Just as Amenva, along with a group of car manufacturers, began to stir up trouble around the world once again.
The situation in Japan is also quietly changing.
Well... it can't be said to have happened quietly.
This change is far too drastic.
Just recently, almost simultaneously with Lin Lixin taking away the AL Research Institute and Brother Satoru, Ken Kutaragi also began his own operation.
Let's go back to last autumn.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, then chairman of Square and producer of the Final Fantasy series, received a confidential letter from Sony.
The letter was signed by Shigeo Maruyama, president of Sony Music, and Ken Kutaragi, general manager of SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment).
Regarding their letter.
Hironobu Sakaguchi accepted the fact after only a moment's hesitation.
It's more accurate to say he's been waiting for this all along.
If Sony wants to enter the gaming industry, it will inevitably need a strong game lineup. However, Sony doesn't have many options if it wants to directly defeat Nintendo in the Japan market.
Square will definitely be one of the targets for recruitment.
Currently, the global gaming market is in a state of extreme chaos.
Amenva wielded absolute power, virtually dominating the gaming industry.
Nintendo has a strong foundation and differentiated itself from Amenva through its unique game style, making it arguably the number one player in the lower-tier market.
3. Although it is half-dead, like a centipede that dies but does not fall down, thanks to EA's sports games and Panasonic, this terrifying electric monster, it is also a typical example of being the number one in stubbornly refusing to die.
I can't live, but I can't just die like that either.
Sega is a confidant of Amenva, firmly holding its position in the arcade market like an unshakable king. With money, technology, and Yu Suzuki at its helm, it can be considered an evergreen.
Only third parties like Square truly felt as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a fly.
That's fucking disgusting, worse than eating shit.
They had to find ways to maintain Nintendo's vital signs and ensure that the platform's holdings met the target, while also cultivating the already limited market indefinitely.
JRP's journey to overseas markets has been fraught with difficulties. A work that sells like hotcakes in Japan fails to even chart in North America.
What do Americans usually play? Those super-next-gen blockbuster games from sci-fi movies?
To United States, JRP is a classic example of "too much text, no reading, just babbling on and on."
Even if they went to play traditional adult Adventure, they wouldn't choose JRP.
They can be sold, but not many are actually sold.
People who like someone won't hesitate to praise them, but people who don't like them won't even bother to glance at them.
Enix's " Dragon Quest" is even worse; it's practically nonexistent outside of Japan.
In this environment, they really can't just jump ship to Amenva next door; instead, they have to stick with Nintendo and honestly rely on the Japan domestic market.
But Nintendo precisely targeted this aspect of them, and subjected them to inhumane and ruthless exploitation.
Not to mention the terrible performance of the Super Nintendo System (SNES).
Dude, the ones next door are already at number 32, and the 3 and Jaar are heading straight for number 64. Are you really planning to live off this old relic for the rest of your life?
Nintendo has consistently lagged behind in terms of hardware iteration speed. Their rare act of boldness later on resulted in a disastrous failure.
Perhaps the path of hardware development is destined to be a muddy and thorny one for Nintendo.
Now, Hironobu Sakaguchi has a third option in mind.
" Sony PlayStation...?"
The following day, Hironobu Sakaguchi secretly traveled to the Sony Music headquarters to meet with Shigeo Maruyama and Ken Kutaragi.
In less than an hour, the two parties quickly reached an agreement on comprehensive cooperation.
The reason is simple: the other party gave too much!
Not to mention that the profit-sharing arrangement is far more generous than Nintendo Zhengfei's extortionate terms.
Even just for the sake of the C-RM discs, Square couldn't refuse.
The reception room.
As a senior figure, Shigeo Maruyama sat in the seat of honor, allowing Ken Kutaragi to speak with the other party in detail. And in order to persuade Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Kutaragi did only one thing.
He placed the CD on the table.
"Mr. Sakaguchi, this is a standard Playstatin disc, and it has a capacity of 650MB."
"And this..."
Ken Kutaragi pulled out a cartridge of Final Fantasy V.
This new installment in the series, released in 1992, undoubtedly carved out a niche for itself in the Japan market, allowing the outdated SFC to survive against all odds.
"This is a Final Fantasy V cartridge, Mr. Sakaguchi. A high-capacity SFC cartridge must have been quite expensive to produce, right?"
Hironobu Sakaguchi's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded gently.
"Yes, according to Mr. Yamauchi's quote, the supply price per sheet is around 2000 yen, which is about 15 US dollars."
Moreover, its capacity is only 4MB.
Hironobu Sakaguchi added to himself, "Compared to the terrifying capacity of CDs, Nintendo's cartridges are pitifully small."
Square now wants to make Final Fantasy even more polished, and 4MB is far from enough.
If this capacity increases to 8MB, or even 16MB...
The price could potentially rise to around $35.
After deducting expenses such as burning, packaging, shipping, distribution commissions, taxes, and human resources, Square really doesn't make any money at all.
What about Nintendo?
They can earn a significant premium on each card, and a large portion of the game's sales will go towards these premiums.
They seemed to have eaten quite a lot.
"Mr. Sakaguchi, a Sony C-card only costs $6."
$6 for a full 650MB of storage.
And Playstatin's capabilities far surpass those of the Super Nintendo...
Admittedly, Sony must have taken a cut. After all, CDs aren't anything new these days, and the wholesale price for a basic CD is around $1.
Sony makes a 5 yuan cut on each print.
But so what?
A 650MB cartridge for only $6 is practically free compared to Nintendo's cartridges.
What does this capacity mean?
They can cram a huge amount of 3D models, game content, C# animations, and various high-fidelity music into a single game.
Instead of synthesized sound sources on SFC and 2-pixel images.
SFC's lifecycle is nearing its end.
The fifth generation has already been heralded by Amenva.
Both Nintendo and Sony will definitely catch up quickly.
The transition between generations presents players with their most opportune moment to betray their allies.
In the past, many people who already owned an SFC machine were unwilling to spend money to buy another brand's device. But now that the technology has been upgraded, there are more options before making a purchase.
There's no need to elaborate on why this NF is a must-buy.
As for the remaining option to complement the Japan system, should we choose Nintendo or Sony?
The answer to this question...
It depends on Hironobu Sakaguchi's choice at this moment.
The answer is, of course,... I agree with both hands and feet.
Japan has suffered under Nintendo for far too long!
The next day, Hironobu Sakaguchi returned to the Sony Music building, but this time he was accompanied by another person.
Enix's Representative Director and President, Yasuhiro Fukushima.
Back to the present.
The defection of Square, Enix, and other former key figures at Nintendo had already been extensively reported by the media for months, often with added embellishments. While these stories were buried in a sea of major news from Amenva, they weren't entirely unnoticed.
How Nintendo should respond remains unknown to the outside world.
It's more accurate to say that even Hiroshi Yamauchi himself hadn't figured it out yet.
The Virtalby project is progressing rapidly under the leadership of Gunpei Yokoi.
The true next-generation fifth-generation machine, codenamed "n64," is also undergoing preliminary preparations.
Where Nintendo's future lies, and how Sony's ambitions will unfold, remain to be seen.
However, for Amenva, these were all trivial matters.
The huge success of " Gran Turismo " sparked a wave of car culture fever at Amenva's headquarters.
With a decent salary, you can buy a car with unlimited potential, tinker with the engineering team at GM, and then hand it over to a driver, or someone with good skills like yourself, to give it a few blasts on a safe, closed track.
It's a decent form of entertainment.
Amenva had planned to rest for a few days to adjust her mindset and prepare for the upcoming battle, but she suddenly received a visitor who had come all the way from Washington.
Doug Lowenstein [BA, Plitical Science]
"Um..."
Sam looked at the other person's business card, his expression somewhat speechless.
This guy packaged his resume very well.
When he received the notification from his subordinates, he thought that some real expert had come to visit.
This is someone who is... well, a former journalist, former senator staff member, former senator legislative director, and former public policy advisor...
And current freelancers, also known as the unemployed.
Judging from the resume alone, it does seem quite plausible.
However, upon closer inspection, it's not hard to see that this resume is incredibly flimsy.
The only time that felt somewhat presentable was when I worked in the senator's office.
But he wasn't a senator at all; he was just an office worker for a senator in Ohio.
In other words... he was a clerical staff member who helped assist him. The so-called "public policy consultant" was simply the name of the new company he was working for.
It has a fancy name, but it's actually just a small consulting firm.
Why do you want to see Lin?
Sam glanced at him.
This guy was sitting upright, dressed in a sharp suit and tie, and at first glance he really looked quite proper.
Sam had undergone a full security check on the way here, so he wasn't worried about any problems.
"I want to establish an organization, I mean... a self-governing and public affairs body for the video game industry, which I'll call -- ISA, the Interactive Digital Software Association."
"We need more robust self-regulation than ESRB to avoid public relations problems, especially now that Amenva owns Mortal Kombat and Morality and Rule of Law, and now they have T Racing, which encourages high-speed racing."
"Amenva must keep its autonomy in its own hands. You see, I have good experience in this area, so I think... I mean, is it possible for me... to work for Amenva?"
Doug forced a smile, blinked, and looked at Sam.
"Of course, besides that, I have another plan that Mr. Lin might be interested in. Rest assured, ISA will not take up Amenv's funds; I mean, at least not after it's successfully launched, and I can also create greater influence for Amenv."
"Do you take us Amenva for any of those other Tom, Dick, or Harry...?" Sam gave him a slightly speechless look.
Even though I had already mentally sentenced the other person to death, I still went through the motions and asked one more question, "What do you plan to do?"
"Let's hold an exhibition! Let's hold a real United States entertainment software exhibition, one that truly belongs to video games, to Amenva! TE Electrnic Entertainment Exp! E3 for short, what do you think?"