Sega Comes Calling

Development will proceed as planned for the time being.

Sato Hideki offered a reassuring remark, then frowned and glanced at the documents again before turning to leave.

"I'll have a good talk with the president."

Sega headquarters.

Hayao Nakayama listened quietly to Sato Hideki's words, looking at the astonishing parameters in the magazine.

Hideki, what do you think?

His voice betrayed no emotion; he simply asked for the opinion of his favored deputy as if it were a routine matter.

Hideki's abilities are absolutely commendable.

He has been working diligently in the hardware department since the first generation of Sega's SG-1000.

To put it dramatically, he could even be called the "father of Sega hardware."

However, Hideki is still somewhat inexperienced and lacks sufficient experience.

Hayao Nakayama's gaze fell on Sato Hideki, his eyes shifting with an unusual light.

Irimajiri Shoichiro was much more mature than Sato, and he was also a proper civil servant, unlike Sato, who was a technical officer who worked his way up from the bottom in the hardware department.

Hayao Nakayama was truly undecided about who was the most suitable successor.

"President, in my opinion, those fancy new features aren't a big deal."

"How so?" Hayao Nakayama asked gently, indicating that Sato could elaborate.

"No matter how much hype they give it, the NX is still just a gaming console; gaming is what truly matters."

"What truly sends Porky's is this."

Sato reached out and tapped the "RAM" field in the configuration list.

"256KB of RAM and the same 256KB of video memory!"

It's worth noting that the Sega MD, which they are currently developing at full capacity, only has a 64+64 configuration.

Larger memory and video memory mean a larger number of sprites on screen at the same time, and a larger amount of real-time data.

This means richer game content.

Even in the 8-bit era, Gamenova's development capabilities were still beyond the comprehension of most.

Now they have a perfect new body.

Just how far can that new work called "Civilization" go?

The mere thought of it is chilling.

Hayao Nakayama remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"CD-ROM drive and hundreds of KB of memory----"

They dare to cram the components of a game console into it with the standards of a productivity tool, and still manage to keep the price at just over three hundred.

Hayao Nakayama saw it very clearly.

This is not only due to Gamenova's strategy of selling hardware at a loss, but also because of Micron's influence.

Since Japan manufacturers began dumping large quantities of DRAM into the US market, Micron and other domestic manufacturers have suffered severe losses, with large quantities of memory chips piling up in warehouses and unable to be sold.

Or rather, it's a loss on every single share sold.

While taking over Micron's entire production capacity, they also provided Micron with technical support.

A game company that owns its own wafer fab----

Their cost control will be at a level that even their biggest rival, Nintendo, cannot achieve.

Perhaps only NEC, which is currently developing that quasi-16-bit mainframe called "PC-Engine," has this capability.

"Prepare the formalities and flight; I want to personally visit President Lin."

"Isn't it a bit too darkly humorous that Mr. Lincoln's trait of reducing loyalty through plantations?"

At GAMENOVA headquarters, the development team was having a brainstorming session in the conference room.

The game's framework is now complete; all that remains is to populate it with a large amount of content.

Leaders and Civilization were the core topics of this brainstorming session.

Will's lips twitched; he simply didn't know what to say about Lin Lixin's suggestion.

"Surprisingly reasonable—but what the heck is Gandhi's effect of increasing the speed of atomic bomb production?!"

"Ahem, just kidding. The Mahatma's effects are certainly related to religious victory."

Lin Lixin chuckled; it was hard for him not to think of nuclear weapons when Gandhi was mentioned.

Sid shook his head helplessly. After spending so much time together, he had long since grown accustomed to the unique development atmosphere here.

"The Kojima's idea is more reliable, Hojo------Hojo what is it again? Sorry, I don't know much about this."

"Hojo Tokimune, a shogun during the Kamakura Shogunate period."

Lin Lixin raised an eyebrow, quite surprised by the idea proposed by Kojima.

"Why not more well-known figures like Oda Nobunaga or Tokugawa Ieyasu?"

"I think choosing a famous Oda Nobunaga like Oda Nobunaga would make the work too stereotypical. What we want is to present players with something more interesting."

Hojo Tokimune was the founder of Bushido culture, and there is a legend that he successfully resisted the invasion of the Mongol Empire by relying on a typhoon known as the "divine wind".

Based on these elements, it seems easy to construct a very interesting character.

Lin Lixin nodded and then took out the next card.

"The next Civilization, the Old Babylonian Kingdom— "

Hammurabi.

There was no need for him to finish speaking; everyone gave the same answer in unison.

It seems there is absolutely no disagreement on this point.

"Okay, then—"

"Lin, someone has come to visit."

Sam suddenly pushed open the door and walked into the conference room.

Lin Lixin nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, gave a few brief instructions, and then quickly left the conference room.

If it weren't someone worth meeting, Sam would have kept himself out.

"President Lin, we've finally met."

Lin Lixin pushed open the door to the reception room and saw a middle-aged man who looked rather old, but whose eyes were very clear.

A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he immediately guessed what was going on.

The impact of NovaXeno continues to grow.

"You must be President Hayao Nakayama?"

Lin Lixin recognized the person at a glance.

A werewolf worthy of respect, a president who spent his entire life opposing Nintendo and never gave up.

Even in his old age, he still longs for video games.

Sega's golden age in the 1980s was created by this president.

His appearance before him now is absolutely inextricably linked to NovaXeno.

"I wonder what brings President Hayao Nakayama from so far away?"

"President Lin."

Hayao Nakayama extended his hand and shook hands with Lin Lixin, expressing his goodwill. "The NovaXeno is a great machine. I can see GAMENOVA's unreserved pursuit of the 16-bit era."

His accent was quite heavy, but Lin Lixin was fluent in multiple languages, so there was no barrier to understanding him.

"I've heard that SEGA is also developing its own 16-bit console? Looks like we've gotten ahead of the game."

"Yes—GMNOVA's R&D capabilities are truly—enviable."

Hayao Nakayama made no attempt to hide his envy.

If they had that kind of power, they could easily crush Nintendo.

He paused, met Lin Lixin's gaze, and then began to explain the true purpose of his trip, "President Lin, I hope to sign a supply agreement with GAMENOVA, or rather Micron, to use your memory chips in our next-generation consoles."