Game Development Giant

Originally, Jester's team had a top programmer, Yuji Naka, who helped him develop the FC simulator. However, Yuji Naka was more interested in designing games than he was in programming. Much older, he has expressed to himself more than once that he wants to be a game producer rather than just a programmer. Therefore, when Nash Gebelli joined his company, Jester That's why I'm so excited.

Jester's most important task when he came to Japan this time was to recruit some people who could be used by him or some outstanding game development companies. However, in addition to the previously recruited Matsuno Yasumi and Uematsu Nobuo, the results achieved were also very good. It's hard to satisfy him.

During this period, Jester visited one development company after another that had not officially joined Nintendo's royalty plan, although the sales of Jester's Dreambox in the North American market were far better than those of the same companies currently in the market. nes for trial sale, but he still couldn't convince these people that the North American home game console market would definitely recover, and the market prospects would be far several times stronger than the Japanese market.

Just like when Sony first entered the game industry, its father Ken Kutaragi personally visited game development companies such as Namco and Hudson, but the replies he received were all ruthless rejections. His current situation is different from that How similar are the times?

Even Anrong...

Thinking of what Yoichi Erikawa said when he went to Yokohama to visit Anei's headquarters before, Jester was itching to hate him. However, for Jester who plans to open up the Japanese market, the current Anei He is the only Japanese game developer for his dreambox, even if it is just for a face-saving project, so it is necessary to win over them.

However, when they first talked about it, they originally said that they would add Anei's "Nobunaga's Ambition" to the first batch of launch games for their Dreambox. At first, Erikawa Yoichi agreed, but after he officially started working on it, When burning the cassette of the first game, I asked An Rong about it, but An Rong refused because he encountered technical obstacles in the translation process.

Will translation also encounter technical obstacles? This kind of deception is what Anrong can do. Although Jester was extremely angry after knowing the news, he also suppressed his anger in order to win over Japan's only game development partner. .

This time Jester went to An Rong in person just to deal with this matter. He had reached the point where he could no longer tolerate An Rong's delay.

In fact, when he came to Japan, Tamahide Yoshiro had already told Jester the whole story.

Anrong is different from other game developers. Other game developers are mainly based on Nintendo FC, so no matter how harsh the royalty plan proposed by Nintendo is, they will try to get it in as if they are trying to sharpen their foreheads. Drill, because this is a very simple truth. Although Nintendo's exploitation is bone-crushing and marrow-draining, if you don't join the FC camp, you won't even be able to survive. What do these developers care about?

You know, not just any company is qualified to be beaten to the bone by Nintendo.

But Anrong is different. Anrong started his career not on FC, but on PC, and PC is a shared platform. Naturally, you don’t need to look at the face of PC manufacturers to develop games on PC, so Anrong didn’t do it at the beginning. So many people who hesitated to join Jester's camp were attracted by Jester's guaranteed buyout plan.

…But the problem is, after Eikawa Yoichi saw the six game developers who first cooperated with Nintendo were making a lot of money, and after learning that he had joined the Jester camp, he didn’t know if it was Intentionally or unintentionally, Hiroshi Yamauchi immediately made it clear at an internal development company meeting that without Nintendo's permission, any developer who makes games for other game platforms will automatically lose the qualification to develop games on FC. .

For Yoichi Erikawa, who had already reached a cooperation intention with Jester and signed a cooperation contract, such conditions almost killed his last thoughts about FC, allowing him to devote himself wholeheartedly to Mars. Entertainment produces games, but a visit from an internal Nintendo executive put him in a dilemma.

Nintendo made it very clear to him that the contract they signed with Mars Entertainment is for two years. As long as they do not produce games for Mars Entertainment in these two years, then after two years, they will automatically get the opportunity to join the Nintendo camp. Qualification, and in the first year, he will also be allowed to publish five games on FC.

You know, except for the six major developers, any other developers who join the Nintendo FC camp are only allowed to release three games on FC every year.

Of course, this is what Nintendo said, and it’s impossible for Yoichi Erikawa not to hear the hidden meaning in it. If you do it for Mars Entertainment, then don’t think about rejoining the FC development camp in the future. If In the subsequent confrontation, it would be fine if Mars Entertainment's Dreambox could completely defeat Nintendo's FC, but this has just begun, who can say for sure?

If Dreambox wins this battle, then if I also participate in it, I will naturally have the merit of being supported by the dragon. Just like the six major developers who first cooperated with Nintendo, I will definitely be in the development camp of Mars Entertainment. Enjoy privileges not available to other development companies that join later.

But what if FC finally wins?

Thinking of this, Eikawa Yoichi couldn't help but tremble with fear. He knew the character of Hiroshi Yamauchi, and he also knew the style of Nintendo, a company headquartered in Kyoto, the most conservative place. If FC wins this home game console war, then wait My own intention is to give up all my years of hard work and completely get out of the Japanese gaming circle.

After all, PC games cannot compare with the profitability of home console games.

Moreover, there is another problem that deeply affects him, making him feel a little regretful about reaching an agreement with Mars Entertainment. Because the games he is good at making are all based on Japanese history, these games will be sold in Japan. It's good, but the United States, Mars Entertainment's main market, will be accepted by Mars Entertainment's own Japanese historical background, a historical game that they have never heard of?

This is also the reason why he has been holding off on giving the English dreambox of "Nobunaga's Ambition" that Mars Entertainment had promised before.

The contract Anrong signed with Mars Entertainment is relatively loose. In addition to the minimum sales guarantee promised by Jester, it also requires them to release at least two games within two years, and it does not prohibit them from making games on other platforms. .

But Jester is not a philanthropist. The benefit of guaranteed sales will only work when they are exclusive to Mars Entertainment. If Anrong makes games for other game platforms during this period, then this benefit will naturally be eliminated. Cancel automatically.

It was under this circumstance that Jester visited Anei's headquarters, and Erikawa Yoichi came out to greet him personally.

Jester didn't talk nonsense to him. He didn't come here to be polite, but to question. As soon as he sat down in the reception room without even drinking tea, Jester asked in an angry tone: "Why not According to our agreement, provide us with the English version of "Nobunaga's Ambition" before?"

...At this time, Erikawa Yoichi was still planning to fool him with nonsense. He explained apologetically: "Mr. Li, we encountered some technical difficulties that we couldn't overcome when making the English version. We are now working hard to speed up the process. We will definitely produce an English version of the game as soon as possible."

"Hey!"

When I heard Yoichi Erikawa's statement, it was just to fool laymen. It's just what you said on the phone before. I've already arrived at the scene, and you still say that? So, after hearing this explanation from Erikawa Yoichi, Jester snorted without saying anything.

Then he reprimanded unceremoniously.

"Mr. Yoichi Erikawa, I came to visit this time precisely because I heard you say you had difficulties in translation a few years ago, so Terry brought two translation experts who are proficient in Japanese and English to help. You solve this problem, and I am also very curious. I have also participated in the translation of games. I really can’t understand what kind of technical difficulties there will be in just translating a game, which will allow you to It won’t be resolved for months.”

Yoichi Erikawa was a little unhappy when he saw Jester's attitude, which made it clear that he was here to punish him, but he didn't have the idea of ​​falling out with Jester completely, just like he was worried about what would happen if Nintendo defeated him in the end. It will never be the same again. If he and Jester fall out now, what if the winner of the final home console war is Mars Entertainment?

Of course, it is of course impossible for the people brought by Jester to participate in the translation work of the game. It is not that there are any secrets in the game, but that he himself has not even started to translate it, and the project does not exist. How about Jester bringing people to visit or help?

Of course, telling the truth is not okay, after all, it would be too offensive to say it.

If Jester knew that he hadn't started formal translation yet, he would be completely offended to death. For a fence-sitter like Erikawa Yoichi, the gain would outweigh the loss. r1152