1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 102



Only Noblemtl

Episode 102 – The Fist of Jongno

Sega Enterprises President Toshio Tanaka was not happy with today’s meeting.

Because I felt that Managing Director Nishikawa’s proposal was absurd.

‘Importing Korean games… Are you out of your mind, Nishikawa? Did you really take bribes like the rumors say?’

Managing Director Nishikawa has always been a strong and clear-headed person. Japanese people tend to conform to organizations, so there were many who felt uncomfortable with him.

However, President Tanaka was well aware that his unique ideas and efforts had contributed significantly to Sega.

While everyone was concentrating on how to sell the Master System in Japan and the United States, Nishikawa insisted on turning their attention to the European and South American markets.

“Even if you get first place in a place like that, no one will notice.”

“But while it’s not a huge market compared to the US, Europe is the most culturally rich place, and South America is also a market with a huge population. Rather than pouring money into the US and Japanese markets where the results are not visible, wouldn’t it be better to sell one more unit in places where Nintendo has not yet reached?”

Eventually, Nishikawa headed to Europe and South America, sometimes spending more than half the year abroad.

His efforts gradually led to visible results, and the Master System became so popular in Brazil that it was called the national game console.

Thanks to Nishikawa’s dedication, the Master System was able to reduce the massive inventory piled up in the warehouse. In recognition of his contribution, President Tanaka promoted Nishikawa from manager to executive.

‘Is it because I’ve been traveling overseas so much? I feel like my thoughts and opinions with people have become more and more different, and that’s why I feel like I clash with them more often.’

President Tanaka also knew that people joked that “the Nishikawa we like is the Nishikawa overseas.”

Nishikawa, who was like that, visited Korea this time and was saying strange things again.

“Boss, I’ve discovered a truly gem of a game in Korea!”

President Tanaka thought it was some kind of nonsense, but he couldn’t ignore it.

In any case, if it weren’t for Nishikawa, the Master System would have ended in a miserable defeat, and his position as president would have been in considerable jeopardy.

President Tanaka was not the owner of Sega.

Sega was acquired by the CSJ Group a few years ago, and the chairman of CSJ was so interested in Sega that he even played Sega games himself.

‘Please, take it easy, Nishikawa.’

He was worried that Nishikawa might be going wild because of the Mega Drive.

The Mega Drive’s situation was no better than that of the Master System. No, the burden was several times greater than before, as it was a console that was expected to overcome the failure of the Master System and show Sega’s true power.

Because the factory could not stop at will, even at this moment, Mega Drives were still being made, and they were being piled up in the warehouse one by one because they were being made faster than they were being sold.

Development of a flagship game for the Mega Drive to rival Mario was underway, but it wasn’t progressing as quickly as expected.

One day the character was a rabbit, another day a fox, another day a raccoon, and another day a hedgehog. It was really unpredictable.

‘A hedgehog…! Who would make sense to use such an unlikable animal as a game character?’

President Tanaka also felt depressed.

But no matter how urgent it is, it’s not like that. It’s not a game from a company like Namco, Capcom, Taito, or Atari, it’s a Korean game.

He was worried that Nishikawa, who was devoted to the company, would become a complete laughing stock in the company because of this incident.

The people in the development department, who had been unhappy with Nishikawa for always criticizing the game, seemed determined to use this opportunity to make sure that Nishikawa would never show up at the company again.

The meeting began with my head in a state of confusion due to various thoughts. Before I knew it, it was Starbeat CEO Seo Nam-joon’s turn to speak and demonstrate the game.

“Hello. I am Namjoon Seo, CEO of Starbeat. I am very happy to meet you, the esteemed Sega members, here today. I grew up playing Sega games, so it is a great honor for me to be standing here.”

Even though Manager Ueki had intentionally insulted him from the start, Seo Nam-joon said that it was an honor. He didn’t even show a hint of anger on his face.

‘The president is younger than I thought. Is he a mean and cowardly person? If so, then there’s nothing more to look at···.’

Because of Nishikawa, he was so worried that he didn’t pay any attention to the Starbeat CEO. Only then did President Tanaka look at Seo Nam-joon’s face properly for the first time.

But his expression and attitude were far from mean. Rather, they were extremely confident, dignified, and yet polite.

“Please excuse me for getting personal for a moment. Sega games are not just games to me. They mean much more. When I was in middle school, I unfortunately had a serious car accident. My grandparents passed away, and I couldn’t leave my room for several years.”

“Oh, my···.”

“Video games were my only friends, and Sega games in particular were a huge window that allowed me to dream of the world beyond the narrow corner of my room. I could drive a Ferrari on the wide open California roads while playing Out Run, and I could fly across the sky while playing Space Harrier. I spent years in my room, but thanks to Sega, I was able to be freer than anyone else. Sega liberated my mind. Thanks to you, I am here today. I bow my head in gratitude to Sega for creating such wonderful games.”

Seo Nam-joon bowed his head deeply in greeting.

President Tanaka also bowed his head politely to Seo Nam-joon after receiving his greeting.

‘Damn it, Ueki…! What the hell have you done?’

President Tanaka frowned slightly as he looked at Ueki for a moment. Ueki also had a look of defeat on his face.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Small coughs could be heard here and there.

The atmosphere in the conference room changed a little.

Until just a little while ago, there was an atmosphere where they were going to thoroughly crush Korean games.

Before I knew it, people’s eyes were slowly opening. Here and there, I could hear the voices of their hearts saying, ‘Yes, we are Sega.’

‘This isn’t normal···.’

President Tanaka became curious about Seo Nam-joon. Whether or not the personal story was true – it was probably an exaggeration – he awakened people’s pride with a few words and dug into the consciences of those who had just mocked him.

He didn’t blush and rush at me in anger because I was making fun of him, nor did he bow his head and beg slavishly that he needed a contract.

Rather, it shamed those who had mocked it with a dignified attitude.

He was by no means an easy opponent.

“ is a belt scrolling action game set in Gyeongseong in the 1930s that depicts friendship and revenge between gangs of fighters on Jongno, the main street.”

Seo Nam-joon started explaining the game. The explanation was clear and focused, making it easy to understand.

President Tanaka, who had seen countless developers boringly rattle off technical details, was very pleased with Seo Nam-joon’s presentation.

“If is a game where you fight in a fantasy world with swords, axes, and magic, is a game that stands out for its primitive and striking action using fists and feet. But games aren’t explained in words. I’ll show you right now.”

As I powered up the game cabinet, the booting screen appeared on the projector. Soon the lights in the conference room went out and the blackout curtains were drawn.

In the dark conference room, the title [Jongno no Fist] appeared in Japanese on the screen.

And then the demo screen passed.

‘hmm···?’

However, President Tanaka, who was looking at the game screen, was surprised.

‘That appearance···.’

The demo showed the street scenes of Gyeongseong with the camera panning over them, almost like the introduction to a movie. The detailed graphics reminded him of the streets he saw as a child.

The trams passing through the middle of the city, the people walking, their clothing, even the appearance of the department store. It touched on memories he had forgotten for a very, very long time.

As a child, President Tanaka went to a department store just once, holding his mother’s hand. His mother looked around for a while but didn’t buy anything, but Tanaka was able to eat a candy bar that day.

The memory of that day, when I was sucking hard on the lollipop I was holding in my right hand and walking with my left hand, holding onto my mother’s hand and the hem of her clothes, for fear of losing her in the crowd of people, came back to me clearly.

How happy I was, as if I had the whole world with just one candy bar.

Tanaka, whose forgotten emotions from that day came back to him, unconsciously uncrossed his arms and sat up straight. At the same time, the lock of prejudice that had remained in his heart was gently removed.

“This game is about inputting precise commands to cause each character to perform special actions.”

A full-scale game demonstration followed.

Then, Tanaka’s eyes were fixed on the pouring punches, kicks, and cool action.

‘How can this be?’

Today, I was so surprised that I couldn’t even count how many times I was surprised. It wasn’t because the action or directing was flashy.

The reason he was surprised was because there was nothing jarring about the movements of the numerous characters moving on the game screen.

Even if people aren’t particularly sensitive, they tend to notice unnatural movements in games or animations right away.

President Tanaka has seen countless games and met people from game companies, but most of the games from companies with little experience are obvious in a matter of seconds.

When you take action, such as walking, running, hitting, or jumping, there are bound to be some jarring movements that pop out.

Especially in action games where multiple characters fight at the same time, the characters tend to overlap with each other, so even a small mistake can make the action look awkward.

But now, doesn’t look awkward at all even when viewed on a large screen. Rather, the grandeur of the large screen gives an overwhelming feeling.

“Ohh …

As we entered the theater on Stage 2, the Sega people found themselves exclaiming in admiration. The design of the Umi-kan brought back memories of going to the theater as a child, and the intricately intertwined barricade graphics of the chairs showed the pinnacle of detail.

The explosion scenes in the racing scenes on Stage 3, or the characters appearing and disappearing every time the lights blinked in the underground passages on Stage 4, were truly like a movie in its own right.

“As you can see here, the blinking interval is random. It darkens and brightens at unpredictable moments, so you have to fight by feeling. You can see a faint silhouette, but it’s not easy to see it under the arcade lights. That’s why even experts consider this the most difficult section.”

‘Wow! You’re throwing in some randomness here. That’s a really good idea.’

President Tanaka’s forehead furrowed as if he had just eaten a really delicious meal.

The old lights flickering not only provided a visual effect, but also made the game more fun by adding an element of unpredictability.

was not just a stupid game where similar enemies appeared in a bunch and pushed the gamer around. The exquisite directing was not just an element that made the screen look cool, but was also connected to the game play.

After defeating the final boss and climbing the mountain to scatter his friend’s ashes, President Tanaka felt a catharsis as if his heart was being purified.

The game is faithful to the basics, but it also has excellent directing at the right places, and this connects to the gameplay. The story is clear, and the game design for each stage is also excellent.

In the 1930s, Gyeongseong felt familiar and unfamiliar to Japanese people.

‘Nishikawa…! You’ve really gone wild!’

President Tanaka was relieved. The that he saw with his own eyes was a masterpiece even before he considered it to be a Korean game.

Honestly, if it had been a game that was faithful to the basics, there would have been no reason why it wouldn’t have been included in the Mega Drive game lineup.

The Mega Drive is now almost a year old and has not even released 20 games.

Tanaka thought that if the game was ported well, it would be okay for Sega to publish it.

“The game ends here.”

When the demonstration ended, people applauded. Nishikawa’s thunderous applause was deafening.

“What do you all think? Let’s talk freely.”

As the conference room brightened, President Tanaka returned to his expressionless face.

Just because you are the CEO doesn’t mean you can run the company as you wish.

There needs to be a minimum consensus, or else there needs to be a solid justification, or else there needs to be a conviction that no one can shake.

President Tanaka decided to first see how the employees would react.

“Why are there elements like car chases in the middle? The game flow suddenly changes, so it seems like it’s going to get more confusing.”

However, people’s reactions were not what he expected.