Joining the Next-Generation War
The hype surrounding the Sega Esports Tournament will eventually die down.
Just like a pebble thrown into a lake, no matter how big the ripples are, they will eventually subside.
The industry has returned to its former calm.
For most game companies, life goes on as usual.
The 16-bit console war has entered its second half, with Nintendo and Sega meticulously cultivating their respective massive existing markets and reaping the benefits of the latter half.
As for the PCEngine jointly launched by NEC and Hudson, it has almost disappeared from the market.
Third-party vendors are all shrewd; they can see who is stronger and who is weaker at a glance. Naturally, they will devote all their precious development resources to the two sure-win options: MD and SFC.
In Nakayama Takuya's office, his assistant is reporting the latest sales figures.
"Executive Director, this is last quarter's report. Global sales of the Mega Drive console continue to maintain steady growth. Third-party software shipments have also reached new highs, and the number of new PC Engine platform titles is less than a fraction of ours."
The assistant who gave the report beamed with pride; Sega certainly had every reason to be proud.
"Okay, I understand." Nakayama Takuya nodded, letting his assistant continue with his work.
The assistant's footsteps faded outside the door, and the office returned to silence.
Nakayama Takuya leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the beautiful report.
Mega Drive (MD) global sales have grown steadily, and third-party software shipments have reached new highs—each number is like a medal, proclaiming Sega's glorious victory in this 16-bit Super Robot Wars.
Any other executive would probably be popping champagne to celebrate right now.
But Nakayama Takuya's thoughts had already drifted away from this report.
He knew better than anyone that MD could still be sold, and sold very well.
This machine's lifecycle is far from over. With its massive installed base and mature third-party system, it will remain a cash cow for Sega for the next two to three years.
This is also the reason why he withstood internal pressure and delayed the development of the next-generation console.
What's the rush?
The board members are currently counting their money with great enthusiasm; the company's accounts are overflowing with astronomical cash flow, and no one is urging him, the executive director, to come up with any new tricks.
Let Nintendo worry about it. The Super Famicom has been suppressed by the Mega Drive for so long; they're the ones who need to realize the Super Famicom's money-making potential.
He was waiting for the right opportunity.
The time when the cost of a 3D technology drops to a suitable level.
As a time traveler, Nakayama Takuya possesses a complete history of Super Robot Wars in his mind.
He vividly remembers how, in another time and space, major manufacturers, including Sega, struggled between 2D and 3D, or were battered and bruised by high hardware costs and an immature development environment.
Panasonic's 3D0 boasted powerful performance and an advanced concept, but what was the result? Selling a single unit for a staggering US dollar 700, it essentially bankrupted itself.
The Sega he created also made a fatal mistake in that timeline.
In an effort to catch up with technology, the Saturn was hastily launched. Its complex structure and extremely high development difficulty caused countless third-party manufacturers immense hardship, ultimately benefiting others.
He will never allow history to repeat itself.
He picked up the internal phone and pressed a few shortcut keys.
"Suzuki -kun, put down what you're doing and come to the Hardware Development Department meeting room."
"Zhongjun, I know you're busy, but there's something more important right now. See you in the Hardware Department meeting room."
"Nakamura, gather your men for a short meeting. I'll be there now."
Three phone calls, concise and to the point.
Nakayama Takuya hung up the phone, picked up the impressive sales report, and casually tossed it into a drawer.
The past glories are best left unsaid.
What he wants is the future.
The atmosphere in the Hardware Development Department's conference room was somewhat awkward.
The four people present can be considered the core brains of the Sega gaming empire today.
One is Yu Suzuki, a game master who is exploring the boundaries of 3D games for Sega with VR Racing and is obsessed with technology to the point of madness.
One is Yuji Naka genius programmer who single-handedly propelled the Mega Drive to legendary status with the Sonic series and is now more like Sega's "technical firefighter."
One is Nakamura, the pragmatic and meticulous Hardware Development Department oversees all of Sega's hardware.
Finally, there was Nakayama Takuya, who had gathered them here.
Yu Suzuki seemed a little impatient; he had just found a bit of inspiration on a technical problem when he was called in by phone.
Time is more precious to him than gold.
Yuji Naka, was much quieter, curiously observing the executive director.
He knew that Nakayama Takuya never did anything meaningless; such a grand display must mean there was important news to announce.
Nakamura was the most nervous; his department was responsible for the "foundation." The fact that the executive director himself came to the meeting—could it be MD?
What went wrong in the hardware manufacturing process?
"Everyone," Nakayama Takuya broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over the three men, "I've called you all here for one thing."
He paused, then said, word by word, "Initiate planning for our next-generation console."
Upon hearing this, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Yu Suzuki's impatience vanished instantly, replaced by a burning light in his eyes.
Nakamura breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't a bad thing after all. But then his heart jumped again. A new host computer—this was a huge project.
Yuji Naka then gave him an "I knew it" look.
"Executive Director, are we finally going to begin?" Yu Suzuki's voice trembled slightly; he had waited for this day for far too long.
"We're not waiting any longer." Nakayama Takuya smiled. "SFC has caught up now, and they even have a slight technological advantage over us. Let them enjoy making money for another two years."
A joke eased the tense atmosphere considerably.
"Today, we won't discuss budgets or schedules; let's just set a direction first." Nakayama Takuya held up one finger. "The primary question is, what kind of mainframe do we want to develop?"
Instead of immediately presenting the well-developed solution in his mind, he looked at everyone.
"Before discussing 3D performance, I want to clarify one thing." Nakayama Takuya's gaze fell on Yuji Naka and Nakamura. "Our new mainframe must possess top-tier 2D processing capabilities that match the display performance of current mainstream televisions."
"2D?" Yu Suzuki frowned, almost blurting out, "Executive Director, are we still talking about 2D? The future belongs to 3D."
Of!"
"Suzuki- kun, don't rush." Nakayama Takuya waved his hand, signaling him to calm down. "Let me ask you, how many third-party development companies on the market right now can handle 3D development as easily as your team?"
Yu Suzuki opened his mouth, but no words came out.
No, it's not true. The achievements of Yu Suzuki's development team are the result of Sega's massive investment of resources and top talent, and it simply doesn't have universal applicability.