Chapter Summaries

Satoshi Tajiri recruited Kujo Kazuma and other Irem developers to Sega’s new AM10 team, which they named Nazca Studio. The team prepared to develop Metal Slug with GAMENOVA, while Irem’s president discovered that its development staff had been poached almost wholesale.

• Mitsuo Kodama invited Kujo Kazuma for a drink, and Kazuma realized Mitsuo was likely leaving Irem for SNK after Takashi Nishiyama’s invitation.
• Satoshi Tajiri met Kujo Kazuma in Roppongi and offered him the director position at Sega’s new AM10 10th Development Team.
• Kujo Kazuma accepted the offer, then recommended Kodama Mitsunari, Akio, Atsushi Kurooka, and other Irem developers for the team.
• Kujo Kazuma suggested recruiting Takashi Nishiyama and the developers who would form Nazca, and the new team adopted the name Nazca Studio.
• Nazca Studio began preparing to collaborate with GAMENOVA on Metal Slug, while Irem’s president found a stack of resignations and learned GAMENOVA was behind the exodus.

GAMENOVA sent Nazca Studio detailed art materials for Metal Slug, impressing its artists and assigning them character and animation work. At Sega, Sato Hideki tested GAMENOVA’s unreleased ATHENA Processor and was stunned by its extraordinary performance.

• Kujo Kazuma received GAMENOVA’s first fax for Metal Slug and showed the character designs and environment concept art to Akio.
• Akio admired the polished artwork, assigned Kodama Mitsunari to design Major Marco Rossi’s animation frames, and took on the original art for the Metal Slug and Fio Germi.
• Kodama Mitsunari reviewed the enemy sketches and learned that the fictional setting drew on World War II, with Japanese enemies portrayed as devils.
• Hayao Nakayama gave Sato Hideki a sample of Micro-Nova’s unreleased ATHENA Processor to test.
• Sato Hideki ran the processor on GAMENOVA’s test platform, saw its specifications, and jumped up in shock.

Hayao Nakayama and Lin Lixin pushed Sega to build a stripped-down Genesis NEO around a powerful game-focused processor, planning to sell the console at a steep loss and make up the difference with Metal Slug. As Sega and GAMENOVA opened a public playtest in Tokyo, Masahiro Sakurai noticed the event and decided to check it out.

• Sato Hideki praised the new processor, and Hayao Nakayama ordered Sega to remove unnecessary coprocessors and memory to simplify the Genesis NEO.
• Sega and GAMENOVA completed development of Metal Slug, then Lin Lixin visited Sega North America to inspect the Genesis NEO prototype.
• Lin Lixin estimated the console would cost about $190 to $200 to manufacture and proposed selling it for $150, with Metal Slug sales expected to offset the losses.
• Sega and GAMENOVA advertised a public playtest of the Genesis NEO and Metal Slug in Tokyo at a price of 22,000 yen.
• Masahiro Sakurai spotted the exhibition on his way home from school and decided to visit instead of working on Family BASIC.

Masahiro Sakurai tried Metal Slug on Sega’s new Genesis NEO and was astonished by its vivid pixel art, detailed animation, and fast-paced action. He began the first mission as Marco, leaving him impressed by how far a 2D game could go despite the industry’s focus on 3D.

• Masahiro Sakurai examined the Genesis NEO and noticed its 32-bit power, limited cartridge selection, and lack of backward compatibility.
• Sakurai picked up the gold-colored Metal Slug cartridge and watched its elaborate opening animation.
• Sakurai chose Marco from four selectable characters with different resource stats and began the first mission.
• Sakurai watched Marco descend by parachute and was stunned by the game’s graphics and detailed animations.
• Sakurai moved Marco and marveled at the action’s unusually quick rhythm.

Masahiro Sakurai played GAMENOVA’s Metal Slug demo and was overwhelmed by its speed, animation, sound, and satisfying weapons. After the demo ended and he reluctantly gave up his seat, he decided he wanted to make games for the Genesis-NEO rather than the Famicom or SFC.

• Masahiro Sakurai was amazed by Metal Slug’s smooth animation, detailed pixel art, and high-speed bullet effects.
• Masahiro Sakurai tried the game’s varied weapons and blasted a pursuing war machine apart, reaching the demo’s abrupt end.
• Masahiro Sakurai wanted to start another run, but a queue behind him forced him to leave the machine.
• Masahiro Sakurai realized that he wanted to make games for the Genesis-NEO, not the Famicom or SFC.

Sega and GAMENOVA reacted to Metal Slug’s extraordinary preorders as Lin Lixin explained why it could succeed as Contra’s true spiritual successor. He warned Hayao Nakayama that Sega needed to strengthen the Genesis NEO and recruit third-party developers to compete with Nintendo.

• Satoshi Tajiri dismissed Masahiro Sakurai’s résumé, while a Sega section chief recognized Sakurai’s GAME SYSTEM Grand Prize award and arranged a first interview.
• Satoru Iwata shuddered while coding at HAL Laboratory, sensing that someone formidable had been poached.
• Hayao Nakayama told Lin Lixin that Metal Slug’s popularity had exceeded expectations, with preorders surpassing those of the Genesis NEO.
• Lin Lixin described Metal Slug as a remake of Contra’s strengths and contrasted its potential with Contra’s later missteps.
• Lin Lixin urged Hayao Nakayama to keep improving the Genesis NEO and said GAMENOVA would poach third-party developers from Nintendo.

Lin Lixin planned to exploit the coming end of Namco’s favorable royalty agreement with Nintendo while preparing GAMENOVA’s Christmas release. He assigned Carmack to develop a browser scripting language and began planning an analog-controlled artillery game with Christopher.

• Lin Lixin told Hayao Nakayama that Namco’s privileged agreement with Nintendo would expire, and planned to approach third-party developers in January.
• Lin Lixin sent Hayao Nakayama back to Japan to stabilize Sega and reminded him to prepare GAMENOVA’s Christmas release.
• Lin Lixin assigned Christopher to replace Carmack on the new project and told Carmack to develop a lightweight browser scripting language using JIT.
• Lin Lixin began planning Angry Bird as the last game in the NovaSwift Physics Trilogy, using analog controls to simulate projectile force and angle.
• Lin Lixin showed Christopher the artillery game Super Artillery and explained that War 3, released in 1972, was an early example of the genre.

Lin Lixin explained why a slingshot-based artillery game suited NovaSwift, while Gerald proposed adding a touchscreen to GAMENOVA’s future handheld. Lin Lixin agreed to begin touchscreen development for the next generation, though he rejected the current resistive panel as too dim and cumbersome.

• Lin Lixin gave Sam a slingshot and described how simple, instinctive controls and dynamic challenges could make an artillery game engaging for NovaSwift players.
• Will questioned why Lin Lixin chose a slingshot instead of tanks or warships, and Lin Lixin said NovaSwift’s hardware was not ready for a warship game.
• Lin Lixin and Gerald tested the project’s required technology and confirmed that it worked.
• Gerald showed Lin Lixin a resistive touchscreen sample and suggested developing a touchscreen for the Nintendo Switch.
• Lin Lixin acknowledged that he had designed Cut the Rope with touchscreen controls in mind, but explained that the current panels were too dim and required too much pressure.
• Lin Lixin decided touchscreen development should begin for GAMENOVA’s next-generation handheld, even though Angry Birds did not require one.

Lin Lixin visited Point Reyes to photograph a bald eagle as inspiration for Angry Birds’ Mighty Eagle, then met Ruth Handler to discuss producing toys for a new IP. He showed her a 3D-printed Mew prototype, but Ruth realized the figure had a barcode engraved on its base.

• Lin Lixin joined Kojima and Carmack at Point Reyes, where Kojima photographed a hunting bald eagle with his Nikon.
• Lin Lixin sketched Mighty Eagle and considered how to design its powerful finishing move without relying on paid in-app purchases.
• Lin Lixin met Ruth Handler and brought out a 3D-printed Mew figure, prompting her to assume he was offering Mattel a Pokémon license.
• Lin Lixin clarified that he had other plans for Pokémon and explained that he had intended to bring a Mighty Eagle model instead.
• Ruth noticed a barcode laser-engraved on the underside of Mew’s base.

Lin Lixin pitched Ruth a barcode-scanning system that turned real-world barcodes into game characters, and Mattel quickly moved ahead with a partnership. After GAMENOVA kept its Christmas game secret, it announced a new Angry Birds game and related toys alongside a barcode scanner.

• Lin Lixin explained the Barcode Battler concept to Ruth, who recognized its potential for collecting, trading, and expanding GAMENOVA's partnerships with Mattel.
• Lin Lixin and Mattel finalized their cooperation, and Mattel began preparing production lines and molds for GAMENOVA's models.
• Players searching for GAMENOVA's Christmas releases gathered outside the Electronic Games office, where Steve struggled to convince them he had no inside information.
• Sam told Steve that Lin Lixin had invited him and other magazine editors to a playtest of GAMENOVA's new game, which was already in beta.
• Nickelodeon aired Angry Birds Toons, and GAMENOVA announced its new Christmas game, plush toys, resin figurines, and an optical barcode scanner for its handheld.

Kevin, an overworked NovaSwift fan, traded his wages for Angry Birds and a Mighty Eagle BarcodeBuddy, then played the new game at home. After his first shot demolished a pig’s fort, he felt his pent-up frustrations begin to spill out.

• Kevin worked a Christmas Eve shift while his manager scolded him and withheld part of his pay.
• Kevin traded his wages for a copy of Angry Birds and a Mighty Eagle BarcodeBuddy.
• Kevin returned to his rented room, heated a frozen pizza, and started Angry Birds on his NovaSwift.
• Kevin used the slingshot to knock down the first level’s wooden fort and crush the green pig.
• Kevin felt the game’s destruction release his accumulated anger and imagined blasting away everything he had endured.

Kevin discovered that Mighty Eagle could destroy an entire Angry Birds level but required a single-use tin, then found that scanning product barcodes earned points toward another one. As Angry Birds surged in sales, Lin Lixin explained its appeal, and GAMENOVA received an unexpected guest on December 31.

• Kevin scanned the Mighty Eagle barcode and used its fish tin to clear a level instantly, then learned the powerful item was single-use.
• Kevin scanned barcodes around his home and found that GAMENOVA products earned more Mighty Eagle Points than ordinary products.
• Sam reviewed Angry Birds' five million first-week sales and was surprised that corporate workers made up its largest audience.
• Lin Lixin explained that Angry Birds offered quick, low-effort stress relief, unlike the more demanding Hill Climb Racing and Cut the Rope.
• GAMENOVA welcomed an unexpected guest on the last day of December.

Bill Honig asked Lin Lixin to adapt Angry Birds for classroom use, and Lin quickly supplied a level editor and test devices. After Honig left, Lin tested a touchscreen for the NovaSwift and realized a toothpick worked because the screen was capacitive rather than resistive.

• Bill Honig visited Lin Lixin and explained that California wanted to use Angry Birds to teach students about physics.
• Honig asked GAMENOVA for a way for teachers and students to create levels, and Lin agreed to provide one immediately.
• Sam brought Honig a demo disk, and Lin offered the project as a charitable donation along with test devices.
• Lin returned to work on the NovaSwift touchscreen and struggled to make the resistive screen respond to his finger.
• Sam tossed Lin a toothpick, and Lin discovered that it worked on the screen and concluded it was capacitive.

Sam asked Corning to develop 0.3 mm 7059 glass for GAMENOVA’s planned touchscreens, and James Houghton agreed to have engineers assess the challenge while favoring GAMENOVA over Bell Labs. In Japan, Nintendo imposed harsher royalty terms on third-party publishers, leaving Masaya Nakamura furious and trapped as his office phone rang.

• Sam told James Houghton that Lin Lixin wanted Corning to produce 7059 glass at least 0.35 mm thick, ideally 0.3 mm, with GAMENOVA ready to buy millions of sheets.
• James warned that glass that thin might shatter during processing, but Sam trusted Lin to find a solution, and James agreed to consult Corning’s engineers.
• After Sam left, James identified GAMENOVA’s plans as a move into touchscreens and directed his secretary to turn Bell Labs away from him.
• Nintendo mailed Namco a notice repealing its unlimited annual game-production allowance and raising the royalty for additional cartridges from 100 yen to 2,000 yen.
• Masaya Nakamura and Hayao Nakayama condemned Nintendo’s new terms, but they saw no viable way to abandon the Famicom and SFC markets.
• As Masaya Nakamura stared angrily at Nintendo’s notice, the telephone beside him rang.

Masaya Nakamura approached Hayao Nakayama about Namco’s royalty problems, and Hayao brought him to meet Lin Lixin. Lin agreed to help Namco with a suitable game, but first he planned to discuss a separate project with Hayao for Sega.

• Masaya Nakamura reflected on Sega’s revival through GAMENOVA’s Metal Slug and decided Namco could not keep following Nintendo’s demands.
• Masaya Nakamura visited Sega’s AM10 studio, recognized Irem’s core team, and asked Hayao Nakayama whether he had acquired Irem.
• Hayao Nakayama welcomed Masaya Nakamura into his camp after hearing that Namco was also struggling with Nintendo’s royalty provisions.
• At Game Freak, Lin Lixin and Satoshi Tajiri discussed Toru Muranishi’s risqué arcade games and agreed to keep Ilusion away from the NX platform and red lines.
• Hayao Nakayama brought Masaya Nakamura to meet Lin Lixin, who agreed to provide Namco with a fitting game after first discussing another project with Hayao.

Lin Lixin recruited AM8 to develop a fast-paced platformer for Sega and demonstrated a high-speed scrolling prototype that stunned Yuji Naka. The chapter left Naka realizing Lin Lixin had deliberately concealed his programming ability and fearing Hayao Nakayama’s anger.

• Lin Lixin met AM8 head Yuji Naka, who reluctantly refused his invitation to take on a Sega project.
• Lin Lixin borrowed AM8’s office and explained to Hayao Nakayama that Sega should use its arcade strengths and fast pacing to pursue a new kind of platformer.
• Lin Lixin began coding a high-speed scrolling demo himself, leaving Hayao Nakayama and Yuji Naka astonished.
• Lin Lixin loaded the prototype onto the Genesis NEO and showed a blue block racing over slopes at extreme speed.
• Yuji Naka recognized Lin Lixin’s extraordinary programming skill and feared Hayao Nakayama would punish him for his earlier refusal.

Lin Lixin demonstrated a fast-scrolling game prototype to Yuji Naka and explained how its movement, layered backgrounds, and level streaming worked. Impressed by Lin Lixin’s ingenuity, Naka decided he wanted to make games with him.

• Lin Lixin showed Yuji Naka and Hayao Nakayama a demo featuring high-speed movement that followed slopes and loops.
• Lin Lixin revealed that the character snapped to a precomputed array of map points rather than using real-time physics.
• Lin Lixin explained how multiple dynamically scrolling background layers created depth while conserving processing power.
• Lin Lixin began explaining his streaming technique for loading long levels, and Yuji Naka finally said he wanted to make games.

Lin Lixin assigned AM8 to create a memorable blue mascot named Sonic, intended to challenge Nintendo’s characters. After AM8 considered several ideas, Naoto Ohshima proposed a hedgehog, and his sketch immediately conveyed speed to the team.

• Lin Lixin kept the mascot project with AM8 and told Yuji Naka to gather the team to discuss character design.
• Lin Lixin explained that Sega needed a simple, recognizable mascot, chose Sega blue as its main color, and named the character Sonic.
• Lin Lixin asked AM8 to design a character that conveyed speed and said Ken Sugimori would later help refine the image.
• Yuji Naka suggested a fast-running dog, but Lin Lixin found the idea unconvincing.
• Naoto Ohshima proposed a hedgehog inspired by a fast American pilot and drew a design that made AM8 fall silent with its sense of speed.

Lin Lixin helped Sega choose a blue hedgehog named Sonic and launched the Sonic the Hedgehog project, then sent Sam to Lucasfilm to pursue control of DC Comics. Lucas agreed to arrange urgent talks with Warner, while suspecting the move might relate to its upcoming Batman film.

• Lin Lixin oversaw a vote that chose a hedgehog over Yuji Naka's blue dog, and the character was named Sonic as the Sega project officially began.
• Lin Lixin left Yuji Naka in charge of Sonic and told Hayao Nakayama that he would help Sega with publicity and promotion.
• Lin Lixin sent Sam to Lucasfilm, where Sam told Lucas that Lin wanted to acquire DC Comics rather than merely its The Flash IP.
• Sam explained that DC's sales were weak and that Lin wanted to gain control before Time Group's impending merger with Warner.
• Lucas agreed to arrange urgent talks with Warner and wondered whether Lin's plan was connected to Warner's upcoming Batman film.

Lin Lixin planned to expand GAMENOVA’s arcade business by pursuing Atari Games and considered Warner’s DC Comics for future cooperation. At AM8, he found Yuji Naka struggling through assembly code and urged him to use GAMENOVA’s N Language, while allowing him to keep using assembly if he preferred.

• Lin Lixin asked Hayao Nakayama to find out whether Masaya Nakamura would sell Namco’s Atari Games shares so GAMENOVA could build an arcade division.
• Lin Lixin told Hayao Nakayama he had an idea for promoting the Genesis NE0 and introduced him to the name Toru Muranishi.
• Sega publicly denounced the circulation of unauthorized works, but did little beyond announcing closer oversight of its distributors as scrapped cartridges entered the market.
• Lin Lixin went to AM8 and found Yuji Naka struggling to understand the project by reading its assembly code.
• Lin Lixin explained that N Language’s compiler was designed for game development and urged Yuji Naka to use it, though he did not forbid him from continuing with assembly.