America: My Time

Chapter 605 Sale of Assets
Chapter 595 Sale of Assets

A few days later, the Mandarin Oriental Group personnel arrived in Tokyo, and the sale of the real estate officially began. John did not personally participate in the sale of the Mandarin Oriental Group; everything was handled by the Mandarin Oriental Group itself. John was more concerned with the sale of the shares in Neon Games and the shares in Neon Universal Online.

"Mr. Morita, the day after tomorrow is the day to sell these two shares. Are you ready? I would choose Sony if the prices were equal. However, many people are eyeing the shares of Japan Universal Online. I'm afraid the competition will be fierce. We have even received requests to sell in parts. I think you should consider a second choice and take the shares of the game company. This would be safer and would also allow Sony to take a further step in the game industry."

John wasn't unaware of the hidden plans of Sony, Hitachi, and Panasonic, but he simply didn't care. After all, the game world had already been sold, and he didn't need to concern himself with the ambitions of these Japanese companies. Their experience as OEM manufacturers for the game world had given them a lot of experience, which in turn fueled their ambitions.

Japan has many participants in the gaming market. Seeing the amazing profits in the gaming world, no one can resist the temptation, especially the Japanese, who possess powerful semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and the most advanced home appliance manufacturing technology. Naturally, they are eyeing the gaming market and investing in research and development is only natural.

In just a few days, John has received numerous phone calls and invitations to parties due to the issues with his shares, all of which he has declined. John has made a decision regarding the sale of his shares: the highest bidder wins!
"John, don't you have any other options? We are very sincere!" Akio Morita was somewhat unwilling, after all, this was Sony's best opportunity to rapidly expand itself. As long as they could acquire these shares, Sony's predicament would be resolved.

"I can't do anything about it. It's not just Sony that's interested; other companies are interested too, even people in the US are interested. Those people aren't satisfied with just acquiring game companies; they also want to take over Japanese game companies, and even the shares in Japan Universal Online. If you can't complete the transaction quickly, and problems arise later, it won't be my responsibility. I don't have much time left to buy. I believe you know how hostile Donald is to me. Panasonic's acquisition of Disney already caused quite a bit of trouble, making those guys wary!"

At this point, John brought up the Disney acquisition. John didn't believe that old man Akio Morita would be completely unaware of the acquisition, yet Morita hadn't informed him. This was enough to show that the old man also had designs on him, designs that he shouldn't have.

Before Akio Morita could speak, John changed the subject and said, "Of course, if you can convince others, I have nothing to say. There are too many companies involved now, and I can't refuse. After all, these shares are held by Bell Labs!"

If Akio Morita could persuade the others, he wouldn't have come to see John. Moreover, Akio Morita also understood that his failure to consult with John about the Disney matter had affected their relationship.

"Alright, Sony, choose the game company shares you hold!" After some consideration, Akio Morita compromised. Just as John said, time was limited. If they waited for the US to react, it would be difficult for them to get these shares. The best option for Sony was the game company shares. As long as they controlled these shares, they could control the game company and take another step forward in the game industry.

As for what Hitachi and Panasonic were thinking, that was not on Akio Morita's mind. As long as he could acquire the shares from John and then find a way to get the shares from Morgan, no matter how many ideas Panasonic and Hitachi had, it wouldn't matter.

"John, I wonder if you could help speak to Morgan about Sony's interest in acquiring their stake?" At this moment, the old man Akio Morita once again had his eye on John, wanting John to act as a go-between for Sony. In his view, if John were to step in, the chances of success would be greater.

At this moment, John nodded and said, "Sure, I can ask Morgan about his thoughts on Sony's behalf, but I can't guarantee whether they will accept it, since Morgan has his own ideas!"

“I understand. As long as you’re willing to step in and inquire for Sony, that’s fine. If possible, it would be best to do it as soon as possible. I’m worried that if it takes too long, it will cause unnecessary trouble. I’m afraid Hitachi and Panasonic might have the same idea.” This old guy, Akio Morita, was worried that Hitachi and Panasonic would secretly contact Morgan, which would cause unexpected problems.

“Alright, since that’s how it is, I’ll call and ask right now!” John said, picking up the phone and calling Morgan’s manager, Jimmy. John didn’t want to bother the big boss Morgan with such a trivial matter.

The call connected quickly, and John said, "Jimmy, have you considered selling your shares in the Japanese game company? Sony is interested in acquiring them, and I've already reached an agreement with them. If you're interested, you can sell together. Of course, I'm just asking; I don't mean anything else!"

“John, I won’t lie to you, Morgan does have the idea of ​​selling, but someone beat you to it!” “Oh! Is it Hitachi or Panasonic? It seems they both have big ambitions in the gaming industry!” Upon hearing Jimmy’s words, John immediately thought of Hitachi and Panasonic; only they would be so anxious.

"It's Panasonic. They've already contacted us. Although we haven't finalized the price yet, you know, we can't ignore their feelings and do business with Sony again, or Morgan's reputation will be ruined!"

John didn't believe that Morgan cared about his reputation. He thought Jimmy was just trying to drive up the price. Since Panasonic and Sony both wanted Morgan's shares, and he was the highest bidder, they naturally wanted to maximize their profits.

At this moment, Akio Morita's expression hardened. His worst fears had come true. Those guys from Matsushita had managed to sneak up on him and go straight to Morgan. It seemed that these bastards were deliberately staying in the US under the pretext of acquiring and restructuring Disney, waiting for an opportunity. If John hadn't come to Japan ahead of time, Matsushita might have already made contact with him.

After seeing Akio Morita's gesture, John nodded and said, "Jimmy, Sony won't let you lose out. They'll raise Panasonic's offer by five points!"

"John, I need to report to the boss. I can't make this decision on my own. In principle, I have no problem with it, but whether the boss will agree is not up to me. I'll contact you again after I report to the boss!"

After finishing his conversation with Jimmy, John smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Morita, as you've heard, Panasonic has already taken action. It seems they've used the opportunity of acquiring Disney to directly contact Morgan. Whether it succeeds or not depends on Morgan's decision. Such a matter is indeed not something one person can decide alone."

"I understand, but I didn't expect Panasonic to be so cunning, actually acting behind the backs of Sony and Hitachi. It seems they have big ambitions. They not only want to establish themselves in Hollywood, but also want to gain a foothold in the game market. If their conspiracy succeeds, I'm afraid game companies will face disintegration."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Panasonic controls the manufacturing of home video game consoles, so it's understandable that they want to monopolize the benefits of the home video game console platform. If Sony were in their position, they would make the same decision."

John is right. Sony would have done the same thing. The only thing to blame is that Sony was too cautious and not prepared in the first place. If Akio Morita had made such an acquisition request when he first contacted John, things might have been settled much earlier. Panasonic's intervention has changed things.

John believes that as long as Sony offers enough, everything will be fine. Morgan wants to maximize its profits, and as long as Panasonic doesn't reach a deal with Morgan, it won't be a problem. It's just that Sony will have to increase its acquisition price for no reason.

“Mr. Morita, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say?” John spoke up again when he saw that Akio Morita didn’t respond. He could understand Akio Morita’s feelings, but in John’s opinion, this time it was Sony’s own miscalculation.

"John, there's no need for such formalities between us. Just say what you have to say!"

"Actually, I think you can completely split the platform and each get what you want. Of course, this only applies to the original licensing, but the technical issues should be divided according to the shareholding. I believe this is most beneficial to Sony. Otherwise, even if you get shares from Morgan, Panasonic's cooperation with Hitachi will cause considerable trouble. As long as you give them everything they want, wouldn't the problem be solved? Although this will affect Sony's plans, you won't have to engage in pointless fighting. If changes occur in the US and attract their attention, this deal will change. It's best to cut the Gordian knot quickly. At this point, it's best for you to compromise and get everything you want. As for what happens in the future, that depends on your abilities. I believe that with Sony's capabilities, it won't fall behind in such a struggle. Moreover, when you have absolute control, you can keep all the licenses and just distribute the profits to the other party as they want!"

(End of this chapter)