The Undercurrents Beneath "Self-Restraint"
January 7, 1989.
A somber message spread throughout every corner of Japan via television and radio.
Yu Ren passed away.
The entire country seemed to have been put on silent, falling into a long period of silence known as "self-restraint."
The neon lights of Kabukicho dimmed, Variety shows on television were replaced with monotonous documentaries, and all entertainment activities were consciously put on pause.
The atmosphere was equally somber in the Operations Managing Director's Office at Sega Headquarters.
The assistant gently placed a report on Nakayama Takuya's desk, his voice filled with barely concealed worry.
"Executive, these are the latest statistics—the revenue of Arcade Division nationwide has plummeted almost precipitously."
"Customer traffic has plummeted by more than 90%, and many franchise owners are complaining. Our own game center is also having a very tough time."
"Although self-restraints have suppressed outdoor entertainment, home entertainment has developed rapidly, but it is mostly passive entertainment such as watching videos. The demand for video rentals has increased four to five times. However, games, as an activity that requires active participation, may lack appeal in the atmosphere of mourning, and the sales of home console games surveyed so far have not increased significantly."
The phone on the desk rang as well. It was the head of the arcade business department calling. He sounded extremely tired and his report was exactly the same as what his assistant had said, but with an added hint of panic.
An uneasy atmosphere is quietly spreading within the company.
For Sega, which started with arcade games, this was undoubtedly an unexpected winter.
However, Nakayama Takuya, the core of the company, reacted with an unusually calm demeanor.
He merely picked up the report, glanced at it, and then casually set it aside.
"Knew."
His gaze passed over his assistant's worried face and landed outside the window.
In winter, Tokyo's streets are desolate, with few pedestrians, and a gray, forlorn atmosphere prevails.
But in Nakayama Takuya's eyes, this desolate scene did not arouse any anxiety; on the contrary, it gave him a golden opportunity to fight.
This is a disaster for the arcade industry.
But for his impending Super Robot Wars, this is a golden opportunity.
The following day, an emergency meeting was held at Sega Headquarters.
The faces of the department heads were filled with worry; the dismal performance of the Arcade Division weighed heavily on everyone's minds like a boulder.
A tense atmosphere filled the conference room.
Nakayama Takuya walked into the conference room, and all eyes were on him, hoping to find a solution on the young executive director's face.
Takuya looked around but didn't say anything to comfort him; instead, he went straight to the point.
"Gentlemen, I am already aware of the predicament the Arcade Division is facing."
As he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more somber.
"But this gives us an opportunity, a chance to concentrate all our efforts on preparing ammunition for our new weapons."
He paused, a hint of fervor creeping into his voice.
"I hereby announce that, effective immediately, all company resources will be fully allocated to the handheld console development project team!"
"All development teams for launch titles on handheld consoles, cancel unnecessary vacations and enter the final stage of development!"
The single stone stirred up a thousand waves, and a suppressed, fragmented discussion arose in the conference room.
During the company's most difficult time, instead of scaling back, they decided to double down on a new project that hadn't even been launched yet?
Seeing the surprised and uncertain expressions on everyone's faces, Nakayama Takuya calmly and deliberately presented his core argument.
"This nationwide wave of 'self-restraint' should not be seen as a disaster in our eyes."
"It is the perfect veil to conceal all our movements!"
"When our competitors think the entire industry has stagnated and let their guard down, that's the best time for us to sprint ahead and widen the gap!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the discussion in the conference room gradually subsided. The doubts and unease from before were instantly replaced by a sense of profound shock and exhilaration.
Yes! When everyone else stops, the one who keeps running will win everything!
Compared to the quiet and desolate outside, Sega's R&D building seemed like another world at this moment. It was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
Inside the Pokémon project team, team leader Shimizu was leading the core programmers, intently watching the data stream on the monitor screen.
"Test the stability of all communication links again! The data packets must be guaranteed to be completely intact! This is the core and soul of our game!" Takuya's development plan had already allowed them to complete most of the work. Now, they wanted to polish this most crucial part of the soul to perfection.
The Super Robot Wars project team next door is progressing much faster.
The group leader of Group 8 was confidently directing the team to complete the final touches.
"Let's optimize the close-ups of the battle scenes a bit more! We've already made a name for ourselves on the Mega Drive, and we can't let our reputation fade on the handheld platform!" With the successful experience of the Mega Drive version of <The First Super Robot Wars>, they were very familiar with system development, and the storyline had already been finalized. All that was left was to make everything as perfect as possible.
In the arcade porting team's office, arguments rose and fell, even more heated than the development itself.
"I think <Golden Axe> has the greatest potential for porting! Simple controls, exhilarating gameplay, bikini-clad female warriors and dwarves—so classic!"
"No! Alien Storm is even more popular! And they can transform! One can turn into a leopard, and the other into Jackie Chan! How cool is that!"
"The flight shooting game ' Space Harrier ' is a must-see; it's our signature move!"
"What about ' After Burner '? Flying a fighter jet, what man wouldn't love that?"
They had ample development resources when assigning tasks, so they directly arranged for several games in hand to be ported. They are currently screening and evaluating the "two action-platformers" and "two flight shooting games" that Takuya requested.
Time passed day by day.
The assistant regularly reports external developments to Nakayama Takuya.
"Executive, there's been no word from Nintendo; there are no new games planned for the Famicom."
"Hudson released a game called 'Go, Young Golfer' on PCEngine, but the response was lukewarm."
"While the other title, ' Doraemon: Labyrinth Battle,' sold reasonably well, it was far from being a huge hit."
Everything was exactly as Nakayama Takuya had predicted. The entire industry seemed to be moving in tandem with the nation.
"Self-restraint" has fallen into a deep sleep.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Sega was honing its newest weapon under the cover of this silence.
In mid -March, the first signs of spring appeared.
But the tension in Nakayama Takuya's heart only grew stronger.
In his mind, an incredibly clear date kept reminding him—April 21st.
That was in my past life, the release date of the Nintendo Game Boy.
He didn't know if Nintendo in this world would choose this date again, but he had to be ahead of all possibilities.
He wanted to give Nintendo an unforgettable "surprise" with a perfect surprise attack.
Good news arrived as if by prior arrangement.
"Executive Director, <The Second Super Robot Wars>, testing complete! Ready to be sent to the factory for production at any time!"
"The arcade game porting plan has been finalized. For action-adventure games, we've chosen Golden Axe and <Alien Storm>. For flight shooting games, we've chosen <Space Harrier> and <After Burner>! The porting is complete and ready for factory production."
Finally, it was Team Leader Shimizu's call. His voice carried a mixture of weariness and pride after completing a masterpiece. "Executive Director, all features for Pokémon Red /Green are complete. We're entering the final testing phase!"
The mass production of the handheld console is also proceeding in an orderly manner under secret arrangements.
Everything is ready.
Nakayama Takuya put down the phone, stood quietly in his office for a while, and then dialed his assistant's internal line.
"Notify all directors and heads of the Development Department to assemble in the main conference room at 9:00 AM tomorrow."
3
"It's time to give our handheld console a catchy name."