America: The Godfather of Game Development

Chapter 17 An Irresistible Price

"Mr. Lin, whether you've found other buyers or not, believe me, Silicon Oasis is definitely the most reliable distributor in all of California."

Meyer patted his chest and boasted to Lin Lixin.

In the current situation, it doesn't matter whether it's boasting or stating the facts; as long as we can keep this big shot around, everything will be fine.

In Meyer's eyes, there was a talking money tree standing in front of him right now.

"Oh? That's great. I just contacted a buyer, and the price they offered was really outrageous."

Lin Lixin then revealed a look of surprise and shook Mayer's hand up and down.

When Mayer heard that he had found a new buyer, he turned pale with fright and quickly chimed in:

"Mr. Lin, you should be careful of those guys who only care about money."

"Haha, it's true that not everyone understands games. I told them that although $3,000 a unit is expensive, its profitability means there's no worry about the profit margin."

After Lin Lixin finished speaking, the expression on Meyer's face slowly froze.

$3,000?

As an arcade distributor, Meyer knew the prices of all the different arcade machines inside and out.

At this price point, it's almost the same as a large cabin.

He was willing to believe in Tetris's business potential and wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But that doesn't mean he's willing to be a sucker.

In this day and age, the video game industry was almost kicked to death by Atari, a company that is so powerful, leaving only arcade game companies to barely survive.

Given the current severe market downturn, it would be incredibly foolish of him to place an order at such a high price.

He wasn't afraid of not buying it himself, but he was afraid that some competitors would actually agree to this outrageous price.

"Ahem," Meyer cleared his throat, organizing his thoughts, "Mr. Lin, may I offer you a small suggestion as a friend?"

"Hmm? Please speak freely."

"Mr. Lin, I have observed that arcade machine before. At a price of 25 cents per play, even if it runs at full capacity with zero failures all day long, the profit cycle is too long to make back $3,000."

"Does Mr. Meyer also think the price of 3,000 yuan is a bit high?"

Lin Lixin frowned, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction, like an artist whose work had been belittled.

"No, no, Mr. Lin. What I mean is, have you considered raising the price per game? Like 50 cents, or even $1 per game?"

Meyer first affirmed Lin Lixin's pricing, and then, using the coin-operated price as a starting point, attempted to convey his own ideas.

"Also, we could try selling a few units at a low price first, so that those short-sighted merchants can smell its value, and then we can raise the price. What do you think?"

"Hmm..." Lin Lixin pondered, "Then what do you mean, Mr. Meyer?"

Sensing that Lin Lixin seemed to be relenting, Mayer was overjoyed and spoke even faster.

"If you ask me, we can first ship a small batch at $2,000 per unit, and then raise the price to $2,500, or even $3,000."

"$2,000..." Lin Lixin muttered a few words, then sighed, "At this rate, it will be difficult for us to cover production costs unless you can make an advance payment."

Meyer licked his dry lips.

Their silicon-based oasis development in California has stagnated for a long time. Now everyone has found their niche, and the initial blue ocean phase is long gone.

He needs an opportunity to break out of this red ocean.

He had to consider whether this was the only opportunity he would ever have.

Meyer steeled himself and nodded heavily.

"Mr. Lin, even for Silicon Oasis, it would be difficult to come up with the full amount in cash if we were to pay in full upfront. However, if it's a 30% deposit... I think we could try cooperating."

"Well then... it's a pleasure to work with you." Lin Lixin finally smiled and shook hands with Mayer's outstretched hand.

The two quickly finalized the general details of the cooperation, and the remaining paper documents would be issued after Lin Lixin confirmed the situation of the contracting factory.

In any case, the cooperation negotiations finally proceeded smoothly.

"By the way, Mr. Lin, where did that prototype go?"

With one thing on his mind, Meyer felt much better, and that's when he remembered the arcade machine.

With Lin Lixin's permission, he walked around the apartment, but did not see the machine he longed for.

If Tetris truly becomes a legend in the future, that precious prototype will have an exaggerated commercial value, and when it is auctioned off, it will fetch an astronomical price.

Even if this investment fails, he can keep it as a collectible.

"Oh, that machine, I gave it to my brother. He just recently opened an arcade, you know, the one on the corner."

Lin Lixin walked outside and pointed to the arcade on the street corner. The GAMENOVA sign was still conspicuous under the sun.

Meyer raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, when he last came here to inspect the place, the shop was still a "ruin" waiting to be transferred.

"Well... Mr. Lin, I'll take my leave now."

He said goodbye to Lin Lixin seriously, and before leaving, he made a point of asking for Lin Lixin's landline number.

Meyer got into the car, but instead of leaving immediately, he stopped in front of the Gamenova.

He absolutely had to go and check on the machine.

At first glance, the shop is not large, and many places still show signs of its previous dilapidation.

Apart from the newly ordered signboard, everything else looked like it had only been simply cleaned.

Lin Lixin wasn't lying to himself; this really was a newly opened arcade.

To dedicate oneself to the gaming industry on days like these requires passion and perseverance.

Meyer's gaze fell on the glass door, looking into the room, his eyes wide open.

The store, which is not much bigger than a convenience store, was already packed with people.

The players lined up in a grand procession in front of the Tetris machines in the center.

Upon closer inspection, there were two more "Iron Plate Array" machines nearby, which were also lined up in long queues, a stark contrast to the sparse queues of the other machines.

This is very wrong!

Meyer simply pushed open the door and walked in, squeezing through the crowd to get to the front of "Iron Plate Formation".

He hadn't heard that the game had recently become popular again.

Ten minutes later.

Meyer silently shifted into reverse and drove the car back to Lin Lixin's apartment building.

……

At 9 p.m., GAMENOVA officially closed for its first day of business.

Sam spent nearly an hour tidying up the coin box and then carefully mopping the floor before returning to his apartment.

"Good heavens, I'm exhausted today, but we're about to strike it rich! If every day is like this, we'll recoup our investment in the machine this month!"

He stretched, walked into Jesse's room, and plopped down on his bed.

"By the way, how's that arcade game company I contacted today?"

Lin Lixin took a sip of soda, and while stacking things on the C64, he casually replied, "US$2,500 per unit, 30% deposit required. Let's get ready to contact the manufacturer."

"¿"