Chapter 107: Industry News, Invitation List, Oscar Rant! - Part 1

April 1, 1976, Thursday.

On this day, Steve Wozniak was pulled away by Steve Jobs, and Ethan knew it was for the founding of Apple.

Ethan, indifferent to such matters, returned to his loyal company after half a year, feeling that the company had operated at a loss. In six months, not a single business transaction had taken place, yet he had to pay full salaries to two administrators and one finance officer. It was a good deal – getting paid without doing any work. Ethan wondered why he never encountered such opportunities in his past life.

In a daze, he even felt like he was the boss.

People disappeared, but salaries were still paid – a perfect illustration that sometimes, the boss was the last thing a company needed to keep.

However, this thought didn't last long.

Because, as he drove Thomas's Ford pickup with the freshly baked "Pac-Man" arcade game to the company, Damian Dean, another male executive, informed the finance officer Alan Massey about the machine on the truck. They promptly unloaded it and brought it into the company.

Ethan found satisfaction in such a leader-rolling-up-sleeves behavior.

What made him even more content was Evelyn Johnson, another executive, bringing him tea after entering the office.

Although Ethan hadn't assigned any tasks to them in the past six months, Evelyn, dressed professionally, held a stack of documents and reported on their recent work achievements. "Mr. Jones, although our company hasn't conducted any business in the past six months, we haven't been idle. We've been collecting information about the industry."

"Oh?"

Ethan was interested in this topic. He asked, "Industry news? What kind of news?"

Being isolated from the world for half a year in a non-internet era meant Ethan had no idea what had been happening outside.

In response to his inquiry, Evelyn promptly opened the files and said, "Mr. Jones, after sorting and verifying, we believe there are three pieces of news you might be interested in."

"The first piece is the video game sales ranking released by The Wall Street Journal last year."

"In this ranking, our game 'Snake Game' ranked first in North America with an installation of twelve thousand units."

"Oh, not bad!"

Ethan was pleased with this achievement. Although "Snake Game" brought him some trouble, it also brought in a lot of money and praise. When he initially chose it, Ethan's goal was to create a simple and profitable game. After going through some difficulties, he hoped "Snake Game" would receive positive reviews.

It wasn't about seeking fame and profit, but rather, he wanted those eyeing "Snake Game" to know...

You didn't make a mistake!

"Snake Game" is a fantastic game!

It secured the top spot in the full-year sales in 1975!

Hey!

The best part is, I still own the copyright!

Feeling amused internally, Ethan showed a hint of satisfaction on his face. Simultaneously, he became interested in the entire ranking.

"What about the others?" he asked.

Evelyn Noble quickly responded, "The second is 'Speed Race,' a game invented by Tai Dong of Ritsumeikan Games and distributed by Midway Games. The cumulative sales of the first and second versions reached eight thousand units."

Ethan had heard of this game. It was a racing game with both single-player and two-player versions. Although it couldn't be compared to future racing games, its quality was excellent for its time.

"The third is 'Tank,' released by Kee Games, with sales of five thousand units."

Ethan knew this game too. It was a two-player combat game where each player controlled a tank, attacking each other to eliminate opponents. Sound familiar? That's because it was the true predecessor of the classic game "Tank Battle" on the Famicom.

"The fourth is Meadows Games' ping pong game, with sales of three thousand units. The fifth is 'Gran Trak 10,' released by Atari before reaching a settlement with Magnavox, with sales of two thousand units."

"The sales of games ranking from sixth to tenth are estimated by The Wall Street Journal to be five hundred units, not very reliable..."

With Evelyn's report, Ethan gained a basic understanding of the North American game industry in 1975. Although it seemed diverse at the moment, with games from different companies in the sales ranking, in a few years, these companies would all disappear. This was not only because Ethan had no memories of them in his previous life, but also because these companies couldn't afford to pay high patent fees to Magnavox while simultaneously transitioning their products from the era of circuit boards to the CPU era.

And this... was a good thing for Ethan!

As a gamer, he naturally hoped for more games on the market.

As a businessman, what he most wanted to do was crush the competition!

"What about the other two pieces of news?" Ethan asked. "They're not more rankings, are they?"

Rankings were repetitive and not very informative.

After his question, Evelyn Nobles decisively shook her head, saying, "No, Mr. Jones, the other two pieces of news are unrelated to rankings."

"The first piece is from Magnavox. At the end of November last year, Magnavox officially announced that the Odyssey, the first-generation home console, will be officially discontinued early this year. At the same time, they will release a new product this year."

"And a month ago, they announced that the new Magnavox Odyssey 300 will meet the public this summer. According to them, this game console will include three built-in games: 'Tennis,' 'Field Hockey,' and 'Paddle Ball.' They have also designed three different difficulty levels for the games - novice, intermediate, and expert. In their words, their design represents a revolution in the gaming industry because, before this, no game had been able to divide difficulty levels."

"Not only that, they also claim that this difficulty division is more user-friendly than our 'Snake Game' because it allows players to have real choices, bringing the essence of gaming back to enjoyment rather than suffering."

"WTF?"

This news left Ethan stunned.

Magnavox is releasing a new machine?

And they're emphasizing the adjustment of game difficulty as a promotional point?

And taking a swipe at him?

This...

Ethan didn't know what to say.

The third piece of news, however, surprised Ethan even more...

"The third piece of news is related to Atari. The founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell, announced that they will launch their new game 'Brick Breaker' in two months, in June. Nolan Bushnell claims that this game is the best work of Atari since its inception. It is a truly infinite game, much more fun than our 'Snake Game.'"

At this point, Evelyn Noble looked apprehensive as she glanced at Ethan.

Because she thought Ethan would be angry after hearing Nolan Bushnell's disparaging words.

But when she turned her gaze to Ethan, what she saw was her boss suddenly bursting into laughter.

Exactly!

Upon hearing that Magnavox was about to release a new machine and Atari was about to release "Brick Breaker," the thing Ethan most wanted to do was laugh!

So, these three rivals who seemed to have grudges against each other had coincidentally gathered together?

Ethan admitted that "Brick Breaker" was an excellent game, and Magnavox Odyssey 300's difficulty adjustment was a

milestone in the history of gaming. But even if they were impressive, they couldn't possibly match the anthropomorphic AI awesomeness of "Pac-Man"!

He had just finished "Pac-Man," and now he learned that his two competitors were launching new products?

Ugh...

In this situation...

Weren't they forcing him to be a good person?

"Alright, I understand."

Thinking this, Ethan nodded with a smile and said, "Evelyn, you've done a good job. I will give you a bonus at the end of the year. Also, I came back to the company to tell you that the company's new product has been developed. Next, we need to apply for a temporary patent for the new product and then hold a press conference."

"As for the patent application, you can ask Damian Dean to handle it."