Cerny has his own understanding of game development.
This was Gerald's strongest feeling after the conversation.
No, it's less about understanding and more about a system.
Mark Cerny seems to believe in a highly sophisticated theory and methodology for game development.
This was the first time Gerald had understood the entire game development process from such a comprehensive perspective.
In the " Cerny System " described by Cerny, he proposed a solution that Gerald quite approved of.
Instead of starting game development directly, we first do... design.
"We don't need to aim for perfection from the start. I believe that during game development, we're not making a game, but designing a game."
"You mean... develop a minimal prototype first?"
Gerald looked surprised. In this era when the game industry is not advanced, he thought that only Gamenova could have such a complete theoretical foundation.
Although it has never been publicly disclosed, this has always been the internal game design practice at Gamenova.
First, identify the game's appealing aspects, or at least find a sufficiently interesting idea or mechanic. Then, develop a feasibility test demo based on this premise.
"That's right, I guess Gamenova has already started doing that, hasn't it?"
Cerny stared intently at Gerald, his face filled with anticipation.
When Lin Lixin came to Sega to provide guidance, he happened to be on a business trip.
Although he set off for Sega immediately after receiving the news, he was still a step too late.
When he returned to Sega, Lin Lixin had already shut down the channels for other departments to listen in on the proceedings due to the unbearable harassment.
No matter how much he pleaded with President Nakayama, the other party still didn't dare to let him in.
Cerny had been frustrated about this for quite some time.
Upon hearing that Gerald was coming, he didn't waste a second and rushed straight to the scene.
"That's right. Lin always starts with brainstorming sessions; only after he's determined the game's appeal will they officially begin development."
"I knew it! I knew it!"
Upon receiving Gerald's affirmation, Mark Cerny's face immediately lit up with a smile, as if the plan had already been validated and was absolutely correct.
"This is the first time I've seen someone outside of Lin use this approach."
The more Gerald talked to them, the more surprised he became.
Rather than calling Mark Cerny a programmer, he fits more of Lin Lixin's definition of a "game producer."
He is versatile, has made significant achievements in various areas of game development, and can even occasionally come up with ideas that surprise Gerald.
Especially after this exchange, Gerald finally began to slowly understand Lin Lixin's actions, which he had previously failed to comprehend.
Finally, during a brief pause after Mark Cerny finished explaining yet another of his ideas, Gerald interrupted him.
I didn't come here today to talk about these things.
Lin is still waiting for him to submit his report so that the development can continue.
"Well, anyway, the real reason I came here is to discuss hardware architecture and interaction."
"Hardware? Hmm... I'm sorry, I don't actually have much experience in this area."
Cerny hadn't expected Gerald to discuss these things with him, and for a moment he hesitated.
Everyone has areas of expertise and areas of weakness.
However, for some reason, after Gerald briefly described Lin Lixin's ideas to him, Cerny suddenly felt that he could understand Lin Lixin's meaning.
Mark Cerny's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
In his mind, the image of the Nova Pocket Compact gradually overlapped with that of Sega's Genesis Neo.
An idea began to become increasingly clear.
"Demand-driven..."
To be precise, it is guided by the needs of game developers and players, rather than the designers' own experience or the decisions made by management.
The NPC machine wasn't prepared for Gamenova itself, or rather, it wasn't entirely prepared for them.
Its true value lies in its frighteningly simple architecture.
Lin's idea is... to create a new machine that any developer can easily master!
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Gerald was taken aback, and then his pupils shrank sharply.
It was only at this moment that Gerald realized he seemed to truly understand for the first time what Lin Lixin wanted to do.
Low power consumption? Excellent cost control? High degree of flexibility in expansion?
These are all just appearances.
What's truly hidden beneath this is the NPC's real trump card.
"In the past, Gamenova's devices were always among the most powerful, but there was always a very thorny problem."
Having figured this out, Mark Cerny suddenly felt a momentary connection with Lin and began to explain.
"Its complex architecture and redundant coprocessors make its programming experience a disaster, and the difficulty is frighteningly high."
This is also the key reason why Gamenova has still struggled to attract more third parties.
Many people don't lack the desire to develop games for Gamenova; they simply lack the capability.
Every gamenova machine to date has had a very clear demand orientation.
Gerald appears to be the project's top leader, but his job is simply to bring them to life. His own personal will is not involved in this process.
Gerald nodded silently.
Noticing the change in his attitude, Mark Cerny was somewhat puzzled, but wisely kept quiet.
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Gerald finally spoke when Mark Cerny began to wonder if he had said something wrong and started to feel uneasy.
However, once he opened his mouth, it almost blew his brain off.
" Mark, would you be interested... coming back with me to see Lin?"
"Ah?"
Regardless of how frustrated Hayao Nakayama was about this sudden poaching, Mark Cerny himself excitedly packed his bags that very night.
He moved even faster than Gerald, rushing back to his hometown of California, which he hadn't visited in years.
After a short day of rest, Gerald brought him to a bewildered Lin Lixin.
"Lin, this is Mark Cerny, a brilliant genius I met at Sega. He has many very interesting ideas, so after thinking it over, I decided to bring him back with me."
Lin Lixin, who was still working on " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation," stared blankly at the slightly shy young man.
Not a buddy?
Who did you poach from here?
[ Mark Cerny ]
[Overall Rating]: S (All-rounder)
[Programming Development]: 96 (Growth Value: s)
[Game Design]: 112 (Growth Value: s)
[Hardware Design]: 70 (Growth Value: s) [Series Composition]: 68 (Growth Value: s-)
[Administration & Finance]: 70 (Growth Value: s-)
"It seems he really has been with Sega for the past few years..."
Lin Lixin scratched his head, never expecting to run into this guy by such an unexpected turn of events.
The chief architect of PS4, PS5, and PS Vita; the Godfather of Naughty Dog Studio; and the founder of the ICE Team.
Producer of many well-known IPs such as Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet & Clank, and Uncharted.
An all-rounder in every sense of the word.
It was this extraordinary man who led Sony out of the PS3's Cell crisis, created the PS4 legend, and ended Nintendo's reign of terror during the Wii era.
He later became the father of Sony SCE, an inductee into the 13th American Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Awards Hall of Fame, the Godfather game philosophy whose works have sold over $2 billion.
The problem is...
Cerny hasn't even debuted yet; judging by the timeline, he should still be studying at Sega and won't officially return to North America until next year.
"Lin, he has a lot of amazing ideas when it comes to architecture design. I want him to work with me for a while and see how it goes." Gerald shoved Mark Cerny forward.
The meaning is quite clear: it's a recommendation letter, a standard procedure.
If you want to work at the booming Gamenova, you can't even submit your resume without a referral.
Gerald clearly thinks highly of Cerny and intends to keep him at Gamenova headquarters.
"Of course, no problem. I think this kid has handsome features and is destined for great things."
What else is there to say? This is the first time I've ever seen someone offer themselves up so readily.
Normally, Lin Lixin would handle these kinds of things himself, but unexpectedly, Gerald stumbled upon them this time.
If we could get our hands on Mark Cerny, it could really pave the way for many future business opportunities.
Of course, they could also secretly deliver a vicious blow to Sony.
Although it will not have any substantial impact on Sony in the short term, in the long run, Cerny is SCE's lifeline.
Without Naughty Dog's IPs such as Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, and the Last of Us, Sony will definitely suffer a major blow.
If they can't turn the tide in the PS4 era, they might even be wiped out in one fell swoop by Nintendo's Wii era. "Thank you very much!"
Mark Cerny quickly expressed his gratitude, his excitement evident.
For a gamer, joining Gamenova is like reaching the pinnacle of their life.
The pilgrimage site that countless gamers have longed for has actually opened its Daimon to me!
Cerny glanced discreetly at the screen beside him out of the corner of his eye.
That appears to be a development environment. Although it contains a lot of information, it is neat and concise, and even without looking closely, you can tell that the code quality is not bad.
These things were clearly done by Lin Lixin himself.
"Just as the legends say, an all-powerful omnipotent king..."
No matter how vividly a legend is described, it can't compare to the awe-inspiring moment of actually seeing it with your own eyes.
" Mark, right? Although I don't know you, I trust Gerald. Someone he values so highly must have some special skills. Go ahead and go through the onboarding process with Sam."
Lin Lixin smiled, gesturing for him to proceed with the onboarding process, then looked at Gerald.
"By the way, Gerald, there's still a slight problem with this gravity sensor. Our MEMS technology is still a bit unreliable, but I've taken the opportunity to improve it over the past few days. You can take it up and take a look later." He handed Gerald the board, which was much more sophisticated than the original testing platform, before turning back to the screen.
"Mr. Lin... he also understands hardware?"
Mark Cerny examined the PCB in Gerald's hand, his shock deepening.
"He's more than just knowledgeable..."
Gerald sighed helplessly.
Letting him know too much now will only scare him crazy.
"Come on, I'll introduce you to the people here later; they're all leaders in their respective fields."