Chapter 266: Troubled

Some people never self-reflect and always look for others' faults, as if the world must revolve around them to be right.

But I'm not your father, why should I care about your fate?

As Japanese gaming companies rose, those in America began to feel uneasy. A group started criticizing the royalty system of Legendary World.

In response to these accusations, Legendary World was firm, refusing to negotiate. They challenged others to create their own platform if they dared.

"Sir, there's so-called freeware appearing in the market."

"What? Consoles have become software now? Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. The quality varies wildly. The packaging looks impressive, but there's little content."

"Ah, I didn't expect we'd still have to face this problem."

"Sir, you mean you foresaw today's situation?"

"Heh, Tom, if I hadn't, why would I bother with royalties? Start legal proceedings immediately and have Barry Diller assist in exposing these shoddy games."

"Okay, sir, I'll get right on it."

...

The aggressive reaction from Legendary World indeed startled many people. However, instead of backing off, the Department of Justice's antitrust investigation ensued.

The DOJ was having a grand time, while the Japanese celebrated. If Legendary World's monopoly was confirmed, they could compete freely without being extorted by that devil.

"Japanese infiltration into our nation isn't limited to technology; they're everywhere in our key sectors," William White's statement at the press conference shocked everyone.

"I haven't finished yet, hold on. The investigation into Legendary World is a conspiracy. We're leading the globe in this industry, employing over twenty thousand people. Now, some want to destroy all this. You will become historical villains."

After this seemingly incoherent statement, William White leisurely left the press conference without accepting any interviews.

"Bastard, how dare he, how dare he."

"Director, Legendary World applied for a trading halt, causing chaos on Wall Street. Washington is calling for answers; how should we respond?"

The head of the DOJ felt lost. Despite their monopoly, instead of discussing things properly, White was flipping tables. What was he thinking?

"Sir, various stocks are being swept up with massive funds."

"Not short selling?"

"No."

"Damn it, it's not even our doing, so why do they always bother me? Contact Morgan Stanley and see how we can communicate."

In the trading floor on Wall Street, brokers watched with bloodshot eyes as the Dow Jones futures trading volume expanded tenfold, pushing many to the brink of collapse. Thankfully, this only lasted fifteen minutes, after which everything returned to normal. However, the pile of paper scraps on the floor clearly reminded them that what happened was no nightmare.

"What was that? Is he telling us he can destroy everything?" No one spoke, but it was clear William White was indicating that he could bring everyone down with him.

Paul Volcker was furious. The trading rules he personally devised now seemed like a joke. If William White wanted to destroy everything, it was not an impossibility.

Alright, let's take it a step back. Even if he couldn't fully achieve it, he would still cause everyone tremendous losses.

"Sir, don't be mad. The DOJ's procedures have issues too. For a company with a market cap exceeding twenty billion, what on earth were they doing?"

"I can't stay in this position any longer. Let them find someone else. I'll go teach and nurture talent instead."

Paul Volcker knew the DOJ chief well; he understood the man had a strong personality and wouldn't compromise easily.

...

White knew this as well, though he didn't expect it to come so quickly. IBM isn't even settled, and now they're targeting us?

Hmph, do you want to destroy the industry?

Alright, I'll handle it myself.

"Tom, restart all the suspended Atari games. We don't need large quantities, just a hundred thousand copies each."

"Sir, isn't this a poor move?"

"Hmph, if they're going to destroy everything, I'd rather make the last penny myself."

The DOJ obviously didn't expect that if they ruled Legendary World as a monopoly, they'd destroy more than just one company.

At that time, over a billion game cartridges flooding the market would be a massive disaster, and they'd have to deal with the consequences.

Wall Street was already dizzy, still dwelling on the events earlier that day. Then, they heard Legendary World intended to resist head-on.

Geez, do you fools even know how to play this game? Political games are about compromise, aren't they?

Apparently not, direct confrontation -- is that really a good idea? American gaming companies also went silent because Legendary World decided to be unreasonable.

What does it mean to develop ten thousand games at once?

Geez, there aren't even a thousand games on the market currently, and that's already causing fierce competition. If ten thousand games were launched at once, they couldn't begin to imagine the chaos.

Industry insiders realized early on that the royalty system was indeed necessary. The ten thousand games William White had were acquired from Atari.

Why not just sell those game designs directly?

Is William White a fool?

Obviously not, the quality of these games was undoubtedly poor.

Honestly, why was the PlayStation so popular?

It was because their games were highly playable, with practically no trash games. This showed that the so-called royalty did indeed limit low-quality games.

Alright, with the current situation, everything could face complete destruction.

Ten thousand games?

Heh, they could certainly imagine the chaotic scene. Watching a movie takes about an hour and a half, and playing a game obviously takes more time. So, who would buy them?

The Japanese, who had been celebrating, had now gone quiet. After hearing William White's rant at the press conference, they knew trouble was brewing. One thing was certain: the locals wouldn't tolerate any tricks from them.

The DOJ hadn't noticed the industry insiders' concerns and realized unraveling Legendary World wasn't going to be easy.

Negotiation?

Not happening.

"We are prepared to lose this lawsuit. We hope the Americans losing their jobs will forgive you. We hope the shareholders suffering losses will forgive you.

Yes, we've already prepared layoff plans, involving roughly twenty thousand employees."

When Legendary World made this statement, many people were unsettled. Are you kidding? The employment situation in Los Angeles is worse than in Silicon Valley. Forget twenty thousand; even two thousand is unacceptable -- it's a matter of principle.

*****

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