Sony's Poaching

Looking at the people whose hope had been rekindled, Nakayama Takuya smiled and then dropped another bombshell.

"And our new weapons are almost ready." He lowered his voice, a hint of mystery in it, "Sega..."

"The CD, and its supporting RPG Dream Team," will be released next fall. What will Nintendo have to offer then?

"RPG Dream Team— " someone murmured to themselves, their eyes gleaming.

"So, put away that 'my parents just died' look on your faces." Nakayama Takuya tossed his pen aside, his tone lightening. "Nintendo's had a good time, but we can't just sit idly by. Ubisoft wants arcade games, right? Give them to them! Let them turn all the cinemas and arcades in Europe into our territory!"

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their morale rekindled.

"What we need to do now is continue developing fun games to fill our arsenal. Leveraging our massive market share, we can make money while simultaneously accumulating funds and technology for the development of the next-generation console. More importantly, we must maintain our market share advantage so that all third parties can clearly see who they'll be rewarded by following!"

With just a few words from Nakayama Takuya, the gloom in the entire Marketing Department vanished, and it was transformed back into a high-speed war machine.

After everyone dispersed with high spirits, Nakayama Takuya's secretary knocked on the door and came in, looking somewhat serious.

"Executive, an urgent report has been forwarded from the Ministry of Personnel."

"What is it?" Nakayama Takuya picked up the tea, which had already gone cold.

"Several core programmers on our development teams have recently received offers from outside companies to headhunt us." The secretary handed over a document. "The offers they made are extremely generous, almost impossible to refuse."

Nakayama Takuya paused for a moment, took the document, and turned to the first page, where a familiar name came into view.

"Wow, it's Sony Computer Entertainment?"

Nakayama Takuya's gaze lingered on the words "Sony Computer Entertainment" for a moment, then he understood.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

The PIayStation project seems to have gone beyond mere theoretical discussion.

"Executive Director—" the assistant's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension, "The other party's conditions are very—direct."

A doubled salary is the bare minimum; they also promised higher positions and greater project leadership.

That's already a very tactful way of putting it.

The so-called "degree of irresistibility" translates to: giving money, power, and fame.

After three such attacks, few people can withstand them.

Nakayama Takuya put down his documents, picked up his teacup, and blew on the slightly cooled tea, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

"President Ohga is determined to snatch talent from us. It seems that even with Columbia Pictures' huge acquisition investment still not recouped, Sony still has so much money to stir things up. Sony's immense wealth gives him a lot of confidence."

There was no anger in his tone; rather, it sounded like he was evaluating an interesting opponent.

The assistant, unsure of his thoughts, tentatively asked, "Then... should we take immediate countermeasures? The Human Resources Department suggests offering equivalent compensation to retain key personnel."

"Keep it, of course we should keep it. But not like this." Zhong Takuya put the teacup back on the table, making a soft "click" sound.

He picked up the list again and lightly traced his fingertips over a few names.

"Divide the people on this list into two categories."

The assistant immediately took out his notebook, ready to take notes.

"The first category is the heads of each development team and project directors," Nakayama Takuya said calmly. "We should talk to the Human Resources Department. We can appropriately increase salaries and bonuses to show our sincerity. However, don't try to impress them by overextending yourselves or going head-to-head with Sony. They're determined to poach us; if you offer a million, they'll offer two million."

"Everyone has their own ambitions. If your heart is lured away by the allure of the outside world, what's the point of keeping an empty shell? Sega is a large company, but it can't afford to support so many people. If they really want to leave, we'll see them off with a smile, and we'll still be friends. Consider it a way to raise Sony's price and increase their poaching costs."

The assistant was stunned; this was completely different from the swift and decisive approach she had anticipated. Just like that—release them?

Nakayama Takuya noticed her confusion, smiled, and pointed to another group of people on the list.

"The focus is on the second category. Those deputies, the lead programmer, and the core artists—these are our true foundation."

His finger tapped on the list, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Sony wants to undermine our pillars? Then we'll just reinforce the main beams and add another pillar!"

"Starting today, issue this notice: These capable deputies and core members are permitted to apply to the company to independently form new development teams!"

"What?!" The assistant nearly dropped the pen in his hand.

Isn't this encouraging internal division?

"Executive Director, so, the original team—"

"What about the original team?" Nakayama Takuya interrupted her, asking in return, "If the top leader leaves, the deputy will naturally take over, right? That's called promotion! As for those who went independent, what does Sega need most right now? Games!"

More development teams!

"The market for Mega Drive and handheld consoles is so big, but we only have a small development team. How many flagship products can we release in a year?"

Are we relying on third parties to fill the remaining time slots? Game development cycles are getting longer and longer these days. If we don't prepare more resources, what will happen when players go hungry?

These words enlightened the assistant, and his eyes brightened.

This is not a drastic measure; it's clearly using someone else's strength against them and taking the opportunity to expand their army!

Sony wielded a hoe to dig at the base of the wall, but instead of removing the cornerstone, his hoe loosened the soil for Sega, causing even more new shoots to sprout!

"Tell those deputies and core members who were poached not to rush into decisions. At Sega, they have the opportunity to be their own boss, have their own teams, and work on the projects they want. And we won't shortchange them financially."

Nakayama Takuya leaned back in his chair, a playful smile on his face.

"If they go to Sony, they're parachuted in, outsiders; whether they can establish themselves is another matter. If they stay at Sega, they're pioneers who have helped expand the company's territory, the pillars of the future."

Anyone with a modicum of sense can do the math.

The assistant nodded vigorously, all his worries vanishing, replaced by a strange excitement.

That move by the executive director was absolutely brilliant!

"I'll take care of it right away!"

"Wait a minute," Takuya called out to his assistant. "I'll apply for this plan at the board meeting the day after tomorrow. After all, it's a significant personnel change. Have the Human Resources Department keep these people on their toes for now."

"Hi!" The assistant bowed to Nakayama Takuya and left.