"Why could the Mega Drive succeed?" Takuya Nakayama's voice was steady and authoritative. "It was partly due to Pokémon and Sonic, but even more so because of the hundreds and thousands of third-party developers behind us. Many of these teams are small or medium-sized, and the high barrier to entry for 3D development would deter them. If we abandon them, we'd be cutting off our own arm."
He turned to Yuji Naka. "Naka-kun, what are your thoughts?"
Yuji Naka nodded and took over. "The Managing Director is right. 2D games have mature technology, shorter development cycles, and manageable costs. For many players, light-hearted and fun 2D games are indispensable. We can't abandon this massive core audience just because we're chasing 3D. A healthy console ecosystem needs both the pyramid's apex—blockbuster games—and a broad base of mid- to low-cost games."
"Exactly, that's the point," Takuya Nakayama said, giving him an approving look before turning to Department Manager Nakamura. "Technically, this shouldn't be difficult to achieve, right? Our existing Mega Drive and System32 arcade board technology can be fully inherited and upgraded."
Department Manager Nakamura nodded immediately. "No problem, Managing Director. Leveraging our mature existing technology not only ensures reliability, but also significantly reduces hardware costs and the learning curve for developers."
"Excellent." Takuya Nakayama seemed satisfied with this result. He folded his arms and leaned forward slightly, steering the conversation toward the next, and most crucial, topic. "We've secured our foundation. Now, let's discuss the future."
His gaze finally settled on Yu Suzuki.
"Suzuki-kun, when it comes to 3D, you're undoubtedly the most authoritative voice here. Share your thoughts."
The moment he was addressed, Yu Suzuki's spirits instantly perked up.
He spoke almost eagerly: "Managing Director, 3D will revolutionize the gaming experience! It can create a truly three-dimensional space, offering players unprecedented possibilities for movement, attacks, and interactions! The future belongs to 3D!"
His voice carried an unshakable fervor, like a technological evangelist preaching his faith.
But the fervor quickly cooled, turning into a hint of helplessness.
"But... the current 3D technology is too expensive. Even if cost were no object, the results are barely satisfactory. Polygon counts, texture quality, frame rates—everywhere we're constrained."
Everyone in the room understood.
Yu Suzuki's development team was Sega's playground for 3D technology, built brick by brick with cold, hard cash.
He knew better than anyone the hardships and expenses involved.
"I understand your concerns," Takuya Nakayama nodded, then his tone sharpened. "Suzuki-kun, do you remember how much budget I allocated for VR Racing and the pre-production of Virtua Fighter? How many top-tier talents did I assign to your team?"
Yu Suzuki paused, then nodded honestly.
It was indeed an astronomical sum, a reckless expenditure.
"This 'throw everything at it' approach—" Takuya's calm voice landed like a hammer on every heart in the room. "How many companies in Japan could afford to play along with Sega? How many would want to?"
The conference room fell silent.
Yu Suzuki opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Though he was passionate about technology, Takuya Nakayama understood that what he was saying was true.
His development model relied on Sega's deep pockets and their willingness to support projects without regard for the consequences. It was simply not replicable.
If the new console was going to be a money-burning machine that only teams like Yu Suzuki's could handle, it would be a death sentence.
"That's why we can't paint ourselves into a corner," Takuya said, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Yuji Naka.
"I have an idea. Let's discuss it together."
He tapped a finger lightly on the table.
"Why must we choose between 2D and 3D? Why can't we... combine their strengths?"
As soon as he spoke, both Yu Suzuki and Yuji Naka's eyes lit up.
Takuya continued, his words deliberate but each one clearly outlining a new technological blueprint.
"We can use 3D to build the foundation of our game worlds, creating a highly dynamic and depth-rich environment. Then, for objects and characters, we can use the simplest 3D polygons—no textures or coloring—to create a skeletal framework for motion."
"Finally," his voice carried a hint of enchantment, "we'll use our pride and joy, 2D sprite technology, to 'skin' these skeletons! Whatever way the skeleton moves, the flesh will follow! Combined with multiple levels of transparency and display layers, we can achieve rich visual effects!"
He turned to Yuji Naka. "Naka-kun, you've been tackling all sorts of technical challenges with System32 and Model1, and you know the logic of the graphics chip inside out. From a technical standpoint, is this approach feasible?"
Yuji Naka didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his head, his fingers absentmindedly drawing something on the table as his mind raced.
Scene 3Dization —— Skeleton polygonization —— Outer-layer sprites ——
After a few seconds, he abruptly raised his head, his eyes sparkling with sudden understanding.
"Yes! Managing Director, this approach is entirely feasible!"
His voice carried a note of excitement. "Given the current design of the graphics chip, 2D and 3D processing are already separate. Your proposal ingeniously shifts the majority of the graphical load from our still-immature 3D polygon processing to our most advanced and powerful 2D sprite rendering!"
"A complex 3D character model might require hundreds or even thousands of polygons, putting a tremendous strain on system resources. But if we're only dealing with a simple skeletal structure, a few dozen polygons might be enough! The rest would involve creating meticulously detailed sprites and animating them through scaling, rotation, and layering to match the skeleton's movements! In this regard, the System32 platform has already proven our capabilities!"
Yuji Naka grew increasingly animated as he spoke. "The only potential drawback is the need to create a massive number of sprites, which could consume a significant amount of storage space. But this falls under content planning, and we can optimize it through clever artistic design. Besides, with the vast capacity of CD-ROMs, that concern is somewhat mitigated."
He turned to Takuya Nakayama and declared with conviction, "Managing Director, give me some time. I can create a demo on Model1 based on this concept to actually test the hardware's performance and the final visual effect!"
"Excellent!" Before Takuya Nakayama could respond, Yu Suzuki slapped his thigh and shot to his feet, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Genius! This idea is pure genius!"
"Genius!"
This idea is simply genius!"
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