State of All Sides
In Tokyo March, the air in Tokyo still carried the chill of late winter.
In Akihabara's electronics stores, the Sega Mega Drive shelves are always packed with people, their popularity undiminished.
In stark contrast, the Nintendo (FC) region...
The space reserved for "The Goonies 2: Frederick's Last Challenge" on Konami's game shelves, which should have been prominently displayed in March, was completely empty.
It vanished as if it had never existed.
This is just the beginning.
A few observant players quickly noticed that Konami, a regular player, seemed to be missing from the subsequent FC game releases.
The upcoming titles for the Famicom include Gradius and Jackal, and even the highly anticipated sequel, Gradius II, scheduled for release at the end of the year.
All of them vanished without a trace.
Nintendo's ban was like a cold, sharp blade, severing all possibilities of cooperation.
To make an example of someone, the knife even fell on Hudson's head.
This company, which has always had a delicate relationship with Nintendo, had its highly anticipated port of "Fierce Battle Holy Warrior" notified by Nintendo that it would not be released when the game was halfway through production.
Nintendo's iron-fisted approach demonstrates its unchallengeable authority to the entire industry.
However, Hudson wasn't without a backup plan; when they were developing "Fierce Battle Holy Warrior," they developed it simultaneously for both the FC and PCEngine platforms.
With swift and decisive action, throughout March, the only truly competitive third-party title on the Nintendo Famicom shelves was <Legend of Acala- Taito Den>, released by TAITO.
The market response was lukewarm.
While Bandai's game sales on the Famicom platform were far lower than Konami's, its vast holdings of licensed popular IPs were its truly lethal weapon.
Today, these names that should have appeared on FC cartridges have collectively moved to the MD, bringing Sega an immeasurable potential user base.
This is tantamount to aiding the enemy.
Konami Corporation, President's Office.
Kozuki Kagemasa held an unlit cigar between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the latest market report and internal loss assessment.
His face was ashen.
A tense atmosphere permeated the office; even the air seemed to freeze.
He had never expected that Yamauchi Haku's reaction would be so intense and so merciless.
The impact of the Sega Mega Drive on Nintendo clearly far exceeded its expectations.
The crimson numbers for "The Goonies 2" on the loss assessment report are particularly glaring. The game had high market expectations, and Konami had even paid Nintendo an advance payment for the first batch of cartridges. Now, that money has become the biggest irony.
If the NES version of Contra hadn't sold an astronomical number of copies, making the company's cash flow incredibly abundant, Nintendo probably wouldn't have hesitated to remove that game from the shelves as well.
Now, only two paths lie before Kozuki Kagemasa.
One option was to swallow the bitter pill, bear the huge losses from the inability to release these key games, accept the consequences of all the invested R&D resources being wasted, and then scrap these projects and start over, turning everything back to be redeveloped for the Sega Mega Drive platform.
The other option is to bow down to Nintendo, break the agreement with Sega, wag your tail like a dog, beg for forgiveness from Yamauchi Haku, and slink back to the FC camp.
In Kozuki Kagemasa's mind, the image of Yamauchi Usagi's Yamauchi Haku face appeared.
He knew very well that if he chose the latter, given the old man's vengeful nature, Konami would not only lose the favorable conditions of the past, but would also be bound by thicker and heavier chains.
The cost of going back would be far greater than the immediate losses.
Going back would mean never being able to turn things around again.
"We have no choice but to tough it out!"
Kozuki Kagemasa slammed his cigar into the ashtray and crushed it, a gambler's ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
Konami must bear this loss.
All resources were staked on MD.
Therefore, his hatred for Yamauchi Haku reached its peak at this moment.
This feud is now officially over.
Many Nintendo distributors are both worried and afraid after seeing Konami's situation. They are worried that Nintendo will become increasingly strict in its control over third parties, and they are afraid that Nintendo's methods will be applied to them.
Unlike the chaotic scene in Kozuki Kagemasa, the atmosphere at Bandai Corporation's headquarters was much more relaxed.
When faced with Nintendo's ban, Bandai's president merely offered a formulaic expression of regret in front of reporters' cameras.
His heart was completely unmoved.
The reason is simple.
Bandai's game business on the Famicom platform was already limited in profitability; the bulk of its profits always came from plastic models and character merchandise.
The economic losses caused by Nintendo's ban are far less than the outside world imagines.
On the contrary, the strong technical support provided by the Sega MD platform, along with its incredibly lenient cooperation terms, showed them a brand new growth point full of more possibilities.
The atmosphere in Bandai's high-level conference room was even somewhat jubilant.
This is a golden opportunity.
While the technicians sent by Sega were still assisting them with the development of <SD Gundam G Generation> and the porting of the arcade version of <Super Robot Grand Assembly!> to the Mega Drive.
Adhering to the simple and pragmatic spirit of "nothing is too cheap," Bandai's Development Department sensed a new business opportunity.
At the meeting, a project leader astutely pointed out the latest developments in Dragon Ball in Weekly Shonen Jump.
"Everyone, please take a look! Akira Toriyama Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga has progressed to the part where Goku, after growing up, participates in the first World Martial Arts Tournament and battles Piccolo Daimado. Its popularity is at an unprecedented peak!"
The project leader's eyes lit up as he pointed to the thrilling battle scene between Goku and King Piccolo in the manga.
"The capabilities of the MD are more than capable of recreating this kind of fast-paced and exhilarating fighting scene! Combining our experience developing <Super Robot Grand Assembly!>, making a fighting game based on this year's World Martial Arts Tournament shouldn't be too difficult. I imagine many readers would be eager to give it a try."
This reminder instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.
They immediately gathered several veteran employees who had participated in the "Super Robot Grand Assembly" project and were very familiar with the MD hardware architecture.
Several Sega engineers who were currently providing technical support to Fangdai were also seconded.
A brand new project was enthusiastically put on the agenda.
A fighting game specifically designed for the Mega Drive platform – Dragon Ball: World Martial Arts Tournament.
They aim to leverage the MD's far superior capabilities compared to the FC, and, against the wildly popular manga "Dragon Ball," unleash a Kamehameha that will astound everyone on a new battlefield.
The entire March passed amidst the entanglements between Nintendo and its various third-party partners.