Chapter Summaries

Lin Lixin oversaw AM8's progress on Sonic the Hedgehog, helped its team adopt the N Language development environment, and coordinated the character design before returning to California. There, Sam reported that their negotiations had secured a controlling stake in DC, including rights to its valuable IP.

• Yuji Naka and the AM8 programmers switched to the N Language development environment, and Yuji Naka was dazzled by the clean, readable code.
• Lin Lixin praised Yuji Naka's team, discussed their possible experience at Sega North America, and visited Naoto Ohshima and Ken Sugimori to review Sonic's design.
• Lin Lixin asked Naoto Ohshima to complete Sonic's design bible for publicity and told Ken Sugimori to return to Game Freak after helping with the art.
• Hayao Nakayama sent developers from other teams to learn from Lin Lixin at AM8 until Lin Lixin stopped the overcrowded visits.
• Lin Lixin left Japan with the Sonic design bible, and Satoshi drove him to the airport while Yuji Naka regretted that Lin Lixin was leaving.
• Sam told Lin Lixin that negotiations had secured a 60% stake in DC for $73.6 million, with Lucasfilm and Micro-Nova's shares bringing their combined stake to nearly 71%.

Lin Lixin arranged a DC Comics side story for Sega’s new Sonic character and secured Michael Jackson music licenses for GAMENOVA. On the eve of Presidents’ Day, Sega and GAMENOVA launched the Genesis NEO in North America and announced Sonic the Hedgehog as a worldwide launch title, alongside several promotions.

• Lin Lixin proposed a standalone crossover between Sonic and The Flash to DC president Jenette Kahn, who agreed to prepare a side story.
• Lin Lixin visited Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch and secured licenses for Mijac Music Publishing albums for Rocksmith, along with an opportunity to license more music later.
• GAMENOVA and Sega of North America launched the Genesis NEO in North America, with Metal Slug debuting alongside it.
• DC Comics announced a new publication called The Flash Sonic, and Michael Jackson announced that an unreleased Dangerous track would debut as a GAMENOVA Easter egg.
• GAMENOVA announced that Sonic the Hedgehog would launch worldwide alongside the Genesis NEO.

Trip Hawkins considered new partners for EA as GAMENOVA’s dominance grew, then learned that Atari Games had been acquired by GAMENOVA and that Atari had launched the color-screen Atari Lynx. Lin Lixin recognized the Lynx as a direct challenge to the NovaPocket, whose 103 million sales made it especially important to GAMENOVA.

• Trip Hawkins dismissed Nintendo as an unreliable partner and wondered who EA could turn to instead.
• GAMENOVA announced that it had acquired Namco’s Atari Games shares and would reorganize Atari Games as NovaArcade.
• A purported insider claimed Nintendo had changed Namco’s royalty terms, prompting Namco to break with Nintendo.
• Atari launched the Lynx, advertising its color LCD screen, multiplayer support, and powerful specifications.
• Lin Lixin, Gerald, and Vivian watched the Lynx advertisement, and Lin identified the machine as a threat to the NovaPocket.

Lin Lixin decided GAMENOVA would let the Atari Lynx struggle on its own while developing a more efficient successor to the NovaPocket, the NPC. Meanwhile, EA chairman Trip began assembling powerful partners for a larger challenge against GAMENOVA.

• Lin Lixin and Vivian assessed the Atari Lynx’s powerful specifications and concluded that its size, battery life, and lack of games would prevent it from displacing the NovaPocket.
• Lin Lixin ordered Gerald to analyze the Genesis NE0 and proposed using ATHENA’s low-power technology to develop an improved 8-bit handheld.
• Vivian recommended using the available 0.5 μm production equipment, and Lin Lixin named the planned NovaPocket successor the NPC, or NovaPocketCompact.
• Trip recognized that the Atari Lynx’s architecture appeared to draw on Amiga-compatible engineering and considered recruiting its engineers for EA.
• Trip decided EA needed major allies and ordered his deputy to contact AT&T, Time Group, Universal Pictures, and Panasonic Electric.

Masahiro Sakurai began playing Sega’s new Sonic the Hedgehog and discovered that its streamlined controls and sweeping, speed-focused level design made it feel unlike a conventional platformer. The chapter left him stunned as Sonic raced down the opening straightaway, making the game feel more like a racing game than a platformer.

• Masahiro Sakurai celebrated receiving an invitation to interview with Sega’s new AM10 and bought Sonic the Hedgehog with its accompanying comic.
• Two passersby mocked Sega for making a platformer, but Masahiro Sakurai defended the game and hurried home to play it.
• Masahiro Sakurai saw Sonic’s confident image and began the game, which started without menus or elaborate setup.
• Masahiro Sakurai noticed the game’s broad slopes, curves, rings, and simple controls as Sonic began accelerating.
• Masahiro Sakurai watched Sonic’s feet blur into a spinning circle and marveled at the exhilarating speed of the opening straightaway.

Masahiro Sakurai played Sonic the Hedgehog and was swept up in its fast, arcade-like gameplay, from homing attacks to a supersonic boost and a loop-the-loop. He finished the stage exhilarated and more certain than ever that he wanted to make games like it at Sega.

• Masahiro Sakurai jumped Sonic for the first time, then chained homing attacks to clear a line of enemies.
• Masahiro Sakurai realized Sega’s arcade-inspired design was about delivering fast, fluid gameplay, not merely showing off hardware.
• A piranha hit Sonic and scattered his gold rings, but the ring-based damage mechanic let him continue without dying.
• Masahiro Sakurai activated the X-Boost, sending Sonic supersonic through enemies and down a slope.
• Sonic raced through a full loop and crossed the finish, leaving Masahiro Sakurai thrilled by the experience and eager to make games like it.

Lin Lixin used Michael Jackson’s public endorsement and a crossover comic with The Flash to boost Sonic the Hedgehog’s reach in North America. As fan arguments fueled demand for more, Warner asked to launch a Sonic comic series, but Lin decided to make them wait.

• GAMENOVA distributed Sonic the Hedgehog in North America, giving the game strong sales prospects through its brand and Sega’s existing fans.
• Lin Lixin brought Michael Jackson to a televised interview, where Michael praised Lin’s support for children and said he was a Sonic fan.
• GAMENOVA released a Sonic crossover special under The Flash Volume 2, prompting readers to debate which character was faster and more powerful.
• The comic and game drew growing attention, and Warner repeatedly asked Lin to launch a first issue for Sonic.
• Sam told Lin that Warner had called again, and Lin said they should play with them a little longer.

Hayao Nakayama praised Yuji Naka and AM8 for completing Sonic, while Yuji urged Sega to adopt Lin Lixin’s N Language across its home console division. Lin then turned to expanding Sonic’s reach and planning a Pokémon HOME-style product that would support transfers between games and promote GAMENOVA’s internet and All-in-One Card.

• Hayao Nakayama told Yuji Naka that he had done well, and Yuji recommended rolling out the N Language across Sega, especially in the home console division.
• Yuji said developers would not want to return to assembly after using the N Language, and Hayao agreed to discuss it with Yu Suzuki.
• Lin Lixin instructed Sam to arrange Japanese and American Sonic animations alongside the comics, and learned that Satoshi had prepared fifty Pokémon for Gen 1’s second generation.
• Lin decided to develop a Pokémon HOME-style spin-off that would transfer Pokémon between games and help spread the internet and GAMENOVA All-in-One Card.

Lin Lixin planned Pokémon HOME, a cloud-based system for transferring Pokémon between generations and connecting future spin-offs, while preparing new hardware and a promotional campaign. The chapter ended with a teaser showing a grown Pokémon fan remembering his first game as Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, announcing Pokémon Generation II as coming soon.

• Lin Lixin told Gerald that Pokémon HOME would store Pokémon data in the cloud and connect games across generations, and Gerald agreed to prepare a test platform.
• Lin Lixin explained that Pokémon HOME could support future spin-offs and help revive the Pokémon Centers through membership-card services and exclusive Pokémon.
• Lin Lixin asked Sam to arrange a promotional video with Lucas and invite the Victory Road champion who had also placed first in Mew.
• The promotional video showed a boy playing Pokémon Red as Charmander evolved, then returning years later as a grown man still drawn to the game.
• The video ended with Charmander evolving into Charmeleon and announced Pokémon Generation II as coming soon.

Fans interpreted GAMENOVA’s promotional video as a teaser for a Pokémon sequel with improved graphics, while nationwide Pokémon Center renovations fueled speculation about a global trading feature. When the renovated centers reopened in California, Marc discovered the queue had already begun outside his doorstep.

• Fans analyzed Charmeleon’s improved appearance in GAMENOVA’s video and concluded the Pokémon sequel would use newer technology, though no release date was announced.
• Players noticed Pokémon Centers across the country renovating simultaneously, and leaked construction plans revealed a project called the Global Wonder Trade Center.
• Players speculated that the new centers would enable Pokémon trading over the internet, while Steve learned from Sam that sequel development was waiting for the hardware department’s new architecture.
• On March 7, renovated Pokémon Centers reopened in California, and Marc hurried to his local center.
• A man stopped Marc outside his home and told him the Pokémon Center queue started there.

Marc and John waited in a long line to see GAMENOVA’s renovated Pokémon Center, where Marc explored the new Pal Park. After transferring a Pidgey into its care and seeing it appear on a screen, Marc realized Pal Park could preserve Pokémon for use across different game versions.

• Marc and John passed the time battling while they waited in line, and John lost his Charizard to Marc.
• Marc and John reached the renovated Pokémon Center and learned that the second floor held Pal Park and the GTS, while the third floor offered battles.
• A bodyguard required visitors to show at least one Gym Badge to enter the second floor, and Marc’s physical badges earned him an exaggerated welcome.
• Marc and John split up upstairs, with Marc entering Pal Park and John heading toward the GTS.
• Marc used a GAMENOVA All-in-One Card to leave a Pidgey at Pal Park, where it appeared on a screen and could later be retrieved in any Pokémon version.

Marc and John explored the Pokémon Center’s Pal Park and GTS, where Marc learned about storage plans and completed a trade across the network. The new system connected trainers regardless of distance, and its map recorded their exchanges as points of light.

• Marc asked whether his Pokémon would remain in Pal Park permanently, and the attendant assured him they were safely stored as long as he kept his membership card.
• The attendant explained that basic-plan users could store thirty Pokémon while advanced-plan users could store six thousand, and Marc left without upgrading.
• Marc found John staring at the GTS and tried its Pokémon search, discovering options for species, level, and a locked gender setting.
• The GTS found a nearby trainer offering a Clefairy for a Sandshrew, and Marc accepted the trade.
• The trade moved Marc’s Sandshrew to server storage, gave him the Clefairy, and left a commemorative light on the GTS world map.

GTS drew heavy traffic as trainers used it to trade asynchronously, while Sam and Gerald discussed Lin Lixin’s plans for individual Pokémon data and future breeding mechanics. Marc and John spent the day at the Pokémon Center, bought an advanced plan for extra GTS slots, and realized at closing time that they had missed the third floor’s battles.

• Gerald checked GTS server demand while Sam recorded data and described Lin Lixin’s plans for Pokémon traits, breeding, and inherited attributes.
• Gerald explained that Lin Lixin had insisted on assigning a unique ID to every individual Pokémon stored in Pokémon HOME, despite the high storage costs.
• Marc discovered that GTS allowed only one listed Pokémon without an advanced plan, and John offered to pay for the upgrade that expanded their slots.
• Marc and John explored the Pokémon Center until closing, with Marc showing John Pal Park after they had enjoyed GTS.
• Marc and John realized they had forgotten the third floor’s random and multiplayer battles and worried that the crowds would be even larger the next day.

Tom’s faith in Atari collapsed when the Lynx proved heavy, short-lived, and short on games, so he returned it and bought a NovaPocket with Pokémon Red. Atari’s sales fell amid mass refunds, and after Dave Needle and R. J. Mical resigned, the engineers received an invitation from Trip Hawkins’s 3D0 Company.

• Tom bought an Atari Lynx, expecting it to give Atari a chance to challenge GAMENOVA and Nintendo.
• After the Lynx ran out of batteries in just over two hours and left his wrists aching, Tom angrily returned it for a refund.
• Tom saw a NovaPocket discount poster, bought a NovaPocket and Pokémon Red, and decided to give them a try.
• Atari’s sales report showed that mass refunds had made Lynx sales fall despite earlier numbers nearing 800,000 units.
• Dave Needle and R. J. Mical resigned from Atari and received an invitation from Trip Hawkins’s 3D0 Company.

Trip Hawkins recruited Dave Needle and R. J. Mical to help build 3DO, a powerful multimedia platform that he intended to establish as an open hardware standard rather than a conventional game console. He outlined a plan to license the standard to major manufacturers and attract game developers with lower fees.

• Trip welcomed Dave and Robert to 3DO and explained that he envisioned a multimedia entertainment platform combining games, music, movies, and other functions.
• Dave recognized the platform's potential, while Robert warned that GAMENOVA's technology made it a formidable competitor.
• Trip argued that Atari had failed because it entered too late with weak hardware, and said 3DO would move ahead with a licensed 32-bit RISC processor.
• Trip proposed specifications including two 32-bit RISC chips, at least 2 MB of memory, 1 MB of video memory, and stereo sound.
• Trip revealed that 3DO would establish a standard for partner companies such as Panasonic, Sanyo, AT&T, Universal Group, and Time Group to manufacture under license.
• Trip said 3DO would charge hardware makers licensing fees while lowering fees for game developers, hoping to draw developers to the platform.

Lin Lixin showed Michael Jackson around GAMENOVA, where Michael was inspired by the company’s games and music setup. Michael asked GAMENOVA to make a console game starring him, but Lin proposed an arcade game instead: NovaArcade’s first title, "Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker."

• Lin Lixin replayed Michael Jackson’s "Smooth Criminal" while working on a game proposal, and Sam complained about hearing it on repeat.
• Michael Jackson visited GAMENOVA headquarters and praised its blend of music and video games.
• Lin Lixin showed Michael the company’s relaxed development floor and introduced him to its unconventional creative atmosphere.
• Michael told Lin Lixin he wanted GAMENOVA to develop a console game starring him.
• Lin Lixin rejected the console idea and proposed an arcade game, "Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker," as NovaArcade’s first title.

Lin Lixin and Michael Jackson planned an arcade game based on “Smooth Criminal,” with Michael rescuing abducted children through music and dance. Lin then went to Micro-Nova to request powerful hardware for the game, leaving Vivian to assess the demanding specifications.

• Lin Lixin proposed a game in which Michael Jackson rescued abducted children from a drug lord, and Michael asked that the protagonist avoid hurting people whenever possible.
• Lin Lixin and Michael decided that dance would purify enemies, Bubbles would guide Michael to the boss, and each stage would be built around one of Michael’s songs.
• Lin Lixin gave Michael a GAMENOVA premium membership card and promised to send new releases to Neverland Ranch before Michael returned home.
• Lin Lixin went to Micro-Nova the next morning and told Vivian he wanted to use two ATHENAs, including one for audio processing.
• Lin Lixin requested 24-bit Hi-Fi audio, a higher sampling rate, and about 2 MB of video memory and RAM so the arcade game could combine the strengths of its arcade and MD inspirations.

Lin Lixin demonstrated GAMENOVA’s new digital sound card to Michael, showing how it could process audio dynamically in response to a player’s position. He then invited Michael to voice and model the game’s protagonist, leaving their plans for capturing Michael’s dance moves to be put into practice.

• A week after Lin Lixin’s invitation, Michael visited GAMENOVA and examined its new sound card and recording equipment.
• Lin Lixin played “Smooth Criminal” and demonstrated the sound card’s real-time spatial audio processing and other programmable features.
• Michael praised the device, and Lin Lixin explained that he wanted Michael to voice the protagonist and provide its move sounds.
• Lin Lixin showed Michael a concept sketch of the protagonist in the white suit and fedora from “Smooth Criminal” and proposed basing the character’s moves on Michael’s famous dances.
• Lin Lixin explained that hand-drawn animation could not capture Michael’s performance and began considering a new technique prompted by an earlier request from Lucas.

Lin Lixin and Lucas unveiled a jointly developed optical motion-capture lab at Lucasfilm, using Michael Jackson to test the system. The capture worked smoothly, but rendering the footage remained extremely slow, while Lucas saw potential for more realistic CGI lightsabers.

• Lin Lixin arrived with Michael Jackson at Lucasfilm, where Lucas and his team had prepared a motion-capture lab with eighteen cameras and advanced Micro-Nova workstations.
• Lin Lixin explained that he had chosen optical motion capture over mechanical, acoustic, and electromagnetic systems, then showed Michael the lightweight suit fitted with reflective markers.
• Michael wore the suit and performed his signature moonwalk as the cameras captured his movements from multiple angles.
• Lin Lixin estimated that processing just over a dozen seconds of footage would take about sixty-eight hours, even with the new workstations.
• Lucas said the captured data could help Industrial Light & Magic create CGI lightsabers, while Lin Lixin noted that rendering speed was still a major limitation.

After Michael Jackson and Lin Lixin revealed their collaboration, GameNova unveiled Moonwalker, an arcade game starring Michael and featuring his music and dance moves. The promotional video sparked enormous demand, including from people who wanted to buy arcade machines for their homes.

• Michael Jackson told an interviewer that he was working with Lin Lixin and GameNova to develop a game starring him.
• Michael and GameNova worked with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic on the game's music, movements, and motion data.
• GameNova released a promotional video showing Michael fighting enemies through dance moves in Moonwalker, including the 45-degree lean.
• The Moonwalker trailer thrilled gamers and Michael's fans, prompting arcade owners and distributors to flood Silicon Oasis with calls.
• A caller insisted on buying an arcade machine to play Moonwalker at home.