Namco, the servant of three masters

"Hayao Nakayama ----"

To his utter surprise, at this critical juncture, his former arch-rival Sega actually took the initiative to approach him.

This company, which once rivaled them in the arcade business, is now in a completely different situation.

Although it was severely beaten by Nintendo and almost died a tragic death.

But at this critical juncture, a mysterious company on the other side of the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly and forcefully entered the Japan market.

With such generosity, Sega was able to be brought back from the brink of collapse in one fell swoop.

And even—and even became lively and energetic again.

The reason for this may be inseparable from the game "Metal Slug" that is currently sweeping across the country.

Having spent most of his life making games, Masaya Nakamura had never seen a game like this before.

It achieved a near-perfect balance between the exhilarating experience of arcade games and the demands of other aspects.

A super HP potion custom-made by GAMENOVA for Sega.

Forget about being on the verge of collapse, just based on the Gensis NEO that was officially launched these past two days, Sega's financial report this month will probably make many companies envious.

That's great!

It was tailor-made for GAMENOVA; Sega really got lucky and met a benefactor.

On the other hand, what about our own side?

Masaya Nakamura sighed.

They've done things like GAMENOVA before.

In the two years that Atari's fart shattered the North America market, Warner., its dreams broken, split Atari into two companies and sold them separately.

Namco, leveraging its deep pockets, acquired over 60% of Atari Games division in one fell swoop, thus gaining controlling interest.

Strictly speaking, Atari Games is now a Japan company.

However, Namco doesn't seem to have the same ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary as Game Nova.

This money-grabbing product has caused them a lot of trouble.

Masaya Nakamura took a deep breath and stood up from his chair.

He needs to go see Hayao Nakayama and see what Sega looks like now.

If Namco continues to align itself with Nintendo, it'll be completely drained.

Following the address given to him, Masaya Nakamura changed into a formal suit and went directly to AM10 in Shinagawa Ward.

Hayao Nakayama had just returned from his business trip in North America not long ago, is here right now.

As for the development team that had a sign that read "Nazca Studio," Masaya Nakamura glanced around.

The more I look at them, the more familiar they all seem.

"Has President Nakayama acquired IREM?"

As another powerful competitor in the arcade game industry, Masaya Nakamura was well aware of his rival's situation.

At first glance, this group of people is clearly the core team of IREM.

Standing in the crowd, Hayao Nakayama looked quite energetic, with his hair neatly combed and his sharp suit making him look ten years younger.

For someone who is already in his late fifties and approaching sixty to display such energy speaks volumes.

This guy seems to be having a pretty good time lately.

Hayao Nakayama looked relaxed. Noticing the newcomer's movements, he pushed up his glasses and stepped out from the crowd.

"President Masaya Nakamura, it's been a long time."

His spirited demeanor made Masaya Nakamura feel a pang of envy.

The former business rivals, now Masaya Nakamura has no desire to tear them apart.

Masaya Nakamura's Adam's apple bobbed, and after a brief silence, he brought up a matter of mutual concern. "We at Namco have recently run into some problems—just like Sega, except we didn't have Gamenova to lend us a hand."

"Royalty Ordinance?"

"Yes----"

Hayao Nakayama's lips curled up slightly.

The timing was perfect, and it was almost exactly as Lin Lixin had told him.

Hiroshi Yamauchi is truly incorrigible.

"President Masaya Nakamura, raise your head."

He placed his hand on Masaya Nakamura's shoulder. "I once said that I live to make Nintendo uncomfortable." Now that we share the same goal, then—welcome, President Nakamura.

Bringing Namco into its camp is definitely not a good thing for Nintendo.

Namco's numerous development teams are just enough to fill Sega's current most scarce gap in game lineup.

"But----"

Hayao Nakayama changed the subject, "Before that, I want to take you to see someone."

GameFreak headquarters.

Lin Lixin dragged the puzzle piece, placing it in its corresponding position.

Then, with a "snap," the entire puzzle piece was completely eliminated.

A glimpse of the female character behind them is revealed.

"I think this Toru Muranishi is quite a talent."

The jigsaw puzzle game with the "clothes-tearing" element is really well done.

Previously, 1llusion had to outsource these tasks to Blizzard or other studios.

Now that their business has matured, they're even able to come up with some projects on their own.

However, it might not be so easy for this product to enter the NX market.

Without an ESRB rating or any other certifications, it's a completely unregistered product.

Given GAMENOVA's current efforts to clear its name, it's not easy to let this thing pass easily.

Lin Lixin reluctantly put down the controller and looked at Satoshi, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright, let him keep messing around like this, but don't let him ruin our NX platform. Keep making arcade machines; Sega can do the manufacturing anyway."

To be honest, Satoshi Tajiri never expected that this thing could actually be made.

He had initially thought that Lin Lixin had created Ilusion simply as a covert operation, something he was doing for fun out of boredom.

Now it seems they might be serious.

Is this an attempt to cultivate an underground adult game emperor?

He is indeed very talented.

Satoshi Tajiri's lips twitched.

"Mahjong Academy" gave Ilusion a lot of capital to go on tangents.

Lin Lixin had always let the company do whatever it wanted, so Satoshi simply let go and allowed Toru Muranishi to do whatever he wanted.

So far, he's actually managed to produce a few decent-looking borderline games.

Relying on its artist resources, Illusion's funds not only did not decrease, but instead expanded further.

There's even a trend now towards it becoming a major arcade game manufacturer.

"Let him keep causing trouble for now. As usual, keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't actually cross any red lines. I don't have Kung-Fu Master to waste on him."

It's a minor, insignificant problem; Lin Lixin doesn't need to intervene personally. Satoshi Tajiri could easily resolve it with a wave of his hand.

But if things really get out of hand and Lin Lixin has to step in, then things will get really serious.

"Understood, that Pokémon ----"

Satoshi Tajiri nodded, about to say something more, when several steady and forceful knocks sounded at the door.

He immediately stood up and opened the door.

The visitor was none other than Hayao Nakayama, president of Sega.

Of course, there was also Masaya Nakamura, who walked obediently behind him.

Satoshi Tajiri raised an eyebrow and immediately understood what had happened.

"Mr. Lin is inside."

"Grateful."

Hayao Nakayama nodded and then winked at Masaya Nakamura.

The other party understood immediately and pulled out an exquisitely packaged parcel.

Judging from the packaging, it appears to be sake and some kind of high-end confectionery, a very standard and traditional high-end souvenir.

"Just a small token of my appreciation."

Masaya Nakamura considered himself a worldly person.

But when faced with such a Legend figure, he simply couldn't maintain a calm and composed attitude.

If he had known he would have the chance to meet the top leader of GAMENOVA today, he would have gotten a bespoke suit first.

"Um.

Satoshi Tajiri adopted an air of high-class sophistication, took the items, and then gestured for the two to go inside.

Masaya Nakamura felt his heart race as he followed Hayao Nakayama into the house, finally meeting the legendary figure.

Lin Lixin sat in front of a television with his legs crossed, casually fiddling with it.

In the scene, Marco is holding a flamethrower and burning through a group of enemies in front of him.

It's obviously Metal Slug, which has recently shaken up the gaming world.

A hint of surprise flashed in Masaya Nakamura's eyes.

He was younger than he had imagined.

"President Hayashi, this is Masaya Nakamura, the president of Namco."

Although Lin Lixin had entrusted him with this task, Hayao Nakayama naturally wouldn't just lay it all out directly; he still had to pretend that he was the one who had recommended him.

"President Lin, I've long admired your name."

"Um.

Lin Lixin nodded and grasped the outstretched hand.

It seems things are going very smoothly with Hayao Nakayama; I didn't expect them to get it to Namco so quickly.

This is a great opportunity.

It was not only an opportunity to take down Nintendo, but also an opportunity to dig a hole for Sony, the new hegemon of the 1990s.

In the upcoming PS era, Namco will be a third-party exclusive developer for the PS1.

It must be said that Namco's talent for choosing sides is comparable to that of Italy; at every crucial historical juncture, they can find the most suitable path for themselves.

After pioneering the Famicom era with Nintendo, it achieved further glory with Sony on the PS1 in the 1990s.

even----

Namco was the reinvention of the PS1.

What kind of machine is the PS1?

Historically, it was actually a new model that Sony designed independently after the collaboration between Sony and Nintendo went bankrupt.

From the very beginning, its goal was likely to challenge the position of SFC.

Therefore, the earliest PS1 should actually be considered an enhanced version of the SFC.

Namco was then wholeheartedly seeking a wise ruler, naturally spotted the problem at a glance.

Without 3D performance, isn't that just suicide?

At this crucial juncture, when Sony is just beginning to formally engage with Nintendo, poaching Namco would definitely be a powerful blow to them.

Although their test engineers will eventually find the right path, they will definitely take many detours.

"I understand. That's perfectly fine. President Nakayama can decide for himself."

After listening to the other party's account, Lin Lixin nodded casually. "Sega does seem to need a partner like Namco. I believe the two of you will have a lot in common."

According to the original timeline, Namco did indeed seek a merger with Sega in the future.

However, Sega was already half-dead by then due to the failure of the Dreamcast console, so naturally they had no interest in paying attention to them.

Ultimately, the destination of Namco, the Namco of job-hopping and a treacherous thief, was naturally a certain glue-stealing kingpin.

Japan, the most notorious toy manufacturer in Japan, the king of stolen plastic, and Consortium B Bandai for tokusatsu fans and model kit enthusiasts.

"As for why you came to me—you want to get a game that can hold its own, like SEGA did."

The games produced?

"That's exactly right! That's exactly right!"

Masaya Nakamura's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"That's certainly not a problem. I do have a work that's very suitable for Namco, but before that, I have another project to discuss with President Nakayama."

This naturally refers to the game that was agreed upon with the other party not long ago, the one that could completely revive Sega.