Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2695 Changes Behind the Iron Curtain (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

Sweeping the world!

Just as Song Mingxuan had predicted, the Game Boy, which entered the market with "Tetris", was immediately welcomed by the market. It was launched two months after the release of the GB and eventually achieved sales of tens of millions, helping the Game Boy to dominate the market.

The Game Boy was initially priced at $109 in the Sea of ​​America. In North America, it was bundled with a battery, data cable, headphones, and a Tetris cartridge for a total of $89, which was not an amount that the average gamer could easily afford at the time.

However, it perfectly combined an LCD screen, a D-pad, a clock function, and a single game. At the same time, it popularized the concept of a handheld console with its excellent battery life, a strong lineup of games—especially Tetris—and a relatively low price, which led to its rapid acceptance worldwide.

Blue Planet Games, the company behind the game, profited over several hundred million dollars from it.

However, Li Yitao, the company's CEO, didn't care about the company's profits at all. In fact, the company was only established to make it easier for him to meet with Natasha.

With a reason to collaborate on the game, they will have more opportunities to meet, and even after Natasha arrives in Kyiv, they can continue to collaborate.

Moreover, the two met openly and honestly, unlike in the past when they had to sneak around.

"Our company will produce Game Boy."

When Li Yitao visited, Natasha stated her demands directly.

"This is also stipulated in our agreement. At the same time, our Game Boy can also be exported to Western countries. After all, the copyright of 'Tetris' belongs to all the Soviets."

What was the value of Tetris to the Soviet Union?
That's a return of tens of millions of dollars.

It may seem like a small amount, but it is a rare and successful "export of intellectual property." In order to acquire the game, the two parties signed a corresponding agreement, which included the production and sale of the game console—Soviet companies also had the rights to produce and sell it.

Such production and sales can generate more foreign exchange.

"No problem, but you can't use the 'Game Boy' brand."

Although Natasha was indeed his lover, Li Yitao was very clear about what was most important to the company from a business perspective.
It's a Game Boy!

It's not just about the game itself.

If you want to sell hundreds of thousands of Game Boys to children, bundle Mario. But if you want to sell millions of Game Boys to everyone, regardless of age or gender, bundle Tetris.

However, the core of the game is still the Game Boy. As for Tetris, it's just a game bundled with the Game Boy.

The company will release other games in the future.

As for the handheld consoles produced in Russia, they might have a certain market, but who knows... they simply don't understand what competition is.

On the other hand, Natasha also needed corresponding political achievements. A knock-off Game Boy was a good start; compared to things like chip processors, this was much simpler.

After the two reached a preliminary consensus on the production of the Game Boy, Natasha introduced Li Yitao to the progress of the electronics industry in Kyiv, from the reorganization of factories to the transfer of a large amount of chip technology to them by the military, but the most important thing was the introduction of new equipment.

"The military's chip manufacturing processes far exceed the current technological level of factories. If we want to utilize their technology to develop and produce new types of chips, we need more advanced lithography machines, and that..."

Looking at Li Yitao, Natasha said:
“Only SEA can provide this, so I plan to use the profits from exporting the handheld console to import it from SEA, but this may cause some problems with the ban.”

Li Yitao nodded slightly and said:

"This isn't a big problem. During my previous visit, I noticed some chips, which were mostly counterfeit products, including your Pentium processor."

Natasha, you know very well that these products cannot enter the Western market.

"If you want your electronic products to enter Western markets, you must have your own chips, understand?"

Natasha nodded, and then said:

“I know, and this is the inevitable choice for catching up in the electronics industry. Simply relying on imitation... it’s already very difficult to catch up with you.”

Natasha now has a deep understanding of the backwardness of the Soviet Union's electronics industry. The most fundamental reason for this backwardness was that the Soviet Union was constantly imitating others, which caused it to fall further and further behind.

After all, the pace of chip development is incredibly fast—faster than what they can imitate.

"By studying some military chip designs, we are integrating new technologies and believe that the company will soon launch a new processor that should be no worse than your Pentium processor."

As Natasha spoke of all this, her eyes were filled with a sense of pride, as if to say, "Look how amazing I am! I've achieved so much so quickly since I arrived here."

Li Yitao simply smiled at this, and then, as she had hoped, offered a few words of praise, which made Natasha's eyes crinkle into crescent moons with laughter.

In fact, Li Yitao was very clear about his father's thoughts. He hoped that Soviet researchers could make some innovations in the research of integrated circuits, and preferably open up a new track.

Then, through corresponding cooperation, SEA will further promote its own integrated circuit development.

Is there any chance that the father's idea will succeed?

Who knows?

But what is the most distinctive feature of the Soviet system?
This allows them to concentrate their efforts on major projects. In order to achieve a breakthrough in certain areas, they will focus all their resources on research, and perhaps they will indeed open up a new path for integrated circuit design research.

This future-oriented collaboration originated here, both for Natasha and for sEA.

And all of this started with a Soviet programmer's casual work during work hours.

In that gloomy and oppressive computer center, Alexei ignited joy in countless people with a graphic made of square brackets.

But what did Alexei, the instigator of all this, get? He didn't get a single penny; all he got was a Pentium computer and priority housing.

Well, as for the car he'd been longing for, it was also a gift from the company.

So, besides business and personal matters, there was another thing to do on this trip to Kyiv: to bring Alexei and his family out of the Soviet Union.

After all, he was the inventor of the game, and when he obtained the game license, the two parties had reached a verbal agreement.

Even verbal agreements must be kept. If they cannot be fulfilled here, then take him out of the Soviet Union.

"That's probably not easy."

That night, nestled in her lover's arms, Natasha listened to his thoughts. After a moment's thought, she said:
“If he were just an ordinary person, he might have a chance to get a passport and leave with his family through immigration. But now that his invention has attracted attention, the authorities are very likely unwilling to let him go.”

"Is there any other way?"

Li Yitao looked at Natasha and said:
“We made him some promises at the time, but we couldn’t keep them because he was in the Soviet Union. If possible, I hope to bring him and his family to the SEA.”

In fact, their promise did not include taking him and his family out of the country, but in order to keep their promise, they had no choice but to do so.

"I will help you think of some solutions."

Natasha looked at her lover and said:
"However, this matter ultimately depends on his personal wishes."

In fact, although Alexei seemed to have created a game that earned the country a lot of foreign exchange and also made him receive recognition.

But in reality, for the KGB, someone like him was not considered a talent at all; after all, he was just a guy who made games while slacking off at work.

It wasn't a big deal for someone like him, who was not doing anything productive, to leave the Soviet Union, so with Natasha's help, he quickly obtained permission to leave the country.

When Alexei learned from Tang Zhiheng that he could leave the country, his first reaction was:

"What about my family? Can I take them with me when I leave?"

His tone sounded somewhat urgent, and no one doubted that he really wanted to leave.

"of course."

Tang Zhiheng said to him.

“Alexei, just as I promised—I will keep my promise, in any way I may.”

Hearing Tang Zhiheng say this, Alexei nodded, then looked at him with gratitude and said:

"Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much."

Alexei's words came from the bottom of his heart, after all, he never expected that Tang Zhiheng had never forgotten his promise.

In fact, Alexei had already given up everything when the state declared that his game belonged to the state. He accepted the corresponding reward of a computer and the right to priority allocation of housing.

Later, Tang Zhiheng gave him a car, and he was already very grateful.

But now Tang Zhiheng has brought him some good news.

How could he not be moved?

"Alright, Alexei, you should get ready now. Once you get to SEA, you can start your work again there, whether you choose game development or something else."

Then Tang Zhiheng continued:

"Of course, if you don't want to work, that's perfectly fine too. As we promised before, your bonuses will be enough to support you for the rest of your life."

"No...it already belongs to the country."

In response to Alexei's doubts, Tang Zhiheng smiled and said:

"It's only a part. Although we bought out the global distribution rights for 'Tetris' from the official source, it doesn't affect the agreement we reached before. We will abide by it and give you the corresponding rewards."

Sometimes some people are lucky, and at least Alexei was lucky.

Whether in this world or another, he was a lucky man, because although Moscow only rewarded him with an electronic computer, his overseas partners still kept their promise to him.

Yes, that's true of the whole world; such lucky people are extremely rare.

A few days later, Alexei, who was granted permission to leave the country, arrived at the airport with his family and a few simple bags.

While waiting to leave the airport, he looked around again, as if trying to remember everything, his expression filled with deep reluctance.

But when the boarding announcement rang in the airport waiting hall, he still took his family's hands and walked towards customs, then handed over his passport. When customs stamped the passport, Alexei's face showed a hint of relief, but even more so, anticipation—anticipation for a new life.

"We're going to SEA..."

Taking his wife's hand, Alexei spoke softly, seemingly trying to comfort his wife and children and calm them down.

As he passed through customs, he glanced at the people coming from abroad. The next time he came here, he would be a foreigner just like them...

(End of this chapter)