Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Nintendo's Fury

Kyoto, Nintendo headquarters.In the sweltering afternoon, the air in the conference room felt stifled, as if frozen in oppressive silence.A detailed report on the PC Engine lay splayed on the central table, its pages creased from rough handling.Hiroshi Yamauchi's face was ashen, a vein throbbing faintly at his temple from barely contained rage.His fingers drummed sharply on the table, clinging to the last shreds of composure befitting a president."Hudson!"Yamauchi's voice ground out through clenched teeth, laced with unmasked fury."Ungrateful whelps!""Daring to team up with NEC and challenge Nintendo's authority!"Nintendo's executives sat in frozen silence, their breaths shallow, wary of igniting the iron-fisted president's wrath.Yamauchi's piercing gaze swept the room, ending in a cold snort."Flashy hardware specs might dazzle outsiders.""But what decides victory is always the games!"He declared it with ironclad certainty, his tone brimming with absolute faith in his empire's foundation."Without games, even the mightiest console is just expensive scrap!""The Famicom and NES have sold over ten million units worldwide, building an unassailable user base—that's Nintendo's true moat, unmatched by anyone!"Gunpei Yokoi, seated nearby, adjusted his glasses, his expression grave. He leaned forward slightly."President, the PC Engine's graphics chip is indeed innovative, and its touted 'quasi-16-bit' performance will have some market impact."His voice was dry, highlighting the objective technical threat.Shigeru Miyamoto, who had been silent, now looked up, his usually gentle face etched with concern."We'll accelerate development on Super Mario Bros. 3 and other key projects.""Nintendo's games will always guarantee quality—the players' ultimate choice."His words were resolute, an attempt to steady morale with the promise of stellar titles.Yamauchi's anger didn't subside; if anything, the challenge sharpened his edge.His eyes narrowed coldly, and he issued a command, his voice brooking no dissent."Immediately remove Hudson from Nintendo's official third-party developer list!""Cease all cooperation with Hudson—every last bit!""Furthermore, notify all third-party developers under royalty agreements with us."Yamauchi's tone carried icy coercion."Within one week, submit detailed plans for their next six months of game development and release schedules.""I want to see who's friend and who's foe."This was a brutal "loyalty test" and an unyielding declaration of resource control.Storm clouds gathered.At the same moment, in Tokyo, Sega headquarters.Masao Suzuki burst into Takuya Nakayama's office, the newspaper in his hand crumpled from his grip."Executive Director!"His voice trembled with barely suppressed urgency and a hint of relief."Nintendo's struck back! That old fox Yamauchi reacted too fast, too viciously!""Hudson's been blacklisted! And he's demanding all third-parties submit development plans—this is a clear warning shot, tightening his grip!"Suzuki caught his breath, a trace of gratitude in his tone."Thank goodness… thank goodness we didn't rush to formally invite Bandai for new console third-party collaboration.""They've got that Saint Seiya game slated for Famicom—if it leaked, we'd be in trouble."Takuya stood by the vast floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the ceaseless traffic below.Hearing Suzuki's frantic report, he turned slowly, his face showing no surprise—only a faint, almost imperceptible smile, as if every move on the board had been foreseen.He spoke calmly, his voice steady and reassuring, instilling trust."Mr. Suzuki, no need for alarm.""Yamauchi's reaction was entirely predictable.""The more fiercely he lashes out, the more it proves the PC Engine has successfully drawn nearly all his attention."Suzuki, watching Takuya's unflappable poise, felt his tension ease somewhat, though worry lingered in his brow."But Executive Director, with Nintendo cracking down like this, won't the third-party developers we're courting hesitate out of fear of Yamauchi's thunderbolt tactics? They might back off from collaborating with us."Takuya paced to the window, gazing at the endless skyline, his tone even but laced with perceptive insight."It will indeed create temporary hurdles—even resistance—in our third-party recruitment.""But Mr. Suzuki, every coin has two sides.""Consider this: Yamauchi's near-tyrannical pressure might push developers already chafing under Nintendo's harsh terms and ironclad contracts to resent him more, even drift away.""This is precisely our opportunity."He paused briefly, his analysis crisp and logical."Nintendo's now pouring its energy into countering the PC Engine threat, which buys us undisturbed time for the new console's R&D and initial games.""At the same time, this high-handed policy will make forward-thinking, ambitious third-parties acutely aware of the risks of putting all their eggs in Nintendo's basket.""They'll start seriously exploring new, fairer platforms."Takuya turned, his eyes gleaming with shrewd confidence, as if the future board was already in view."Our next steps are simple: stick to the original plan and keep advancing."The PC Engine's debut and Nintendo's draconian response crashed into the industry like twin boulders, ripples spreading far and wide.An intangible tension permeated the air.Namco, a powerhouse in arcades and home consoles, seemed to tuck tail under Yamauchi's iron fist.They submitted an overly detailed, almost obsequious half-year Famicom release plan to affirm "loyalty," prominently featuring R.B.I. Baseball, which sold over a million copies in Japan in Takuya's past life.In this climate of paranoia, Sega appeared unusually "tranquil."They methodically released several arcade titles completed and promoted earlier in the year.These high-quality games drew enthusiastic feedback in arcades, further reinforcing Sega's apparent disinterest in the home console market for now.It was a deliberate smokescreen, masterfully diverting eyes from the secret new console project.