Sony Music, a talent scout

Gamenova's unusual activities could not have escaped everyone's notice.

As more and more people were mobilized for the project, news finally spread that a new work was on its way.

However, this kind of thing is not new to players.

After all, Gamenova makes quite a few big moves every few days.

This time it's just that the scale is larger and it's largely concentrated in the gaming industry.

Unlike usual, we didn't invite heroes from all over the country to join us for this grand event.

Before the PV is released, all they can do is wait.

For gamers, what they are more interested in discussing is the recent feud between Sony and Nintendo.

Shortly after Sony announced the new device at the CES exhibition.

Nintendo then suddenly announced a comprehensive partnership with Philips.

The media was even notified first, and Sony staff only learned about it on television.

This is essentially a unilateral severing of ties. It's a blatant provocation.

As for Sony's response...

There's something ambiguous about it.

Then-president Norio Ohga publicly announced that video games would become an important part of the future entertainment industry.

Sony will not miss this opportunity.

It seemed to be to express a tough stance.

Just one week later, Sony issued another statement.

Sony will continue the development of the PlayStation project.

However, on the surface, everything appeared calm.

Sony's internal situation has really been chaotic these days.

The board of directors was divided into numerous factions, but at least half of them were staunchly opposed to Ken Kutaragi.

Even though Norio Ohga has expressed his willingness to protect Kutaragi, that's all he can do at most "protect" him. If he wants to continue pushing forward the PlayStation project, Ken Kutaragi will have to find a way on his own.

Norio Ohga's attitude was very clear.

He neither directly supported Ken Kutaragi nor directly denied the matter.

His attitude boils down to one sentence: let the bullets fly a little longer.

Given Sony's size, it can still afford to hold on for a while longer and see how things go.

This is giving them a chance.

Give Ken Kutaragi a chance to prove their worth.

If he still fails to seize this opportunity.

Even Norio Ohga couldn't save him.

Sony is not Nintendo, nor is it Hiroshi Yamauchi's dictatorial empire.

The pressure on the entire board of directors is not something a mere company president can control.

... Tokyo Metropolis Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo.

Ken Kutaragi, dressed in a sharp suit, stepped into the equally magnificent office building before him.

During this period, he has been racing against time almost every day, even every waking moment.

I'm now standing on the edge of a cliff.

One wrong move and Tokyo Bay awaits.

The fact that I'm still alive is thanks to President Norio Ohga's efforts to protect me.

"Good evening, miss. I am Kutaragi Ken Kutaragi Sony Electronics Division. I have an appointment with Mr. Maruyama today."

"Please wait a moment..."

The receptionist dialed an internal number and whispered something to the person on the other end.

A short while later, he put the receiver back on and put on a smiling face.

"Sorry to Kutaragi. This way, please."

"Thank you very much." Kutaragi swallowed hard, glanced at the logo on the wall again, and then followed the receptionist into the elevator.

This is [SME], which is the headquarters building of [Sony Music Entertainment].

Arriving here was not actually his doing.

It was an invitation from Shigeo Maruyama, the president of SME.

It seems the company president has his own agenda regarding this dispute over the game console project.

That's good.

This is good, at least for Ken Kutaragi is now almost at his wit's end.

The more variables there are, the more opportunities he has.

Rather, he's hoping to muddy the waters so he can have a chance to turn the tide.

"Bite"

As the elevator arrived at the floor where the conference room was located, he finally mentally prepared himself.

Ken Kutaragi took a deep breath and strode into the agreed-upon room. The room wasn't large; it was just a standard small reception room.

Apart from the secretary, only Shigeo Maruyama was present.

"Mr. Maruyama, thank you so much for the invitation!"

Kutaragi bowed deeply.

The other person nodded, said nothing more, and gestured for him to sit down.

President Maruyama, who was over fifty, had a faint smile on his face, not the seriousness I had expected.

"You must be having a tough time lately."

"No, I... yes."

Kutaragi subconsciously shook his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to say that he had been doing very well lately.

He could only force a smile that looked more like a grimace and shrug helplessly.

Taking advantage of the break, the secretary served the tea and then left the room.

"Tell me about PlayStation." Maruyama took a sip of his drink and gestured for Kutaragi to speak.

"Is this project even feasible?"

After a brief silence, Ken Kutaragi nodded emphatically.

"It can be done!"

Even without Nintendo?

"That's even better. We no longer need to worry about Nintendo's opinions and can truly unleash Sony's power."

"So..."

Shigeo Maruyama nodded.

"So, what kind of machine do you want?"

The era of 8-bit computers is over.

The golden age of 16-bit technology is still ongoing. The gaming market is no longer the blue ocean it was after the Atari crash.

Countless manufacturers, blinded by greed, are lying in wait, hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

What gives Sony the right to enter the market now?

"What I want... is a next-generation game console that focuses on 3D."

"3do?"

"No, we're going to follow the Gamenova route, betting on triangle rendering and dedicated 32-bit processors with limited capabilities. We must prioritize cost control, and of course, the game lineup."

How to do it?

"As for hardware... Sony Semiconductor can solve some of the problems."

"That game lineup?"

For a game console, games are the most important thing.

But this is precisely what Sony lacks most.

Sony is neither Gamenova nor Nintendo; it simply doesn't possess first-party development capabilities. Its content team currently only includes film and music related to the Columbia Pictures ecosystem.

3do has proven that if a machine's performance cannot solve gaming issues, then it's meaningless.

Ken Kutaragi, and quickly gave his answer.

"We can poach talent from Nintendo."

The world has suffered under Nintendo for far too long.

Aside from Sega Namco, two "United States companies" who are completely devoted to Gamenova.

There are also two fence-sitters, Koei and Hudsonsoft, who wavered between Gamenova and Nintendo.

The remaining large group of manufacturers, who have been Nintendo and merely bound by Nintendo, all have opportunities to exploit.

As a complete outsider who has never been involved in the gaming industry before.

It won't be easy for Sony to build its own signature IP in a short period of time.

Winning the next generation with a first-party lineup is unrealistic. But trying to snatch those prized third-party titles from Nintendo?

There's a lot of room for maneuver here.

"Capcom, Square, Enix, Konami, SNK..."

Of these manufacturers, half had a grudge against Gamenova, while the other half were forced by Nintendo's power to submit to royalties.

Their research and development capabilities are based on a solid foundation that has been continuously accumulated since the golden age of the 1980s.

Sony is not Nintendo; they could follow the Gamenova model, directly acquiring and supporting game studios in large numbers to gradually build their own first-party games.

At the same time, with its strong financial resources, it can directly win over these underlings who were forced to follow Nintendo to its own side.

As a listed giant, it also holds a variety of world-leading and best-selling consumer electronics products.

Sony's financial reserves are definitely among the top tier.

"No first-party titles? No Super Mario, no Quake, why would gamers buy your machine?"

Shigeo Maruyama raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by his words.

"Because we will have the best development platform in the world, a platform even better than Gamenova, a platform that a large number of developers are willing to use." Although Gamenova is powerful, it is currently the undisputed industry leader.

However, their platform is not without its flaws.

Modern machines like NPCs are fine.

The architecture of many hardware devices is truly imaginative, with designs that seem to go wherever they come up with.

Not to mention the ever-evolving technology stack.

Since the establishment of the NG Nova Graphics Laboratory, OpenGL has been releasing almost 800 minor versions a day.

While the network protocol stack on the Nexus side is fixed, many of its detailed features are constantly being updated.

Want to develop a game for Gamenova?

Yes, but first you have to be a genius who excels in the industry.

You must have a learning ability that surpasses that of the vast majority of people; otherwise, even if you only stay at the top for a month, you may be left behind by the entire environment.

Just when developers think they've mastered the most advanced technology, Gamenova quickly throws out a ton of new content that leaves everyone bewildered.

This is an absolutely elite-driven development environment. The vast majority of people don't even have the ability to persevere to the point of Activision, a secondary publisher, before they give up halfway.

Ultimately, they can only end up making PC games or working for established, mature platforms.

In a non-exclusive environment, these manufacturers would also not refuse to earn more money.

When most of the top talent in the gaming industry gathered under PlayStation...

Does having your own first-party content still matter that much?

"We own Columbia Pictures, so we could do something much more radical, but it shouldn't be 3D FMV live-action footage; it should be..."

Ken Kutaragi pondered this.

Reflecting on the origins of Gamenova and Nintendo.

Reflecting on the failures of 3DO and Atari.

Gamenova's combat style has a very typical American flavor.

With its close ties to Hollywood, the influx of high-quality games, and the constant appearances of numerous celebrities, EA is essentially playing the same game, only its games are somewhat less than ideal.

Sony is not a typical Japan company. They can certainly learn by trial and error.

"Marvel is in the midst of a severe financial crisis and is seeking new revenue streams to revive itself. We can take this opportunity to buy the film and television adaptation rights to the characters, and then manipulate the contracts to pave the way for the games."

With Warner. and Gamenova as major backers, it's extremely difficult for Sony to make any moves against DC.

But Marvel's current situation is not so ideal.

Amid the American comic book bubble, Marvel, which heavily relies on comic book revenue, was undoubtedly the most severely impacted.