Oga Norio scanned the room, his gaze lingering on faces filled with excitement, anxiety, and fear. Finally, his eyes settled on the thick door of the conference room.
"Last night, I paid a visit to Mr. Morita."
*Boom!*
The name carried more weight than any heated argument. Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, the soul of this empire.
The entire room fell silent, even the sound of breathing vanishing.
A cold smile curled the corners of Oga Norio's lips.
"After hearing about what happened in Chicago, Mr. Morita said only one thing."
He paused, then delivered the founder's will like thunder, each word crashing into their hearts.
"If Sony were to abandon a future we've deemed our own, simply because some small Kyoto flower shop filed a lawsuit..."
He paused again, letting the gravity of his words sink in.
"...then tomorrow, he would personally take down the 'Sony' sign above our headquarters."
"Because we wouldn't deserve it."
Dead silence.
Director Iwata swayed slightly before collapsing back into his chair, his face pale.
Nobuyuki Idei's eyes, however, blazed with intense heat.
Ken Kutaragi, who had been hanging his head like a guilty criminal, suddenly snapped his head up at these words.
The humiliation and despair in his bloodshot eyes receded, replaced by a burning, frenzied flame.
Oga Norio finally stood up and walked to Kutaragi's side. He stuffed the unlit cigar into Kutaragi's suit pocket.
"Ten months," he said. "I want to see a brand-new machine that belongs solely to Sony."
He patted Kutaragi's shoulder with firm force.
"Go." Oga Norio's voice regained its calm. He released his grip, as if bidding farewell to a soldier heading into battle.
Kutaragi nodded vigorously, saying nothing more.
He clutched the cigar in his pocket as if grasping the entire future of Sony.
The atmosphere in the conference room shifted from icy tension to a peculiar, molten intensity.
Oga Norio's gaze slowly turned to Director Iwata, who remained pale and slumped in his chair.
"Iwata."
"Yes—" Director Iwata jolted upright, barely managing to straighten his spine.
"You said earlier that we're amateurs in this field and should cut our losses and retreat to what we know." Oga Norio's voice was devoid of emotion, as if reciting a dry report.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Iwata's forehead.
"Let me ask you this," Oga Norio's tone suddenly sharpened. "Forty years ago, when we made radios, were we amateurs? Thirty years ago, when we made televisions, were we amateurs? Ten years ago, when we made Walkmans, were we amateurs?"
The barrage of questions left Director Iwata's lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
"Sony was built by a bunch of amateurs who turned impossibilities into realities! When did 'hesitation' find its way into our vocabulary?"
Oga Norio stepped closer to Iwata, looking down at him.
"Your eyes are fixed on this quarter's financial report, wondering how to explain things to the shareholders. But I'm looking at Sony's financial reports for the next ten, twenty years!"
He paused, and the silence in the conference room was so profound that a pin dropping would have been audible.
"But—" Oga Norio's tone softened, and he even reached out to straighten Iwata's crooked tie, a gesture that made Iwata stiffen visibly.
"Your concerns aren't unfounded. The company's resources are limited; we can't pour all our blood into a single project."
All the conservative directors in the room raised their heads, looking puzzled.
Oga Norio strode back to his seat at the head of the table and surveyed the assembled executives.
"Do you really think that what Ken Kutaragi and his team developed was merely a game console?"
He smiled, a look of omniscient insight in his eyes.
"No. It's the culmination of all our next-generation electronic technologies. It's the chip that will connect our Trinitron TVs to the television network, the processor that will give our Walkmans a graphical interface, and the engine that will make our cameras the industry standard!"
He turned to Iwata, his gaze no longer questioning but carrying an unrefusable directive.
"Starting today, the Home Electronics Division will establish a New Technology Integration Department. You, Iwata, will head this department."
Iwata's head snapped up, his face a mask of astonishment.
"I want you to combine your top engineers with Ken Kutaragi's team. Integrate more electronic department technologies into our home appliances, and ensure that Sony's home electronics always remain at the forefront of the industry."
Oga Norio's voice was decisive, leaving no room for argument.
Director Iwata's face flushed crimson, then paled. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but ultimately stood up and bowed deeply to Oga Norio.
"Yes, President Oga!"
In that moment, he ceased to be a conservative being judged and became a general receiving his marching orders.
The hostility and resentment that had filled the conference room moments before instantly melted away.
Everyone understood that Oga Norio's move wasn't compromise, but a bold gamble to unite all their forces into a single rope, to pry open the future of the entire Sony Empire!
"Meeting adjourned."
Oga Norio waved his hand, and the directors rose and filed out one by one. Their gazes toward Ken Kutaragi were no longer filled with disdain and scrutiny, but a complex mixture of emotions.
After the series of upheavals at the International Consumer Electronics Show in May 1992, the entire gaming industry seemed both transformed and unchanged.
It seemed different because two new console manufacturers, 3D0 and Sony, had suddenly emerged. In fact, 3D0 couldn't even be strictly considered a console manufacturer, but rather a standards-defining entity.
The apparent lack of change stemmed from the fact that neither of the two new console manufacturers had actually released a product. 3DO was still in development, while Sony was tied up in legal battles. As a result, the most mainstream gaming options available to players remained the 16-bit home consoles from Nintendo and Sega, along with Sega's handheld systems.
When it came to cold, hard cash, all the grand narratives that hadn't yet materialized seemed pale and powerless.
After the clamor died down, the industry realized that the true stars at the table were still Nintendo and Sega.
The industry settled back into its familiar rhythm, with companies focusing on their marketing campaigns and game sales.
Sega watched nervously from the sidelines, relieved that they had only shared some of the development costs for CD-ROM technology with Sony and hadn't gotten too deeply involved.
At the same time, many executives gained a stark realization: in this industry, there were numerous outsiders with deep pockets and advanced technology, all eyeing the lucrative gaming market like hungry predators.
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