Visiting Sony

The most urgent task right now is not to engage in a war of words with Sony, but to establish the IDSA platform.

Nakayama Takuya chose Sony Headquarters in Shinagawa as his first stop.

He was received by Nobuyuki Idei.

Ken Kutaragi is reportedly in seclusion in the lab with his team, making a final push to finalize the main unit design, and has no time for such business visits.

When Nobuyuki Idei met Nakayama Takuya, his expression was somewhat amused.

The relationship between the two companies is currently quite delicate.

On the one hand, the two companies have had in-depth cooperation in CD-ROM file systems and optical disc drive technology, with Sega's DDR helping Sony test the waters in the gaming industry; on the other hand, as the development and promotion progress of PlayStation and Jupiter gradually becomes public, the two companies are about to become fierce rivals.

"Special Secretary Nakayama, a rare guest." Nobuyuki Idei secretary to serve tea. "I thought you'd bring <Disaster-Fighting Little Hero>."

The cassette tape was used to sell me disaster prevention knowledge.

"No need for that. I think the Sony building has a very good earthquake-resistant structure." Nakayama Takuya smiled, took the teacup, and took a sip. "I came today to talk to Mr. Idei about Las Vegas this January."

Nobuyuki Idei raised an eyebrow. "CES?"

"That's right. I think Sony felt the same way about that exhibition in January." Nakayama Takuya put down his teacup, his tone casual as if he were chatting about everyday things. "Although Sony is a home appliance giant, and its booth wasn't thrown next to the pornography section like ours, displaying a game console among a bunch of refrigerators, TVs, and vacuum cleaners isn't exactly a pleasant experience, is it?"

Nobuyuki Idei remained silent for a moment.

Indeed, in the eyes of the CES organizers, Sony sells Trinitron TVs and Walkmans, while the PlayStation division, which is still in its infancy, is probably just an add-on.

If it weren't for the backing of the home appliance sector, the compensation probably wouldn't be much better.

"Those appliance manufacturers look down on game developers." Nakayama Takuya leaned forward, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Even though our production value is almost surpassing Hollywood's, in their eyes we're just electronic toys. Sega doesn't want to live this dependent life anymore."

"So?"

"We want to split up. Or rather, become independent." Nakayama Takuya pulled a pre-prepared draft from his briefcase. "Sega plans to unite major manufacturers to form the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), and then hold a convention just for us, the Electronic Entertainment Epo, also known as E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo."

Nobuyuki Idei took the document and quickly flipped through it.

When he saw the clause "not seeking absolute dominance," his finger paused as he turned the page.

"Sega doesn't intend to be the leader of this alliance?" Nobuyuki Idei raised his head, his gaze sharp. "This doesn't seem like something Sega that wanted to Nintendo, would do."

"Doing business isn't war; there's no need to fight to the death, at least not in the gaming industry. In this association, all we want is a certain degree of influence. We just need to be one of the co-founders. We want the dignity of an industry leader, not a system where everyone listens to everyone else." Nakayama Takuya spread his hands. "As long as the rules are fair and can genuinely create a better environment for the video game industry, everyone can earn their living based on their own abilities. Sega is fully confident in facing normal competition within the industry. I think Sony, holding that Tyrannosaurus Rex in its hands, probably also needs a professional stage to showcase its power, right? It's much better than trying to outdo a vacuum cleaner in terms of sheer volume at CES."

Nobuyuki Idei closed the document, not immediately offering his opinion. "Besides us, who else did you contact?"

"In Japan, Sony is the first. As for Panasonic, I'll go there tomorrow." Nakayama Takuya paused, a sly smile appearing on his face. "As for Nintendo— "

"Minoru Arakawa?"

"Yes, let our United States president talk to Minoru Arakawa." Nakayama Takuya shrugged. "After all, when it comes to saving money and making money, Minoru Arakawa much more reasonable than that stubborn old man in Kyoto. As long as he knows that if Nintendo doesn't participate in E3, it will fall far behind in media exposure, he'll be more eager than anyone else."

Nobuyuki Idei couldn't help but laugh.

The idea of Sega taking down Nintendo is hilarious.

This is also a disguised form of "using someone else's knife to kill them," or "divide and conquer."

"Setting the association's headquarters in the United States and leveraging its global influence is indeed a smart move," Nobuyuki Idei, his fingers lightly tracing the document's cover. "However, this matter is of great importance, and I need to discuss it at a meeting."

"I understand. But I trust Mr. Idei's judgment." Nakayama Takuya stood up and straightened his suit. "After all, if even a giant like Sony thinks video games can only play a supporting role to refrigerators and color TVs, then this industry is truly pathetic."

After seeing Nakayama Takuya off, Nobuyuki Idei stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the young figure below disappear into the Toyota Century.

"IDSA----" he repeated the name in a low voice.

Sega is using a calculated strategy.

If Sony doesn't join, it will be excluded from this emerging core circle of the industry; if it does join, it can stand on equal footing with Sega and obtain the status of a co-founder of the association. But whatever Sony plans to do, having a top-tier exhibition of its own for the gaming industry is definitely more beneficial than detrimental to Sony, which is about to launch the PlayStation.

"This guy is even more difficult to deal with than I imagined." Nobuyuki Idei turned and walked out of the office.

Instead of going directly to the president's office on the top floor, he first went to the Hardware Development Department.

As soon as the laboratory door was pushed open, a wave of heat, a mixture of the smell of solder and the aroma of burnt coffee, rushed out.

Ken Kutaragi was staring blankly at the spinning Tyrannosaurus Rex on the screen, his brow furrowed, seemingly pondering how to make the textures of this prehistoric behemoth more realistic.

"Stop looking, it won't jump out of the screen and bite you." Nobuyuki Idei knocked on the doorframe. "President Ohga is looking for us, along with Chubachi Director Nakabachi."

Ken Kutaragi impatiently took off his glasses, rubbed his reddened eyes, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, "If it's about cutting the budget, I won't go. PlayStation's development is at a critical stage."

"Of course not." Nobuyuki Idei shook the file folder in his hand, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Sega just sent over a challenge," or rather, an admission ticket.

Ten minutes later, on the top floor of Sony Headquarters.

Norio Ohga looked at the three key figures in Sony's gaming business in front of him and slowly flipped through the IDSA draft left by Nakayama Takuya.

The office was quiet, with only the rustling of papers turning.

"Sega wants to lead a rebellion?" After listening to Ken Kutaragi Nobuyuki Idei's brief explanation, Ken Kutaragi snorted coldly and leaned back on the sofa. "Nakayama Takuya is meddling in this much. He hasn't even figured out how to make games, and he's already worrying about industry rules. Is he planning some kind of political opportunism?"