Chapter 53: The Approaching 16-Bit Era
In the Tokyo Pentagon office, I met Mr. Kawaguchi and leisurely returned to Kyoto in the afternoon. However, the atmosphere at the MinTendo headquarters was chaotic.
"Director Kang Junhyuk, why are you only arriving now? How long has President Kamauichi been looking for you since this morning?" a staff member responsible for information at the headquarters lobby exclaimed upon seeing me.
I retorted, "Check the business trip schedule; it should say I'm in Tokyo, right? Why are you looking for me? Do you expect me to fall from the sky?"
"Right now isn't the time for jokes. Just go to the president's office."
I'd spent a long time on the Shinkansen, and I was exhausted, so what could possibly be going on now? I grumbled to myself as I made my way to the president's office.
Knock, knock. I lightly tapped on the door, and from the inside, I could hear President Kamauichi's irritable voice.
"Come in!"
Oh boy, he seemed really angry. I could tell even from just his voice. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, entering the president's office. In the room, key members of the management, including Mr. Gunpei and Mr. Shige, were gathered.
At that moment, President Kamauichi, who had been massaging his forehead, shouted when he saw me, "Kang Junhyuk! You, where have you been?!"
"Did you not check the business trip schedule? I went to the publishing house in Tokyo to promote our cartridges and distribute flyers. Why are you looking for me now?"
"Hey, you! Just because you're a director doesn't mean you can go gallivanting off to Tokyo like this. If it's just promotional materials, you could have sent them by mail. Your monthly travel expenses for these business trips could cover one employee's salary! Are you going to rent an entire Shinkansen car next?"
"No, but you've never complained before, even when I've gone on business trips."
"Have you read the newspaper today?"
"I have. Is this about NEGA Drive's recent announcement?"
"That's right. NEGA, our competitor, already announced their next-gen console. Aren't you concerned?"
"Why should I be? If anything, isn't this better for us?"
"What?"
I nonchalantly uttered, and the expressions of the people in the room contorted momentarily. At that moment, Mr. Gunpei, who had been watching me beside President Kamauichi, spoke.
"Is this better for us?"
"Of course. They're spending their money in the untested 16-bit market, and they're going to report on the situation for us. What could be better than that?"
"Kang Jun, but can we ignore the first-mover advantage in the market? At this rate, the gap in specs between our family games and NEGA's new games will become too significant..."
"Mr. Gunpei, when do you think the original specs for a console are released? There has never been a software company that can fully utilize a console's performance from the beginning. At the very least, we need to research the specs and investigate the limits of object usage based on that research."
"That's true. It would take at least 1-2 years for that to happen. For instance, the Super Marioji 1 that Seager-kun made in the early days and the one he's working on now, Super Marioji 3, even though they're on the same console, the graphics are completely different..."
"Right. You're correct," Seager replied.
"I'm currently working on Psychic Battle, which in the early days, would have been impossible to implement in the family console. But now, we're creating such games, and they're about to be released soon. So, even if NEGA Drive is released next year, initially, it won't be much different from our current games."
Then the heads of those in the meeting room began nodding in agreement.
"After all, NEGA Drive has only announced that they will develop the next-gen console. So, even if they do, it won't be released for at least a year, right? I think this might put more pressure on NEGA."
Then Mr. Seager, with a puzzled expression, asked, "Why...?"
"Right now, Seager-kun has almost finished Super Marioji 3, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"By the way, how would you feel if our company announced a new console a year from now? Even if we release it now, it'll be buried under the new console in a year. After completing the cartridge production in two months, we'll have only 10 months left. Do you think gamers will buy Super Marioji 3 at that time?"
"From a developer's perspective, that would be a huge blow. It would be better to focus on researching the specs of the new console and develop for it."
"What about the market penetration? Currently, our family console has a significant presence in Japan, with over 30 million units. Do you think gamers will rush to buy the new system as soon as it's released? It's unlikely. Even in the best-case scenario, we'd sell around 100,000 units in the first month. And then, out of those, how many would also buy Super Marioji 3? Sure, it has name value, so it'll sell well, but it's just a fraction. So, Super Marioji 3's sales would be halved, right?"
"Damn... Releasing an old-gen system is pointless, and competing with a new system is also problematic."
"Exactly. The third-party companies that have been developing their games for our system are probably feeling the same way. Let me present one problem here. How do you think these third-party companies, which have been gearing up for the release of their games, will react? First, 'I don't know; let's just release it.' Second, 'Let's wait for a year.' But in this case, only major players can afford to wait for a year. It would be impossible for the rest. So, lastly, third, 'Let's port it to a different platform with specs close to NEGA's and release it there.' Now, which one do you think they'll choose?"
"You don't mean..."
"At this moment, thanks to the special chip created by Laitex, our family console's capabilities have been upgraded beyond the previous version. If we attach the special chip, it won't be a problem to code games to match NEGA Disk's specs. In this case, we might need Mr. Kamauichi to open a path for third-party developers."
"You mean lower the royalty price?"
"Exactly. When we need to purchase Laitex's special chips, if MinTendo reduces the cartridge royalties, we can sway many second-party developers who were previously aligned with NEGA to our side. If the competition has fortified itself, we should respond with an even stronger force."
My speech ended here. If they had anything else to say, they could continue.
However, they remained silent, like bees buzzing in honey. Their minds were processing NEGA Drive's announcement today as the worst-case scenario turning into the perfect timing for their management.
President Kamauichi narrowed his brows, trying to find a weak point in my argument but ultimately gave up with a deep sigh.
"That guy, I swear. He comes in here and talks as if he's written a report or something. There's nothing to say."
"NEGA Drive announced the next-gen console's name today, but we haven't overlooked a moment like this. That's why I've been asking to establish a new console planning department since I returned to the U.S., haven't I?"
"Now that you mention it, how is the successor to the family console progressing under your watch?"
"The controller's final design is completed and in production."
"The controller? You started with the controller before the main unit?"
"The controller is more critical than the device specs. We've put a lot of effort into making it the sturdiest part of the gaming console. I believe everyone will like it. But more importantly, since NEGA has dropped a bomb, why don't we detonate one of our own in tomorrow's morning paper?"
"What issue are you thinking of?"
"How about moving up the release date for Mr. Gunpei's masterpiece, the portable Game Boy, by a week to Christmas and selling it for 12,800 yen? Then, starting from January 1st next year, we can sell it for 14,800 yen. How about an initial limited edition format?"
"Are you suggesting we operate at a loss for a week?"
"When did we ever make money by selling the Family? We made money by selling cartridges. Lowering the royalty for Family games when we need to purchase Laitex's special chips for the Game Boy, and if they sell well, we can make a profit."
"Sir, Kang's proposal isn't bad. What should we do?"
"Why hesitate? Call the morning newspaper immediately!"
As President Kamauichi's words fell, the executives in the office quickly left, busily moving around. The sudden decision on the release date of the Game Boy due to the price had turned the marketing department upside down.
In no time, only President Kamauichi and I remained in the office. It seemed like we had wrapped up the agenda. Should I head home now?
"Well, I guess I'll leave for the day..."
At that moment, President Kamauichi, who had his hands clasped on the table, lost in thought, spoke up.
"Kang, could you take a seat for a moment?"
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