"Confidence alone isn't enough. We need to drop some bombs to shake things up." Ken Kutaragi interrupted, his eyes burning with fanaticism—the wild glint of an engineer obsessed with technological perfection. "Takuya Nakayama wants to use Shigeru Miyamoto to set E3's tone on software. We'll do the opposite. While he's up there talking about sentiment, we'll be down here showcasing the most hardcore technology. Don't forget, Namco's Tekken port is nearly finished, and Psygnosis is developing that anti-gravity racing game—it's incredibly fast."
He leaned forward, hands braced on the table, like a wolf stalking its prey.
"Let Miyamoto tell his fairy tales. We'll crank the volume to the max in Los Angeles, bombarding those American eyes with the most dazzling 3D graphics and the fastest polygon processing speeds. By the time they realize their Super Famicom can't even render a 3D model's ass, they'll know who to choose."
Nobuyuki Idei watched this rebellious tech genius, his lips twitching slightly before he ultimately remained silent.
Though he disliked Ken Kutaragi's crude methods, he had to admit that in the cutthroat battlefield of the game console industry, such almost fanatical aggression might be precisely what Sony needed to carve out its own path.
Osaka, Konami Headquarters.
Kazumasa Kozuki set down the fax paper, casually picked up his teacup, and blew away the foam with unhurried grace.
"Shigeru Miyamoto to give the opening address?" he chuckled, his tone unreadable. "Takuya Nakayama's move is both cunning and magnanimous. He elevates his rival to godlike status only to bring that god down from the altar with superior technology. Such magnanimity... it's so un-Japanese, more like the style of those Hollywood producers."
The Development Division Director seated opposite him paused his report on the E3 exhibition plan. "President, in that case, should we—"
"Since Nakayama has set the stage and Nintendo is willing to perform, there's no reason we shouldn't join the spectacle, especially with Sony as our companion," Kozuki said, rising and walking to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.
The Osaka streetscape spread out before him, but his gaze was fixed on the more distant Los Angeles, on the E3 exhibition hall about to erupt in excitement.
Konami had enjoyed a prosperous few years, arguably becoming the most thriving third-party developer in the entire Japanese game industry.
Unlike Enix, which clung tightly to Nintendo's coattails, or Namco, which flirted with Sony, or Square, which was even bought by Sega and remained loyal to them despite Sega's lack of restrictions, Kazumasa Kozuki adhered to absolute pragmatism: "I'll develop games for whoever has the users."
Early on, he faced considerable resistance when pushing the "simultaneous global release" strategy within the company.
The Development Department complained about the architectural differences and the difficulty of porting, while the Marketing Department worried about alienating Nintendo.
The result?
The Mega Drive version of Contra sold like hotcakes, and the Super Famicom version of Castlevania was a massive hit.
By hedging their bets on both GamePocket and Game Boy, Konami's financial reports looked exceptionally strong.
It proved that players don't care about allegiances; they only care about fun games.
As long as their chosen platform had good games, they were willing to open their wallets.
Each time a game was released simultaneously on multiple platforms, the initial launch effect was maximized. Especially with Sega and Nintendo's global distribution networks, Konami's games could be quickly stocked worldwide, ensuring they always capitalized on the media buzz during the launch period.
Now that he had a substantial cash flow, Kazumasa Kozuki's appetite had grown even larger last month.
"At this year's E3, we're going all out. No holding back," he said, turning to point at the project list on the conference table. "We're laying all our cards on the table."
"For J-League Live: Eleven Winners, we'll optimize both the Super Famicom and Mega Drive versions to the absolute best. The 16-bit market still has a massive installed base. Those fans aren't sensitive to graphics, but they're extremely picky about smooth gameplay and responsive controls. As long as the soccer feels right, they'll open their wallets."
"What about the next-gen consoles?" The General Manager flipped to another page. "Sony and Sega are both pushing for progress on Tokimeki Memorial. This game... to be honest, we've never made anything like it before. It's a significant risk."
"Then give it to them," Kozuki replied decisively. "Whether it's PlayStation or Jupiter, as long as it's on an optical disc, we can cram in all of Shiori Fujisaki's endless voice lines and high-definition illustrations. Let those lovelorn otaku weep under the legendary tree. The more they cry, the better our financial reports will look. Romance simulations—that's an untapped goldmine, especially with the massive storage capacity of optical discs. We'll use it to drain the otaku wallets dry."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other titles on the project list.
"[ Suikoden ]—this is our bid to challenge Final Fantasy in the RPG space. We'll release it on both PlayStation and Jupiter; don't let a single platform slip through our fingers. And [ Castlevania XX ]—how's the handheld version of [ Summon Night ] coming along?"
"Progress is smooth. The Game Pocket version takes advantage of the backlit screen for improved color rendering."
"Excellent." Kazumasa Kozuki nodded in satisfaction. "And [ Live! Crazy Big Shooting ]—prepare a complete bundle. Super Famicom, Mega Drive, PlayStation, Jupiter—release it on every platform we can. I want players to see the Konami logo the moment they look at any console."
This was the pinnacle of business strategy.
"If Takuya Nakayama wants to be an industry leader, let him try." Kozuki leaned back in his chair, picking up the fax again. His finger lightly traced the characters "Shigeru Miyamoto." "If Shigeru Miyamoto wants to play on nostalgia, let him. By the time they've warmed up the crowd and drawn in the audience, the games they actually pay for will be Konami's."
He looked at the General Manager, his tone flat but carrying an unyielding greed.
"Prepare it. This year in Los Angeles, I want Konami's booth to be even more lively than their first-party displays. Tell the Development Department I won't skimp on overtime pay—not a single Japanese Yen. But I demand that all demo versions run flawlessly a week before E3. I won't let a single bug ruin my business."
Ōta Ward, Tokyo—Namco Headquarters.
Masaya Nakamura fiddled with the golden Pac-Man paperweight in his hand, his gaze fixed on the newly arrived Tekken development progress report.
He wasn't particularly interested in Sega and Nintendo's political posturing at E3.
In his view, what Shigeru Miyamoto said was less important than how much attention Namco could command on that stage.
"Pull all the top talent from the Arcade Department," Nakamura said, tossing the report back onto his desk. "Since this is the first major industry-wide event, have Hideki Kanno prepare Ace Combat as well. Bring Tekken, Ridge Racer 2, and Ace Combat all to the show."
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