Second Party

It was a summer evening in Tokyo, and the air was filled with sultry heat and humidity. Nakayama Takuya drove the RX7 from Osaka back to Tokyo, thinking a lot along the way. Although he did not get a clear answer immediately from his meeting with Konami, he knew that he had planted a seed in Kozuki Kagemasa's heart.

The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from the monotony of the highway to the sea of neon lights that Tokyo was familiar with. Takuya loosened his tie and felt the cool breeze from the air conditioner. In the next few days, he needed to visit more third-party game developers to pave the way for the release of Sega's new console.

After returning to the apartment, Takuya didn't take much rest. He immediately opened his laptop and began to plan his next visit. The blue light of the screen reflected on his focused face, and his fingers typed a series of names on the keyboard: COMPILE, Game Arts, Technosoft... These are the targets he will visit next.

"Let's start with the hardcore allies." Takuya muttered to himself and drew an asterisk next to COMPILE's name.

COMPILE was founded in 1982 and is good at developing puzzle games. In particular, the <Puyo Puyo> series is very popular around the world. More importantly, COMPILE has maintained a close cooperative relationship with Sega, and can be said to be Sega's "hardcore ally".

Takuya Close the computer, lie on the bed, and close your eyes. Tomorrow, the journey will continue.

In the early morning of the next day, Takuya got up early, put on a dark blue suit and tied his tie. He looked in the mirror in high spirits, and he did not show any signs of fatigue from running around for days.

COMPILE is located in an inconspicuous office building in downtown Tokyo. Different from the shiny building in Konami, this place looks much simpler, but there are countless creative sparks inside.

The elevator door opened, and Takuya walked into the office area of COMPILE. The walls were covered with various game posters, most of which were brightly colored puzzle games. Several young programmers were gathering together to discuss something. When they saw Takuya coming in, they all cast curious glances.

"Executive Nakayama! Welcome!" Niitani Masamitsu greeted him warmly. As the president of COMPILE Club, Niitani is a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing a pair of round-rimmed glasses and always wearing a friendly smile on his face.

After a few words of greeting, the two came to the conference room. Different from the formal reception room like Konami, this place was more like a creative studio. The walls were covered with game concept drawings and character designs, and various development documents were scattered on the table.

"Sega has been quite active recently. I heard that you visited several game companies in succession." Niitani poured a cup of coffee for Takuya with a teasing tone in his tone.

Takuya took the coffee and took a sip. "That's true. We are preparing for the release of the new console and hope to have more excellent third-party game support."

"New host?" Niitani's eyes lit up, "16-bit?"

Takuya nodded and took out a document from the briefcase. "This is the technical specifications and third-party development policy of our new host."

Niitani took the file and browsed it quickly. As an old friend, Takuya did not need to be as secretive as he was with Konami.

"This performance is indeed impressive." Niitani looked through the information, "Especially the color expression and processing speed, which are much better than the existing 8-bit machines."

Takuya put down the coffee cup and leaned forward slightly. "Because of this, I hope COMPILE can develop a heavyweight work for our new console."

Niitani raised his head, a flash of thought flashed in his eyes. "Do you have any specific ideas?"

Takuya stood up and walked to the whiteboard. "Considering COMPILE's expertise in the field of puzzle games, I have a bold idea." He picked up the Mark pen and wrote the words "Party Game" on the whiteboard.

"Party game?" Niitani repeated the word, frowning slightly.

"That's right." Takuya began to outline his ideas on the whiteboard. "A large number of small games that are easy for both adults and female players to play, integrated into one game through various combinations, emphasizing the attributes of a living room party. Multiple people participate at the same time, and the rules are simple but varied, which can trigger laughter and interaction."

Niitani nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds interesting, but there are already many similar games on the market."

Takuya smiled slightly and wrote the words "Sega All-Stars".

"This is our trump card. This party game is not just COMPILE's own IP, but a collection of characters from all well-known games under Sega."

Niitani's eyes widened instantly. "You mean..."

"Yes, such as the characters of Pokémon and Fatal Fury, as well as characters from other well-known Sega games, you can even consider cooperating with third parties to add more well-known characters." Takuya's voice was full of passion, "Imagine that players can choose their favorite characters and compete in various mini-games."

Niitani stood up and walked to the whiteboard. "This idea is great! We can design various types of mini-games to allow players to experience different game styles." Niitani became more and more excited as he talked, "This will not only attract core players, but also allow ordinary family members to participate."

Takuya looked at Niitani's excitement and was secretly happy. He knew that his suggestion hit the mark. COMPILE is good at making games with simple rules but rich content, and the concept of "Sega All-Stars" can add infinite charm to the game.

"We can immediately form a dedicated team to take charge of this project." Niitani put down his pen, his eyes flashing with excitement, "This will be an epoch-making work!"

Takuya stretched out his hand and held it tightly with Niitani. "I'm looking forward to COMPILE's masterpiece."

The first stop was successfully completed, and the next one was Game Arts.

Founded in 1985, Game Arts is a game company known for its exquisite graphics and delicate plots. In its previous life, their <Grandia> series and <Lunar> series were highly praised by RPG enthusiasts. More importantly, Game Arts has an investment relationship with Sega, which makes the two companies cooperate more closely.

The office of Game Arts is located in a modern office building in the city center of Tokyo. Different from the style of COMPILE's creative studio, this place is more professional and refined. There are exquisite original game paintings hanging on the walls, each of which is like a work of art.

"Specialist Nakayama, I've been waiting for a long time." Miyaji Yoichi greeted him. As the president of Game Arts, Miyaji is a middle-aged man with elegant temperament, who speaks softly but without losing strength.

The two came to the conference room. Outside the window was the bustling street scene of Tokyo. Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, adding a bit of brightness to the entire space.

"I think you have heard the news about Sega's new console." Takuya got straight to the point.

Miyaji smiled and nodded. "I have indeed heard about it. A 16-bit host has powerful performance, right?"

"That's right." Takuya took out the technical information and handed it to Miyaji. "These are the detailed specifications. I believe that with the technical strength of Game Arts, we will be able to fully utilize the potential of this console."

Miyaji looked through the information carefully and nodded from time to time. "Color expression, processing speed, memory capacity... these parameters are indeed quite high."

"Because of this," Takuya looked directly into Miyaji's eyes, "I hope Game Arts can develop an RPG or visual novel game for the new console."

Miyaji put down the information and thought thoughtfully. "The delicate plot of RPG is indeed our strength. But you know, developing a high-quality RPG requires a lot of time and resources."

"Sega is willing to provide comprehensive technical support." Takuya said firmly, "We can send technical personnel to help you become familiar with the development environment of the new host to ensure that you can fully utilize its performance advantages."

Miyaji's eyes brightened. "If we can break through the limitations of the existing consoles, we do have many ideas that can be realized. A grander world view, more detailed character creation, and a smoother combat system..."

Takuya smiled and added, "And more exquisite graphics and sound effects. I know that Game Arts has always paid attention to the audio-visual experience of games."

"That's right." Miyaji stood up and walked to the window. "We have always hoped to create a truly immersive fantasy world where players can explore, take risks, and grow. But the existing hardware always limits our imagination."

Takuya stood up and came to Miyaji. "Now, these restrictions will be broken. Sega's new console will provide you with a stage to show your talents."

Miyaji turned around, his eyes flashing with the enthusiasm of the creator. "We have had a project that has been conceived for a long time, a fantasy RPG that combines elements of Eastern and Western mythology. If it can be realized on a new console, it will be a breakthrough attempt."

"Sounds very attractive." Takuya said sincerely, "I believe Game Arts can create amazing works."

The two shook hands and reached an intention to cooperate. Takuya felt even more joyful, and the second stop was successfully completed.