"Trojan Horse" Enters the City (4,000 Words)

In Tokyo, at Sony Headquarters, Ken Kutaragi had just finished a technical meeting, and his expression was far from pleasant.

To cram a dedicated 3D graphics chip into the PlayStation, the R&D budget is burning through at an alarming rate, and pressure on the Finance Department is already looming.

But this is, after all, Sony's breakthrough into the electronic entertainment industry, so it has no choice but to maintain a high level of R&D investment.

Just then, an engineer who had returned from supporting the development of CD-ROM kits at Sega hurriedly knocked on his door and handed him an encrypted report.

"Kutaragi, the CD-ROM kit from Sega is complete."

"Hmm." Ken Kutaragi took the report, unsurprised.

With Sony's "unreserved" technical support, if Sega couldn't even do this, then Sega shouldn't continue operating in the electronics industry; they could just shut down.

He quickly scanned the report, confirming that all the technical specifications of the MD-CD kit had been finalized and that it had entered the final stage of mass production preparation.

Everything is going according to plan.

However, he still held Sega in higher regard for their efforts in optimizing the read and write speeds of single-speed CD-ROMs, given the support team's work with Sega to this extent.

"Sony's PlayStation will also need to use this optimization and procedural standard; its disc loading performance can't lag behind Sega's," Ken Kutaragi thought to himself.

Looking at Ken Kutaragi before adding, "There's one more thing, it's just a rumor, but our people think it's highly credible."

"Explain."

"Sega support Sega-CD, it seems... it seems they've brought Square under their wing."

Ken Kutaragi's fingers, which were turning the pages of the report, stopped.

He raised his head, his gaze sharp.

Which Square?

"It's Square, the one that developed Final Fantasy." The engineer swallowed hard, feeling the lab temperature drop several degrees. "Rumor has it that Sega's own Golden Sun development team will be collaborating with Square on a brand new RPG masterpiece."

Ken Kutaragi fell silent.

The laboratory was eerily quiet, with only the hum of the server fans breaking the silence.

His original plan was to let Sega, the hungry wolf, storm into Nintendo's sheepfold, turn the world upside down, and force Yamauchi Haku to follow suit.

But he never expected that Nakayama Takuya, this wolf, not only stormed into the sheepfold, but also conveniently found himself an ally in a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The team that made Golden Sun, plus the creators of Final Fantasy?

What an amazing combination!

This isn't just lighting a fire behind Nintendo's back; it's about sweeping the entire industry!

A full half minute passed Ken Kutaragi's mouth suddenly and uncontrollably turned upwards.

"Interesting, that Nakayama Takuya, truly interesting!" Ken Kutaragi slammed the report on the table, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I merely handed him a whip, and he actually built himself a cannon!"

He waved for the engineer to leave, then picked up the internal phone and dialed Ryoji Chubachi directly.

"Chubachi- san, good news."

Ryoji Nakamoto on the other end of the phone was clearly in a good mood. "Oh? Any good news?"

"It's Sega's CD-ROM kit. They've already finished developing it; it's called Sega-CD." Ken Kutaragi leaned back in his chair, his voice barely concealing his amusement. "The fire we lit has burned much brighter than we expected. Sega has pulled Square on board."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Square?!" Ryoji Chubachi's voice rose instantly, "You mean Square, the one that developed Final Fantasy?"

"That's right. They're going to create a major launch title for Sega-CD, a collaboration between Sega's Golden Sun development team and Square's top producer."

"Hahahaha!" A hearty laugh Ryoji Chubachi the phone. "That Nakayama Takuya! I take back my previous assessment of him. He's not an ambitious man, he's a madman! A complete gambler!"

"Only a gambler who bets all his chips can turn the game upside down." Ken Kutaragi's gaze fell on the PlayStation design drawings pinned to the wall in the corner.

"Now, it all depends on whether that president of the Kyoto company agrees or not."

Kyoto, Nintendo Headquarters.

An atmosphere of anxiety permeated the air.

Four months after its release, the Super Famicom (SFC) has seen a stark contrast in popularity, with only the launch title, Super Mario World, far ahead of the competition. The lineup of new games available on the shelves is pitifully thin.

"ActRaiser" received a lukewarm response, while "Ozaki Golf" barely made a ripple.

Although the Super Famicom (SFC) development kits were sold off one by one, and many third-party developers had already purchased them and started developing or porting games for the SFC, these developers had only recently acquired the kits, so they couldn't address the immediate needs of the developers.

Masayuki Uemura was sighing as he looked at an SFC sales report, feeling that he had lost a lot more hair.

Just then, the secretary knocked and entered, her expression somewhat strange.

"Minister, Mr. Ken Kutaragi from Sony has arrived. He says he has something very important to discuss with you in person."

"Sony's?" Masayuki Uemura frowned, the image of Ken Kutaragi's smiling face immediately flashing into his mind. "What's he doing here again? Isn't someone already working on the SFC-CD project?"

His mind is now preoccupied with urging third-party manufacturers to produce decent products as soon as possible; he has no time to pay attention to Sony's CD project, which is still far from Kung Fu.

"Let him in," Masayuki Uemura impatiently, waving his hand.

Ken Kutaragi strode in, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.

The first thing he did after sitting down was to push a document in front of Masayuki Uemura.

"Uemura-san, your news might not be so quick yet." Ken Kutaragi's tone was as if he were sharing a huge secret, "Sega's CD-ROM kit has been completed and officially named Sega-CD."

Masayuki Uemura didn't even lift his eyelids, only humming in response, his gaze remaining fixed on his sales report.

It's just a peripheral; let Sega do what they want if they like to tinker.

Seeing the other party's indifferent reaction, Ken Kutaragi felt a little annoyed, but he was confident that what he was about to say would definitely make this Nintendo geek uneasy.

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"The key point is that, in order to protect Sega-CD, that madman Nakayama Takuya dragged Square into the fray."

"Square?" Masayuki Uemura finally reacted, looking up, but his eyes were filled with more confusion.

"That's right, it's Square, the one that developed Final Fantasy." Ken Kutaragi and deliberately, observing Masayuki Uemura's expression. "Rumor has it that they're teaming up with Sega's own Golden Sun development team to create a brand new RPG masterpiece for Sega-CD. A so-called 'dream team'!"

He expected to see shock, panic, or even fear.

However Masayuki Uemura only paused for a moment before letting out a cold snort. The expression on his face was not one of worry, but rather one of deep contempt and annoyance.

"Dream Team? I think it's a daydreaming team!" Masayuki Uemura slammed the report on the table. "Kutaragi, aren't you missing the point? Our problem right now is that we don't have enough SFC games to sell! Players have nothing to play except Mario!"

He pointed to the busy office area outside the door, his voice rising several decibels.

"What I need are games that can be put on the shelves immediately, games that will satisfy players who bought the Super Famicom! Not your CD! And certainly not the pipe dream that Sega and Square are having!"

Ken Kutaragi was completely dumbfounded.

He felt as if he had thrown a powerful punch with all his might, only to land on a ball of cotton.

"But... Uemura-san, this is CD technology! This is the future! Sega has already taken the lead, if we don't accelerate—"

"The future? Will the future allow current players to play new games?" Masayuki Uemura interrupted him impatiently, looking at Ken Kutaragi as if he were a door-to-door salesman.

He suddenly called out towards the door, "Hey! You two over there, come here for a second!"

Two young people who looked like they had just graduated ran over, flattered and surprised, and stood up straight nervously when they heard the call.

Masayuki Uemura pointed to Ken Kutaragi, who looked completely bewildered, and said in a tone as if assigning a task, "This is Mr. Kutaragi from Sony. He's very enthusiastic about our SFC-CD project. From today onwards, you two will follow him and 'learn' from him."

He emphasized the word "study".

"Whatever Mr. Kutaragi's needs are, you must fully cooperate. Make sure our partners feel Nintendo's sincerity."

The two newcomers, oblivious to the underlying meaning, simply assumed they had been entrusted with an important task. Overwhelmed with excitement, they blushed and bowed Ken Kutaragi.

"Mr. Kutaragi! Nice to meet you!"

Ken Kutaragi opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Even after being respectfully seen off from Nintendo Headquarters by the two young men who thought they had been assigned to an important project, Ken Kutaragi was still a little dazed.

The afternoon sun shone on his face, but he felt no warmth whatsoever; he only felt absurdity.

"Mr. Kutaragi! Thank you for your hard work! We will definitely strive to learn from you!"

The two newlyweds bowed deeply to his back, their voices loud and clear, filled with anticipation for the future, as if they were about to participate in a great project that could change the world.

Ken Kutaragi paused, then looked back.

Is this the person in charge sent by Masayuki Uemura to "liaise" with the SFC-CD project?

He almost burst out laughing.

He suppressed a laugh, nodded expressionlessly, and got into the car.

As the car drove away, the two young men were still standing in the rearview mirror, waving vigorously.

Ken Kutaragi gripped the steering wheel, the image of Masayuki Uemura's face, etched with disdain and impatience, kept flashing through his mind.

That arrogant look on his face, as if to say, "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?", reveals a deep-seated contempt that OEM has for its suppliers.

Ken Kutaragi, Sony's representative, arrived with information that could shake the entire industry and a "sincere intention to cooperate," only to be treated as a conman selling inferior products and ultimately "dismissed" by two interns.

A surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart, and he slammed on the gas pedal, the engine roaring with a defiant groan.

But then, that anger was quickly replaced by an even stranger emotion.

He suddenly realized that the whole thing was a bit ridiculous.

His original plan was to use Sega as a pretext to burn Nintendo's backside, forcing them to hastily jump ship to Sony.

And the result?

The person didn't feel their buttocks were hot at all.

People complained that his fire wasn't burning bright enough, and that he was in the way.

Thinking of this, Ken Kutaragi's lips involuntarily curled into a grin. Then, a low laugh rolled out from his throat, growing louder and louder. Finally, he pulled the car over to the side of the road, leaned on the steering wheel, and laughed until his whole body trembled.

He was wrong.

He was completely wrong.

He thought he was facing a wary lion, and that he would have to use all his wits to lure it away.

After all that, the lion hadn't even opened its eyes; it was just annoyed by the buzzing flies around its ears and impatiently waved its paw.

But this one stroke opened up a vast and boundless world for him!

He sat up abruptly, grabbed the car phone, and dialed Ryoji Chubachi's number.

"How's it going?" On the other end of the phone, Ryoji Chubachi's voice carried a hint of anticipation. "Are those people in Kyoto already getting restless?"

"No." Ken Kutaragi was still laughing, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement, "It's a million times better than that."

He briefly recounted his experience, emphasizing especially the two "project leaders" who had been entrusted with important responsibilities.

"They assigned me two recent graduates, complete novices."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

A full five seconds passed Ryoji Chubachi Ryoji's deafening laughter erupted.

"Hahaha! Heaven is helping me! Heaven is truly helping me!"

"They're not confused, they're arrogant." Ken Kutaragi's laughter subsided, his eyes turning sharp and cold. "In Masayuki Uemura's eyes, we at Sony are just suppliers who develop a kit for his Super Famicom that's no longer usable. They have no interest in, and can't be bothered to, how good the kit is. Their focus is entirely on providing more games for the Super Famicom. After all, since its release, their Super Famicom has only had a few games, and the only truly competitive one is Super Mario World."

"Great! Excellent!" Ryoji Chubachi slapped his thigh. "In this way, the SFC-CD cooperation agreement will become our best shield! Since they themselves aren't taking it seriously, once we finish making the product, they won't even have a place to cry!"

"That's right. If we don't seize an opportunity presented by fate, we'll suffer the consequences! Let's boldly push forward with the PlayStation. Soon after the SFC-CD is released, our PlayStation can enter the market immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Ken Kutaragi restarted the car.

All the anger and frustration vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

He no longer needed to urge, no longer needed to scheme, and no longer needed to be mindful of Nintendo's feelings.

Nintendo's arrogance cleared the last obstacle for them.

They personally dragged Sony's "Trojan horse" into the city and removed all the guards.

That cooperation agreement lying in the safe was no longer proof of cooperation, but rather a license for Sony to "legally" use SFC-CD to build its own empire!

It is also the key to unlock the "Trojan Horse".