After the Mega Drive and its compatible games were released in Japan, Japanese players, of course, got to play them too.
The revolution brought about by 16-bit consoles was beyond words. Whether in terms of graphics or sound, the overall performance and smoothness were simply incomparable to what had come before.
In Nintendo's Game Development Department, Miyamoto Shigeru led his team in playing through the entire set of games.
"Everyone," Miyamoto Shigeru said, adopting a certain someone's habit of pulling over a whiteboard, writing as he spoke.
"Game developers must play games. This is an idea that can never change. Right now, these two games released by Atlas are incredibly popular overseas. The reasons for this are all hidden within the games themselves."
"As a sequel, Sonic already had a certain level of attention. Therefore, as long as it maintained the style of the first game while introducing new elements, and ensured there were no subversive changes, it could achieve a steady output."
"So our focus is on Metal Slug. This is a game with no precedent. It hasn't even followed the path of Atlas's previous titles by releasing a related anime or other cinematic products. Yet, this very game is the one that has become a hit overseas. The reasons behind this are what we need to delve into. Everyone, please feel free to share your thoughts."
He casually pointed to an employee.
"Oshima-kun, you go ahead."
"Yes, Manager." Oshima stood up. "I believe it's because the game has a well-implemented two-player mode. The two players can actually cooperate, rather than just fighting side-by-side. In this regard, it has innovated upon Contra's map design. For example, in the first level, if both players stay on the ground or both stay on the rooftops, they will encounter dangers from the opposite side."
"But if one player stays on the ground while the other stays on the rooftops, they can maximize the number of enemies they clear out, thereby ensuring they don't face more danger. This kind of implicit cooperation is all over the game. You could say this game was designed specifically for two-player co-op."
Miyamoto Shigeru nodded slightly. "That's partly correct, but not quite. Nabeshima, you go."
Nabeshima stood up. "Beyond the usual points like graphics and music, I believe the more subtle monster design is key. From the man-operated fortress to the other characters we encounter, even General Morden himself—all the monster designs were clearly crafted with a specific purpose. They apply just the right amount of pressure to the player, enough to challenge them without making them want to quit."
Miyamoto nodded again.
"Still, that's not quite it."
He asked several others, and everyone shared their own ideas.
Beyond the success of the audio and visuals, they discussed the game's attention to detail, the feel of the controls, and more.
When it seemed no one else had anything to add, Miyamoto finally drew a circle, encircling the most crucial point.
"The audience! That's the most important part. While the game has sold reasonably well here in Japan, it hasn't achieved the same miraculous success as it has in the United States. In my view, the core reason is that when Atlas developed this game, they targeted the North American market directly. Every single design choice was made to align with the habits and preferences of North American players."
"The characters' exaggerated expressions, the comic-style paneling, the seemingly complex but actually straightforward 'classic' plot, the characters, the enemy soldiers, and even the image of the dictator General Morden."
"You could say that every brilliant aspect of this game was designed specifically for the North American target audience. Without them, it would just be a high-quality side-scrolling shooter."
"And that's exactly why this is so crucial for us."
When developing a game, you must aim directly at your target audience! You don't need to worry about anyone else's needs. For instance, this game was clearly not as popular in Japan as it was in the US, but even so, the sales in North America alone were enough to bridge that gap.
In Japan, it won on pure quality. In North America, it succeeded because it was filled with elements that American players found familiar and relatable.
Take the plot of Metal Slug, for example. It looks dramatic and full of twists, but in reality, it's very simple: two freedom-loving soldiers, Marco and Tarma, take down the dictator General Morden.
And that's exactly the kind of story North American players love.
After Miyamoto Shigeru finished sharing his thoughts, he let out a long, genuine sigh of relief.
"That's why choosing your target audience is so crucial! It's truly impressive. The president of Atlas has a level of judgment that's far beyond his years. He's... truly formidable!"
When the Mega Drive launched, Kobayashi Tetsu had just returned to Japan from Los Angeles and was still adjusting to the time difference.
While others couldn't get accurate sales figures, Kobayashi Tetsu certainly could.
He decided to ignore the Japanese market for now, as the console had only just been released there.
Based on the U.S. sales estimates alone, the Mega Drive sold over 2.8 million units in its first week.
This number was even higher than the actual first-week sales of the Mega Drive in reality.
As for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, its sales were four-fifths of the Mega Drive's total—2.2 million cartridges.
Metal Slug, on the other hand, fell short of Nintendo's projections. It didn't even reach one-third of the Mega Drive's sales.
One-third of the Mega Drive's sales would have been 930,000 units, but Metal Slug only sold about 850,000.
This made Kobayashi Tetsu sigh in admiration.
Ah, damn it—
Wait, no!
What garbage, Metal Slug hasn't even shipped a million copies, yet it dares to call itself a Hall of Fame title!
Finally, with this phase of work wrapped up, Kobayashi Tetsu planned to slack off for a few days.
He'd been running himself ragged with lectures and promotional tours, his head spinning so much he felt like his very marrow was being scorched dry.
Time to take a break. Time to rest. At the very least, Kobayashi Tetsu didn't want to touch game development again until after the New Year.
After a quick wash, he threw on a bathrobe, sprawled across the living room with his legs resting on the coffee table, and started making calls to harass his acquaintances one by one.
"Hello? Big Brother Yamashina, it's me, Kobayashi Tetsu! Long time no see. How's everything on your end?"
"Me? I haven't sold much either—only a bit over 800,000 copies. Sigh, it's terrible. How can I call it a Hall of Fame title without even hitting a million? But for cartridge shipments in Japan, we're still heavily reliant on Bandai!"
"Hello? Capcom? Yes, pop the champagne right now! I'm sorry to say, but we actually sold a little more than expected. I've decided to authorize Capcom to develop the arcade version of Metal Slug. Let's celebrate together!"
"Hello?"
Kobayashi Tetsu paused, then spoke the name: "Nintendo Headquarters? Put me through to your President. Who else could it be? That old geezer Hiroshi Yamauchi!"
The moment the call connected, Hiroshi Yamauchi, on the other end, wanted to strangle Kobayashi Tetsu.
Is selling a few damn cartridges not enough for you to brag about?! It's true your Sonic the Hedgehog 1 shipped ten million copies in North America, but my Mario also sold ten million in North America!
But as he brought the receiver to his lips, Yamauchi changed his tune.
"Congratulations on Atlas's latest success. However, while Sega's Mega Drive is impressive, Nintendo isn't doing too badly either. How about you consider collaborating with Nintendo on a new game?"
Kobayashi Tetsu chuckled. "If you release a new handheld console, Atlas might be open to a collaboration."
Yamauchi was amused.
This little— Kobayashi Tetsu, a president who's been doing quite well for himself lately.
Did he really think such a line could fool me?
Sega had already launched the Mega Drive, a 16-bit console, yet Kobayashi Tetsu was coming to him to talk about collaborating on a handheld game?
Yamauchi had even halted the development of the Game Boy just to expedite the Super Famicom's release!
He couldn't help but sigh.
"Kobayashi-kun, you're... you're quite the sly one!"
Kobayashi Tetsu sighed in return. "Why don't you believe me when I'm telling the truth? I'm genuinely open to collaborating with Nintendo on a handheld game. As for the 16-bit console, I'd advise you to finish the handheld as quickly as possible. The Super Famicom is great, but the Game Boy is also incredibly important!"
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