[Chapter 796: Riding the Hype]
With the 1994 World Cup just around the corner, all sports brands ramped up their promotional efforts. As the host country, the U.S. had already started seeing fans arriving one by one.
"Filson, did FIFA agree?"
"Yes, sir, they confirmed our exclusivity."
"Alright, get our PS games online immediately and intensify the promotions. We'll do giveaways, offer signed jerseys from the stars, and hand out autographed match balls. I'm giving you a $20 million budget. Discuss with Diadonna to make this bigger. These two games need to make a splash."
"Got it, sir. This time, Sony really stumbled."
"Hah, well, at least they're good at baseball. Just kidding, while the U.S. may be a soccer desert, we know the game. That said, our stuff is still a bit slow. Darn Japanese -- if they can't use FIFA's logo, they'll be working some loopholes."
"Right, sir. Sports games indeed have a huge market. Are we considering a PC version as well?"
"Sigh, you think I don't want that? The darn backbone network is just garbage. Filson, PC games, if they're just single-player, won't have a future. Players will get bored too quickly."
"Haha, I imagine Pentagon is feeling the heat. After hyping for years, it turned out to be such garbage."
"Too bad, the U.S. doesn't have enough internet cafes."
William White shot him a look, thinking, "Man, this guy is just adding to my irritation." Even if there were internet cafes, they wouldn't contribute anything worthwhile.
To make money, they could only sell gear. Unfortunately, internet penetration in the U.S. was low, and it was even lower in other countries. Filson thought that there were a lot of internet cafes now, but if he waited three to five more years, he'd know what 'a lot' really meant.
After fiddling with the latest two games for a bit, William White felt mostly satisfied. He glanced at Sony next to him.
He sighed. The tenacity of the Japanese wasn't just lip service. It seemed like they had to speed up the next generation of the PS.
With DVD technology now available, boasting larger capacity and better picture quality, there would also be higher demands on CPUs.
It looked like he needed to talk to AMD. Without adding a multimedia instruction set, it would be impossible to meet his requirements.
He chuckled, guessing Sony was probably having a rough time too; creating a video format wasn't as simple as it sounded. Others make MP3s, you go for MD; they make DVDs, you opt for Blu-ray. When others make SD cards, you have to create your own. Everything is decent, yet no one buys it.
Speaking of stubbornness, these companies were all similar; even Steve Jobs wasn't any different.
...
"What's with all this eco-friendliness? I'll make sure my interfaces are different. If they were all the same, who'd still buy a 512MB phone?"
"Memory cards? Forget it. Buy if you want; if not, hit the road."
"What's the World Cup got to do with him? Isn't Legendary World a game console maker?" The hefty Harvey squirmed at a TV ad. He was done with shooting films; it was just a bad release time for him.
"Harvey, this is a soccer game. Besides, advertising during non-World Cup times is pretty pointless."
"I don't like soccer, nor do I like game consoles, Quentin. These things are terribly boring. If each person got a ball, that might be interesting."
"Harvey, enough of that. This guy is just riding the hype. Our screenings weren't bad, but this distribution amount is just lousy."
Speaking of movies irked the fat man. Truly, competition was fierce. Not to mention them, Forrest Gump barely made three thousand prints.
To get fifteen hundred copies was only due to Warner's favor. It was only because his film wasn't too shabby; if it hadn't been good, you wouldn't even get a thousand.
There was practically no off-season throughout the second half of 1994. Aside from Hollywood's traditional giants, there were a bunch of studios as well.
Of course, the U.S.'s self-congratulatory attitude wasn't shared by their European counterparts. Seriously, it had been over a hundred years. Just because Edison applied for a patent doesn't mean he invented it.
Honestly, if it weren't for antitrust laws, the film industry might have only had one company.
As for Edison's character, that's not up for debate; his business acumen was something else entirely.
He knew direct current couldn't beat alternating current and actively suppressed Tesla.
Too bad there weren't any animal rights organizations back then. Those animals electrocuted were truly pitiful. Too bold? Why don't you hop on and try it yourself?
...
"President, we failed. Both FIFA and UEFA rejected us. Legendary World offered an absurd price.
From what we know, it's not a one-time payment; they'll also pay a percentage on future versions."
"What a shame. We were just a step behind. Clearly, they have a strong belief in the sports industry."
"Yes, it seems that William White himself really loves it. He doesn't just own a soccer club; his sports company is already a behemoth."
"Nothing to be done but give up, I suppose. So, how are their two games doing?"
"President, they are extremely clever; they fully replicated this World Cup's lineup. Aside from a few players, they caught almost everyone."
"Damn it, go see if there are any other options. At this rate, he'll be raking it in every four years."
Even though the old Sony guy was angry, he felt somewhat helpless. If someone started ranting about unfair competition now, don't worry, the Justice Department would stay far away.
Legendary World went to Japan, but Americans still viewed it as an American company. Sony moved to the U.S., yet it remained a Japanese company.
What frustrated Sony the most was that Japan was incredibly excited. Many people thought it was a Japanese company with American roots.
Speaking of shamelessness, William White was indeed an expert. The World Cup happened every four years, and anyone would want in on it. Unfortunately, Sony could only strategize on TV and VCRs.
"By the way, Tanaka, did Panasonic accept William White's terms?"
"President, I don't think they have yet, but it's only a matter of time. Even if they're reluctant, they'll have to follow suit. Mr. President, VCDs are spreading fast in our country. Buying a movie cost over a hundred yen, about the price of a can of cola. It's really scary."
"Damn it, doesn't William White worry that this might ruin sales for those film rights?"
...
William White had no idea about the old man's dilemma, and he wouldn't have cared anyway.
Rights?
He chuckled, thinking it was wishful thinking. Wait twenty more years. Moreover, didn't the Japanese do the same thing?
"Impossible?"
"Explain to me why those nerds have two VCRs at home. One TV, two VCRs -- if not for copying, are you kidding me?"
In the eyes of the Japanese, renting a tape meant they'd consumed it. Once money had been spent, it was only right to watch it more than once.
Of course, if there were truly a great movie, they'd buy another original.
As for the reason, well, it's a sentiment. An original had photographs; during whatever time, could they not appreciate it again?
*****
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