As Time progressed, Nintendo not only suffered setbacks in the console market but also faltered in the handheld market.
The GB's decline was evident, but the next-generation handheld console had yet to be developed.
In this market, Sega GP still firmly held the leading position.
A significant reason for this was that the Pokémon series, which was supposed to help Nintendo recover from its decline and even establish its dominance in the handheld gaming sphere, became a competitor's game in this era.
After Pokémon was taken by Pokeni and developed in advance, it almost sealed Nintendo's fate in the handheld market.
In July of this year, Nintendo released a new handheld console: Game Boy Pocket.
This new console, compared to the GB, used a TFT black and white LCD screen, weighed 150 grams with batteries, and could operate continuously for 8 hours on two AAA batteries, becoming Nintendo's primary source of handheld revenue.
However, players who were already accustomed to Sega GP's color screen simply did not buy into it, considering Nintendo's new handheld to be completely lacking in sincerity and, compared to Sega GP, Nintendo's new handheld was like an old antique that had been phased out by Time.
Only a small number of nostalgic players chose to purchase GBP because they could play Nintendo exclusive games like mario on the handheld.
Therefore, various reasons combined.
After the GBP was launched, sales were extremely dismal.
It could even be described as a complete loss.
Hiroshi Yamauchi felt utterly exhausted.
He was now suffering a double blow.
He was being throttled by Sony in the console market, and in the handheld market, due to his misjudgment of the situation, he failed to develop a color gaming console capable of competing with Sega's handheld in a timely manner.
More importantly, there were no sufficiently excellent games in the GBP that could rival Pokémon, which led to Nintendo's repeated defeats.
Ultimately, the enraged President Yamauchi vented all his anger on Gunpei Yokoi of the company.
"This is all your fault!!!"
In the President's office, Hiroshi Yamauchi, who had just finished an interview and was seething with rage, unleashed a torrent of abuse at Gunpei Yokoi.
The latter stood rooted to the spot, not daring to breathe.
He was drenched in a cold sweat from fear.
Who could have imagined that,
Nintendo was once at its peak, even capable of dominating everything.
Such a powerful Nintendo actually had moments of defeat.
And it was a continuous failure in two very important areas.
No, in terms of handhelds, it can no longer be described as just a failure.
"Who was it who analyzed for me that Sega's handheld was nothing to fear?
Who said that Sega's new handheld could have a color screen, anyway, the battery life couldn't keep up?
And now, has it kept up or not?"
Gunpei Yokoi pursed his lips in discomfort. Who would have thought that Sony would later collaborate with Sega to help them solve the battery problem?
But who pushed Sony to Sega's side?
Who pushed Sega, Sony, and Pokeni all against Nintendo?
Wasn't it you?
President Yamauchi?
But…
Gunpei Yokoi could only think such words to himself; he dared not utter them.
Hiroshi Yamauchi was currently in a fit of rage; who would dare to provoke him?
Even Mr. Miyamoto Shigeru could only watch from outside the President's office, not daring to make a sound, let alone come in to plead for Yokoi.
So, Yokoi could only endure this scolding alone.
"Who was it who said we should develop a new next-generation console, to make the virtual VB?"
Yamauchi raised his voice again.
The latter trembled with fear.
It would be strange if Hiroshi Yamauchi wasn't angry with Gunpei Yokoi. Although some of the responsibility lay with Yamauchi himself, in terms of direct cause, Gunpei Yokoi was absolutely the primary one.
If Gunpei Yokoi hadn't been nagging in President Yamauchi's ear, perhaps he wouldn't have made such an underestimating judgment.
So, when everything had become irreversible, Hiroshi Yamauchi directly vented his anger on Gunpei Yokoi.
The battery problem still hadn't been solved, so naturally, there was no talk of a color screen.
"I will definitely work hard to develop a color handheld console." Gunpei Yokoi bowed, bending his waist to 90 degrees.
Hiroshi Yamauchi said nothing, simply looking silently at the middle-aged man before him, who was past his prime.
Come to think of it, Gunpei Yokoi was no longer young. Born in '41, he was now 55 years old, having lived most of his life.
From the very beginning, in '65, Gunpei Yokoi had been with Hiroshi Yamauchi, creating the Game Boy and growing the company to its current size.
No matter what, Yamauchi had affection for him.
But…
"Forget it," Yamauchi waved his hand, feeling somewhat powerless, "Yokoi, you've also been employed at Nintendo for a long Time."
"Mm."
Gunpei Yokoi looked up, his voice unknowingly tinged with a sob.
Even someone as strong as him felt a deep sense of fate at this moment, causing his throat to constrict and tears to well up in his eyes.
Looking at the President's expression, there was a sense of resolve.
"Resign, Yokoi. I really can't help you this Time," Yamauchi sighed and said.
Gunpei Yokoi felt a blockage in his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
The feeling was extremely uncomfortable.
It was like being violently hit by a car.
He struggled to control himself, not letting the tears fall.
After a while, Gunpei Yokoi finally placed his hands along the seams of his pants and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, President, for your care all these years.
When Yokoi is gone, I hope the President will take care of his health and live a long and healthy life."
After saying these words, Yokoi looked up, "Then, I'll take my leave first."
Watching Yokoi's retreating figure, Yamauchi couldn't help but sigh, and he seemed to have aged several years.
...
The next day, Mr. Gunpei Yokoi, head of Nintendo's First Development Department, submitted his resignation letter to President Yamauchi due to unfavorable decisions.
Hiroshi Yamauchi also accepted his resignation letter.
To be precise, as the head of the company's R&D department, and also holding the ultimate power over handheld consoles, Gunpei Yokoi made significant decision-making errors over several years, wasting a large amount of company resources without achieving sufficient results.
All of this was enough to tarnish Gunpei Yokoi's reputation and make him lose face.
It was under such circumstances that, regardless of whether the President was disappointed in him or not, Gunpei Yokoi himself had to resign due to his responsibility.
So, the final result was—
Gunpei Yokoi, this pillar of Nintendo, one of its earliest veterans, and the father of Game Boy, left Nintendo.
...
Afterward, various news media extensively reported on this event.
Mainly because Gunpei Yokoi's identity was too special.
"It's regrettable to hear such news—
As Nintendo's earliest employee, Mr. Gunpei Yokoi, head of the First Development Department, left Nintendo the day before yesterday.
Internal sources indicate that this was due to the failure of the VB and GBP projects led by Mr. Yokoi. As the head of the department, Mr. Yokoi voluntarily offered his resignation.
Such an event cannot help but evoke sighs of regret.
In the history of game, Gunpei Yokoi definitely holds an important place and is a name that can be recorded in history.
Let us review Mr. Yokoi's contributions during his Time at Nintendo…"
"It's truly surprising, yet somehow expected, news.
Mr. Gunpei Yokoi has left Nintendo.
...
We hope that in the future, Yokoi will continue to pursue his beloved career and bring us more excellent products.
Although Yokoi has left Nintendo, it does not mean that the name Gunpei Yokoi will fade into obscurity; on the contrary, we interviewed Mr. Gunpei Yokoi.
He expressed infinite aspirations for the future.
Although he is now 55 years old, Mr. Yokoi still hopes to continue contributing to the world.
It should be in the near future that Mr. Gunpei Yokoi will embark on a new career.
We also wish him to create new glories.
"What was the true motivation behind Gunpei Yokoi's departure from Nintendo?
We can entirely view this event as the inevitable result of the regularization of the TV game industry. Yokoi inherently possessed a vigorous creative drive akin to an artist.
Such individuals made outstanding contributions to the nascent period of the TV game industry.
However, as companies like Nintendo became publicly listed enterprises, they inevitably had to consider objective factors such as product profit returns and shareholder interests more, and the space for free creation available to those artists became increasingly narrow.
Additionally, at the beginning of the venture, Yokoi often bypassed his superiors and reported directly to President Hiroshi Yamauchi, enjoying a unique sense of superiority within Nintendo. As the company expanded, this special treatment gradually disappeared, causing him to feel a strong sense of loss."
Japanese industry critic Hisakazu Hirabayashi analyzed Yokoi's departure as follows: "In the past, the game industry often saw one or two individuals from a company independently completing a personalized game product.
But as Time changes, this industry will become increasingly standardized, and those who still possess a handicraft workshop mentality will be forced to leave this stage…"
When Gunpei Yokoi was interviewed by Nikkei News, he expressed his views on Nintendo as follows: "Initially, President Yamauchi guided us to continuously invent unique products with the philosophy of short, small, light, and thin.
I consider it a great honor.
Today's Nintendo, overly pursuing luxury and grandeur, has completely deviated from its original intention, and relying on the huge profits of a single product will inevitably cause the company to gradually lose its creative vitality.
To pursue the essence of the past is the true reason I left Nintendo!"
In the Nikkei News report, it was described as such:
"The so-called luxury and grandeur referred to Nintendo's new console, Nintendo64, which it was pushing with all its might at the Time.
Gunpei Yokoi's tragic life was an inevitable result of the fierce conflict between his inherent artistic temperament and the reality of the commercial society."
…
The media reports were like a storm, quickly sweeping across Japan, and even the whole world heard the news.
Gunpei Yokoi's identity and experience were too special for people to treat his resignation as an ordinary matter.
Even Gunpei Yokoi's words about wanting to start his own business were selectively ignored by people.
What everyone saw was nothing more than [Nintendo lost a great general], a trusted minister.
President Hiroshi Yamauchi was a cold, emotionless machine, only knowing how to make money.
Gunpei Yokoi resigned from Nintendo, where he had worked for over thirty years, citing responsibility for the failure of VR BOY, which immediately triggered panic selling of Nintendo's stock.
As a result, Nintendo's stock price plummeted.
However, at this Time, although Hiroshi Yamauchi was exhausted, even knowing the outcome of expelling Gunpei Yokoi from Nintendo, he had to make such a difficult decision.
Just like Zhuge Liang tearfully executed Ma Su back then.
There was a deep sense of helplessness and powerlessness.
…
However, upon hearing the news, Aoki Haruhi said, how is this tearfully executing Ma Su? This is clearly tearfully executing Hua Xiong.
At this point, Nintendo's Yokoi era ended, and a new chapter may be rewritten.
November was a season of change.
Sony PS console secured its dominant position, but at the same Time, Nintendo's newly developed 3D game—
"super mario 3d adventure" was also officially released.
It was just a little late, failing to let the world see Nintendo's dawn first.
Many players exclaimed that mario 3D was simply too much fun.
It truly lives up to its reputation as Nintendo's trump card game.
In this game, it supports 4 players simultaneously, and all scenes, levels, and characters are rendered in 3D, presenting an unprecedented sense of freshness.
At the same Time, while retaining mario's classic gameplay of hitting and stomping Nasu Kinoko, the game also added some other interesting elements, such as being able to eat items to transform into a cat, being able to climb trees…
The level elements are also more diverse and richer.
Such a sincere and creative game, once launched, immediately attracted a large wave of players.
After the game's release, sales exceeded one million within just one month.
And successfully boosted the sales of N64 even further.
"super mario 3d adventure" helped Nintendo win back a round.
…
The internet was filled with positive reviews from players:
"This is great, to see a new work from Nintendo, especially my favorite super mario series, it's truly touching."
"I loved mario since I was a kid, Nintendo has been developing it all the way until now, super mario is a game I've always played.
This 3D conversion, in particular, showcases Nintendo's creativity and imagination.
I really love this game."
"Nintendo is Nintendo, still the one that makes games full of fun and playability, in "super mario 3d adventure", many new elements have been added, and it hasn't lost itself due to 3D conversion, it even has more innovative content.
These levels, each one is very imaginative, and my friends and I had a blast the whole Time playing.
This is probably the most fun indoor multiplayer game I've played since Pokémon 3D."
"It's truly a blessing to be able to play "super mario 3d adventure" with companions."
However, there were also many negative voices online.
The biggest question was that the sense of déjà vu from "pokémon 3d world" in "super mario 3d adventure" was simply too strong.
"Have you noticed that "super mario 3d adventure" has a strong shadow of "pokémon 3d world"?"
"Yeah, in terms of camera angle and operation mode, they are really too similar."
"The key is that the N64 controller is really not as good as Sony PS, which makes it quite difficult for us to play.
Normally, with a regular controller, you can move precisely by just flicking the joystick.
But in N64, there's only one joystick at the bottom, and movement is still with the D-pad, which is very uncomfortable because you only have 4 directions to choose from.
Fortunately, the game itself is good, it's like a childhood dream continuing to now.
If old Nintendo can improve it further and make the controller on par with Sony, that would be great."
"When playing Nintendo's "super mario 3d adventure", I really felt like I was playing a modified version of "pokémon 3d world".
Of course, it's just déjà vu.
Maybe it's because they are both level-based games, both action games, and both are lightweight plus various item consumption, opening boxes…
I always feel there are some similarities, but if you delve deeper, you can still find great differences between the two.
In Pokémon, each Pokémon has its own special abilities, and you can also gain the right to use new Pokémon after clearing levels.
Oh, and they can evolve.
These are all characteristics of Pokémon.
In mario, they are all mario's own characteristics.
Hmm… I hope there will be more such games, the market still has too few games that we can play together.
And throughout the game, it was truly joyful the whole Time."
"…"
Overall, "super mario 3d adventure" can be considered Nintendo's most beautiful battle in the past two years, not only revitalizing a classic IP but also making the 3D version of mario radiate strong vitality.
At the same Time, it increased revenue and boosted N64 sales.
It's just a pity that it wasn't timely enough; if it had been half a year earlier, perhaps everything would have been different.
Just as Miyamoto Shigeru and his team were happy with the game's impressive achievements,
They still didn't know that a large wave of Pokémon was coming.
…
First, after signing the cooperation agreement, President Aoki Haruhi of Pokeni, together with Mr. Toshio Suzuki of Studio Ghibli, announced the news of Pokémon's cooperation and collaboration with Totoro.
Totoro:
After this matter was reported, it immediately caused a huge stir.
Countless players and people in the game industry were shocked:
"What? Totoro is joining Pokémon?!"
"It seems so.
Aoki Haruhi and Toshio Suzuki have both confirmed the authenticity of the news; it's an official announcement."
"Oh my god, what kind of dream team is this?!"
"So imaginative, President Aoki, I truly admire him for thinking of seeking cooperation with Ghibli and incorporating Totoro into Pokémon."
"When the news was released: What?! Totoro is actually joining Pokémon?
What is this all about?
But the next second:
What?!
Totoro is joining Pokémon!
Oh my god, what a genius idea!
Totoro really fits Pokémon so well."
"Hahaha, that's really true, when I used to watch the anime, Totoro was really so cute, I still collect Totoro merchandise to this day, like pillows, dolls, I have them all.
I just think this guy is so cute.
I never thought my favorite would one day appear in another game I love.
It's truly a dream come true."
"What kind of dream team is this, it's too perfect, isn't it?
I feel my life is complete."
"This Time it's truly a double delight for fans; both fans of Totoro and fans of Pokémon have gained immense satisfaction.
I hope more similar things can happen in the future!"
"I'm really going to cry, I love Totoro so much.
When I used to play Pokémon, I always thought—
If only Totoro was also a Pokémon.
I never thought there would be a day when dreams come true!
Pokeni saikō!
Aoki Haruhi saikō!"
Note:
Historically, Gunpei Yokoi also followed a similar path:
First, a decision error, the VB he led in development caused losses due to its overly advanced concept.
In 1996, Gunpei Yokoi resigned, leaving Nintendo, and then founded KOTO Co., Ltd.
On October 4, 1997, Gunpei Yokoi died in a car accident.
At the Time, his vehicle broke down, and he got out to check the damage to the car.
While checking, he was hit by another car and died of his injuries.
Ending a legendary life.
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