Nintendo's Postponement
In August, Kyoto is filled with the incessant chirping of cicadas, and the air is thick and humid, like solidified syrup.
Inside Nintendo Headquarters building, the cool air conditioning couldn't dispel the restlessness in the hearts of the executives.
The atmosphere in Yamauchi Haku's office was even more oppressive than the weather outside. Spread out on the desk were the weekly reports on third-party software sales from the end of July to the present.
As expected, since these were all games released or ported to multiple platforms simultaneously, the Super Famicom, with its significantly lower number of installations, ended up at the biggest disadvantage.
Yamauchi Haku slammed the report in his hand onto the table, scattering papers all over the floor.
A young section chief from the Marketing Department stood opposite him, too scared to even breathe.
"President, the North America branch is already pressing you for the final release date and launch lineup for the SNES (the North American name for the Super Famicom)," the section chief cautiously reminded him.
"Release?" Yamauchi Haku sneered, bending down to pick up a sales data sheet for * Final Fight *, waving it around in his hand. "What are we going to release it with? Are we going to rely on Mario alone to conquer the world? Wasn't the lack of games when the Super Famicom was released in Japan enough of a lesson?"
He pointed at the report, almost poking the section chief's nose.
"You're telling me United States gamers haven't seen these games before? They've been playing them in arcades for almost two years! Some have even completed the Mega Drives eight hundred times! Now we're packing all this up and telling United States, 'Hey, come buy our brand new SNES, it's full of games you've played!' Do you think they're idiots, or are we the idiots?"
These words left the section chief sweating profusely, unable to utter a single reply.
The dire situation in Japan itself has already caused them immense headaches.
When the Super Famicom was released, it faced the awkward situation of having only Super Mario World as a standout title, with almost no major third-party titles supporting it. They didn't want to, and dared not, experience that again in the more important North America market.
The North America market was Sega's backyard.
Genesis (the US name on the MD version) is deeply ingrained there, and Sonic has become a household name. If they go there with such a meager starting lineup, the outcome is predictable.
Yamauchi Hiroshi paced back and forth in his office, his leather shoes making a dull thud on the floor, each step seeming to strike the hearts of everyone present.
After a long while, he stopped, his eyes filled with a resolute determination, as if he had nothing to lose.
"Notify the North America branch that the SNES release originally scheduled for mid-August has been postponed."
"Postponed?!" the section chief exclaimed, "But President, the promotional plan has already started, and the distributors' advance payments have also been made—"
"Then pause everything!" Yamauchi Haku's tone left no room for argument. "Tell them that money can be earned back, but once reputation is lost, everything is lost! Nintendo can't try to fool players with a bunch of leftovers!"
He took a deep breath, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision.
"Immediately contact all third-party partners and tell them that all SFC games currently in development and soon to be released must have English versions developed simultaneously! I want United States players to see a wide variety of game stores on the new release date, not just Mario solo show!"
This order meant a huge investment of cost and time, but at the moment, they had no other choice. The section chief dared not say anything more, bowed deeply, and fled the office as if escaping.
The room fell silent again.
Yamauchi Haku sat back wearily in his chair, looking at the glaring sunlight outside the window. Postponing the release was tantamount to handing over the entire autumn season, and possibly even the most important Christmas sales season, to Sega.
He could imagine how smug Nakayama Hayao would be when the shelves, where the SNES was absent, were filled with Sega's new and interesting game cartridges.
The thought of that arch-rival who always said, "I'm alive just to make Nintendo uncomfortable," made Yamauchi Haku clench his fists involuntarily.
No, we can't just give up like this.
He picked up the phone and dialed that familiar internal number.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered, with a series of noisy electronic sounds coming from the background.
"Hello?" Shigeru Miyamoto's voice sounded a little tired, but it was still full of energy.
"Miyamoto-kun, it's me."
"President? Is there something you need? I'm currently testing the mechanisms of a new maze and I'm a little tied up."
"When will the latest Zelda for the Super FC be completed?" Yamauchi Haku.
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Shigeru Miyamoto was well aware of SFC's current predicament, and he knew that countless eyes were on him, waiting for him to produce that "miracle" that could save everything.
"... Almost there." After a long pause, he slowly uttered two words, "The latest the Legend of Zelda is almost finished."
"I don't care how well your new maze's mechanisms are made!" Yamauchi Haku's voice suddenly rose, tinged with barely suppressed anxiety. "I only want one result! The North America market has decided to postpone the release. We're waiting for your * Triforce of the Gods *! The whole company is waiting for you; you are our Link to the Past! Do you understand?!"
There was another long silence on the other end of the phone.
Shigeru Miyamoto glanced at the medicine on his desk, gritted his teeth, and said firmly, "I understand."
When news of Nintendo North America Division's announcement of a delay in the SNES release date reached Nakayama Takuya's desk, he was holding a cup of coffee and looking out the window.
The assistant gently placed the file down, Takuya only glanced at the title before he could no longer suppress the smile on his lips.
He slowly sat back in the large executive chair, sinking deep into it, and let out a long sigh.
There was relief in his voice, but even more so, a sense of satisfaction at having planned things so far in advance.
"Yamauchi Hiroshi, he couldn't hold on after all," he muttered to himself, able to picture the extremely oppressive atmosphere at Nintendo's Nintendo Headquarters Kyoto.
A few months ago, there was quite a debate within the company about whether to rush to produce a batch of demo versions to participate in the CES Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago in June.
Many people believe that they should strike while the iron is hot and release the prototypes of "VR Warrior" and "Hook" to flex their muscles and give Nintendo a rude awakening at the North America launch of the SNES.
However, Takuya overruled the objections and rejected the proposal.
His reasoning was simple: rather than releasing a half-finished product to grab attention, risking exposing its flaws and being studied by competitors, it's better to close the door and release these games as soon as possible, emptying players' wallets to ensure our invincibility.
After all, since Tom Kalinske took office, he has spared no expense in Sega's marketing spending in North America. The GG logo has been featured in various major sporting events and in the living room of various movies and TV shows. In terms of brand awareness, it has far surpassed its predecessor, and now it is no different from CES.
He was worried that his actions might have a ripple effect on Nintendo, prompting them to release the SNES in North America ahead of schedule, regardless of the consequences.
In retrospect, his worries were unnecessary, or rather, his other set of moves—poaching third parties—have dealt Nintendo an even more painful blow.
Without sufficient third-party game support, even if Super Mario World is praised to the skies, it's still just a one-man show by Mario.
That old fox, Yamauchi Haku, ultimately didn't dare gamble with Nintendo's reputation.
"Executive Director, what about our side—" the assistant asked tentatively from the side.
"No rush." Takuya waved his hand, picked up his coffee, and took a sip. "Let the development team proceed according to the original plan and polish the game. Tell Yu Suzuki and the others that I don't want 'okay,' I want 'perfect.'"