62 Successful Purchased of Tetris rights

[New York]

[LaGuardia Airport]

At the fast-food restaurant, Orio was quietly enjoying his meal when a young American approached him curiously and asked, "Are you Orio Masayoshi?"

Orio glanced at the young American in slight surprise and replied, "Oh, you're Alec For... ah, I forgot."

Orio scratched the back of his head, realizing he had forgotten Alec's last name.

Alec just smiled and introduced himself, saying, "Alec Foreman. Nice to meet you," as he offered his hand for a handshake.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Orio bowed and accepted the handshake.

After their brief introduction, Alec Foreman led Orio to an ordinary-looking car.

Alec concealed his embarrassment about the older and more conventional car he was using for this business trip, maintaining a stoic expression.

Alec drove them to the NewLand building.

---

[NewLand HQ]

During the ride, Alec engaged in light conversation with Orio. They eventually arrived at the NewLand building.

Stepping out of the car, Alec guided Orio to a private room within the NewLand building.

Inside, Archie Scott, the CEO of NewLand, entered the room and spotted Orio.

Orio promptly stood up and bowed politely, but Archie simply smiled and reciprocated with a bow of his own.

Although Orio had already devised a plan on how to lower the cost of acquiring the Tetris rights, he still felt a bit nervous. After all, he was in a foreign land.

Archie Scott engaged in light conversation with Orio first and even offered him a coffee.

Afterward, they delved into the real negotiation, with Orio, Archie, and Alec engaging in heated discussions about the price of the Tetris rights.

"We'll sell the Tetris rights for 3 million dollars," Archie stated firmly.

Orio didn't back down and responded, "3 million? Isn't that too expensive? That game wasn't even that popular." He chuckled as he made this point, and even Alec began to feel a bit anxious because what Orio had mentioned was true.

But Archie stood his ground and argued, "Our game was once a global sensation, and it continues to be played to this day. I believe the price is fair."

Orio shook his head and countered, "That's true. It was popular in the past, but that's not the case now. The past and the present are different, and it's clear that it's not worth the price you're insisting on anymore."

Archie clenched his hand and said, "Alright, 2.6 million," gritting his teeth, as if displaying a hint of hesitation. In reality, he was acting to elicit sympathy and portraying himself as stubborn, hoping to gauge the other party's reaction and secure an agreement.

"Still too expensive," Orio shook his head, countering with, "We can offer 300,000 dollars."

Archie remained unconvinced and mentioned, "I've heard that your company, KiShin, is making a lot of money from developing video games." He observed Orio and noticed a subtle flinch, chuckling inwardly. He continued, "Now that KiShin wishes to acquire the rights to our Tetris game, it must have plans to enhance the game, resell it in Japan, and potentially profit from it. I can see that the Tetris rights hold significant value for KiShin."

While Orio had anticipated this line of discussion, he couldn't help but feel a touch of anxiety hearing that the other party was well-informed about KiShin's situation. He wasn't the only one who had come prepared.

"You're correct. KiShin aims to improve the Tetris game, but we cannot be certain whether it will truly benefit our company. Business is unpredictable, and there are no guarantees. We cannot take unnecessary risks," Orio explained, choosing his words carefully.

Archie fell silent, contemplating strategies to secure a high price for selling the Tetris rights. It was the only option he had to save NewLand.

Suddenly, Archie remembered something and stated, "If KiShin refuses to accept our offer of 2.6 million dollars, we might consider negotiating with Tora Electronics, one of KiShin's competitors." He issued this statement as a bluff, hoping to gauge Orio's reaction.

Orio, however, seemed flustered, tapping nervously on the table. Archie and Alec shared a discreet glance, recognizing that they had stumbled upon a potential vulnerability.

In Orio's mind, he recalled the words of his young boss: "Remember, we must acquire the Tetris rights at all costs. Losing them would be a significant setback for the company." At the time, Orio had taken those words lightly, assuming it would be easy to secure the rights from a struggling company. But now, facing the prospect of negotiations with Tora Electronics, KiShin's competitors, Orio felt the mounting pressure and briefly lost his composure before regaining his composure.

"Alright, how about 1 million dollars?" Orio proposed, raising the offer.

Archie and Alec exchanged knowing glances, sensing they had discovered Orio's vulnerability. Though they wouldn't exploit it fully, they knew they could capitalize on it, especially as the price had risen from 300,000 dollars to 1 million dollars.

"2.6 million dollars," Archie repeated firmly.

But Archie and Alec weren't the only ones skilled in cunning negotiation tactics. Orio was well aware that he had briefly lost control of his expression earlier, and he suspected that the other party might try to exploit this vulnerability. To counteract this, he deliberately adopted a stern, teeth-gritting expression, playing his part convincingly. Both Archie and Alec observed his performance and momentarily became concerned.

"1.5 million dollars is our absolute budget for acquiring the Tetris rights!" Orio declared with remarkable hesitation and reluctance, striving to persuade Archie and Alec that this was truly the limit of their budget.

Archie and Alec exchanged a glance and collectively decided not to push their luck too far.

With apparent reluctance and gritted teeth, they reluctantly conceded, "Alright, 1.5 million dollars it is."

Orio maintained his downcast expression, but internally, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to lower the cost, even though it wasn't as low as he had hoped. Nevertheless, he understood that in life, things don't always go according to plan.

Ultimately, Orio was relieved that his acting skills had successfully deceived the other party, and with the price agreement reached, both parties proceeded to sign the contract. Finally, KiShin Company officially acquired the Tetris rights in this world.