The Arcade Faction's Questioning

After the meeting, Takuya returned to his office, but before he could even put away his meeting minutes notebook, there was a knock on the door.

The visitor was Yu Suzuki, which surprised Takuya.

This tech enthusiast is usually either deep in thought about circuit boards and code in the arcade development room or debugging the latest graphics boards in the Hardware Laboratory. This is the first time he has taken the initiative to come to the Managing Director's Office like this.

"Special Advisor Nakayama." Yu Suzuki's address was somewhat stiff, clearly indicating he wasn't quite used to it yet.

"Suzuki- san, please come in." Takuya and stood up. "There's no need for such formalities between us."

Yu Suzuki nodded, but didn't sit down. Instead, he stated his purpose directly. "Are you free tomorrow evening? There's a kaiseki restaurant in Ginza I'd like to invite you for a chat."

Takuya's eyebrows twitched. Kaiseki cuisine? Knowing Yu Suzuki's personality, if he invited him to dinner, he'd most likely choose some izakaya where they could get completely drunk, not a place with such refined tastes. Seeing the serious expression on Yu Suzuki's usually reserved face, Takuya already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. He didn't say anything, and readily agreed, "Sure, I haven't had kaiseki cuisine in ages, I'll have to try their cooking."

The following evening, at Ginza Kikunoi.

Takuya arrived on time and was led into an elegant private room by a waiter.

Pulling back the shoji door, Yu Suzuki was already waiting on the tatami mat. Takuya's gaze swept across the table, but he noticed three sets of exquisite Kutani ware tableware laid out on the low table.

Takuya understood immediately, and without asking any further questions, he calmly took his seat and waited for the main character to appear.

The two sipped their tea and chatted casually about Yu Suzuki's latest research project. The atmosphere wasn't particularly lively, but it wasn't awkward either.

After all, in Yu Suzuki's world, nothing expresses goodwill better than talking about technology.

About fifteen minutes later, the door was gently pulled open.

A slightly overweight, kind-looking middle-aged man walked in, took off his hat, revealing a face that Takuya recognized very well—Director Takahashi, who was in charge of the arcade business.

Takuya thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

"Director Takahashi." Takuya gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Nakayama, no need for such formalities, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Director Takahashi returned the greeting with a smile, then sat down. His gaze swept between Takuya and Yu Suzuki, and he chatted familiarly with the two of them, never mentioning any business.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere in the private room became much more harmonious, thanks to the influence of alcohol.

Director Takahashi put down his wine glass, wiped his mouth with a napkin, straightened his posture slightly, and the smile on his face faded somewhat.

Finally getting to the point. "Mr. Nakayama, I've thought about the new strategy from the board meeting for a long time. It's indeed grand and ingenious, truly admirable. However, after much consideration, while this strategy will boost all departments of the company, it seems to offer the least benefit to the Arcade Division, which I'm in charge of. I wonder if you've considered this issue?"

His voice was low, seemingly devoid of emotion, but his questions were quite direct, even somewhat sharp.

Takuya didn't answer immediately. His gaze first fell on Yu Suzuki beside him. The technical master sat upright, eyes downcast, like a stone Buddha, detached from the situation. Takuya then turned his gaze back to Director Takahashi.

Director Takahashi understood the question in his eyes and said frankly, "I invited Mr. Suzuki. With his talent and contributions, it was only a matter of time before he joined the board of directors. I invited him here today, partly to let him know the situation in advance, and partly to let Mr. Nakayama know that the future of our arcade business cannot be separated from Mr. Suzuki."

These words were meant to elevate Yu Suzuki on one hand, and to subtly demonstrate the strength and legacy of the arcade school to Takuya on the other.

Takuya smiled and turned to ask Yu Suzuki, "Suzuki- san, has Director Takahashi mentioned the ACGN strategy I proposed to you?"

Yu Suzuki shook his head. "Director Takahashi only said that the Executive Director would personally answer my questions."

"Okay." Takuya picked up his glass and took a sip, explaining the core idea of the ACGN strategy: centered on IP, encompassing animation, comics, and...

The concept of cross-media collaborative development of games and novels was briefly reiterated.

Yu Suzuki listened intently, his brow furrowing and relaxing intermittently. After Takuya finished speaking, he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Executive Director Takuya, if I may be frank, Director Takahashi and I share the same concerns."

"This time, I won't keep you in suspense." Takuya put down his wine glass with a crisp sound, leaned forward, and his entire aura changed.

"First of all, Sega cannot start from scratch in terms of the overall layout of the ACGN industry; that would be too slow. The fastest way is through mergers and acquisitions and cooperation."

Sega's lack of talent and experience in the fields of animation and novels is an indisputable fact.

He paused, looked around at the two men, and posed a question, "So, from your perspectives, which target is most suitable across all of Japan?"

Takahashi and Yu Suzuki exchanged a glance and both fell into deep thought.

Having navigated the business world for many years, Director Takahashi was a man of considerable experience. After a moment, he seemed to have an idea and tentatively asked, "Could it be... Sunrise and Bandai?"

"Bingo." Takuya snapped his fingers. "Director Takahashi has a keen eye."

He explained, "A large part of the Japan ACG industry is dominated by the Hitotsubashi Group, with Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Hakusensha at its core. They are behemoths that we cannot and should not touch; in the future, we can only be partners."

"Among the remaining targets, the combination of Sunrise and Bandai, which possesses both strong IP creation capabilities and a mature industry chain, is undoubtedly the most valuable and is also the one we have the potential to acquire."

"The weaknesses of these two companies are precisely our strengths—top-notch game development capabilities and a global distribution network."

"But," Yu Suzuki couldn't help but interject, seemingly unable to contain himself, "Even if they acquire Bandai, what direct relationship does it have with our Arcade Division? Frankly, their game development capabilities are negligible."

Instead of answering directly, Takuya asked a completely unrelated question, "Director Takahashi, our own claw machine..."

Last year's performance report, I remember, was quite impressive, wasn't it?

"Huh?" Director Takahashi was taken aback, then his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had been struck by lightning, and he instantly grasped something crucial.

Takuya's voice continued calmly, "The Gundam, Aura Battler Dunbine, and Heavy Metal L-Gaim IPs that Sunrise possesses are the dreams of boys."

"And what does Bandai have? They have gashapon machines, model toys, and countless businesses that monetize their intellectual property."

"Imagine a world where our claw machines offer prizes not only plush toys for girls, but also Dragon Ball and Kamen Rider figures for boys. And when our malls stock these machines, they're alongside all the latest and trendiest gashapon machines. A business that can capture both boys and girls is far more than just a simple addition of two."

"These businesses are not technologically advanced and do not require frequent iterations like game circuit boards. They are inexpensive, but they are a steady stream of cash cows."

Director Takahashi's breath hitched as he tried to visualize the blueprint Takuya had drawn up.

"However," Takuya changed the subject, "Bandai's market value is currently high, and forcing a move wouldn't be wise. We need an opportunity."

Looking at the two people who were completely absorbed in his ideas, he laid out his final plan. "So, my idea is to proceed in two steps."

"Our first step is to establish good relationships with Bandai and Sunrise through game project collaborations. When the time is right, we'll try to acquire Sunrise."

"The second step is to become a significant shareholder through a small equity swap, thus stabilizing them and allaying their concerns about our acquisition of Sunrise. Then, all that's left is to wait."

"Waiting for what?" Yu Suzuki asked instinctively.

"Wait until they make a mistake."

"Is Executive Director Nakayama really that confident that Bandai will stumble?" Director Takahashi asked, frowning, raising the most crucial point of the plan.

Takuya's lips curled into a confident smile. "Because Fangdai's foundation is far less solid than ours. Their business model is relatively simple, and their ability to withstand risks is naturally weak. Look at their investments in recent years; their desire to expand is strong, but their steps are very unsteady. From the disastrous failure of the TV-JACK5000 console in 1986 to that incongruous ' Bandai Channel,' it all proves one thing—they have the ambition to swallow the market, but they don't have the teeth to do so, and their judgment of their own capabilities is wildly wrong. It would be strange if a company like that didn't make mistakes."

"For companies like this, we just need to be patient, and we'll definitely find an opportunity to acquire them at the best price."

The private room was completely silent.

Director Takahashi held his wine glass, his hand hovering in mid-air. The scrutiny and probing in his eyes had long been replaced by amazement and shock.

This is no longer just a strategic concept, but a clear, meticulous, and even somewhat ruthless hunting plan.

He had initially thought the young man was just lucky to have won a battle, but today he discovered that the opponent's chessboard had already been drawn across the entire Japan, and even the world.

"I've learned a lot, Executive Director Nakayama." After a while, Director Takahashi finally came to his senses and raised his glass to Takuya.

"The Arcade Division will not hinder Executive Director Nakayama's strategy."

"Hehe, Director Takahashi is too kind. We also owe a debt to the Arcade Division and to Suzuki- san." Takuya raised his glass and pulled Yu Suzuki along. The three of them drank it down in a hearty toast.