Chapter 87: The Mystery Veil

The day before the launch event, William White arranged a banquet for the guests. "Mr. White, what kind of cooperation are you going to undertake?" The owner of Sega couldn't help but ask. "It's actually fairly simple. You'll see these games tomorrow. We accept OEM collaboration or can sell production licenses," William White said calmly after taking a sip of red wine. He continued, "As for the price and other details, today is not the right time. If you're not interested in those games, I imagine you will only accept OEM collaboration." William White's approach matched their expectations. He had done the same with adapter cards, so hoping for a full buyout was out of the question. Some might wonder why not just do all OEM and avoid letting others gain an advantage. If that's your thinking, you're too narrow-minded. There's no such thing as a free advantage. Since Legendary World has opened a window for them, can you expect them to continue making lousy games? Everyone should make money together. While short-term profits may not be great, it ensures long-term profitability. This deal won't lose money. Since they would see it tomorrow, the executives didn't want to press further and decided to enjoy the meal instead. It was just a casual banquet. With no specific content, everyone was relaxed with food and drink. Whether the gaming console would succeed or not, they'd soon find out the next day. Guests left in high spirits, and William White was slightly tipsy, but fortunately still clear-headed. ... William White's gaming console was quite the mystery. Since it hadn't been mass-produced yet, even the people outside didn't know its architecture. Many people had visited the White farm, but these second-generation kids were vague about it. It was clear that William White didn't intend to hide anything. He just wouldn't allow them to talk about it before the official release, or they wouldn't receive the game console. Sounds like kids fooling around, right? Yet it was very effective. No one wanted to become the target of ridicule by the second-generation crowd. Otherwise, how could they mix into the social scene in the future? The Texas farm wasn't quite suitable for R&D. William White didn't have enough money yet, so he had to place the R&D base either in Australia or Hawaii. Both of these places had relatively isolated islands. As long as you had enough dollars, you could build a palace, and no one would bother you. ... The so-called launch event was basically an arcade. According to the schedule, from eight to ten was visiting time. The entire company was open to the public, but you needed an invitation card to enter. As they say, "The layman looks at the fun; the expert sees the trick." The earliest arrivals were, of course, people from the industry. There were few cinema exhibitors who showed up early. The official start was at ten, so they could arrive before then. A few big shots were still holding back a bit, but their tech team didn't care. Seeing an empty machine, they naturally had to give it a spin. Soon, staff brought coffee and tea. At this point, only cinema exhibitors might have been interested in drinking. The console seemed like something from another era compared to theirs. If it hit the market, it would surely rake in a ton of dollars. Seeing the greedy looks from their peers, a few old-timers could only shake their heads with a bitter smile. Without paying a massive price, obtaining the authorization was impossible. Not all American cinema exhibitors were fools. They quickly understood the invitation's intent. This was definitely a lucrative business. As long as the machines weren't too expensive, putting a few in theaters was no problem. ... William White had arrived early. He needed to greet a few cinema exhibitors. Keeping a good relationship with them was important. You could go on making commercial films, and in the face of dollars, no one would oppose you. But making art films in the future was another matter entirely. Without support, you'd be doomed to fail. Look at how The Shawshank Redemption flopped despite its stellar reputation -- it did no good. ... As time went on, more and more guests filled the first-floor lobby. Influenced by the atmosphere, even the initially uninterested theater owners began to ponder. It was finally time for the press conference. The guests were very curious about what would be unveiled after such a unique presentation. William White didn't wear a suit; he just had a tie on and his shirt sleeves rolled up high, looking more like an IT guy than a boss. "Cough, cough, folks, the three games you saw downstairs are our products from last year. This year, we still plan to release three new games." A few simple words quickly quieted the room. This guy really knew how to show off, not even mentioning the three games downstairs, as if it were just a simple matter. "Today, rather than a product launch, it's more like an investment meeting. For those interested in bringing gaming consoles to movie theaters, we can offer comprehensive funding solutions. Based on the profits of each machine, we can draft different distribution plans." Hearing this, the theater owners were quite pleased, as it seemed like a no-risk opportunity. "Of course, if you want to buy outright, that's okay too, but we don't handle production. On the production issue, we can OEM order or use a licensing model. We can discuss specific details in private." The gaming console manufacturers understood that it was clear they would not compete for production profits. Next, William White introduced the three games of 1980 and roughly outlined the blueprint for Legendary World. William White had excellent speaking skills. Not only did he make people feel comfortable, but he was also highly influential, which made many eager to try. What William White said made sense. The waiting time before a movie starts is like spare time; people could definitely play on gaming consoles during that period, which yields more profit than jukeboxes without paying for licensing fees. As the variety of games expanded, specialized arcade halls would appear, but this wouldn't affect guests enjoying entertainment at the movies. It was a nice source of extra income, supplementing any lack of box office income. In short, the blueprint William White painted was very appealing. Theater owners clearly stood to gain a lot. While William White was on stage spinning his tale, the folks below were getting quite fired up. Obviously, the barrier to entry seemed low; the only question was whether the production capacity could keep up. Looking back at the well-dressed Japanese group, these theater moguls seemed to understand something -- the Japanese were clearly prepared, and their production capacity was very reliable. Several Japanese companies knew that the order quantities would be enormous, and no single company could handle it all. Looking around, there wasn't a single American peer present, indicating that William White had no plans for manufacturing in the U.S. Today's press conference had a wealth of information. Once William White finished speaking, everyone realized the enormity of it all. Applause erupted like thunder. William White smiled and gestured before turning to leave. It was time for the reception, and he needed to change clothes. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.