Chapter Summaries

Jurassic Park’s success in America fueled a sudden rush for the novel in Japan, while Bandai prepared its dinosaur models without rushing their promotion. Nakayama Takuya returned home from Los Angeles, where his young son Kazuki failed to recognize him and cried.

• High school students bought out Kinokuniya’s copies of Jurassic Park after playing Sega’s game, prompting Manager Ikeda to order two thousand more.
• Mitsui Chuta convinced Yamashina Makoto and Bandai’s executives to hold back toy promotion, keep production running, and stock their warehouses for the film’s July release.
• Nakayama Takuya saw Jurassic’s success and heavy orders as proof that his work in Los Angeles was done, then left for Japan and handed Tom the remaining duties.
• Nakayama Takuya returned to his home in Meguro Ward and greeted Kazuki, but the toddler did not recognize him and ran off crying.

After a week at home reconnecting with Kazuki, Nakayama Takuya returned to Sega Headquarters and proposed a realistic but exciting soccer game for the 1994 U.S. World Cup. The chapter ended as he faced the question of whether to include Japan Team, knowing Japan would suffer the Doha Tragedy and miss the finals.

• Nakayama Takuya won Kazuki over with a special dinosaur plush and spent his vacation caring for his son with Eri.
• After returning to Sega Headquarters, Nakayama Takuya reviewed the company's progress and summoned Ono Hiroshi's idle development team.
• Nakayama Takuya proposed that Ono Hiroshi's team develop a soccer game ahead of the 1994 U.S. World Cup, and Ono agreed they could adapt their baseball game's defensive AI.
• Nakayama Takuya directed the team to create a realistic, thrilling game featuring twenty-four strong national teams.
• A planner asked whether Japan Team should be included, and Nakayama Takuya recalled that Japan would miss the finals after the Doha Tragedy.

Nakayama Takuya ordered Sega to develop a soccer game built around authentic national teams and player data, while avoiding FIFA’s protected tournament name and trophy. The chapter then shifted to Toho, where Sega and Bandai offered cooperative promotions for the Japanese release of a major film.

• Nakayama Takuya told Ono Hiroshi to include Japan’s national team and promised to secure data through Director Yoshikawa and the Japan Football Association.
• Nakayama Takuya explained that Sega’s data network would give its soccer games a lasting competitive advantage and warned the team not to use FIFA’s name or trophy design.
• Nakayama Takuya assigned Ono Hiroshi’s team to negotiate national-team licenses for real names and jersey designs.
• At Toho Pictures, Sato reviewed rising North American box-office figures and urged his staff to make the film’s July Japanese premiere a success.
• Sega and Bandai presented promotional plans that highlighted the film while keeping their own branding and products from overshadowing it.

After Toho agreed to give Sega and Bandai prime theater promotional space, the 1993 Hokkaido earthquake devastated Okushiri Island and cast Japan into mourning. Nakayama Takuya found inspiration in the disaster response to design a video game that could teach practical emergency procedures, remembering that an even greater earthquake would strike Kansai in 1995.

• Sato arranged for Sega and Bandai to receive prominent displays and shared poster space at Toho's leading theaters in exchange for their cooperation.
• On July 12, Nakayama Takuya and Eri watched emergency reports of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, tsunami, and fires on Okushiri Island.
• In the days after the disaster, Japanese schools practiced safety drills and households checked their emergency supplies as news coverage focused on casualties and aftershocks.
• Nakayama heard Sakai Izumi's song Don't Give Up lift the spirits of people at a convenience store while television screens showed rescue efforts.
• Nakayama wrote down a proposal for a disaster-prevention game using Sega's QTE system to help players memorize escape and safety procedures.
• Nakayama noted that his proposed game should precede the devastating 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, then crossed out the date.

Nakayama Takuya postponed Sega’s disaster-prevention game plans until public grief over the Okushiri Island disaster had eased, then turned his attention to Jurassic Park’s Japanese premiere. The film opened to stunned audiences and a rush on dinosaur merchandise, as the CG dinosaur storm began reshaping Japan’s entertainment industry.

• Nakayama Takuya decided to wait before pitching Sega’s disaster-prevention game, keeping his idea for a later moment of public reflection.
• At Jurassic Park’s premiere, Miyazaki Hayao, Hideaki Anno, and Yoshiyuki Tomino debated the film’s computer-generated dinosaurs and what the technology could mean for visual entertainment.
• Nakayama Takuya argued that movies could make dreams with either paintbrushes or computers and welcomed cooperation between artists and programmers.
• Jurassic Park opened in Japanese theaters on July 24, and audiences erupted in amazement after watching it.
• Moviegoers quickly bought out dinosaur toys and plushies at the theater counters, including Sanrio’s cute dinosaur designs.

The dinosaur craze spread across Japan, driving sales of related merchandise and electronics as Jurassic Park’s popularity surged. Sega’s global sales passed 5.5 million copies, and the chapter ended with companies scrambling to keep up with demand.

• Bandai, Autobacs, and electronics stores saw demand rise for dinosaur merchandise and high-end audio equipment.
• Japanese television and newspapers embraced the dinosaur craze, while Sam Neill and Laura Dern endured crowded promotional appearances.
• Tom Kalinske reported that Mega Drive and Sega-CD shipments in Europe and America had reached 3.2 million copies.
• Sega employees celebrated as domestic sales pushed Jurassic Park’s global total past 5.5 million copies.
• Nakayama Takuya saw stores sold out and trucks leaving Sega’s warehouses as the film brought new customers to the game.
• Bandai’s sales chief urged staff to ship goods as quickly as possible amid surging demand.

Yamashina Makoto reconsidered Nakayama Takuya’s proposal to unite Bandai and Sega as Bandai’s dinosaur merchandise sales soared. After Kagoshima’s devastating floods briefly dampened Japan’s dinosaur craze, audiences returned to Jurassic Park, and Toho celebrated its box-office success by publicly crediting Sega and Bandai, leaving Takuya poised to speak.

• Yamashina Makoto heard that customers had forcibly bought even the display samples and reflected on Nakayama Takuya’s suggestion that Bandai and Sega become one family.
• Torrential rain and flooding struck Kagoshima on August 6, and television coverage of the disaster exposed the limits of public aid.
• Nakayama Takuya watched NHK’s disaster coverage as public discussion shifted toward self-help, mutual aid, and disaster preparedness.
• After the rescue period passed and variety shows and Jurassic Park returned, audiences flocked back to cinemas.
• At Toho’s celebration banquet for Jurassic Park’s ten-billion-yen Japanese box office, Sato praised Sega and Bandai’s support and handed the microphone to Nakayama Takuya.

After Jurassic Park’s success, Nakayama Takuya returned his attention to Sega’s hardware and game development work. He spotted Hisao Oguchi’s organizational talent and prepared to give him greater responsibility, then called him over.

• At a banquet, Nakayama Takuya argued that films, games, and merchandise could grow together by drawing on the same audience spending, and Yamashina Makoto led the applause.
• With Jurassic Park’s box-office and merchandise earnings still soaring, Nakayama Takuya set aside the financial report and refocused on Model 2, the next-generation console, and game teams.
• Nakayama Takuya stopped Yu Suzuki from overclocking the Model 2 prototype and assigned him foundational work on collision detection, physics, input latency, and AI.
• Mark Cerny and Yuji Naka led engineers in developing graphics libraries and compilation tools while SGI worked on the custom chip.
• Nakayama Takuya saw Hisao Oguchi coordinating the racing game team and recognized his potential to manage Sega’s operations.
• Nakayama Takuya called Hisao Oguchi over, and Oguchi turned back and greeted him.

Nakayama Takuya asked Hisao Oguchi how Sega could address duplicated work and poor coordination across development teams. Hisao proposed assigning experienced employees to full-time project coordination, leaving the chapter with Nakayama considering the value of the idea.

• Nakayama Takuya brought Hisao Oguchi into a conference room and asked about his workload across several teams.
• Hisao explained that resource conflicts and communication delays caused frequent problems, including two groups building similar physics engine modules.
• Nakayama asked Hisao to propose a solution without budget or staffing limits.
• Hisao suggested assigning fixed project managers to large teams instead of relying on supervisors who moved between groups.
• Hisao argued that experienced employees with family responsibilities could coordinate projects, reduce rework, and support development teams.

Nakayama Takuya offered Hisao Oguchi a deputy position and planned a new technical management career track for experienced employees whose coding skills had fallen behind. He began arranging the changes with Human Resources, where Director Tamura raised questions about how the new roles would be paid.

• Nakayama Takuya offered Hisao Oguchi a role as his deputy in the Managing Director's Office, to begin after Oguchi finished his current work.
• Nakayama Takuya asked Hisao Oguchi to identify veteran employees suited to project coordination and proposed a technical management job sequence with pay and benefits comparable to coders.
• Hisao Oguchi accepted the offer and thanked Nakayama Takuya, while preparing to complete his current duties and compile the list.
• Nakayama Takuya told Director Tamura to promote Hisao Oguchi by half a level, discuss his compensation, and begin the transfer procedures.
• Nakayama Takuya explained his plan for Technical Manager roles to Director Tamura, who praised the idea but asked how their salaries should be set.

Nakayama Takuya defended a well-paid technical management role for veteran employees and explained his opposition to forced overtime and workplace socializing. Five days later, Hisao Oguchi brought him a researched list of twelve candidates, and Nakayama began reviewing their circumstances.

• Nakayama Takuya told Tamura the technical management position deserved pay comparable to technical posts because it involved handling conflict and supporting developers.
• Nakayama Takuya rejected mandatory drinking parties and workplace bullying, insisting that efficiency, rest, and family time mattered more than forced socializing.
• Tamura agreed to draft salary standards for the new role, and Nakayama said it could serve as a return path for former Sega employees at Sony.
• Five days later, Hisao Oguchi presented Nakayama Takuya with a folder listing twelve potential candidates and their résumés and circumstances.
• Nakayama Takuya discussed Watanabe’s family burdens and Sato’s mortgage, considering how their experience and personal situations suited the role.

Nakayama Takuya arranged for twelve struggling veteran employees to become technical coordination managers, giving them stable roles and improved compensation while freeing developers to focus on their work. After all twelve accepted the transfers, they came to thank him, and Watanabe nearly knelt in gratitude before Nakayama stopped him.

• Nakayama Takuya praised Hisao Oguchi for selecting twelve employees suited to technical coordination roles and told him to finish handing over his racing project before transferring.
• Nakayama Takuya instructed Tamura to offer the employees promotions, a five-percent raise, and bonuses tied to frontline developers, while presenting the change as a chance to guide younger staff.
• Tamura negotiated with the twelve employees, including Watanabe and Sato, who accepted their new positions and signed the transfer agreements within three days.
• Hisao Oguchi led the twelve veterans to Nakayama Takuya's office to thank him for putting them to important use.
• Watanabe tried to kneel before Nakayama Takuya, but Nakayama caught his arm and helped him stand, easing the room's solemn mood.
• Sato told Nakayama Takuya that the group had learned he personally requested and approved their new posts.

Nakayama Takuya assigned twelve experienced employees to management roles, improving the Development Department’s workflow and morale. In mid-September, he pitched the team a disaster-survival game for Sega’s Mega Drive and Game Pocket, outlining its resource-planning and real-time survival mechanics.

• Nakayama Takuya told the twelve transferred employees to use their experience to keep the Development Department’s talented but difficult staff on schedule.
• The twelve employees reported to their new positions, and the Development Department’s workflow improved as they handled coordination and obstacles.
• By mid-September, Nakayama Takuya presented the team behind Sonic Pinball with a proposal for a disaster-prevention survival game called 72 Hours After the Disaster.
• Nakayama Takuya outlined a first stage focused on budgeting for supplies and home safety, followed by disasters that required quick-time choices and survival decisions.
• Nakayama Takuya explained that players would manage stamina and drinking water while deciding whether to rescue neighbors during a compressed seventy-two-hour scenario.

Nakayama Takuya outlined a disaster-survival game designed to teach practical earthquake response through clear visuals and strategic resource management. The planning team embraced the project and agreed to build it, even if balancing the mechanics took a long time.

• Nakayama Takuya described a three-phase survival scenario in which players endured a disaster for seventy-two hours and earned ratings based on survival, supplies, and rescues.
• Nakayama Takuya simplified the survival interface to stamina and health, and explained how fatigue, injuries, and environmental hazards would affect players.
• Nakayama Takuya made rescued NPCs useful allies who could restore stamina or help with tasks, prompting the planners to consider rescue choices as strategic decisions.
• Nakayama Takuya instructed the art team to use high-contrast, easily recognized icons so players could identify hazards and supplies quickly.
• The lead planner accepted the assignment, and the team agreed to make the game despite the time required to tune its mechanics.

REAL-3DO launched in the United States with impressive multimedia features and graphics, but its $699 price stunned buyers. The chapter left Matsushita facing a cycle of weak sales and dwindling software support.

• Matsuda warned Nakayama Takuya that Matsushita had announced REAL-3DO with powerful hardware and broad developer interest, but Nakayama Takuya dismissed the threat and argued players cared most about fun games and affordable prices.
• On October 7, 1993, Matsushita and 3DO officially launched REAL-3DO in the United States, showcasing its premium design, multimedia capabilities, and controller features.
• Samsung Electronics withdrew from the 3DO alliance after its leaders judged the hardware costs too risky.
• Matsushita set REAL-3DO's price at $699, far above the prices of Nintendo's SNES and Sega's Mega Drive.
• Shoppers admired launch games such as Crash'NBurn and EscapefromMonsterManor but balked at the console's price, leaving REAL-3DO trapped between low sales and weak incentives for developers to make major games.

Nintendo dismissed Panasonic’s $699 3DO as too expensive to threaten its consoles, but Yamauchi Hiroshi recognized that the 32-bit era was approaching and ordered work on a successor to the SFC. At Sony, Ken Kutaragi also mocked the 3DO, leaving the company’s next move unstated.

• In Tokyo, Nakayama Takuya read the 3DO’s $699 North American launch price and predicted that the console would not survive two years.
• At Nintendo, Yamauchi Hiroshi and his executives discussed the 3DO’s specifications and estimated that its hardware costs would force a high retail price.
• After learning the 3DO would sell for $699, Yamauchi Hiroshi dismissed it as uncompetitive but warned that the next-generation console race had begun.
• Yamauchi Hiroshi ordered Masayuki Uemura and the team to develop Nintendo’s next-generation console under the code name Project Reality.
• At Sony, Ken Kutaragi watched the 3DO demonstration and criticized Panasonic’s hardware-focused design.

Sony decided to pursue PlayStation market share by selling consoles below cost and planned a dinosaur graphics demonstration to answer Panasonic’s 3DO. Atari then announced its 64-bit Jaguar and launched a numbers-based advertising campaign, while Sega executives examined the threat and worried about its specifications.

• Norio Ohga approved Ken Kutaragi’s plan to sell PlayStation hardware at a loss to expand market share and earn CD-ROM royalties.
• Ken Kutaragi proposed demonstrating PlayStation’s graphics with a Tyrannosaurus rex inspired by Jurassic Park.
• Atari announced that development of its Jaguar console was complete and promoted it as a 64-bit system, though players remained wary of Atari’s reputation.
• At Sega headquarters, Hisao Oguchi warned Nakayama Takuya that Jaguar’s claimed processing power could surpass Sega’s Mega Drive and challenge its planned next-generation console.

Nakayama Takuya, Nintendo, and Sony assessed Atari’s Jaguar and dismissed its 64-bit claims and unusual controller as bluster backed by weak resources. Sony’s executives concluded that PlayStation should remain their priority.

• Nakayama Takuya told Hisao Oguchi to investigate Atari’s recent activities, the Jaguar’s specifications, and its launch lineup.
• At Nintendo headquarters, Yokoi Gunpei reported that Minoru Arakawa believed Atari had dwindled since Jack Tramiel acquired it, and executives mocked the Jaguar’s telephone-like controller.
• Yamauchi Hiroshi dismissed the Jaguar as hardware without good games and judged that Tramiel did not understand the game industry.
• At Sony headquarters, Ryoji Chubachi, Nobuyuki Idei, and Ken Kutaragi cited Atari’s weak finances, cost-cutting, and Jaguar design as reasons to doubt its claims.
• Norio Ohga concluded that Sony should ignore Atari’s boasts and focus on completing PlayStation.

Atari’s Jaguar launch faltered under criticism of its misleading 64-bit claims, difficult architecture, and lack of games. Meanwhile, Square’s understated promotion of its Tokyo game-music concert drew enthusiastic ticket and recording reservations across Japan.

• Nakayama Takuya and Hisao Oguchi reviewed the Jaguar’s Tom and Jerry processors and concluded that Atari’s 64-bit claim concealed a difficult, fragmented architecture.
• Electronic Gaming Monthly criticized the Jaguar, while developers struggled with its tools and players left the game-starved machines on store shelves.
• Nakayama Takuya decided Sega no longer needed to monitor Atari after the Jaguar and another recent console both performed poorly.
• Square’s concert posters appeared in Japanese game shops, where the owner explained that Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda would perform, including a Chrono Trigger suite.
• A salaryman bought two premium concert tickets, and students and other shoppers reserved the concert’s CD and vinyl recording.

At the first game music concert in Tokyo, Nobuo Uematsu introduced Nakayama Takuya and credited him with helping make the event possible. The audience warmly cheered and teased Nakayama before Uematsu thanked him for fulfilling a dream for game musicians.

• Nakayama Takuya and Sakaguchi Hironobu discussed the sold-out Tokyo concert and record preorders, and Sakaguchi gave Nakayama two VIP tickets.
• On December 10, Nakayama Takuya attended the concert with Eri and saw a packed hall filled with fans and industry figures.
• Nobuo Uematsu took the microphone instead of beginning to conduct and introduced Nakayama Takuya as the person who helped make Chrono Trigger and the concert possible.
• An audience member jokingly pleaded with Nakayama to stop draining players' wallets, prompting laughter and affectionate heckling throughout the hall.
• Nakayama Takuya stood and jokingly asked the audience for mercy, and Nobuo Uematsu thanked him for helping fulfill a dream for game musicians.