Tokyo.
Studio Ghibli.
"Jump, jump!"
"Use a skill to hit it, hit it!"
On the television, the game screen of Pokeni's The Witcher was playing.
Sitting in front of the television were Studio Ghibli's President, Toshio Suzuki... and Hayao Miyazaki.
The person currently playing the game was Toshio Suzuki.
Hayao Miyazaki was sitting beside him, looking tense, fists clenched, directing Toshio Suzuki's actions.
Sisyphus unleashed a combo, the Blood Tribe's magic hand reached out, but grabbed nothing.
As a result, the enemies rushed over in a swarm.
Thwack, thwack, thwack...
Sisyphus fell to his knees, and the health bar turned black.
A large [GAME OVER] appeared on the screen.
"Ah~ how did you die again?" Hayao Miyazaki said, distressed.
Toshio Suzuki rolled his eyes at him.
Ken Kutaragi looked at Aoi Tomo with a bewildered expression.
***
The matter is handled, decided to post a chapter anyway, can't break the update streak!
No more updates tonight.
Thank you all.
See you tomorrow.
You have the nerve to say that. If it weren't for you yelling and giving bad directions from the side, would it have ended up like this?
And besides...
"Why don't you play the game yourself?
"You still have the nerve to say that? If it weren't for you shouting and barking orders from the sidelines, would it have ended up like this?
And...
'Why don't you play the game yourself? And why do you make me play it while you just sit there and direct me?'
'Hmm...'
Miyazaki Hamster's eyes darted around, and he gave a slight smile, revealing two deep dimples.
He raised his hands, 'Look, aren't my hands dirty? I got paint all over myself just now, and my apron is covered in it too.'
Toshio Suzuki really wanted to grab something and hit this guy hard on the head.
This guy, using such a clumsy excuse to boss someone else around, all while making snide remarks.
However...
He frowned, looking at the screen of the television, thinking to himself that this The Witcher game Pokeni just released was too hard, wasn't it?
'It's a good game, no doubt, but if you make it so people can't even beat it, the subsequent content loses its meaning,' Miyazaki Hamster said.
"Is it possible... that maybe we're just not cut out for this game? Rather than it being made too hard by others?" Toshio Suzuki looked up.
Miyazaki Hamster froze for a moment, finding his point surprisingly valid.
However, for the sake of his pride, he just gave a slight cough and said to Toshio Suzuki, "No, it's that you aren't cut out for this game; it's indeed too hard for you."
"Aren't you in the same boat?"
"I am not." Miyazaki Hamster stubbornly raised his hand, "See, I just don't have the time to play this game, that's all."
Heh...
Toshio Suzuki let out a cold laugh; Miyazaki Hamster's mouth was the only thing on him that remained tough.
"Fine, let's get back to work." Toshio Suzuki put down the controller.
"Eh? Giving up just like that?" Hayao Miyazaki said, feeling uncomfortable, "The war between the Blood Tribe and humans is about to start, don't you want to know what happens next?"
"I don't."
"Ah~ that's not good, Suzuki-san, giving up halfway is not a good trait."
"Could you please go and explore and experience the rest of the content yourself?"
***
Meanwhile, inside Sony Corporation, a major resolution was underway that had the potential to change the future of gaming in Japan.
At the meeting, Ken Kutaragi was arguing heatedly with the others.
"I believe we should independently research and develop a new-era console, which would allow Sony to truly enter the gaming sector," Kutaragi said, presenting data from the past year. "The facts prove that this collaboration with Sega has been profitable.
The new handheld console we jointly developed has clearly posed a threat to Nintendo while also disrupting the market.
So far, sales of the Sega GP have successfully surpassed 10 million units, which is a remarkable figure.
It also goes to show that Nintendo is not invincible in the gaming field."
Ken Kutaragi also presented hardware data for many consoles and provided a comparative analysis of Sony's advantages against the consoles currently on the market.
"Nintendo's console development capabilities are not as deep as Sega's. The PlayStation prototype we previously jointly developed with Nintendo is actually already quite complete. Now, we just need to take it a step further and, based on that prototype, develop a groundbreaking console product."
"Then we would have the possibility to gain a foothold in the new console market, thereby entering the gaming industry and capturing a certain market share."
Although Kutaragi Ken was full of confidence in Sony's R&D department, he was not arrogant enough to say things like "we can defeat Nintendo" or "we will capture the market."
One could only say that Nintendo had been hanging in the sky for so long that people found it hard to believe, or even imagine, that the sun could ever set.
"I do not agree with this point."
Director Yoshiura Yu stood up to refute him. "Developing a console is an extremely costly endeavor in terms of both money and manpower. How much did Sega spend developing their new console? 10 billion? 20 billion? Or even more?
Although we have a prototype, it has never been validated by the market.
And I must point out one thing—
Sega's new handheld console, while having sold over 10 million units, has seen the majority of those sales in the West.
The West is the result of Sega's years of operations there, where they already had a foundation.
But in Japan, Nintendo still dominates."
"Yes, even a company like Sega, which has been deeply involved in the gaming console field for many years, cannot shake Nintendo, so for us, with absolutely no experience, rushing into the console market carries a risk that is simply too high," Director Oowada chimed in.
The others nodded instinctively, seemingly leaning toward the two directors' point of view.
"Furthermore, a game console is merely a vehicle; it only accounts for a small fraction of the factors that lead to success," Oowada continued. "Think about it. If it weren't for the game Pokémon, the Sega GP might have ended in a dismal failure and had to retreat, let alone talk about 'making an impact on Nintendo.'
Mr. Kutaragi, the fact that you can stand here with this data and have the confidence to propose a plan for developing a new console is entirely due to good luck.
That luck was given to you by Pokémon.
It was given by Pokeni.
Do you understand?"
"In other words, games are what matter most. Without the cooperation of game developers, and without exclusive titles for the new console—or if those exclusive titles fail to reach sufficient heights or generate enough buzz—the risk of the new console failing will be very, very high."
Yoshiura Yu concluded, "I believe that if we want to continue to push into the gaming market, the best approach right now is to stick to our previous strategy. Why don't we partner with Sega to jointly develop the console? On one hand, this would allow us to share the risks and costs through collaboration."
"At the same time, we can have a reliable partner. In the future, by leveraging Sega's strength and influence, we can slowly develop new game developer allies... By snowballing our strength and connections, who knows, in 10 years we might be able to independently develop a console and get a slice of the market pie."
"Mmhmm."
The directors nodded one after another, feeling that Yoshiura's plan was more feasible and practical.
Most importantly, this plan was clearly much more reliable than Kutaragi's [reckless] aggressive approach, and it was also more in line with Sony's interests.
At least so far, the success of the collaboration with Sega has proven this point.
Kutaragi Ken did not agree with them, and a heated discussion ensued in the meeting.
After about two hours, they were still at a stalemate.
And this stalemate was, in reality, just Kutaragi alone.
Almost the entire board of directors was one-sided in the belief that his plan was too reckless, unreliable, and not in line with Sony's current interests.
It was truly no small feat that he had persisted until now.
"Give it up, Mr. Kutaragi, no one here will support you," one of the board members advised.
Everyone turned their eyes to the President.
That is, to the current Sony President and chief executive decision-maker, Norio Ohga.
Since everyone was deadlocked, it would be better to let the President make the decision.
Moreover, both sides had already stated their reasons, and the situation was exceptionally clear. Not a single person present supported Ken Kutaragi; now they just needed a reason to make him give up.
Norio Ohga didn't speak, just silently placed his hands on the table, interlaced them, and pondered.
Earlier this year, Sony's former president, Akio Morita, had to cease all work due to health reasons—a stroke (also known as a cerebral infarction).
After that, the entire burden of Sony fell onto Norio Ohga's shoulders.
Norio Ohga was a man of great composure and firm resolve, somewhat like the top leaders of Nintendo and Sega from the same era.
"What do you think is the difference between Sega and Nintendo?" Norio Ohga asked.
Everyone was stunned, not knowing why the President would ask such a question.
Or rather, the question was too broad, and for a moment, they didn't know where to begin answering.
Without waiting for an answer from the others, Ohga Norio answered his own question, "The difference is that Sega has yet to defeat Nintendo in the gaming arena."
"Apart from that, there is no difference."
Huh?
Everyone was stunned, still not quite understanding.
"If we say Nintendo is currently sitting on the throne of the Japanese gaming industry, then when Sega sits in that position, they will do the exact same thing as Nintendo."
"That is, monopoly."
"Using the resources at their disposal, and every ounce of power they can muster, to suppress their competitors."
"To put it bluntly, Sega's Nakayama Hayao and Nintendo's Yamauchi Hiroshi are the same type of person."
"Once such a person successfully ascends to the throne, they will not allow anyone around them to share it."
"Do you understand now?"
Ohga Norio said in a deep voice, "Instead of helping Sega become Nintendo, why shouldn't we become Nintendo ourselves?"
At this, everyone understood.
Good grief, so after all that, President Ohga, you were on Kutaragi Ken's side!
"I support Kutaragi's proposal."
Norio Ohga was clearly throwing his weight behind Ken Kutaragi.
"However, I believe the debate we just had was valuable."
"Moving forward, we must carefully select who our allies will be," Norio Ohga said. "We need a game developer who is influential, capable of posing a threat to Nintendo, and unafraid of Nintendo's sanctions. Most importantly, this partner must not betray us."
Norio Ohga emphasized the word "betray" heavily.
This was mainly because they had been hurt too badly by Nintendo in the past.
It was also undeniably crucial; if the partner couldn't keep a secret or jumped ship halfway through, it could lead to their new console development project being exposed prematurely and failing.
"So, who should this partner be?"
Norio Ohga scanned the room with a gaze as sharp as a hawk's.
***
"We hope Pokeni can become an ally of Sony."
Kutaragi Ken placed a cooperation agreement on the table and slid it in front of Aoki Haruhi.
The agreement outlined the terms for collaboration on the new console, including what Sony could provide and what benefits Pokeni could gain in return...
Regarding licensing fees, Pokeni wouldn't even need to pay them, which was already a huge concession.
The hardware capabilities of this new Sony console were immense, featuring Sony's own CD-ROM technology, which meant game capacity could reach up to 1 GB, and with the addition of peripherals, that capacity could be increased even further.
The game console's processor, capacity, support for graphics, and audio quality were absolutely top-tier in the world right now.
There was no doubt about that.
Because Aoki Haruhi knew Sony too well.
Starting with the PS, Sony would embark on a path to become the hegemon of gaming.
Now, he was about to witness history in the making.
"But... why us?" Aoki Haruhi asked, puzzled.
According to the normal timeline, they should have gone to look for Namco, who ranked fifth.
Square, ranked sixth, and Capcom, ranked third, are currently in a honeymoon phase with Nintendo, so it would probably be very difficult to sway them.
Otherwise, Square would have been their best option.
"Because Pokeni is the best choice." Kutaragi Ken, being the honest guy he is, really didn't hide anything at all. "We did consider other game companies, mainly because we felt that either they were too close to Nintendo, or they had too good a relationship with Sega.
If news of a partnership were to get out to a third party, it could cause a lot of trouble."
Kutaragi Ken said, "Pokeni is Sony's friend; we worked together on the Sega GP, and isn't it obvious? Pokeni is at odds with Nintendo, so we have a common enemy.
Of course, more importantly, after consistent discussion, we believe that Pokeni is a very powerful game company with super strong creativity and infinite potential.
That is why Sony feels that partnering with Pokeni is the optimal choice."
Tsk tsk.
With everything analyzed so thoroughly, what more is there for me to say?
Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but smile inwardly.
All he could say was—
Sony really had quite the eye.
But...
Was it really okay to just abandon Sega like that?
"Fine. No problem, we accept."
Eh?
Kutaragi Ken had never expected today's negotiations to go so smoothly.
Aoki Haruhi had agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"However... I do have one request."
As expected... nothing in this world was ever that straightforward.
But a request actually made Kutaragi feel more at ease.
He looked up at Aoki Haruhi, waiting for the young president's next words.
"If possible," Aoki Haruhi said, pressing his hands on the table and standing up, "I hope your company will consider developing the new generation of game consoles into a great product capable of supporting 3D games."
"3D?" Kutaragi Ken looked at Aoki Haruhi, completely bewildered.
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