Yamashina Makoto leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Kobayashi Tetsu.
"We can't make a game console? Why? I know we can't compete with Nintendo and Sega in the home console market, and Bandai has no intention of trying. That's why I want to make a handheld."
To be honest, Yamashina Makoto had been planning this for a long time. Being shut down so bluntly by Kobayashi Tetsu made him very unhappy.
The two had known each other for a long time. Ever since Kobayashi Tetsu had first approached him, he had always admired him, especially his keen eye for game production.
But...
Games were games, and the hardware industry was the hardware industry. Yamashina Makoto believed that making a game console was just making a toy, which aligned perfectly with Bandai's core business philosophy.
Kobayashi Tetsu could only shake his head.
"You probably won't take my words to heart, but as an old friend who has known you for years, I solemnly advise you, Big Brother Yamashina: don't mess with handhelds. This isn't something a company of Bandai's size can pull off. You might think a game console is just a toy, and theoretically, that's correct, but in reality, the two are fundamentally different."
"Whether it's a handheld or a home console, people buy game consoles to play games. A console without games is useless. No console has ever conquered the market by relying on a few nostalgic old games. No matter how great Atlas is, it's still just one company. We might be able to create a pillar title that can support a platform, but we can't cover the entire library!"
"If Bandai wants to make a handheld, the first thing it must solve is the game library. Without a dozen or so games, how can you expect players to buy your device just because you're Bandai?"
Kobayashi Tetsu said, "If you're determined to make a game console, I can have Atlas help produce a few games, but Bandai will still have to find a way to secure the rest of the titles on its own."
"Besides the game library—"
Just as Kobayashi Tetsu was about to continue, Yamashina Makoto raised his hand and glanced at his watch.
"Sorry, Kobayashi-kun, I have another meeting to attend."
Kobayashi Tetsu's voice cut off abruptly, the words dying in his throat.
After a brief silence, Kobayashi Tetsu rose and bowed to Yamashina Makoto.
"In that case, I won't keep you any longer. As for cartridge production, we will continue to outsource it to Bandai. Even if Atlas decides to build its own factory, it will take time to reach full capacity, so we will still heavily rely on Bandai for contract manufacturing. This point is non-negotiable."
Yamashina Makoto extended his hand to Kobayashi Tetsu and shook it.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
This was the attitude of a purely professional transaction.
Kobayashi Tetsu sighed inwardly and shook Yamashina Makoto's hand in return.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
As he stepped out of the office, Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but shake his head.
It seemed he still couldn't persuade Yamashina Makoto. Eager to prove himself, Yamashina Makoto was desperate to immediately produce results that would show he was more capable than his father, Yamashina Naoji.
However, Kobayashi Tetsu had already made his point clear.
The most important thing for a game console is to have games!
A single great company can only create a few flagship titles; it cannot produce the entire library of games required to sustain a console. No single company can support a vast and diverse game library on its own.
Looking at the history of handheld and even home console platforms, not a single one that was crushed had ever been the exception to this rule.
Historically, when the Mega Drive first launched in North America, it crushed Nintendo, selling 30 million units while Nintendo's 16-bit console didn't even arrive for another two years.
Yet, the Super Famicom eventually overtook it—not because it was the superior machine, but because Nintendo had long ago signed third-party agreements with North American developers, forbidding them from creating games for any platform other than Nintendo's. These exclusivity agreements were only gradually dismantled by the U.S. government in the mid-to-late 1990s under antitrust laws.
In the handheld market, Sega's Game Gear was a genuine effort, but it ultimately failed miserably due to a lack of games and inherent hardware flaws. Similarly, Sony's PlayStation Vita was superior to the PSP in every way, yet it couldn't compete with Nintendo's handhelds of the era. The PS Vita simply lacked a strong game library, making it a useless purchase. Besides, by then, smartphones had already evolved into powerful multimedia devices, so no one would buy a PS Vita just to use as a portable media player.
Ultimately, it all comes down to this: a console must have games.
High-quality games are the main draw—the reason players buy a handheld console in the first place. But they aren't enough to keep players coming back. That's where third-party developers come in, creating a steady stream of new titles to ensure the console's longevity.
Bandai couldn't solve this problem, and Tetsuya Kobayashi couldn't either.
From Yamashina Makoto's attitude, Tetsuya Kobayashi saw things clearly now. He refused to heed his advice.
His old friend was destined to jump into the fire. All Tetsuya Kobayashi could say was, It's fate.
It seems Yamashina Makoto was never meant to have this!
Friends are friends, but business is business.
Tetsuya Kobayashi soon received a sample cartridge of Romance of the Three Kingdoms II.
The cartridge was nearly twice the size of a standard one, built solidly and feeling quite heavy in his hand.
He stared at the characters on the cartridge's cover art for a long moment before concluding that the one with the Sky Piercer halberd must be Lu Bu, and the other must be Zhuge Liang.
—Because he was holding a feather fan.
Hurry up and release the CCTV version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms! Once it's out, the character designs will finally be standardized!
Tetsuya Kobayashi shook his head inwardly.
Japan actually had a strong fondness for several of the Four Great Classical Novels, including Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Journey to the West, and had even produced several adaptations of them.
However, ever since the CCTV version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was released, the character designs in Japanese games had basically been set in stone.
Lu Bu was the cockroach-looking one, Zhuge Liang wore the square-topped hat, Guan Yu had the long beard, and Cao Cao looked so much like Oda Nobunaga that they could have been brothers.
Well, that was just Koei Corporation's personal quirk.
In Koei's games, Cao Cao's image was identical to Oda Nobunaga's. When playing Warriors Orochi, it was hard to tell them apart when they stood next to each other.
Before the CCTV version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the depictions of the Three Kingdoms characters in Japanese games had been all sorts of wild.
After observing for a moment, Kobayashi Tetsu casually set the cartridge down.
He was quite satisfied with the cartridge manufactured by Bandai. As for sales, a cartridge costing 10,000 yen wouldn't sell in huge quantities anyway, and the target audience for strategy games was already small.
Just as Kobayashi Tetsu was pondering this, he saw Takamine Aika walk in with Keiko Koei.
"President Kobayashi," Keiko Koei said, her voice booming. She deliberately pulled the door wide open, making sure everyone outside could see the scene inside.
Kobayashi Tetsu was startled. "What kind of person do you take me for?!"
Keiko Koei replied, "I'm just thinking of your reputation, President Kobayashi."
Kobayashi Tetsu thought to himself, You're worrying over nothing.
Everyone at Atlas knew that while Kobayashi Tetsu was a bit of a hypocrite and a bit of a flirt, his tastes were always consistent.
In any case, Kobayashi Tetsu's taste in women definitely didn't include Keiko Koei.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms cartridges are ready already?"
Keiko Koei examined the cartridge. She was quite satisfied with it; after all, for a cartridge retailing at 10,000 yen, the quality absolutely had to be top-notch.
She set the cartridge down and asked, "Do you know when Atlas will be releasing the MS version?"
Kobayashi Tetsu shrugged. "Before the New Year. Atlas is planning an event and even filming a promotional TV commercial to go with it."
Keiko Koei was slightly surprised.
A TV commercial? Can they even break even?
Strategy games had a niche audience. Keiko Koei's expectations were low; selling 10,000 copies in the first month would be a great success.
That sales volume would already reach 100 million yen. According to their previous agreement, Koei would earn roughly 10 million yen.
Ten million yen, and they're filming a separate TV commercial?
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded solemnly.
"Of course we're filming a commercial! Atlas isn't short on money. Selling only 10,000 copies in a month would be a joke! We need to be bolder!"
Kobayashi Tetsu raised his hand.
"Fifty thousand! Let's aim to sell 50,000 copies in the first month. If we don't sell them, Naka Yuji will have to pay out of his own pocket to make up the difference—10,000 yen for every copy we're short!"
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