A Return to Bandai

Takuya returned to Tokyo from Yokohama. As soon as he stepped into the sales command center, a wave of heat, mixed with the smells of coffee, sweat, and excitement, hit him. The numbers on the whiteboard were still glaring, but everyone's attention was no longer focused on them. They were anticipating new results.

The team leader of development group, a somewhat unkempt tech geek, was currently beaming with pride, his arm around the sales manager's neck, waving a fax paper in his hand. "See? I told you Fujita was my best friend, didn't I? We developed a software together in college, and we even made some money. So he took the money his family gave him and started a software company!"

"Fujita? Which Fujita?" someone from the Marketing Department asked, leaning over.

"Fujita Masaya from NCS!" The team leader slammed the fax paper on the table. "They've agreed! They're officially becoming our third party! They also said their studio, Masaya, is very interested in the capabilities of MD!"

"Masaya," a young planner muttered the name, then, as if remembering it, asked, "Is it from PC?"

Masaya, the one that released <Elthlead>? Their games are pretty good!

Takuya heard this, thought about it carefully, and his eyes lit up. NCS!

Many people may not recognize this company at first glance, but they will definitely know two games mentioned: Langrisser Front Mission and Langrisser.

The action game Metal Max, developed by Masaya, a game studio under this company, is the predecessor of <Front Mission>.

Of course, this * Metal Max * is not the RPG * Metal Max developed by Miyaoka Hiroshi of CREA-TECH.

eries)>.

Langrisser is a well-known SRPG that players from the previous generation are familiar with.

The project manager mentioned earlier that <Elthlead> was the predecessor of <Langrisser>.

"That's right!" the team leader exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Fujita said, 'They're working on a new SRPG. The FC's capabilities are simply insufficient; our MD is practically tailor-made for them!'"

Before the commotion had subsided, the president's secretary strode in and handed a document directly to the sales manager. The command room fell silent instantly; everyone saw that the president's secretary had brought it down directly from upstairs.

The sales manager's hands trembled slightly as he read through the text, word by word, his expression shifting from serious to ecstatic. He looked up, his voice trembling, "It's Konami!"

He didn't need to say anything more. Everyone held their breath.

"President Nakayama —we've got it!" the sales manager practically shouted. "Konami's first Mega Drive game..."

Contra!

"Oh!!!"

A long-suppressed roar exploded in the command room. If NCS had secured an elite special forces unit, then Konami's addition was equivalent to the signing of an entire heavy armored division! Everyone knew how popular Contra was in Contra, and its sales on the Famicom were the envy of all, not to mention the long list of excellent games developed by Konami.

Takuya leaned against the wall, listening to the cheers around him, a smile spreading across his face. Sure enough, his father's involvement was reliable.

Just then, the international fax machine in the corner beeped, spitting out a long strip of paper. The overseas liaison officer rushed over, tore off the fax, and spoke so fast it sounded like he was rapping, "North America! EA! Hawkins has agreed! They're going to develop an Olympic-themed sports game for the Mega Drive, as the main weapon of the EA Sports brand!"

One bombshell announcement after another boosted the morale of everyone in the command center.

Watching everyone gesticulating wildly, Takuya shook his head, made himself a cup of coffee, and returned to his office. Before he could even sit down, the phone on his desk rang. He answered, "Moshi moshi."

"Manager Nakayama, this is Mitsui from Bandai." The other party's tone was very polite. "Our president, Yamashina, is very interested in the MD platform and would like to invite you to the company tomorrow to discuss it in detail."

"Okay, no problem." Takuya's voice was calm and even.

After hanging up the phone, he returned to the sales command center and saw that the sales manager had just finished writing down the names of the three cooperating developers. He walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Here," Takuya pointed to a blank space next to NCS, "I'll leave a spot here."

He paused, then tapped the whiteboard lightly with the knuckle of his index finger.

"To Bandai. Wait for my good news tomorrow."

The next day, Nakayama Takuya's Mazda RX-7 was parked in front of Bandai Headquarters.

Mitsui Chuta was already waiting in the lobby on the first floor. Upon seeing Takuya, he immediately went to greet him, his attitude far more enthusiastic than last time. "Executive Director Nakayama, you've arrived! The president and all the managers are already waiting for you in the conference room."

Takuya followed Mitsui Chuta into the conference room. The lineup inside was exactly the same as when they discussed "Super Robot Grand Assembly" last time. President Yamashina Makoto sat at the head of the table, flanked by executives from various departments. Among them, the head of the Development Department had a worried look on his face.

Takuya still remembers it vividly.

When everyone saw Takuya, they all stood up and nodded in greeting, the atmosphere polite yet tinged with a hint of eagerness.

"Special Secretary Nakayama, please have a seat." Yamashina Makoto gestured for him to sit.

Takuya sat down, placed his briefcase aside, and did not rush to take out any documents.

Yamashina Makoto cleared his throat and spoke first, "Executive Director Nakayama, first of all, congratulations to Sega on its brilliant achievements. The first-week sales of the Mega Drive console are truly—astounding."

Takuya and asked, "President Yamashina, are you referring to the results up to last week, or yesterday?"

Everyone in the conference room was stunned for a moment.

Takuya leaned forward slightly, his hands crossed on the table, his tone relaxed as if he were chatting casually. "Just yesterday, our company confirmed a few new partners. Konami has decided to make Contra their first game on the Mega Drive platform."

EA from the United States has also officially joined the project, preparing to develop a major sports game with an Olympic theme. Oh, and by the way, NCS and their Masaya studio have also joined; Mr. Fujita Masaya is very interested in the capabilities of the Mega Drive.

A string of names, each one like a bombshell, exploded in the small conference room. Konami! That's a heavyweight in Nintendo's camp! The head of the Development Department looked even more distressed; he knew better than anyone what these companies meant in terms of technology and reputation.

Yamashina Makoto, befitting his role as head of a large corporation, quickly regained his composure, though a newfound seriousness settled in his eyes. "It seems Sega's network of connections is expanding rapidly." He cut to the chase, no longer beating around the bush, "We at Bandai..."

I also hope to become a member of this circle of friends. However, as you know, our company's situation is such that... He glanced at the Development Department beside him, "Our strength lies in IP, but our technical capabilities in game development—there's still a lot of room for improvement."

These words were spoken frankly, even bordering on revealing personal wounds. The Development Department looked even more uneasy.