William White realized that the game market was beyond saving. An overwhelming flood of subpar games had completely destroyed consumer confidence.
Summer was not just a time for theaters to cash in. In fact, electronic products sold exceptionally well during this season, particularly items that were suitable for students.
Sadly, despite thorough preparations, the game manufacturers did not see the boom they had anticipated. Sales data crashed rapidly; within just over a month, the numbers plummeted to rock bottom.
The sudden news shattered everyone's dreams of prosperity. Game companies, including Legendary World, faced a significant blow.
The stock crashed 19 percent right from the opening, surprising everyone. Legendary World's fundamentals were still fairly strong. Even if the stock were to drop, it should have been that software company spun off, right? There was no reason for this situation.
However, this time, Legendary World did not release any announcements, did not request a trading halt, and didn't even bother to explain themselves.
...
"You guys succeeded!"
A week later, Legendary World issued a statement that was completely nonsensical. By then, the stock price had already dropped by half, valuing the combined companies at less than half of their peak.
If Legendary World suffered a severe loss, other game companies were in even more dire straits. Warehouses piled high with game cartridges became a nightmare.
In less than a year, they managed to churn out tens of thousands of games. What kind of quality could they possibly have?
...
Faced with a market crashing directly, the Department of Justice could only describe their predicament as tearfully helpless. Most importantly, the Japanese market seemed unaffected.
Well, they appeared to have a self-organized industry association. They had the advisory power to review and classify games entering the market.
Since Japan had one, they could set one up too; that didn't seem difficult, right?
Indeed, America could have one as well, but the industry leaders were not inclined to do so and chose to ignore it.
Legendary World was indeed a dominant player in America's market. Given their disinterest, others had no say. Smaller players genuinely thought they could manage an industry association?
These associations were interesting, as movie news and classifications were entirely grassroots organizations with no government involvement.
The only exception might be the comic book review department. However, Marvel had already disregarded them, selling many of their comics in stores without concern.
As for the Viking comics, if they passed inspection, their comics were sold at newsstands, and if someone complained, they simply wouldn't pay attention and moved them to comic book stores.
This so-called comic review had no meaning at all.
Without confirmation from industry giants, no amount of ideas mattered. If they didn't buy it, they just didn't buy it.
...
"Sir, if we don't buy back now, there might be risks of further decline," Filson said, his expression grave. While he had expected some fallout, he didn't think it would be this severe.
"At this price point, how many shares are even circulating?" William White replied with exasperation. Surely, they weren't considering privatization and delisting?
Besides, why should he bear the brunt of this loss?
A perfectly good company had been messed up to this state; it was no wonder William White was furious. He had no intention of becoming the scapegoat. The stock may have dropped, so what? It was just paper wealth after all.
The only silver lining was that a considerable portion of the loans secured by Legendary World's stock had been repaid. The banking system had no intention of coming after him, especially since the remaining loan amounts were insignificant, and only Legendary World had issues; his other companies were doing just fine.
...
Where he had no problems, some institutions and funds were struggling. If the stock price couldn't rebound quickly, they would need to increase collateral.
However, right now, the game market didn't seem to offer any opportunities. Even if things might improve in the future, it wouldn't return to its previous state.
An antitrust investigation had unraveled an entire industry, which was quite a rare event. When Legendary World announced layoffs again, the politicians could no longer sit still.
They seemed to have figured it out: William White simply didn't care about this company. Or rather, he had enough confidence to reclaim everything.
"Sir, the troubles with the Department of Justice are significant," someone warned.
"Sigh, that guy is ruthless. Is it a classic case of the fish dying and taking the net down with it?" said an old-timer from Morgan Stanley. He simply didn't understand the industry's specifics.
"Sir, some institutions have chosen to sell their stocks. How should we handle it?"
"Sigh, I'm not worried about this company; it's just that the numbers look terrible. Until PS2 makes its debut, the situation won't change much."
"Sir, should we maintain this status?"
"Ha, what else can we do? The volume is too big; if we sell, the stock price could crash completely."
...
This summer, an extremely discordant scene unfolded in the American stock market. Most stocks were on the rise, while Legendary World was tumbling.
As for the main culprit behind all of this, he was facing a barrage of accusations from numerous lawmakers. Your antitrust initiative can't just be arbitrary; what's your standard? This can't be arbitrary; it must go through hearings.
Is this the moment where the dagger is laid bare?
Perhaps, but no one knew what William White's motives were. One thing was for sure: the Department of Justice's powers had to be constrained.
After all, arbitrarily attacking American businesses was wrong; this tragedy could not happen again.
At this point, Legendary World became just another player in the crowd. A cacophony of big shots turned things into a mess.
...
"William, was this your goal all along?"
"Ha, what a joke! Is a Department of Justice worth that much? George, I'm facing over five billion in paper losses, and the company has lost over ten billion in market value. The losses across the entire industry are incalculable. You really think the Department of Justice is worth that much?" Bush Jr. was at a loss for words; William White truly didn't need to care.
"Ugh, this trouble is not small at all," Bush Jr. managed a bitter smile.
"Ha, the trouble is just beginning. If power isn't restrained, we businessmen have no future," William White was indeed irked. If it weren't for those gold reserves he had tucked away, he would have already lost his mind.
*****
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