Giant of the times

Nolan Bushnell couldn't help but smile wryly when he received the acquisition offer from Sunbird.

He never expected that the interns who used to intern at Atari would actually acquire Atari!

Subsequently, Nolan Bushnell held a shareholder meeting to discuss the issue.

"Sunbird has officially launched a takeover bid for Atari. Do you have any suggestions?" Nolan Bushnell asked.

When everyone heard this, their expressions were very surprised.

Immediately, someone asked: "Bushnell, how much does Sunbird plan to spend to acquire Atari?"

"$23 million..." Nolan Bushnell replied.

"Oh, Warner Bros. is only willing to offer $20 million, and we can earn an additional $3 million! Nolan Bushnell, I agree with negotiating with Sunbird. Maybe we can get more!"

"I agree too!"

"..."

Shareholders present expressed their support.

Atari is currently facing a crisis of broken capital chain, and with the strong rise of its competitor Sunbird, shareholders naturally hope to get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible. If it falls into their hands, they will suffer huge losses. .

Nolan Bushnell is a person who really likes to make games. He actually admires Li Zetian very much and is more inclined to sell Atari to Sunbird Company. Warner Bros. is a film and television company with no experience in operating and developing games. Nolan Bushnell was actually very worried that after Atari was sold to Warner Bros., laymen would guide insiders, leading to the bankruptcy of Atari. Horrible results. Nolan Bushnell would definitely not contact Warner Bros. unless it was absolutely necessary and Atari was in urgent need of funds...

At this moment, seeing that everyone had decided to negotiate with Sunbird Company, Nolan Bushnell couldn't help but nodded, and then said: "Okay, then just follow what everyone said and accept Sunbird Company's invitation to negotiate!

After the meeting, Nolan Bushnell called Sunbird and made an appointment to negotiate the next day.

Li Zetian laughed in Wu Guangguang's office, "As expected, Atari is willing to accept our acquisition offer!"

Wu Guangguang also laughed and said: "After annexing Atari, Sunbird will become the United States, no... the largest game company in the world! Atari's arcade and home game console technology will belong to us. It just fills in the shortcomings of Sunbird Company in these two areas!"

"Yes, after all, Sunbird Company has insufficient foundation, and its hardware technology is far from Atari. However, from the merger of Sunbird Company and Atari Company, we can draw a conclusion: that is, the only way to do this is to Only companies that produce good games will stand in the end! In other words, games are the company’s core competitiveness. If Sunbird cannot produce excellent games in the future, then one day Sunbird will be the next best company. Following in the footsteps of Li Company, it was acquired by other companies!”

Li Zetian saw that Wu Guangguang was a little proud, so he said these words to give him a slap. In fact, Li Zetian’s words can be called the wise words of wisdom in the gaming industry.

Wu Guangguang heard this and knew that Li Zetian was warning him, so he nodded and said: "I understand, Mr. Li, I will let Sunbird Company always maintain the vitality of innovation and produce better games!"

"Um!"

…

At about 10 o'clock the next morning, Nolan Bushnell came to Atari with two Atari executive directors.

Li Zetian and Wu Guangguang had been waiting for a long time. When they learned that they were coming, they immediately came out to greet them.

The two parties briefly greeted each other and then came to the reception room.

Li Zetian stared at Nolan Bushnell and others with eyes like an eagle, and asked directly: "Mr. Nolan Bushnell, I wonder if the Atari board of directors accepts Sunbird's acquisition conditions?"

Faced with Li Zetian's sharp gaze, Atari's two executive directors did not dare to look at him. At the beginning of the negotiation, they were at a disadvantage in terms of momentum.

When Nolan Bushnell saw this, he couldn't help but sigh slightly in his heart.

"Mr. Li, don't you think $23 million to acquire Atari is too cheap?"

"Cheap? I think US$23 million is too expensive. This is already a premium acquisition!" Li Zetian said lightly, "I believe you should understand the current situation of Atari, so I won't go into details. At the moment, Warner Brothers and Sunbird wants to acquire Atari, but let me ask, can a media company that makes movies, TV, records, and books run a game company well? Do they understand the essence of a game company? Do they understand the interest of teenagers in games? ? I think they only know how to use Atari to make money... If Atari were merged into Sunbird, it would be different! Sunbird is a dynamic and energetic game company, and our employees are They are a group of young people who develop games for fun, not just for money. Mr. Nolan Bushnell, do you still remember your original intention of founding Atari?"

After hearing this, Nolan Bushnell's face changed slightly. Warner Bros. said that after acquiring Atari, he would be replaced as chairman by Ray Casar, who once ran Egyptian underwear manufacturing factory produces impeccable high-end underwear. However, the underwear merchant did not understand the interest of teenagers in games at all. His knowledge of electronics only came from expired "Scientific American" magazine, and he especially hated his management style at Atari. He believed that discipline was lax and fundamental. Unlike a formal company, Ray Casar said that once he came to power, he would first hire graduates from Harvard Business School and other prestigious universities to replace Atari's entire management team. But Nolan Bushnell understood that once he did this, many excellent game designers would leave Atari, resulting in a serious brain drain.

The management style of Sunbird Company is almost the same as that of Atari Company. After all, Li Zetian had interned at Atari Company and came from the same family. After the merger of the two companies, they will naturally be well integrated.

Nolan Bushnell thought for a minute or two and finally made a decision, "I can accept Sunbird's conditions, but I have to make one more condition!" he said.

"What conditions?" Li Zetian asked.

"I and other employees must be hired long-term, and we must ensure that no Atari employee is fired within three years, if they have not made any big mistakes!"

"I thought it was some kind of condition, but it turned out to be this. Okay, I agree!" Li Zetian responded with a smile.

Atari is full of talents. Nolan Bushnell has been recruiting top designers and engineers in the gaming industry since 1971. Who would fire Atari employees if their foreheads were pinched? No, Warner Bros. has done this stupid thing before!

On that day, Sunbird happily acquired Atari, and both parties signed an acquisition agreement.

After signing, Nolan Bushnell felt relieved and very excited at the same time. Atari will be a subsidiary of Sunbird in the future. Li Zetian said that he will fully support Atari in developing the second-generation home game console. At the same time, all four games of Sunbird will be transplanted to the Atari-developed game console. Arcade and Home-Pong family consoles!

Back at the studio, Nolan Bushnell bumped into a Warner Bros. negotiator.

Ray Casar asked in a condescending tone: "Nolan Bushnell, what are you thinking about? Please don't waste any more time and give me an answer right away!!!"

"Okay, Mr. Ray Cassar, then I will give you an answer right away!" Nolan Bushnell paused and said coldly, "My answer is, you can get out!!!"