Rebirth of America, this is my time

When MGM took out a work like Tom and Jerry from its crotch, did it say that it would not affect the pattern of the video game industry? That's simply nonsense!

Even in an emerging market that is constantly developing and has no upper limit on total value for the time being, the emergence of an excellent work will definitely have an impact on other works.

Just like Pac-Man and Star Wars.

Before Star Wars was launched, even though the crazy purchases of major merchants in North America allowed Pac-Man to occupy the North American market at an extremely fast rate, allowing it to climb to the top of sales in a short period of time, there were no major A breakthrough is possible, but after that, its sales will still rise slowly.

This kind of water-milling skills not only reflects the sophistication of the game's production and the public's love for it, but also shows that there is no rival on the market that can compare with it.

But after Star Wars was officially launched, the arcade machine Pac-Man really couldn't be sold. Buying new rather than old is one of the reasons. The other reason is that the existing arcade machines in the market can already meet people's dwindling consumer demand after the emergence of new games.

Before, Ethan didn't care about these things. Because regardless of whether it is Pac-Man or Star Wars, it is his own game. If he sells more and sells less, he earns his own money. Whether he wants to squeeze out all the potential of the product is actually based on the company's strategic plan.

If he wants to squeeze it dry, he won't launch any products after Pac-Man comes out.

In order to maintain its status as the industry leader and attack the console products of Atari and Milover, it will use Star Wars to destroy the entire game market, even if this behavior will affect Pac-Man.

This kind of thing is very flexible, right?

But now?

It’s MGM that’s launching a new game!

It may be Destiny Game that is affected!

When the subsequent sales of Snake 2, Windfall, Taken and Need for Speed are all likely to be affected by MGM's games...

‘Damn, you’re numb! ’

This is the most sincere greeting that high-quality human male Ethan Jones wants to send to MGM.

And just as Ethan thought, when MGM convened some arcade buyers to hold a new product launch conference, with the emergence of Tom and Jerry and James Bond, new orders for Destiny Games The number immediately fell to a certain extent.

Previously, they could sell more than 200 machines a day.

Now...

On the third day after MGM's new product launch, which was July 4, 1978, the total number of orders received by Destiny Game was only 150 units.

On the fourth day, it still exceeded 100, but the number was only over 130.

On the fifth day, the sales mark of 100 units was maintained, and the total sales volume was 108 units.

On the sixth day, when MGM’s first batch of electronic arcade machines were spread across California...

The total number of orders received by Destiny Games is only ninety-one!

Among them, Need for Speed, which had poor market feedback, has been no longer ordered;

The sales volume of the arcade game Tailor is only in single digits;

The best-selling one is not Snake 2. Of the 91 orders received by Destiny Games, only 37 units were attributed to Snake 2;

The only one that actually sold more than 50 units was Windfall.

This distribution made Ethan throw away the report in his hand and called his top secretary Ballmer.

I have a list here. You can purchase according to the markings on it.

Get ready in the morning and go out with me for a walk in the afternoon.

Since the emergence of commodity trading, market research has been one of the important means for a company to gain an in-depth understanding of a specific industry, and on-site research is the only channel to obtain first-hand information.

In the commercial field, this kind of on-site research can allow researchers to quickly understand the market popularity and market consumption power of a product, and can also peek into the actual turnover of competitors.

Therefore, when MGM's games really had a certain impact on Destiny Games' products, seeing the scene with his eyes was what Ethan wanted to do most.

When Ethan came to San Jose on the edge of Palo Alto on the afternoon of July 7, 1978, the first thing he saw was a distinct pattern.

At the entrances of bowling alleys, bars, dance halls, and shops along the street, electronic arcade machines of Destiny Games are displayed. The most eye-catching ones are the two little snakes named Jack and Shredded Pork by Ethan. They occupy the second best position. It is a large gold coin with brilliant golden light.

At the entrance of the movie theater and the entrance of the audio-visual product store, all MGM products are displayed. The Dang Dang Dang Dang~ soundtrack of Tom and Jerry can be heard clearly even on the street.

After walking around the city of San Jose for a few times, Ethan was relieved that the distribution of players was about 40% to 60%. Forty percent of the people stayed at the arcade of Destiny Games, and 60% went to look for new products. This was actually in line with the curiosity and pursuit of new games when they were launched. After discovering that his game had not been destroyed by MGM, Ethan signaled to the driver. Parking in front of a movie theater.

Buttoning the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt, putting on a peaked cap with the MGM logo, and carrying an A4-sized paper bag, he walked out with Steve Ballmer.

The three cars of bodyguards following him also followed suit and got out of the car, but they did not step forward. Instead, they watched how the boss acted from a distance.

Under their gaze, Ethan stepped onto the doorstep of the cinema. When he approached the arcade machines placed at the door, an exclamation of Wow-- suddenly appeared in his ears.

After taking a closer look, it turned out that a player was playing Tom in the game Tom and Jerry and had successfully caught Jerry when the countdown had just passed thirty seconds.

This fact made Ethan's eyes light up, he raised a smile and walked over quickly.

Hello everybody——

He greeted the group of children who looked like they were high school students loudly.

You caught Jerry in thirty seconds? Wow! You guys are really awesome!

When the group of boys turned around in confusion, Ethan had already reached into the paper bag, pulled out a picture album as thick as an index finger, and displayed it in front of them.

Let me see which hero accomplished in thirty seconds a feat that Tom has not accomplished in decades? Oh - is it you? This is a commemorative album of our MGM, now It's yours because you helped Tom realize his dream.

Ethan handed a drawing book that Ballmer had just bought in the morning to a tall blond man.

Such behavior attracted surprised looks from everyone present, but the white boy standing in front of the electronic arcade looked surprised and asked shyly: S-Send it to me?

Yeah~ It's yours now.

Seeing that the boy didn't believe it, Ethan lowered his head slightly and showed them the logo hat on his head.

After they all saw it clearly, he raised his head and said, Everyone, we are employees of MGM. Due to the company's requirements, we will travel all over the United States to find out whether you like our games.

Following the normal steps, we will ask you some questions, and after you answer them, we will give you some prepared gifts, but your cheers just now have shown me your love for the game Tom and Jerry I like it, so—there’s no need to ask, right?”

Ethan winked at everyone.

This explanation made everyone at the scene suddenly realize.

Someone even asked: You want to do a questionnaire for us, right?

Questionnaire surveys are very common in the United States. For example, Hershey's Chocolate and Green Arrow chewing gum will conduct some questionnaire surveys after launching new products to ask for customers' opinions.

Therefore, after hearing this question, Ethan immediately smiled and nodded, saying: Yes.

Oh, thank you - This answer made the tall man take the album with confidence.

After he took a closer look, he immediately exclaimed.

Tom and Jerry's 40th anniversary album?

Yeah~ Ethan smiled and nodded.

You're giving this as a gift? People around him became interested.

If you want something else, we have...

Ethan waved to Ballmer.

This guy was dressed the same as Ethan, but he was also carrying a huge Jerry schoolbag.

After opening the bag, nine versions of Tom Cat dolls from the past forty years immediately appeared. Not only that, but also matching Jerry Mouse dolls. Of course, those toys are all palm-sized.

But even so, the guys present were very excited, Okay, okay. They kept saying, Are you asking now? We have time!

The cooperative response made Ethan smile and take out a notepad from his pocket, and then asked the questions he had already prepared, First of all, the first question, I want to know whether you like the game Tom and Jerry or Tom and Jerry. James Bond?

'Tom and Jerry'. The seven or eight people present responded uniformly.

Why don't you like James Bond? Ethan continued.

Because James Bond is not as fun as Star Wars. A thin guy said: I think James Bond is not as good as Star Wars. In Star Wars, the Empire There are many different styles of spaceships, and they have different attack methods, but in James Bond, all the enemies are very rigid.

Yes, your James Bond is too stupid. Another person responded, Those enemies don't attack Bond, it's not interesting at all.

“No challenge!”

These comments were faithfully recorded by Ethan.

Then, he asked: So, what do you like about Tom and Jerry?

This question made the players at the scene eager to speak——

I like the gameplay in Tom and Jerry! The design of Tom catching Jerry is so interesting!

This hunt you guys do is so fun! It's like it's real!

Yes, yes! What Tom and Jerry do is very much like in a cartoon, and what I like most is actually the confrontation in it. When I play with my friends, the guy who is hiding will find a way to escape and catch him. The other person will find a way to chase him. It’s like playing hide-and-seek! It’s very exciting!”

The players' words made Ethan smile and nod.

After writing the important information in the notebook, he added: Last question. I want to know, which one do you think is more fun, our MGM game or the Destiny game?

Perhaps it was because this question was too difficult, but it was also possible that the game types were different and it was difficult to compare, so when those people heard Ethan's question, they all fell silent.

After thinking for a while, someone said: Although you are from MGM, I still want to say that I like Snake quite a lot. I spent about fifty dollars on this game recently. I also spent about ten dollars on the newly released Snake 2, and the idea of ​​challenging yourself to an infinite game is great!

What about now? Ethan pointed to the Tom and Jerry behind the speaker.

Are you deeply attracted by our game? Ethan asked with a smile.

This child has brown hair and a face full of freckles.

After seeing what Ethan was pointing at, he shook his head and said, I think there are probably a few people in America who haven't watched Tom and Jerry, right? So when it came on the market, we came to play it.

This statement won unanimous approval from those around him.

As he spoke, the children also said -

Your Tom and Jerry is fun, but the time limit is too big!

Yes! Snake, Pac-Man and Star Wars released before Destiny Games are all timeless games. The same goes for Windfall and Snake 2 released now. , as long as the technology is good enough, you can play it indefinitely, but your Tom and Jerry cannot.

And more! You have a big problem with the battle mode and single-player mode of Tom and Jerry. Tom and Jerry in the battle mode don't have the rest in the single-player mode, so we always encounter 90 A situation where no one can catch up with the other after the seconds expire!”

Yes, yes - your mode can only allow masters to fight newcomers! If two people have similar skills, then whoever plays Jerry will win! But Snake 2 is different, whose Whoever has better skills will win! That’s what we want to play!”

The inquiry lasted for more than five minutes.

When Ethan distributed the gifts in his hands, he received two pages full of player feedback.

After waving goodbye to the children, Ethan nodded to Ballmer, who had witnessed the whole process, and then the bald man took his bodyguards and Ethan separately.

One by one, they spread out one by one. Soon, residents of San Jose could see MGM researchers running around on the streets of their city.

Then……

A similar figure emerged in San Francisco.

From two o'clock in the afternoon to two o'clock in the morning when all major theaters and video stores closed, Ethan, with twelve bodyguards, four drivers and a bald head, collected more than 700 player feedbacks in total.

Let everyone go back to rest, while he and Ballmer went into the office to tidy up. When the sky was bright, Ethan, after reading all the feedback, leaned back on the soft boss chair.

In more than 700 player questionnaires, 30% of those who think that the games produced by MGM are more fun than Destiny games, and the vast majority of these 30% are fans of Tom and Jerry. In their on-site feedback Ethan could feel their overwhelming joy for Tom and Jerry.

Ethan can understand this kind of thing. After all, Tom and Jerry is an IP that has been popular for forty years. They may not be as popular as Mickey Mouse, but they are definitely top-notch in the United States. If in this case, relying on If the normal games they produce are not popular, then the IP industry and IP operations will not be born, and Disney has already pounced on it.

Therefore, the result of thirty-seven is acceptable to Ethan. This means that Destiny Game has left a deep impression on players after three years of operation. When the impact of forty years was successfully resisted in three years, this performance has proved that their defense was successful.

In addition, through questionnaire surveys, they also collected many players’ evaluations of the game.

For example, some people think that a fixed game of ninety seconds is too expensive. Even if you can play every game to the last second, it will cost ten dollars an hour.

For example, some people hope that some functional props can be added to the pursuit map of Tom and Jerry, just like the powerful pills in Pac-Man, which can speed up the chasing Tom or make the escape Jerry is invincible, simulating the effect in cartoons.

For another example, some people think that Tom and Jerry can add some visual changes. Tom can sweat a few drops like the animation when he is resting, and Jerry can depict some tension when he is resting, making the game look richer. , more interesting.

In addition to these, there are also many opinions about the Destiny game.

The most eye-catching thing is that many players feel that Destiny Games' Need for Speed is similar to some products on the market, and feel that the camera-opening gameplay of Tornado is difficult to operate on the joystick.

I think Windfall and Snake 2 are great, but they are not as amazing as when I played Pac-Man and Star Wars. I feel like I have exhausted my talents.

Some people even said that if the battle mode of Snake 2 does not have the limit of the map frame, and two snakes compete for apples in a field, while retaining the characteristics of death upon collision, then even if Tom and Jerry is released, they will Choose Snake 2 because this battle is more exciting with special codes.

To be honest, when Ethan saw these contents, he really laughed out loud.

nice.

Because if Need for Speed were placed in later generations, the special code would be a copy!

Because the joystick for open-scope shooting shown in Hurricane Rescue is indeed difficult to operate, or in other words, before the advent of controllers, there was no spring for shooting games. Only after the emergence of keyboard and mouse, players will discover the characteristics of shooting games. The more you code, the more fun you can play!

Because Windfall and Snake 2 are indeed not as awesome as Pac-Man and Star Wars. After all, the latter are games that leverage tens of billions of markets!

As for Snake 2 removing map restrictions?

Wouldn't the special code become the future online version of Snake?

However, since the public has this demand...

That can still record one or two.

For example, if you make a sequel to Snake in the future, you can introduce a prop mode in the stand-alone version. Apples and boxes will appear on the map. Snakes will still gain points after eating apples, but after eating There will be different random effects after reaching the treasure chest. It may be an acceleration that increases the difficulty, it may be an apple falling from the sky that increases the score, or it may be the length that brings life is halved.

For example, the multiplayer battle version can remove the restrictions and also introduce props to see if the invincibility effect can be increased. Players who become invincible will win, just like the invincible star in Mario, which can make people beat their opponents. Create death.

Of course, these are just assumptions and need to be considered based on actual conditions when making them.

After Ethan discovered that the market demand for his own arcade machine was related to MGM but fell within the scope of normal new product launches, although he felt unhappy, he was relieved.

As long as MGM doesn't make any small moves, normal business competition will still be acceptable.

And from the beginning, he has regarded the electronic arcade launched this time and Ms. Pac-Man launched in the second half of the year as Destiny Games' stabilizing products during the transition period in the electronic game market.

When the game he really wants to sell is Contra, and when the game he really wants to sell is the Pac-Man version of Mario, fighting in the arcade field is actually a way to slow down others.

Thanks a lot.

After reading the summary of the questionnaire, Ethan said to Ballmer, who had been busy all night: I will calculate three times your salary for staying up late last night, and then give you a day off. You have a day off today, and tomorrow will be counted. It’s a holiday, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, okay?”

Although Ballmer is one year younger than Ethan, this kind of staying up late statistics is really annoying.

After hearing what Ethan said, the bald man with dark circles under his eyes immediately nodded, Okay boss, see you the day after tomorrow. After accepting the leave calmly, he asked again: Is the company okay?

What problems can there be with normal competition? Ethan shook the documents in his hand and said with a smile: If we were selling non-creative products, then we would definitely fight against this kind of competition from MGM. But when we sell content, we can’t monopolize the entire market.”

That's why there are several giants in Hollywood, and the same goes for the music market.

Because no one in this world dares to say that the content they create can be liked by everyone, so many times, we can only accept this kind of imperfection that cannot be monopolized.

Ballmer was a little lost in thought when he heard these words.

After staring at Ethan for a few times, a smile appeared on his round cheeks.

Boss, I thought you would be very angry.

Of course I'm angry, but that's life, isn't it?

Yes. Ballmer nodded, then got up to go home and sleep.

However, shortly after he walked out of the office, he returned.

Lying on the door frame of Ethan's office, his big round eyes were full of curiosity.

Boss, can I ask you something?

you say.

Why did you go to the questionnaire survey yesterday in person? You can leave the matter to us.

This question made Ethan, who was organizing files, laugh.

Looking at the guy who was leaning slightly to his side, Ethan caught the curiosity on his face.

Sighing, Ethan said: Countless business empires collapsed because the people at the helm who made development plans were divorced from the public. When they are so high up there that they don't even want to go to the scene, what they see when they look down is only the people below. Smiley face.”

It's not that I don't trust you.

I just want to hear what consumers who are willing to spend money on me are saying.

!

Ballmer's mouth opened slightly.

After looking at each other intently for a while, Ethan chuckled and said, Thank you.

Need not.

Ethan waved his hand.

Get lost!

Go back to sleep!

Since MGM didn't do anything to promote the game, Ethan decided to quietly follow them and see how many pursuit games like Tom and Jerry could sell.

However, his silence was rewarded with high-profile publicity from MGM. When July 15th came, MGM, which had already distributed its products across the United States, bought advertisements in three major newspapers——

[After many years, Tom and Jerry has once again taken America by storm! Tom and Jerry, who are about to celebrate their 40th birthday, once again bring happiness to people all over the United States! And lying at their feet was Snake who had just turned three years old! Jack and Rousi are trembling! 】

【Fifteen days! Ten thousand units! Let’s see “Tom and Jerry” become the most popular video game right now! 】

[The heritage of a veteran entertainment company! MGM's first foray into the field of video games broke the sales record for Destiny! Tom and Jerry is expected to become this year's sales champion! 】

[What did Destiny Game do wrong? Why did Ethan Jones fall from the altar? 】

When the overwhelming reports appeared, countless black lines suddenly appeared on Ethan's forehead.

Good guy!

It took 15 days for Tom and Jerry to sell 10,000 units, and his Snake 2 sold over 12,000 units in just 10 days. This kind of sales volume cannot match the sales volume of three days after 40 years of operation. Can you blow the code?

Ethan really overestimates the integrity of these people!

He was still wondering how MGM, which had a profit-seeking relationship, could restrain itself. The shipping problem envisaged by Michael Blanco has not yet occurred. Not only that, they also sold goods in a low-key manner. This kind of behavior of being an honest person and doing things one's duty is a bit strange no matter how you look at it in a capitalist society.

But now——

Still can't help it!

You have to step on it!

Grass!

The real special code is as black as the crows in the world!

Looking at the newspaper in his hand, Ethan shook his head.

Philips has done this before, Time Warner has done it too, and now MGM has done it again! Did you specialize the person named Bryant? Shaq did it too?

Ethan was speechless.

And when he discovered that the younger brothers in the industry wanted to step on him, the older brother, to get to the top...

Then he will definitely not agree!

Slap him in the face and give this little guy a big dick, that's what he wants to do most!

And how to fan...

Looking at the game rankings in the office, Ethan pursed his lips.

Although the sales of games such as Snake 2 and Windfall in the current season can allow him to fight back, such small differences in results cannot provide the kind of crushing pleasure.

He wanted to slap MGM into the ground!

And since that's the case...

Ethan set his sights on the number one Star Wars and the number two Pac-Man. After staring for a moment, he glanced at the calendar on his desk.

Then, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.

After a while of transfers, he called Vancouver.

Hello? Is this Minoru Arakawa? It's time for you Nintendo to come over and pay the bill!

That's right!

If you want to have a crushing thrill, you have to pull out the Nintendo with the special code!

The overseas sales of my game's fractional special codes are more than the total sales of your MGM!

Are you still showing off like this?

Show off your horse!