"Mr. Ethan, whether you've found other buyers or not, trust me, Silicon Oasis is absolutely the most reliable distributor in all of California."
Meyer patted his chest and boasted to Ethan.
At a time like this, it didn't matter whether he was bragging or simply stating facts. As long as he could keep Ethan around, everything was negotiable.
In Meyer's eyes, the man standing before him was a talking money tree.
"Oh? That's great to hear. I just contacted another buyer, and the price they offered was honestly quite insulting."
Ethan revealed a pleasantly surprised expression at the perfect moment and shook Meyer's hand enthusiastically.
The moment Meyer heard that he'd contacted another buyer, his face went pale, and he hurriedly continued the conversation.
"Those people only care about money. You need to be careful."
"Haha, not everyone understands games. I told them that although $3,000 per machine is expensive, with its earning potential, profitability isn't a concern at all."
After Ethan finished speaking, the expression on Meyer's face slowly froze.
$3,000?
As an arcade distributor, Meyer knew the prices of arcade machines inside and out.
At that price, it was already comparable to a large cockpit cabinet.
He was willing to believe in Tetris's commercial potential and wanted to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity.
But that didn't mean he was willing to be a sucker.
In this era, the video game industry had nearly been dead due to Atari's spectacular collapse.
Only people in the arcade business had managed to survive.
With the entire market severely contracted, asking him to place an order at such a risky price would be madness.
What he feared wasn't buying it himself.
What he feared was that some competitor might actually go all-in and agree to such an outrageous offer.
"Ahem."
Meyer cleared his throat and carefully organized his thoughts.
"Mr. Ethan, would you mind if I offered a small suggestion as a friend?"
"Hm? Go ahead."
"I observed that arcade machine earlier. At 25 cents per play, earning back $3,000 would take a very long time, even if it ran at full capacity all day without a single malfunction."
"So you also think $3,000 is priced too high?"
Ethan frowned slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction, like an artist whose work had just been belittled.
"No, no, no, Mr. Ethan. What I mean is, have you considered increasing the price per game? Fifty cents, perhaps? Or even one dollar per play?"
Meyer first affirmed Ethan's pricing before using the coin-op fee as an entry point to present his own ideas.
"And we could start by selling a small batch at a lower price.
Once those short-sighted businessmen catch a whiff of its value, we can gradually raise the price afterwards. What do you think?"
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"Hmm..."
Ethan pondered for a moment.
"Then what exactly do you have in mind, Mr. Meyer?"
Hearing what sounded like a willingness to compromise, Meyer was delighted, and his speech quickened.
"If you ask me, we should release a limited batch at $2,000 per machine first, then raise it to $2,500, or even $3,000 later."
"$2,000..."
Ethan repeated the number a few times before sighing.
"If that's the case, it'll be difficult for us to cover production costs. Unless you're willing to pay in advance."
Meyer licked his dry lips.
Silicon Oasis's growth in California had stagnated for a long time.
Everyone had already found their niche. The early blue ocean period was long gone.
If he wanted to carve a path through this red ocean, he needed an opportunity.
He had to consider whether this might be the only opportunity of his lifetime.
Meyer's heart hardened, and he nodded firmly.
"Mr. Ethan, paying the full amount upfront would be difficult even for Silicon Oasis. But if it's a 30% deposit in advance... I think we can try working together."
"Then... happy cooperation."
Ethan finally smiled and shook the hand Meyer extended towards him.
The two quickly settled the rough details of their partnership.
The remaining paperwork would have to wait until Ethan confirmed the situation with the manufacturing contractor before a formal contract could be drafted.
No matter what, the negotiations had finally concluded smoothly.
"Oh, right, Mr. Ethan. Where did that prototype machine go?"
With one burden lifted from his shoulders, Meyer felt considerably better and finally remembered the arcade cabinet.
After receiving Ethan's permission, he had wandered through the apartment but failed to find the machine he'd been thinking about.
If Tetris truly became a legendary title in the future, that precious prototype would possess staggering commercial value.
When the time came, auctioning it off could fetch an astronomical price.
Even if this investment failed, it would still make an excellent collectible.
"Oh, that machine? I gave it to my buddy. He just opened an arcade recently. There, the one on the corner."
Ethan stepped outside and pointed toward the arcade at the street corner.
The GAMENOVA sign remained eye catching even beneath the bright sun.
Meyer raised an eyebrow.
If he remembered correctly, the last time he came here to investigate, that place had still been a ruined storefront waiting to be sold.
"Then... Mr. Ethan, I'll be taking my leave."
He sincerely said goodbye to Ethan and even made a point of asking for his landline number before leaving.
Meyer got into his car, but instead of driving away, he stopped in front of GAMENOVA.
He absolutely had to see the condition of that machine for himself.
At first glance, the shop wasn't large, and traces of its previous dilapidated state could still be seen in many places.
Aside from the newly ordered sign, it looked as though the place had merely been cleaned up.
Ethan hadn't lied.
It really was a newly opened arcade.
In times like these, entering the gaming industry required genuine passion and determination.
Meyer looked through the glass door and stared inside, his eyes widening.
The interior, barely larger than a convenience store, was already packed wall to wall with people.
Players formed a massive crowd around the several Tetris machines occupying the center positions.
Looking more carefully, he noticed two copies of Xevious arcade nearby, and they too had long lines waiting to play, completely different from the sparse attendance around the other machines.
Something was very wrong.
Meyer pushed the door open and walked inside, squeezing through the crowd until he reached the Xevious machines.
He hadn't heard anything about this game suddenly becoming popular again.
Ten minutes later.
Meyer silently shifted into reverse and drove back to Ethan's apartment.
...
At nine o'clock that evening, GAMENOVA officially ended its first day of business.
Sam spent nearly an hour emptying the coin boxes and then carefully mopped the floors before finally returning to the apartment.
"Good lord, today's work nearly killed me. But we're going to be rich! If every day is like today, we'll earn back the machine investment before the end of the month!"
He stretched lazily, walked into Ethan's room, and plopped down onto his bed.
"Oh right, how did things go with that arcade distributor you contacted today?"
Ethan took a sip of soda while typing away on the C64 and answered casually,
"$2,500 per machine. Thirty percent deposit upfront. Time to start contacting manufacturers."