Executive Director Nakayama's domineering approach of "throwing money to buy a win-win" was indeed as legendary as they said!
Shoji Kawamori sat back down, bent over to pick up the pencil from the carpet, and gripped it tightly in his hand.
"As long as we can kick Tatsunoko out of the picture and free Macross's creative process from that disgusting interference, I have no objections whatsoever!" Shoji Kawamori declared without hesitation.
As a pure creator, his greatest desire was a clean, free, and well-funded creative environment—and that was exactly what Sega had just laid on the table.
Yoshimasa Onishi stopped tapping the table. He took a deep breath, stood up abruptly, and extended his right hand across the wide conference table.
"Director Hattori, President Matsushima, President Yamaura," Yoshimasa Onishi's voice held the resolve of someone who had burned his bridges, mixed with a fervent passion for the future. "To a successful partnership! I'll be relying on all of you for the legal battles and negotiations ahead!"
Kiyoshi Hattori stood up and firmly shook Yoshimasa Onishi's hand, a cunning smile playing on his lips.
"As soon as the agreement is signed, we will immediately form a joint negotiation team. Sega's lawyers will take this memorandum to Tatsunoko's headquarters next Monday," Kiyoshi Hattori said, calmly smoothing the hem of his suit jacket, his gaze sharp and commanding. "Executive Director Nakayama has never been one to drag his feet."
The tension that had filled the conference room dissolved into an undercurrent of excitement.
With Sega's massive capital acting as the catalyst, the various factions quickly reached an agreement. The copyright war between Big West and Studio Nue against Tatsunoko was now officially on the agenda, thanks to Sega's forceful intervention.
Outside, Tokyo was sweltering in the late July heat. Inside the sixth conference room of the Sega Headquarters Building, the air conditioning was cranked to the max.
The long, mahogany conference table was packed with people. Every single producer and team leader from Sega's core development teams was present.
No one was looking at the planning documents in their hands.
All eyes were fixed on the head of the table.
There, ten machines with black, industrial plastic shells were lined up neatly. The surfaces hadn't even been polished, and the edges still bore the faint burrs of manual sanding, giving them a raw, unrefined look.
These were the early development kits for the new handheld console.
Hideki Sato and Yuji Naka sat by the window. The Hardware Department and the low-level tools team had worked around the clock for a full week, hand-crafting these ten machines from scratch.
Click.
The heavy, soundproofed wooden door swung open.
Oguchi Hisao walked in, clutching a stack of documents.
Takuya Nakayama followed behind him, carrying an iced Americano. Instead of taking the main seat, he naturally chose an empty one on the side and set his coffee on the table.
Oguchi strode to the front and slapped the documents onto the table with a sharp thwack.
The conference room fell silent instantly.
"Seen enough?" Oguchi's sharp gaze swept the room. He tapped the first development kit on the table twice, hard. "The Hardware Department worked themselves to the bone, and with Sharp's limited screen samples, we've only managed to put together these ten units. Too many wolves, too little meat."
The team leaders exchanged glances. No one spoke, but everyone leaned forward in perfect unison.
"Today is the preliminary screening of project proposals," Oguchi said, cutting straight to the chase with his usual efficiency. "The hardware's just been finalized, so I know you only have text and conceptual images right now. That's fine. Today, we're only looking at creativity and fit. Whoever's proposal impresses me and the Managing Director will get to take a unit and its accompanying development tools. You can start working on it the moment you get back."
Toshihiro Nagoshi, seated in the front row, slicked back his signature pompadour and eagerly pushed his proposal forward. His voice dripped with confidence. "Director Koguchi, my team even cleared our entire schedule for the next two weeks, pushing back all our other projects just to get our hands on this machine!"
"Free time doesn't earn you a spot," Koguchi Hisao retorted, completely unfazed. "Results do. Sega doesn't reward idle hands, nor does it reward effort for effort's sake." He turned to the whiteboard and wrote four bold characters in a single stroke:
[ Tetris ]
The room stirred. Some developers frowned, while others hurriedly flipped through their notes, confusion etched on their faces.
This game is ancient.
Sega had bundled Tetris with their previous Game Pocket handheld. Why bring it back as a launch title? Weren't they just tarnishing their own brand?
Koguchi Hisao turned back and tossed the marker into its holder.
"Rehashing old hits. No innovation. I know what you're all thinking," he said, leaning his weight onto the table. "But this is a mandatory launch-day bundle. We need to ensure that the moment a player turns on the console, they get instant gratification—without spending a single yen on a cartridge."
As he spoke, he picked up a Development Kit from the table and pointed to the black, rectangular, translucent window on its top.
"This is the infrared communication module added by the Hardware Department," Oguchi Hisao explained. He drew a fresh marker from the tray and wrote four characters on the whiteboard with a heavy hand:
[ Four-Player Multiplayer ]
A wave of suppressed excitement rippled through the conference room. The eyes of several sharp-minded producers lit up instantly.
"The old Tetris could only support two players via a link cable," Oguchi said, tapping the whiteboard. "Cables have physical limitations—you have to carry them around, they're easy to break, and even easier to lose. Now, as long as a few people sit together and point their machines at each other, they can connect instantly without any physical constraints."
His gaze swept over the producers seated below, his eyes burning with intensity. "Four people, battling simultaneously."
Yuji Naka, sitting beside him, straightened his posture. With the pride of an engineer, he added, "We've already rigorously tested the low-level communication protocol. The infrared signal is extremely stable when four machines are within a two-meter range. Garbage lines generated from clearing blocks can be randomly sent to any of the other three players. Of course, you can also manually target a specific player—perfect for ganging up on the unlucky soul who's about to lose."
"Everyone, use your imaginations as game developers. Picture this scenario."
Takuya Nakayama, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. He took a sip of his iced Americano, the ice cubes clinking crisply against the side of the cup. His tone was casual, yet it held a captivating, persuasive charm.
"A crowded train, a fast-food joint after school, or the steps by the school playground. Four students sitting together, handheld consoles in hand. You clear two lines and send them his way; he clears four and sends them back to me. Sabotaging each other, pulling the rug out from under one another, shouting and cheering."
The producers' minds instantly filled with the image.
This had moved beyond simply playing a game—this was pure social interaction!
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 30+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon