The PS2 from Legendary World had already taken shape, which wasn't exactly news in the industry. According to protocol, it was time to seek out developers for games. The current situation was that they had started developing without involving others.
First off, that first-mover advantage had already been established; only Legendary World would be profiting, leaving no hope for other companies. If it truly became a closed-loop system, what would these other guys do?
Honestly, this antitrust issue had compounded the monopoly. If game planning was somewhat reasonable, Legendary World could still be reasonable in negotiations. Even if your application was rejected, there would be grounds for it; they couldn't dismiss it arbitrarily.
Now things turned grim; no one had any games to play. Even if a second game manufacturer emerged, would they really not learn from Legendary World? The clear example was out there; not learning from it would just be foolish.
...
"President, can't we develop something on our own?"
"No way. You know the reason, right? Our friends are baffled. Baka, how could this group of idiots think like this?"
"So, this antitrust situation only exacerbated the monopoly?"
"Yes, and luckily, the PSP hasn't been affected. We can concentrate on developing this platform. Also, we'll be sending someone over to Legendary World. I believe they will definitely have some feedback."
People were saying, "Aren't you just talking nonsense? Why wouldn't the PSP be affected?"
This situation was quite different. The concept of handheld gaming had originally been created by Legendary World. All games on this platform were part of a closed loop with no open licensing.
The president of the Namco believed there wouldn't be a blanket ban, which was why he held this reasoning. The specific methods were practically the same as royalties, just with different names.
The current situation had been anticipated by the old-timers. Otherwise, they wouldn't have waited and watched. What they didn't expect was that the authorities would explicitly forbid them from developing.
Though it was a consistent outcome, its nature was vastly different. Now obtaining a favorable negotiation result was like dreaming.
The only silver lining was that console sales were still increasing. Given the current state, selling for another two years shouldn't be too difficult.
...
The small-time players certainly got it right; the current setup isn't called royalties anymore. It's now franchise fees. These guys are so lazy they didn't even bother to update the contracts, just swapped out one word for another.
"Franchise fees, huh? Well, what a bunch of shameless guys."
"Sir, the machinery's benchmarks are extremely high; there's something wrong with this price!"
"Baka! Does it matter now? Will there still be a problem two years from now?"
"You're right, I understand."
...
Mr. & Mrs. Smith finally wrapped up their film, and amid the cheers was even some Japanese. While there were many investors, the proportion from the Japanese was not high. However, they made up a large chunk among the sponsors.
For the sake of these dollars, William White decisively got rid of his BMW. What about Mitsubishi? These guys had money, and as long as the bucks were good enough, even Tesla would have to back off -- that's Hollywood for you.
Everything revolved around profit.
"So, how's it going, Lucas? I reckon you're considered international now, huh?"
"I'm just amazed at how you managed to rope them in for sponsorship of two million bucks."
"Tch, I'll bet you one set of luxury golf clubs."
"Okay, I'm listening."
"In my next film, they'll throw down five million."
"Alright, I'll just give you one set."
"Hahaha, you're so sure you'll lose?"
"Not sure. I can be pretty bold when it comes to investing; at least it's a solid indicator."
Lucas wasn't foolish either. If Mitsubishi got taken for five million again, William White's movie would be a sure thing -- no risk at all. Nowadays, even Star Wars wasn't a guaranteed payday.
In the film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, he was involved throughout. The only thing he didn't understand was how all those product placements managed to come together without a hitch.
He had seen the rough cut, and curiously, he hadn't noticed anything wrong. With so many ads plugged in, none affected the movie's storyline.
Although it hadn't been edited yet, a general idea already emerged. After all, he came from a film school background, with decent editing skills -- otherwise, he wouldn't have landed that beautiful editor.
...
Finally, the so-called big production wrapped up filming and began post-production. Now, William White didn't have to work himself to the bone alone. His company had a bunch of talented editors who could easily meet his demands.
"Filson, is this the latest result from the lab?"
"Yes, sir. This modem is more stable than the one from Hayes, and it's easier to install."
"Ah, too bad this thing can't be made available to the public yet. How's the talk with those phone companies going?"
"It's just a matter of fees. They're not too eager to lower the rates."
"Tell them I intend to set up an information communications company and use our cable TV lines for transmission. If they can't cut their fees significantly, they'll be facing a competitor."
"Sure thing, sir. Should I notify the lab?"
"Ha, no need. Those companies will go along with it. I'm not really trying to take food off their plates. Of course, if they are as stubborn as a mule, I wouldn't mind seeing their stock prices take a dive."
The few users they had were simply not worth William White's effort to start a new company. Although everyone knew the situation, not many dared to take the gamble.
They were basically on the same vine as Bell Labs. They were well aware of what was being researched in that lab. From a technical standpoint, William White had a lot of operable options.
If you had no money, they didn't mind. Though they had the existing lines, there weren't a few assets that didn't need investment.
What really got under their skin was that this so-called modem could also function as a fax machine. Even though the models sold on the market didn't have that function, these guys knew better. The functionality was there; it just had been deliberately disabled.
In today's telecom industry, the use of faxing was extensive. If that segment of their business faced a challenge, their stock prices would indeed be in trouble.
It was kind of funny. It had only been a short while since the breakup, and already analysts were shouting that they were undervalued. Looking at it this way, it seemed they wouldn't be satisfied until they saw an eightfold increase in Bell's market value.
These bloodsuckers wouldn't ignore William White's warnings. Or rather, when the added costs weren't substantial, they'd be more than willing to cut him some slack. Frankly, the products from his lab were of the same lineage.
This current situation wasn't about William White wanting to dive into some black tech. He had too much on his plate already. If this modem really stabilized, he could start using email.
As for surfing the web, forget it. Right now, there was only BBS, and not many users. It was more like a gathering spot for a bunch of fanatics.
They had email, but it was pretty rudimentary. Don't even mention attachments; even large bytes wouldn't work.
That said, what good would sending attachments do? The world hadn't reached a point where you could digitize and send anything substantial. It was nothing more than scanned images or some music CDs.
But do you know how much time that takes?
With a transmission rate of 14.4K, you might as well call FedEx.
*****
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