The rain fell relentlessly. At this moment, press conferences were being held in both Tokyo and Kyoto.
In Tokyo, Sega Corporation announced a major piece of news.
Sega Corporation was officially entering the handheld console market, launching a new handheld: the Game Gear!
After a live demonstration of the console, Sega stated that the GG handheld would launch with a lineup of exciting titles from both Sega's first-party studios and third-party companies. Among these were casual games like Kobayashi Blocks and Dr. Kobayashi, produced by Atlas years ago.
This news naturally sent the crowd into a frenzy, with camera flashes erupting across the venue.
The console market of the 1990s was a Three Kingdoms Hegemony! Nintendo, Sega, and NEC—the three giants of the industry.
Now, with various small and medium-sized companies releasing handhelds, Sega's announcement to enter the fray meant they were truly ready to go head-to-head with Nintendo!
Just then, an employee burst into the room, drenched from the rain. Ignoring his disheveled appearance, he quickly reported a few sentences.
Sato Hideki, the General Manager of the Home Console Division, his eyes widening in shock, immediately looked toward the stage.
This news should have been delivered by Nakayama Hayao! But at a time like this, he couldn't possibly go up there!
"What is Atlus trying to do? What on earth are they trying to do?! Do they want to become Japan's fourth giant, so they can play four-handed mahjong with us in the future?"
It wasn't just him; the reporters on the scene had already received the news. Reporters' information was faster than anyone else's—this was true not only in Hong Kong but also in Japan.
During the Q&A session, someone did indeed stand up.
"Just now, Atlus announced some news during the Atlus Carnival event—"
Kyoto.
Nintendo was holding a press conference on the same day.
Unlike the torrential rain in Tokyo, today's Kyoto was sunny and mild, with a cloudless sky—the kind of weather that even an elementary school student would describe as perfect.
Gunpei Yokoi publicly unveiled Nintendo's launch plans.
This was the real bombshell!
Nintendo was releasing the 16-bit Super Famicom console, as well as a new handheld system, the Game Boy!
In the live demonstration, the Super Famicom boasted more detailed graphics and a more refined color palette. Meanwhile, the Game Boy's square design was unique and distinctive. It could play a vast array of casual games, be carried anywhere, and had a battery life of up to eight hours—
Gunpei Yokoi went through his points one by one, while the audience below continuously photographed the scene.
As a giant in the Japanese gaming world whose every move was closely watched, Nintendo's sixteen-bit console, although it had arrived a bit late, was still attracting a lot of attention.
Just at this moment, Gunpei Yokoi suddenly saw that the reporters below the stage, who had just been very quiet, briefly boiled up, as if someone had brought some incredible news.
An employee quickly ran over and said a few words to Miyamoto Shigeru below the stage. In an instant, this kind-faced man revealed an expression that was difficult to describe.
What happened? Impossible!
Gunpei Yokoi's heart pounded wildly.
What on earth had happened!
He didn't dare to ask, but the reporters on the scene had already obviously become restless.
The reporter question-and-answer session.
Gunpei Yokoi called out the name of a reporter, but this reporter did not ask about the technical details of the SFC or the GB handheld console, but instead opened his mouth and said.
"Mr. Gunpei Yokoi, just now, we received news from our colleagues in Tokyo."
"Atlus Company, on the last day of the Atlus Carnival, unveiled a work."
Gunpei Yokoi nodded.
A work, it didn't seem to be anything incredible.
The reporter continued, "Atlas is calling it the 'Persona' game engine! According to reports from our colleagues on the scene, Persona makes game development fast and easy. Anyone with a technical foundation can use it to bring their own ideas to life! Atlas is releasing the engine for 26,800 Yen and has promised to regularly provide both paid and free assets. They welcome anyone passionate about game development to purchase Persona and create their own games!"
Gunpei Yokoi's hand jerked, nearly snapping the microphone stand.
So hard to beat!
Pull the card!
So damn hard to beat!
Nani kure!
A thousand words coalesced into a single thought in Gunpei Yokoi's mind:
What the fuck is this?
He looked down at the audience. Miyamoto Shigeru was nodding with a grave expression.
Since they weren't in Tokyo, they couldn't be entirely sure the news was true, but one thing was certain: this thing definitely existed!
Gunpei Yokoi's eyelid twitched. In the end, he decided to gloss over the issue.
"If Atlas has such ambitions, then Nintendo will, of course, offer its encouragement and praise. However, this is irrelevant to today's press conference. Let's move on to the next question."
He gestured casually.
A reporter from Osaka stood up, seemingly oblivious to Gunpei Yokoi's previous conclusion. He pressed on, "Mr. Yokoi, do you believe the announcement of the Persona Engine will impact Nintendo's business? As is well known, Nintendo has implemented a royalty system, charging various fees for published games, including distribution costs and cartridge deposits."
Gunpei Yokoi's expression darkened. He ignored the question entirely and pointed to the next reporter.
To his dismay, this reporter also spoke with an Osaka accent.
"Mr. Gunpei Yokoi, am I correct in assuming that the Persona Engine will reshape the gaming industry?"
Gunpei Yokoi clenched his fist.
Do these Osakans not understand plain Chinese?! I already said I don't want to discuss this topic!
Stubborn Osakans are like oxen with heads that won't turn! When they're this obstinate, I swear I want to beat every single one of them to death!
At the critical moment, Miyamoto Shigeru rushed onto the stage to save the day.
"This reporter has touched upon a crucial point. In my opinion, this so-called game development engine will not rewrite the landscape of the gaming industry. While game development itself is heavily dependent on creativity, it also demands a certain level of production quality. If game development becomes democratized, the most likely outcome will be a flood of various low-quality, poorly made works. Ultimately, just like the 'Atari Shock' of years past, this will destroy the confidence of all players and plunge the gaming industry into a slump."
"Of course, I believe that the level of the Atlus Company and its young president will prevent such a situation from occurring. I am also confident that the technology behind this development engine must be outstanding. As a game developer and platform provider, Nintendo deeply approves of Atlus's actions. After all, this will also allow more young people with ideas to join this industry."
The press conference could not continue as originally planned. Miyamoto Shigeru was frank about this and simply changed it to a live Q&A session. However, he would pivot every answer to mention the Game Boy and Super Famicom.
The next day, the interview was published. Gunpei Yokoi was so furious he nearly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed out.
The photo clearly showed him with clenched fists and a grimace on his face.
The headline read: "Atlus Reveals Shocking News; Nintendo Core Staff Gunpei Yokoi Infuriated, Allegedly Scared Out of His Wits!"
Gunpei Yokoi took a deep breath.
"I'm furious at you bunch of Osakans! You thick-headed, stubborn Osakans!"
Gunpei Yokoi, an old Kyoto gentleman, took several deep breaths and finally calmed down.
He, Miyamoto Shigeru, and several other Nintendo executives stared at the software disc in front of them.
This was software meant to be run on a computer. Because it was too large, it had to be on a disc; floppy disks were no longer sufficient. The bulk of its capacity was taken up by the free assets included inside; the actual amount of code wasn't that substantial.
This was the Persona Engine released by Atlus.
After a moment of silence, Hiroshi Yamauchi was the first to speak.
"Let's try it. Let's see what new tricks Atlus has up their sleeve this time."
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