The outside world buzzed with speculation, but Sega remained silent, refusing to comment.
At Atlas headquarters, Kobayashi Tetsu looked at Iwata Satoru.
"Iwata-kun, if you need anything, just let me know. I'll take care of it."
Iwata Satoru considered this, then shook his head.
"There's nothing pressing at the moment. I've been proceeding as before: first, I approached Sunrise to produce a 26-episode Final Fantasy anime. Regarding the cartridges, I negotiated an 800 million yen deposit with Bandai, but we couldn't lower the cost further, which is a bit disappointing.
"I've also contacted major publishers—Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Kodansha—to find a manga artist for a Final Fantasy manga, but so far, there's been no response. Kodansha did offer permission, but the artist they suggested isn't quite up to our standards."
"Additionally, we're now implementing the cartridge compression technology provided by Nintendo."
As Iwata Satoru finished listing the updates, it became clear that Kobayashi Tetsu's concerns were unfounded.
Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but inwardly marvel at Iwata's capabilities.
Earlier, when Sonic was published, the media had dubbed them "the right and left hands of God." Kobayashi Tetsu knew well that Naka Yuji could make him work hard, but he himself lacked such strong initiative.
Within the current Atlas, only Iwata Satoru could take on a project and independently overcome all its challenges.
"Iwata-kun," Kobayashi Tetsu said, "there's been some skepticism about Atlas lately. What's your take on it?"
"The public generally views role-playing games as a risky genre. With Dragon Quest as a precedent, players expect a high standard of quality. If our game doesn't meet that bar, we'll face unjust criticism," Iwata Satoru explained. "On one hand, Dragon Quest has already established the market, but that means we need to be even more meticulous with our project. My current strategy is to differentiate our gameplay from Dragon Quest, but we're still internally discussing this with the development team and the Second Development Department."
Though both are RPGs, their gameplay differs significantly. Two of Japan's three major RPG series are Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
As for the third, there's fierce competition among various contenders.
Between these two, Dragon Quest adheres to a classic, straightforward RPG formula, focusing on character development through experience. Final Fantasy, on the other hand, introduced distinct character growth paths.
Kobayashi Tetsu suddenly felt an urge to start working.
Understanding his intent, Iwata Satoru pushed a blank notepad toward him.
"In terms of gameplay, since Dragon Quest follows such a traditional approach, using standard dungeon-style rules and emphasizing character experience, we should focus our efforts elsewhere. The key lies in crafting a compelling adventure story and offering diverse character development paths. We need a tragic yet beautiful love story, along with systems for cultivating different combat attributes based on each character's state. The replayability should come from attribute point allocation, ability disparities, and even upcoming plot developments."
Iwata Satoru listened intently.
During internal discussions within the Second Development Department, various ideas had been proposed, but they lacked cohesion. Now, President Kobayashi's decisive vision brought clarity to the project.
Kobayashi Tetsu put down his pen after finishing his explanation.
"Iwata-kun, don't worry about the external noise. It's natural for players to be skeptical about something that hasn't materialized yet. Atlas has already proven its capability to develop RPGs with Demon Tower. All you need to do is stick to the planned development schedule. I'll handle the outside matters."
Iwata Satoru nodded, but couldn't help feeling nervous.
"President, you wouldn't... you know... Tokyo Bay is awfully cold this time of year."
Kobayashi Tetsu was startled.
"When did I ever suggest throwing Tanimura Masahito into Tokyo Bay?!"
Seeing Iwata Satoru's anxious expression, Kobayashi Tetsu sighed.
"Relax, I have no intention of harming Tanimura Masahito. In fact, I plan to ask a stranger to send him some money, to encourage him to redouble his efforts."
Iwata Satoru: ?
Faced with Iwata Satoru's bewildered look, Kobayashi Tetsu nodded solemnly.
Yes, Tanimura Masahito was relentlessly attacking Atlas and Kobayashi Tetsu, so Kobayashi Tetsu decided to fund him, to make Tanimura Masahito's attacks even sharper!
Tanimura Masahito was an insider, well-versed in game development, so his criticisms carried weight.
Having Tanimura Masahito denounce Atlas not only steered player opinions but also generated another wave of buzz.
Black and red is still red! Getting a lot of bang for your buck—Tanimura Masahito definitely deserved a cut.
Kobayashi Tetsu arranged for someone to meet with Tanimura Masahito and deliver the funds.
A one-million-yen donation, from an anonymous Atlas supporter.
As expected, Tanimura Masahito was thrilled upon receiving the money. That same day, he fired off another scathing critique, first dissecting the pros and cons of RPGs before launching into a brutal takedown of Atlas's Project FF.
The crux of his argument: It's utterly unacceptable!
Returning from his errand, Kobayashi Tetsu passed by Central Street and decided to drop by Shimayose Game Store out of sheer boredom.
Manager Chiyama, who still ran the shop across the street, wore an exasperated expression when he saw Kobayashi Tetsu.
President Kobayashi! You're such a smooth talker! So you were Atlas's man all along? I actually thought you were a real hardcore gamer!
Of course, he couldn't say any of this to Kobayashi Tetsu's face. In fact, Manager Chiyama was just as nervous as Shimayose Yosuke had been.
But here's the thing:
Is Atlas actually any good? Dragon Quest is an absolutely fantastic RPG.
If Atlas's upcoming game isn't as fun as Dragon Quest, Tanimura Masahito will be proven right!
"President Kobayashi!" Shimayose Yosuke rushed forward and grabbed Kobayashi Tetsu's hand. "Please, just give us a little insider information! How is the development of the Project FF RPG going?"
Having played Atlas games since 1983, the group considered themselves loyal fans. But this time, the situation was truly vexing.
A regular customer loudly complained, clearly disgruntled. "Kosho! Yesterday, I was talking to some punk who actually swore up and down that Atlas was doomed! I wanted to slap him!"
Shimayose Yosuke sighed in frustration. "If Atlas doesn't release anything soon, I can't effectively refute him. Without solid evidence, we can't convince anyone."
Unless Kobayashi Tetsu could reveal some development details.
Shimayose Yosuke burned with anger at Tanimura Masahito's scathing criticism, yet felt utterly stumped for a proper counterargument.
Kobayashi Tetsu simply smiled warmly. "I can't reveal anything yet. All I can say is that it's an exceptional RPG. Once it's released, you'll understand everything."
Seeing Kobayashi Tetsu about to leave, Shimayose Yosuke hesitated, wanting to say more.
But they were being ridiculed so harshly! Tanimura Masahito was too skilled at tearing them down!
Shimayose Yosuke just wanted a solid counterargument, even if it was just a tiny scrap of public information.
Now, all he could do was face the skepticism and wait for the game's release.
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