invade every household in North America in a short period!"

"And this is the situation Magnavox most wants to see!"

When this fact surfaced, the subordinates, both thin and fat, burst into laughter...

Not only because they felt their jobs were secured.

But also because they were eagerly anticipating the grand goals of the parent company.

Establishing global video playback standards with North America as the base?

If that succeeds, won't Magnavox become a monopoly giant?

Then, making money will be a piece of cake!

And their treatment...

Will also skyrocket!

"So, Ethan Jones releasing 'Pac-Man' is a good thing for us?"

"He directly disrupted the entire industry and gave us a new lease on life?" The chubby one was pleasantly surprised.

"I'll go gather information on those game companies, see which ones are considering switching, see which ones are likely to go bankrupt!"

This statement made the thin man nod continuously. "I'll contact the technical department immediately and have them try adding a LaserDisc port to the next-generation product, or see if there's a possibility of integrating a LaserDisc player into the Odyssey."

The decisive actions of the subordinates delighted the elder.

Nodding in approval, he waved his hand and said, "Go."

However, just as the fat and thin subordinates were about to leave, the thin one, thinking of something, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then, he asked the question that had just popped into his mind, "Boss, there are two more things."

"What things, you say." The elder was in a good mood.

"Is our next-generation Odyssey going to use a CPU?"

"Of course."

"Then..." The thin one hesitated.

The elder understood what he wanted to say and said, "Choose Intel."

"Okay." The thin one immediately nodded.

"What's the second thing?" The elder asked.

"The second thing is... What if Ethan Jones also makes home game consoles?" The thin one looked troubled.

Although he didn't want to state the worst-case scenario, sometimes someone had to be the brave one.

"If Ethan Jones also makes home game consoles, then all of us together might not be able to compete with him alone."

"Because his creativity is... too strong."

This statement made the elder smile slightly and nod, "Okay, okay, actually, Magnavox is prepared for the worst."

"They have considered the situation if Ethan Jones comes up with new ideas after 'Pac-Man' and 'Snake Game.'"

"But after evaluation, they feel there is a threat, but not a significant one."

"Because Magnavox is currently developing a new technology with Sony, a technology that allows data storage on CDs."

"If you must describe it, it's like a CD version of ROM."

"Its storage capacity is expected to be several times or even dozens of times that of cartridge ROMs."

"At that time, even if Ethan Jones has strong creativity, the world will have to use our stuff."

"So, our Odyssey just needs to hold on until this technology comes out."

"And that shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"After all, Ethan Jones is currently having a great time in the electronic arcade field."

"And even if North America is done, over in Japan, there's still a market waiting for him."

"If I remember correctly, Nintendo handles the distribution of 'Snake Game' over there, right?"

"Oh, this is really a blessing for Magnavox!"

"Go call our old friend Hiroshi Yamauchi, tell him that Ethan Jones's new creation 'Pac-Man' has swept across North America, expected to earn over a billion, and his MOS 6502, under his name, is the most suitable CPU for both arcade and home consoles in the world, and then..."

"Believe me, Yamauchi will be annoyed."

With that said, the elder's face lit up with a brilliant smile.

And the fat and thin subordinates were filled with joy.

Because they knew...

The future was promising!

Note:

In reality, Philips acquired Magnavox to promote its own video disc standard, and they obtained North American patents in 1978. Magnavox's machines continued to sell until the 1990s.

CD-ROM technology was jointly developed by Philips and Sony.

The story of the console wars in the 1990s might be unfamiliar to some. Simply put, Sony initially partnered with Nintendo to create a game console, intending to promote its CD standard through gaming. However, due to contractual terms unfavorable to Nintendo, they tore up the agreement and collaborated with Philips to research the game console. Sony had to go solo, leading to the birth of the PlayStation. Nintendo suffered significant losses, while in this tale, Philips played the role of an aggrieved lover left in the lurch. However, prior to this story, in the 1970s, Philips had twice attempted to set industry standards, as mentioned in the text, by promoting the video disc standard using Magnavox (and also introducing the concept of the compact disc standard). The first attempt to gain industry influence through electronic gaming was not by Sony, but by Philips. However, Philips faced two unfortunate circumstances: firstly, the Odyssey machine couldn't outsell Atari no matter what; secondly, in 1982, when they developed the CD-ROM, they planned to release the second generation Odyssey in 1983. However, during the Christmas of 1982, the video game market in North America collapsed due to the infamous ET game, causing Atari's downfall. Fearing a similar fate, Philips promptly scrapped the second-generation Odyssey project. Therefore, when they collaborated with Nintendo, it was actually Philips' third attempt to set standards.