At the end of January, Double Dragon quietly launched.
Without any major fanfare, the only promotion was a brief commercial featuring Jackie Chan.
First-week sales were decent, and the game was projected to sell over a million copies in its lifetime.
As a practice project, both Naka Yuji and Takashi Nishiyama were exceptionally pleased with the results.
A million copies was a milestone many companies never reached in their entire history!
Even in the internet-savvy future, many games never surpassed a million sales. Games that sold in the millions were almost always universally recognized classics.
Most player reviews focused on the decent action design, the mediocre level design that lacked the flair of Atlas's past work, and the fact that many had come to play after seeing Jackie Chan's commercial.
Even when Tanimura Masahito launched his scathing critique, he deliberately avoided mentioning Atlas by name, focusing solely on Naka Yuji's production skills.
Tokyo, Nakano.
There was a small game company called "TECHNOSJAPAN," founded by Kunio Taki. Formerly a senior executive at Japan Data West, he left the company, recruited a few former colleagues, and established TECHNOSJAPAN.
The company would later release two iconic series:
Double Dragon Nekketsu Series
Unlike Atlas, TECHNOSJAPAN (or TJ) was filled with an explosive energy. The few members of the company, from Kunio Taki to producer Yoshikyu Kishimoto, all seemed to wear the same message on their faces: We're the bad guys!
They weren't true Yakuza, but they belonged to a group common in Japan at the time: the Bōsōzoku. Clad in tight-fitting clothes and riding motorcycles, they would often race through the streets late at night until their engines were red-hot.
But...
Even Bōsōzoku need to make a living!
After leaving their old employer, TJ Company helped Data West Corporation develop a few arcade games. These were decent but unremarkable, enough to keep the company afloat but nothing exceptional.
In 1986, Atlas was operating the Demon Tower arcade game, which caught TJ Company's attention. They decided to try developing their own arcade RPG, but it was a complete failure, failing to make any money. As a result, they were unable to develop the Double Dragon game that was supposed to be released by TJ Company.
Since TJ had no money, they went bankrupt.
Today, inside TJ Company, Kunio Taki, who usually wore trench coats to work, had specifically put on a suit. Even so, he didn't look like a good person.
Even Yoshikyu Kishimoto, the company's most senior producer, was wearing a suit.
He didn't look like a good person either.
With fewer than ten employees, the staff whispered among themselves, unable to resist speculating.
They're dressed so formally! Someone important must be coming to TJ!
Last time, when the Data West people came to discuss game development commissions, the President didn't even wear a suit. This visitor must be even more important than Data West!
Could the President have sold them out?
Seeing the two men looking so serious made the TJ employees worry.
Until the day's guest arrived at TJ Company.
Kunio Taki and Yoshikyu Kishimoto stepped forward to greet them.
"Mr. Naka, Mr. Nishiyama, welcome to TECHNOSJAPAN!"
Naka Yuji nodded slightly, and he and Takashi Nishiyama entered the room.
At Atlas, they called him Nakahiro-kun, but here he was Mr. Naka!
Once they confirmed the guests were Naka Yuji and Takashi Nishiyama, the TJ Company staff members began to approach.
So they're from Atlas!
Remembering the rumors about Atlas, the TJ Company employees instantly considered a certain possibility.
Yoshikyu Kishimoto flattered them, "Mr. Naka is a legendary figure in the game development industry. I heard even Americans were captivated by Sonic, and the newly released Double Dragon is selling well. We estimate its lifetime sales could exceed a million copies!"
Yoshikyu Kishimoto was genuinely envious.
That's Jackie Chan! The GG video that Jackie Chan made!
To be honest, the quality of MS Double Dragon was only average. Without Jackie Chan's GG, I doubt it would have reached a million in lifetime sales.
This wasn't just Yoshikyu Kishimoto's opinion. After the game's release, many people bought it specifically because they saw Jackie Chan's GG, and heard that the main characters were Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.
The game didn't entirely disappoint, but judging by its quality, sales wouldn't have been particularly high without the Jackie Chan hype.
"A million is nothing," Naka Yuji said, clearly dissatisfied. "For Atlas, a million sales has always been commonplace. As for other works, they were merely the result of the President's guidance and our team's efforts."
Yoshikyu Kishimoto clenched his fist.
You're getting all pretentious after a little praise?
It's just because TJ Company doesn't have any runaway hits.
Naka Yuji didn't dwell on it. After a brief tour and a test play of the games TJ Company had developed, he still wasn't sure what made this peculiar company worth investigating. However, Kobayashi Tetsu had specifically instructed him to come and negotiate a potential acquisition. The team seemed small, and the employees were all veterans from major companies.
Though they lacked any truly groundbreaking titles, they were clearly a seasoned team.
With that in mind, Naka Yuji got straight to the point.
"To cut to the chase, we plan to acquire TJ and make it a part of Atlas."
Kunio Taki, President of TJ, instinctively wanted to refuse.
He had left Data West Corporation to found TJ precisely because he harbored a dream of entrepreneurship and had no desire to be acquired.
But as his gaze swept across the room, he noticed the obvious excitement in the eyes of several employees.
Even Yoshikyu Kishimoto, whom he had personally recruited, showed a hint of anticipation. Taki knew he couldn't possibly say no.
"So, Atlas came for this reason," Taki said, taking a deep breath. "May I speak with President Kobayashi of Atlas?"
At the very least, he needed to understand his position as president.
"Certainly."
Naka Yuji immediately dialed Atlas, and Kobayashi Tetsu himself answered.
"Mr. Taki," Kobayashi said, cutting straight to the point and laying out the terms. "The developers at TJ Company will be integrated into Atlas's First Development Division to collaborate with Capcom on future games. Mr. Kishimoto, I will recommend him for a suitable position at Capcom. As for you, I've heard you have a good eye for talent. If you're amenable, I'd like you to serve as Atlas's head of human resources."
Taki pondered the offer.
Though his appearance was somewhat intimidating, he was indeed a keen judge of character. At Data West, he had held the position of Senior Managing Director, and as Kobayashi had noted, he had a knack for spotting talent.
"So my career is just going to be a series of job hopping from one company to another?"
Kunio Taki chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Still, that's for the best."
At least Atlas was a growing company, while Data West was in its twilight. Taking a break at Atlas for a while wouldn't be so bad.
After the call ended, Naka Yuji and Takashi Nishiyama pulled out the contract.
The acquisition of TJ Company cost less than 50 million yen.
Atlas had simply expanded its workforce to over seventy employees and added a third to its office space.
Dedicated personnel now managed finance and human resources, so Kobayashi Tetsu no longer had to calculate payroll himself.
The First Development Division had thirty staff members, the Second Division had twenty-five (excluding Iwata Satoru), and the newly formed Third Division had over ten. Capcom remained an affiliate; Kobayashi Tetsu had promised to maintain only a controlling stake, without interfering in their operations or turning them into Atlas's Fourth Development Division. Thus, the upcoming Street Fighter would be a joint production between Atlas and Capcom.
As for Kobayashi Tetsu himself...
He would, of course, continue leading Development Division 2 to keep working on Red Fortress!
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon