Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 151 Disney's Attention
Ethan admitted that he was actually very narrow-minded and very vindictive. If someone bullied him, he would record the time according to the severity of the bullying.

For example, he will definitely remember people like Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine who took the initiative to try to grab the copyright for the film for the rest of his life, and as for potential promoters like Disney...

He will also make an assessment of these people's behavior based on their level of involvement in the matter.

If they show malicious intent like the two above, then I'm sorry, these people will be on Ethan Jones' blacklist. But if they just want to negotiate for commercial reasons like MCA, then Ethan will not extend the blame and will not attack them personally.

After all, there is just too much coveting in business, right?
If the desire to buy other people's achievements is also a sin...

Then there will be no innocent people in this world.

Of course, Ethan was not stupid, he would not ask, and Roy Disney had no intention of talking about the previous incident. When he led Ethan and Evelyn to the upstairs reception room of the hotel where the Star Wars celebration party was held, he showed his hospitality as a host and started chatting with a smile.

"Mr. Jones, Ms. Johnson, although this is the first time we meet, I already knew you before this because in the past few years, various media have often reported on your games and mentioned the new records you set from time to time. When Snake, Pac-Man, and Star Wars played successful movements on the North American continent again and again, your names would ring in my ears. That might be people's amazement, but it was more like people's joy..."

Roy Disney pulled out a pack of Marlboro from his T-shirt pocket and offered Ethan a cigarette naturally. When he found that Ethan refused with a smile, he put it away decisively, went to the wine cabinet in the living room, took out a bottle of brandy like a familiar person, and poured two glasses for the two of them.

When the amber liquid with the scent of apple appeared, Ethan sniffed it twice and thought it was a bit outrageous. Roy Disney smiled and returned to his seat, saying, "This is apple brandy from Calvados. It was introduced to our country during the Normandy period."

"I heard that the computer company that Mr. Jones invested in is called Apple?"

"So when I saw you at the party, I sent someone back to get the wine."

"I hope you like it."

"Oh - thank you -" Ethan raised his eyebrows to thank him and took a simple sip.

Well, this slightly sweet taste should be what Xiao Qiao likes.

Ethan was unwilling to extend the topic, so Roy Disney didn't force him. After a few simple polite words, he also talked about the purpose of today's meeting, which was to seek cooperation.

"You two may have heard that we at Disney had contact with Atari as early as 1975. At that time, we, or I, wanted to acquire Atari because I felt that the game industry would be a new channel for the development of film and television images. If some classic animation characters were made into games, it would bring huge profits to us at Disney."

"But unfortunately, I didn't reach a cooperation agreement with Nolan Bushnell and Don Valentine at that time. After several years of development, the current Star Wars has thoroughly proved that my original point of view was correct. When I got the arcade machine produced by your company, I already knew that the interesting game would definitely attract countless players to the theater. After I finished watching the movie, I knew even more clearly that after watching the movie, people would want to become Luke Skywalker holding up a lightsaber and defeat Darth Vader, who represents evil, with their own hands, and the Star Wars game is the best channel."

Roy Disney, holding up his glass, said with a smile: "Now, the whole of Hollywood is very envious of George Lucas, because he not only made a successful movie, but also invited the person who knows the most about video games on the planet to do a huge promotion for his movie. When the movie box office and game revenue both soared, everyone, including me, was eager to replicate their success."

"so……"

"I'm coming."

Roy Disney spoke his mind directly, and Ethan quietly praised him for not wasting time, but as for the content he proposed...

Ethan wasn't really interested.

The reason is simple: Disney's cartoon characters are just too awesome.

Take the most classic Mickey Mouse for example. When American soldiers put Mickey Mouse stickers on the outside of bombers during WW2, he was no longer just a simple mouse! After Walt Disney personally drew a poster based on Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse became an indelible symbol in the spiritual life of the American people!
When the image becomes a symbol...

Everyone knows that this thing represents endless money!

And collaborate with brands that have already achieved success?
That's like being kicked in the head by a donkey!
The cooperation proposed by Roy Disney was different from the commission from George Lucas. The former was relying on his own brand to make money in the gaming industry, while the latter was a last-ditch effort to take advantage of the popularity of Ethan Jones.

When the demands of both parties are different, the distribution of interests becomes a problem.

More importantly, the entire cooperation was a thankless task for Ethan.

If the cooperation is successful, the brand will definitely make the big money.

If the collaboration fails, the producer will definitely be blamed.

In this case, Ethan Jones would have no choice but to go crazy and criticize it, and then he would cooperate with Disney!

Of course, Ethan couldn't say such words directly.

As Roy Disney finished speaking, Ethan Jones fell silent, and the large living room suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Roy Disney looked at Ethan with a smile, patiently waiting for his answer. Evelyn, knowing that her brother had no idea, took over the topic -

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roy Disney, the cooperation you proposed is a bit difficult for us. We may not be able to give a definite answer for the time being."

Evelyn smiled and said, "Because we don't know much about animation."

“I’ve only been exposed to a little bit of science fiction so far.”

“We were also new to the way Hollywood worked.”

"After hearing what I said, you may be confused. You may think that whether it is animation or science fiction, it is just an element of the game."

"But what I want to say is that there is a huge gap between the two. The latter is like painting on a blank sheet of paper, which only requires imagination, while the former has factual references. When your company's animation image is deeply rooted in people's hearts, you must be cautious in your game creation..."

Ethan smiled and nodded at his sister's words.

"That's right, Mr. Roy Disney. Game production is actually very troublesome."

“It’s not something that can be produced just by starting a project.”

"Especially the kind of cooperation you mentioned, it requires long-term demonstration."

"Oh - really -" Roy Disney nodded slightly.

"I understand, I understand."

He seemed to have been convinced by the two of them, but he stood up and walked to the door of the living room.

He opened the door and waved to the assistant standing outside.

Soon, a black briefcase appeared in his hand.

After sitting down again, he also showed the siblings what was inside the bag. The briefcase that could hold a lot of documents now only contained a transparent file bag with two postcards in it. From the outside, there was nothing special about it, but upon closer inspection, there were green snakes and ghosts painted on them.

And that...

It was a gift they gave to their children during their last trip to Washington.

This display made Ethan laugh and cross his legs.

And Evelyn leaned back and folded her arms.

"If I'm not mistaken, these should be your company's Snake and Pac-Man, right?" Roy Disney smiled as he opened the file bag and took out two postcards that were not very beautifully made. "And as far as I know, this is Miss Johnson's masterpiece?"

He cast a curious look at Evelyn.

"Yeah." Evelyn admitted directly, nodding slightly.

"Well drawn." Roy Disney gave his own evaluation.

Then, he changed the subject, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the long-term argument you two mentioned, right? I didn't expect you to be so interested in Hollywood?"

"But this is normal. You are friends with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. With them around, it will definitely be very easy to enter Hollywood, right?"

From the surface, it seemed that Roy Disney was asking the two whether their guess was correct.

But that unquestionable tone shows inner affirmation.

Ethan didn't like Roy Disney's condescending attitude. When he saw the confident smile on his wrinkled face, he stopped listening passively and took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Roy Disney, I don't think I understand what you mean."

"Oh - Mr. Jones -" As if he had caught Ethan's displeasure, but more like knowing that his behavior was a bit excessive, so after Ethan expressed his attitude, Roy Disney shook his head and said: "Please believe me, I have no ill will towards you two."

"These two postcards were just unexpected gains for me."

"You know, my father and my uncle built Disney into a very large company, so large that every day when we get up, we face countless problems, big or small. And those problems may involve all departments, big and small, in Amerika."

"Because there are so many things to do, there are many people to handle them. With more people to handle them, there is naturally more news to hear. For example, you should know that we at Disney lobbied Congress to amend the specific provisions of the Copyright Protection Act. These things have brought us into longer contact with the department where your Professor Barbara works, so seeing these gifts..."

"That's a really natural thing, isn't it?"

Roy Disney raised his eyebrows at Ethan and Evelyn.

Although he was only describing the unexpected events, there was a power in his words.

The law is against me?

Then just change the law!
If its existence cannot protect my interests, then what is the point of its existence?
And there is a more important point here...

Does that mean he seems to know that their Destiny Game has exploited a loophole in copyright protection?
Although this is not a big deal, it is too pretentious!
Well, that's how Ethan feels now.

Adore it!

"Oh, Mr. Roy Disney, this is just a small gift for the children." Before Ethan could speak, Evelyn handed the empty cup to Ethan.

The girl also saw that Roy Disney had some hidden ulterior motives, so she gestured to Ethan to pour her a drink, and then... shut up... and stop arguing for the time being.

"When Teacher Barbara told me that her colleagues all liked our games and her children also liked our works, we suddenly had the idea to give them some game-related gifts." Evelyn smiled and said, "Just like you said, all this was accidental because it happened very naturally. As for your interest in Hollywood..."

"I think the money we make from the Destiny Game in a year is probably not enough to cover the losses of a movie, right?"

“Hahahahahaha—” Roy Disney burst into laughter before Evelyn finished speaking. He waved his hand and said, “Oh, Miss Johnson, your words are a bit too much.”

"Although we all know that the film industry is a gamble, and no one knows whether a movie can be truly successful before it is officially released, but if you say you can't afford to play this game? Others may think that what you say makes sense, but..."

Roy Disney raised the goblet on the table and drank the amber liquid in one gulp.

The alcohol with an alcohol content of over 40 degrees made his facial features tense up, but he returned to normal in an instant.

"But I think you are being too modest." Roy Disney put down his cup, crossed his fingers in front of him, and said, "I have been paying attention to the video game industry since 1972. Five years have given me a deep understanding of this industry."

"I even dare to say that no one in this world knows more about video games than me!"

'? ? ? '

'WTF?'

Ethan almost couldn't hold back after hearing this.

Because a red tie popped into his mind.

Fortunately, he didn't laugh out loud, because then Roy Disney showed them a beautiful picture that might exist in the future -

“The world’s first truly profitable video game was Atari’s Pong.”

"In three years, they sold 8,000 units."

"The price of each machine is one thousand dollars, so the revenue here is eight million." "But according to incomplete statistics, the shipment volume of the arcade machine "Pong" in our country should be around 12,000 to 15,000 units. Because when Atari's copycat was successful, other companies also copied this product. This game has generated a total revenue of 200 million US dollars in our country. The revenue brought by a single machine should be more than 13,000 US dollars!"

“That number looks scary, right?”

"For those merchants who bought the machines, the input-output ratio is thirteen times!"

"In the words of a certain European thinker, this profit is enough to kill a person four times!"

"But starting in 1975, the numbers related to video games became even more terrifying!"

Roy Disney patted his thigh and said with a smile: "The best-selling video game in 1975 was your Snake."

"Atari said that 10,000 units were shipped, and there were still a lot of circuit boards, but is this number true or not? I'm skeptical anyway."

"Because when Snake was at its craziest, in the summer of 1975, the number of visitors to Disneyland in California actually shrank! Both adults and children went to play your game. This behavior surprised me! It even made me buy dozens of them and put them in the park!"

"In that year, the actual revenue from Snake should have been 300 million yuan."

"Ten thousand machines, three hundred million in revenue, what does this mean? This means that the money-making capacity of a single machine has doubled from the previous 13,000 US dollars!"

"Last year, it was even more terrifying. Your Pac-Man created a market of 500 million!"

“This year, Star Wars…”

“It will definitely be higher!”

Roy Disney looked at the two of them with a straight gaze.

Those cloudy pupils were filled with envy.

Seeing that the two of them had no intention of saying anything, he continued to talk to himself: "I don't know if you have a feeling that the video game market is booming. Perhaps in a few years, the output value of the video game industry will exceed that of the entire Hollywood!"

"Or -"

“Traditional film and television entertainment will tremble in front of video games!”

"Because no matter how hard we in the film and television entertainment industry try, we can't catch up with the pace of making money in video games! You are not making money at all, you are robbing money!"

Roy Disney continued to pour himself a glass of wine.

Then he raised his glass to Ethan and Evelyn.

Seeing Ethan shaking his head and not drinking, Evelin took a sip politely, then he raised his neck again and drank it all, and continued: “I have evidence to support my words.”

"Mr. Jones, you just said on stage that the box office of Star Wars could reach 500 million? Although I don't know what your basis is, I now assume that this prediction will become a reality."

“How long will it take for Star Wars to reach $500 million?”

"One year, two years, three years?"

"Five years, eight years, ten years?"

“This will definitely be a long screening process, and may even go through several rounds of re-screening.”

"Otherwise it would be impossible to get this amount of box office revenue!"

"But what about you?"

“Pac-Man makes 500 million a year!”

“That’s a year!”

Roy Disney's voice trembled a little.

Because this is a number that no Hollywood company can imagine!
But Ethan had something to say.

However, before he could open his mouth, Evelyn smiled and said, "Oh, Mr. Roy Disney, your basis is a bit biased. Although our Pac-Man created 500 million in value in one year, the vast majority of the revenue has nothing to do with us."

"They were taken away by the owners of the arcade machines."

"Or, in other words, they were taken away by local manufacturers."

"So, we are actually working for local manufacturers, right?"

"Yeah~Yeah~Yeah~" Evelyn's words made Roy Disney nod his head. "You are right, Miss Johnson." He agreed. But the next second, he smiled and said, "But that is only temporary, right? The concessions you are making now are just to cultivate the market."

"In the future, maybe in the next few years, you will earn more."

“I don’t understand what you mean.” Evelyn turned her head and glanced at Ethan.

Ethan also showed confusion very well.

Roy Disney noticed the two's silly expressions and laughed, "Oh, you two, I told you that I must be the person who knows the most about video games in the world now."

"I said you can earn more because MILOVA and Atari are heading in the right direction."

"Home video game consoles are where gaming companies really make money!"

"After you cultivate the market to maturity, you will definitely launch your own home console!"

"Next-"

“That’s making money.”

“Isn’t it expensive to price games like Pac-Man and Star Wars at $19.90?”

"If you sell one million copies, that's 19.9 million in revenue!"

"If you sell 10 million copies, that's 199 million!"

"And I think your game can sell at least 20 million copies in our country!"

"As for the reason..."

Roy Disney held up two fingers and said, "First, you already have a group of fans. Who in the world doesn't know that your game is fun?"

"second……"

"It's because you have no enemies left! Atari and Milova have been destroyed by you! When the top management has been replaced, it takes a certain amount of time to restore the previous state! As for continuing to fight against you? If they are not crazy, they will not do such a thing!"

"If I must use a metaphor, after launching the home console, your machine is like a mobile Disneyland, able to continuously grab profits from adults and children!"

“Wow—” Roy Disney’s words made Evelyn exclaim.

The girl looked at Ethan with a smile and said, "So we are so powerful now?"

"Why don't I know?"

"I do not know either."

Ethan shrugged. "Maybe because we don't have Disneyland?"

Having said that, Ethan was secretly surprised in his heart. Roy Disney might have really seen the essence of the matter. The reason why he couldn't wait to kill the new machines of Atari and Magnus was that he wanted to seize the new high ground of home consoles.

It is indeed a market bigger than Hollywood, or rather...

There are not many legitimate trillion-dollar markets.

And the quick money grabber...

even less.

"Mr. Roy Disney, I think I understand what you mean." Ethan said, "You are very optimistic about the electronic game market, so you want to join it, right?"

"Yes, but no."

Since Ethan was willing to talk, Roy Disney directly told him the deal he wanted to make, "We want to join in, but we can't make games ourselves, and we don't want to ask others to make games, because we know that you are the best people we can find."

“So commissioning cooperation, that’s what we want to do right now.”

"As for the compensation...we also want to change the form of payment."

He picked up the postcard on the table and said, "Snake and Pac-Man are indeed two good characters. If you hand them over to us at Disney, we can help you make more money."

“We can create a story for them and create animation to enhance their impact.”

"After all, in the eyes of the public, they are just characters being manipulated. We have to give them a friendly coat so that the paper characters can become three-dimensional."

"After this, whether it's making toys or dolls, or selling clothes and accessories, it will all be a very natural thing. For example, if your family runs an orchard and grows navel oranges, then you don't have to export them. Just process them on the spot, whether it's orange juice or soda, and then put the label of Little Orange from Pac-Man on it and sell it..."

"This kind of derivative is very profitable!"

"Or, doesn't the little green snake in Snake eat apples?"

"You can also make apple-flavored juice or soda, or apple pie, or other apple-related products, and then put the snake logo on the outer packaging."

“With a complete story, I guarantee your product will sell like hotcakes!”

"If you're still worried, I can even sign a clearance contract with you on behalf of Disney!"

"All your derivative products can be sold in Disneyland!"

"We at Disney only charge a 10% site fee, the rest is yours!"

"As long as you are willing to accept our game business order!"

"How about it--"

"Do or not?"

At this point Roy Disney sat up straighter.

As if he was sober, he looked at the two of them with burning eyes.

And his face...

Money written all over it!
(End of this chapter)