Getting Bandai on Board
Takuya turned his gaze to the minister, a knowing smile on his face, "Minister, I remember we had a very pleasant collaboration on the last ' Super Robot Grand Assembly ' project. Although the workload wasn't large, the profits were considerable, weren't they?"
The Development Department's lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent. The workload was far from small; it was practically a fill-in-the-blank exercise, yet the profits were indeed very satisfactory.
"So what's next? Can Sega continue to support Bandai in developing new games and help Bandai improve its game development capabilities?"
"That way we can expand the MD's game lineup more quickly," Yamashina Makoto said.
"I have a two-step suggestion." Takuya pondered for a moment, then held up two fingers. "First, completely port the arcade game <Super Robot Grand Assembly! > to the Mega Drive platform. Utilize the Mega Drive's capabilities to revamp the graphics, music, and battle effects. Let players see what this game should look like on a 16-bit home console. This is both a technical training exercise and a quick and effective product."
Everyone nodded in agreement; the suggestion was sound.
"As for the second step—" Takuya, and everyone in the conference room pricked up their ears. "I heard that your company's original game for the Famicom hasn't been developing very smoothly?"
An awkward atmosphere instantly filled the air, and the Development Department almost wanted to disappear into the ground. He still vividly remembered the scene of players calling the company to hurl insults after the release of Saint Seiya last year.
Takuya, seemingly oblivious to the awkwardness, continued, "We'll provide the framework of a completed game. Sega can assist your company in 'borrowing' this game to develop a completely new game based on Bandai's IP."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a barely suppressed commotion. After all, making money like with the previous "Super Robot Grand Assembly" was far too easy and enjoyable.
Yamashina Makoto leaned forward slightly. "Which game?"
Takuya smiled, took another black cassette tape from his briefcase, and placed it on the table. The tape's label read: <The First Super Robot Wars>.
The appearance of this cartridge caused the air in the conference room to freeze instantly. Everyone knew that Sega had been working hard for this game...
We obtained licenses from companies like Sunrise and Toei. Now, the finished product is right in front of us.
When the Mega Drive was connected to the TV, and the development director personally inserted the cartridge and started the game, the eyes of all Bandai executives were completely captivated.
"Amuro, attack!"
Accompanied by familiar lines, the Original Gundam was ejected from the mothership, its beam rifle's trajectory drawing dazzling light across the screen. Immediately following, Mazinger Z appeared to majestic music, cleanly destroying the enemy with a single "Rocket Punch." The spectacular battle animation and inspiring lines captivated the Bandai development team.
This is what a robot should be! This is something they can't create even though they have top-tier intellectual property!
The Development Department, his lips dry from reading, tentatively asked, "If we were to refer to this game, would we be making ' Kamen Rider Wars'? But Kamen Rider aren't robots; their skills and character variety would be somewhat limited."
"That's right." Takuya gave him an approving look. "So we can't just simply replace the characters; we need to add other game elements to enrich the gameplay."
"What gameplay elements should we add?" the Development Department blurted out, leaning forward with a thirst for knowledge in his eyes.
Takuya did not answer immediately, but instead picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and calmly turned his gaze to Yamashina Makoto, who was seated at the head of the table.
The meeting room fell silent once again. Everyone understood that discussions of technical details required the boss's approval first.
Yamashina Makoto's facial muscles twitched, followed by a dry laugh that broke the brief standoff. "Haha, Executive Director Nakayama is right. We are, of course, 100% sincere about cooperation." He made the final decision, "Let's proceed according to your plan."
Having received an affirmative answer, Takuya put down his teacup and smiled, "Since the president has decided, we can talk about the specific projects. Regarding the second step, I have prepared two plans: one is Gundam, and the other is Dragon Ball. Of course, we can also have Kamen Rider later."
He paused, then added, "Of course, we have to do it one at a time. We need to choose one first, and only after it succeeds can we start the next one."
These words instantly ignited the atmosphere in the conference room, which had just eased. If watching the game demo earlier had been filled with envy and jealousy, now it was pure, unadulterated elation. The Development Department looked at Nakayama Takuya and couldn't help but sigh, "Why don't I have such talent?" Mitsui Chuta's gaze towards Yamashina Makoto was even filled with the implication of "Hurry up and choose! Hurry up and choose!"
Yamashina Makoto raised his hand and gently pressed it down. The frenzied discussion in the conference room instantly subsided, but the burning flame in everyone's eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"Everyone, please take a ten-minute break." Yamashina Makoto's voice remained calm and steady. He stood up and gave Nakayama Takuya a slight bow. "We need to have an internal discussion. Please rest for a moment."
Takuya smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to leave, and calmly sat back down, even having the leisure to refill his teacup. This composure earned him even higher regard from the Bandai executives.
In the small conference room next door, as soon as the door closed, several people couldn't contain their thoughts.
"President, it's Dragon Ball, of course!" The Marketing Department manager waved excitedly. "Goku just defeated King Piccolo, and the manga is at its peak in popularity! Strike while the iron is hot, and it'll definitely be a bestseller!"
"So what if it sells like hotcakes?" The Development Department, unusually, stood up and retorted. His back was ramrod straight, and his face was no longer troubled, but showed the persistence typical of a technical person. "Dragon Ball is a battle-adventure game. The framework that Executive Director Nakayama presented is clearly a strategy game! Forcing Dragon Ball into it? Wouldn't that be doing what we're worst at again? Repeating the same mistakes!"
"That's not a problem. Sega isn't a game without action levels," the Marketing Department manager retorted.
The Development Department shook his head. "But haven't we already been given a ready-made framework? Besides, Gundam is different!"
"Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta, and ZZ—we have the foundation of three anime series, countless mecha designs, and named pilots! That gives us a much richer story to offer for the game. If we just slap on the skin of a typical arcade game, wouldn't that make things too easy for Sega?"
These words stunned everyone.
Mitsui Chuta looked at Yamashina Makoto and said in a deep voice, "The Development Department is right. Besides, while Dragon Ball is great, Akira Toriyama's creative work continues. We can't deviate from the original to create additional content; that would easily alienate Akira Toriyama, and players might not accept it. Moreover, if the project is too simple, Sega will just slack off. The Gundam series story is already well-developed and rich in content, enough for us to create a deep, heavyweight work that fans can repeatedly study. This is not just a game; it's a banner for Bandai to showcase its IP management capabilities."
After a moment of silence, Yamashina Makoto finally made the final decision. "It's settled then, we'll choose Gundam."
Ten minutes later, everyone returned to the conference room.
Yamashina Makoto solemnly announced to Takuya, "Executive Director Nakayama, we've made our decision. Our first project will be Gundam."
"A wise choice." Takuya seemed to have anticipated this outcome. He took out several documents from his briefcase and distributed them to everyone present. "Now, before discussing specific ideas, please sign this confidentiality agreement."
Looking at the clearly defined and rigorous agreement handed to him, the Development Department's heart skipped a beat, and the slight thought of "learning more and seeing more" that had just arisen vanished instantly.
It seems this young master from the Nakayama family was well-prepared; his mind is frighteningly meticulous.
After everyone had signed their names, Takuya stood up, walked to the whiteboard in the conference room, and removed the cap from his pen.
"Everyone, the Gundam game we're making isn't your average strategy game. It has three core selling points."
He drew a simplified outline resembling a star chart directly on the whiteboard.
"First, the battlefield narrative. Players do not play the role of Amuro or Char, but as a fleet commander, leading their own battleships and mobile suits, and participating in various Gundam stories."
"Second, collection and development." Takuya drew a branching line, "Each series of MS can be developed and evolved from related series models. Zaku I can be developed into Zaku I-1 I1, then into the High Mobility Zaku of the Battle of A Baoa Qu, and even the Marasai of the Gryps Conflict. Jim can also be developed step by step into GM II, GM III. What we need to do is..."
It's a playable "Mobile Suit Encyclopedia," making players willingly invest hundreds of hours to complete it.
"As for the third point," Takuya turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, a confident smile playing on his lips, "Freedom of choice. You are in charge of your troops; you manage resources, allocate units, and decide on tactics."
This is a game where players control their own special force and participate in various Gundam stories.
It captivated everyone present.
The Development Department's eyes were practically sparkling; he couldn't wait to start making the game tomorrow.
Mitsui Chuta and Yamashina Makoto exchanged a glance, both seeing undisguised shock and joy in each other's eyes.
Takuya capped the pen and put it back in its place, calmly concluding this impressive solo performance. "The specific cooperation framework will remain as we discussed before. Sega will have a dedicated team to handle the subsequent technical support and details. Anyone have any objections?"
Yamashina Makoto slowly stood up, walked to Takuya himself, extended his hand, and spoke with a tone full of solemnity and expectation.
"Manager Nakayama, I'm entrusting Bandai's games to you."