early morning.
"Strategy game?"
After listening to Lin Lixin's description, Sam nodded thoughtfully. "I think there was a game of this type last year? But it was for PC. Shall we go check it out?"
"Hmm... well, consider it research material."
There haven't been too many things piling up these past couple of days, so going out for a stroll now and then is a good thing.
Lin Lixin hadn't been to RadioShack, the parts store for GAMENOVA's first Tetris arcade machine, for a long time.
In an era without internet resource distribution, digital stores like these took on the role of PC game distributors.
One entire wall was lined with game floppy disks of all sizes and specifications.
"Let me look for it. I think it's a product from a Japan brand."
Sam quickly bypassed the area of America game and headed in the other direction.
Lin Lixin, on the other hand, immediately began studying the material on the spot.
Unlike the console market and the arcade market.
The PC gaming industry was a completely new field that GAMENOVA had never ventured into before.
However, this does not mean that it is an unclaimed, blank market.
On the contrary, the competition among game developers in the PC gaming sector is equally fierce.
He reached out and took a floppy disk from the shelf that read " Formula One Racing ".
This is a racing simulation game of decent quality.
Cars have always been one of the three major categories in the America, but due to the fact that 3D technology has not yet started to take off, Lin Lixin wanted to make them but was powerless to do so.
It's also difficult to create anything new in this kind of 2D racing simulation.
"EA did have some good stuff in its early days, you know—"
Putting aside the biases created by EA's numerous disastrous actions, EA actually did make decent games during this period.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to start out in video games and grow so rapidly.
The methods used were rather underhanded.
Lin Lixin glanced at the shelves again and pulled out all of EA's works.
"The EASports brand hasn't officially started operating yet?"
He searched through all the games on the shelf, but couldn't find those familiar faces.
EA today seems to be a company still in its exploratory stage, learning to walk and exploring.
EA Sports and the Madden Football series, which truly propelled EA to the forefront, seem to be two or three years away from taking center stage.
Madden Football, officially named after the famous American football player Madden, is a game.
Its official launch was in 1990.
In late 1988, EA traveled to Japan and secured the Mega Drive console, which was launched by Sega at launch.
In North America, it is also known as SEGA-Genesis.
The world's first 16-bit home video game console, a year earlier than the Super Famicom (SFC).
EA's most outrageous move was made at this time.
EA, having obtained the first Sega MD) release, spent nearly a year reverse engineering the MD hardware.
This allowed them to bypass official authorization and directly develop games and launch them on the platform.
That's truly shameless, but it has to be said that this strategy allowed EA to win everything.
In 1990, Madden NFL was released. This game, which was born to serve the North America market, became almost invincible in the same genre as soon as it was released.
At one point, this series even accounted for over 50% of the third-party market share on the Genesis platform.
It was this work that gave EA ample capital, allowing it to rapidly expand and grow into the ruthless dragon it would later become.
"Huh? So that's how it is—"
Lin Lixin was taken aback; it was only early 1986.
Let alone Madden Football, even the Sega MD is still just a pipe dream.
Sega's 8-bit console, the MasterSystem, was released not long ago.
However, due to the fierce competition in the North America market, sales have not improved much, and it only occupies a certain market share in Japan.
It seems I have a chance to snatch EA away and nip it in the bud?
"Car, gun, ball—we can't make the car, the gun is already in our hands, and the ball—"
Lin Lixin's eyes flickered.
It can be done, and it must be done!
This matter cannot be delayed; it should even be launched in tandem with subsequent development, at least to resolve the issues concerning those star players first.
"It seems like there's a chance to snag a bargain among the star players."
Lin Lixin placed a stack of floppy disks into his shopping basket and pondered carefully.
Needless to say, Madden will definitely try to negotiate for American football, the national sport of the America.
In football, a large number of star players need to travel to Europe to negotiate with a whole bunch of messy clubs, which is incredibly troublesome.
But there's one more thing here that can be solved on America soil.
basketball!
"NBA Rookie of the Year in 1984----"
A name that would become famous in later generations came to Lin Lixin.
Of course, not LeBron James, who is still breastfeeding this year.
It was Michael Jeffrey Jordan, who is still with the Chicago Bulls.
During the 1985-1986 season, Jordan broke his leg and missed 64 games, including the 1986 All-Star Game.
This is undoubtedly a low point.
We must sign him before he breaks the playoff scoring record!
Besides Jordan, who is a cash cow, Skyhook Jabbar is also a player he absolutely must sign.
Lin Lixin immediately set a plan: he needed to launch his own sports game brand before 1988.
The FIFA, NBA, WWE, and other related IPs that followed were all veritable money-printing machines.
Returning our attention to the shelves, besides EA, the most common cartridges here are those from the two giants Sierra and Borderbund.
He even saw OriginSystem's Ultima he knew.
Just as he was about to look for any trace of Activision, Sam finally ran back, carrying a floppy disk.
"Lin, I found it. This is probably the strategy game you were talking about, right?"
"Um?
Lin Lixin stared at the floppy disk in his hand, especially at the three golden Chinese characters on the cover, and was momentarily stunned.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
I can't believe I'm seeing this name here.
Koei developed a historical simulation strategy game set in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
"I was still a step too slow."
Lin Lixin sighed. This was definitely a crucial IP.
If they can secure this deal, while it may not yield spectacular results in the North America market, it will undoubtedly be a significant boost to their overseas expansion strategy.
Asia players really love the Three Kingdoms culture.
"What's wrong?"
"It's alright, but the kind of turn-based strategy game I'm talking about is a little different from this one. What I'm going to do is a strategy role-playing game (SRPG)."
"So, it's a combination of role-playing and strategy game elements?"
Sam nodded; this new plan was easy to understand.
"Yes, but this time, we're going to make both English and Japan versions. By the way, any news about the Japan version of Pokémon?"
" Satoshi called before; the text translation is over 90% complete."
19
Sam's face lit up with joy. "Finally, we're officially entering the Japan market?"
They've poured so much money into that, and haven't even earned a few cents in foreign exchange yet.
"That's right, this new game is a flagship title for the Japan market, and I call it Fire Emblem."
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