Sony's Decision

Norio Ohga looked around at the faces that were either excited, uneasy, or fearful, and finally fixed his gaze on the heavy door of the conference room.

"I visited Morita last night."

"Boom!"

This name carries more weight than any of the previous strong words. Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, the soul of this empire.

The entire conference room fell silent, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

A cold smile finally appeared on Norio Ohga's lips.

After hearing everything that had happened in Chicago, Morita only said one sentence.

He paused, then spoke each word with the founder's will, like thunder, striking the hearts of everyone present.

"If Sony is so scared by a lawsuit filed by a small company that started by selling flower flyers in Kyoto that it would abandon what it has envisioned for its future."

"Then tomorrow, he'll personally go and take down the 'SONY' sign at the company entrance."

Because we don't deserve it.

Dead silence.

Director Iwata swayed, then plopped back into his chair, his face deathly pale.

A burning light shone in Nobuyuki Idei's eyes.

Ken Kutaragi, who had been keeping his head down like a sinner, suddenly raised his head the moment he heard those words.

In his bloodshot eyes, humiliation and despair were receding, replaced by a burning, frenzied flame.

Norio Ohga finally stood up, walked over to Ken Kutaragi, and stuffed the unlit cigar into his suit pocket.

"Ten months."

"I want to see a brand new machine, one that truly belongs to Sony."

He patted Ken Kutaragi on the shoulder, quite forcefully.

"Go." Norio Ohga's voice returned to calm as he released his grip, as if bidding farewell to a soldier about to go to war.

Ken Kutaragi nodded heavily, without saying another word.

He clutched the cigar in his pocket tightly, as if he were holding the entire future of Sony in his grasp.

The atmosphere in the conference room shifted from frozen to a strangely molten state.

Norio Ohga's gaze slowly shifted to Director Iwata, whose face was deathly pale and who was still slumped in his chair.

"Iwata- kun."

"Yes—" Director Iwata jolted awake and barely managed to sit up straight.

"You just said that we are laymen and should cut our losses and retreat to our familiar territory." Norio Ohga's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if he were reciting a dry report.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Iwata's forehead.

"Then let me ask you," Norio Ohga's tone suddenly shifted, becoming sharp, "Forty years ago, when we were making radios, weren't we amateurs? Thirty years ago, when we were making televisions, weren't we amateurs? Ten years ago, when we were making Walkmans, weren't we amateurs?"

A barrage of questions left Director Iwata's lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Sony, with a group of laymen, turned the impossible into possible! When did the word "retreat" appear in our dictionary?

Norio Ohga walked up to Iwata and looked down at him.

"Your eyes are only fixed on this quarter's financial report, thinking about how to explain it to the shareholders. But I'm looking at how Sony's financial reports will be written ten or twenty years from now!"

He paused for a moment, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"However—" Norio Ohga changed the subject, his tone softening, and he even reached out to straighten Iwata's slightly crooked tie, a gesture that made Iwata stiffen.

"Your concerns are valid. The group's resources are limited; we can't afford to fund only one project."

All the conservative directors present looked up, somewhat puzzled.

Norio Ohga strolled back to his seat and surveyed the entire room.

"Do you think that Ken Kutaragi developed just a game console?"

He smiled, a smile that held a hint of all-knowing insight.

"No. That's the culmination of all the electronic technology in our next generation of products. It's the chip that allows Trinitron TVs to connect to television networks, the processor that enables Walkmans to display graphical interfaces, and the engine that makes our cameras the industry benchmark!"

He looked at Iwata, his eyes no longer questioning, but giving off an undeniable command.

"Starting today, the Home Appliances Division will establish a New Technology Integration Department. You, Iwata- kun, will be the head of this department."

Iwata suddenly looked up, his face full of astonishment.

"I need you to unite your top engineers and Ken Kutaragi's team. Expand the application of electronics technology to the home appliance product line, ensuring Sony's home appliances always stay ahead of the curve."

Norio Ohga's voice was resolute.

Director Iwata's face flushed red and then paled. He opened his mouth, but finally, he stood up from his chair and bowed deeply to Norio Ohga.

"Yes, President!"

At this moment, he was no longer a conservative on trial, but a general who had received a pledge.

In the meeting room, the initial antagonism and resentment instantly vanished.

Everyone understood that Norio Ohga's move was not a compromise, but a way to unite all forces and take a huge gamble to shake up the future of the entire Sony empire!

Meeting adjourned.

Norio Ohga waved his hand, and the directors got up and left Ken Kutaragi was no longer one of disdain and scrutiny, but rather a hint of complexity.

After the uproar at the Consumer Electronics Show at the end of May 1992, the entire gaming industry seemed to have changed, yet it also seemed to have remained largely the same.

The difference lies in the fact that two new console manufacturers, 3D and Sony, have suddenly appeared. In fact, 3D can't even be considered a console manufacturer in the strict sense; rather, it's a console standard manufacturer.

The reason it seems like nothing has changed is because neither of these two new console manufacturers has actually released any consoles.

While Sony is engaged in research and development and litigation, the most mainstream game consoles available to players are still only 16-bit home consoles from Nintendo and Sega, and Sega's handheld consoles.

Faced with votes paid for with real money, all grand narratives that have yet to materialize seem pale and powerless.

After the initial excitement subsided, the industry realized that the real protagonists at the table were still Nintendo and Sega.

The industry has returned to its previous rhythm, with promotions continuing and games being sold as usual.

Sega watched with trepidation, thankful that they had only shared some of the CD-ROM development costs with Sony and hadn't gotten too deeply involved.

At the same time, many senior executives realized for the first time that there were so many "outsiders" in the industry with big money and advanced technology, eyeing the lucrative gaming market.