1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 116



Only Noblemtl

Episode 116 – Beeeeep!

Once the release date was confirmed, the 8-bit team suddenly became anxious.

“No, sir… We just joined the company and you’re already releasing a game like this?”

“Of course. What does the date of employment have to do with the game release? Besides, you’re already a career employee who has released several games.”

“No, that’s true. It’s my first time doing something like this with a big company.”

Captain Jeong said while holding the Jewoo Electronics Jemix Mega V box in his hand.

Jewoo Electronics has already finished designing the box, printed the blueprint, and sent it to us, as if it was so urgent.

The box had the four character images from printed on it larger than the Mega V image. There was even a phrase that said, ‘The only chance to play at home!’

These people kept saying it was too expensive when I suggested a bundle, but now that they’ve decided, they’re determined to get their money’s worth.

Jeong Byeong-cheol and the 8-bit team, who had never made a proper game or done proper promotion, were very surprised to see a large company take their game as a bundle game before they could even finish it.

There also seemed to be a sense of entitlement there, thinking, ‘This is the game we made, so is it okay for it to be like this?’

Maybe after releasing this game they can shake off some of their debt.

Hoping for that, we now had to race to meet the deadline.

The main programmers who created the MSX version of were the 8-bit team, but Jewoo Electronics signed a bundle contract with our company and me.

The names Starbeat and Seo Nam-joon are much more powerful certifications in the Korean gaming industry than the KS Mark or Q Mark, which guarantee quality.

As soon as I finished the Mega Drive porting, I started working closely on the 8-bit porting again.

In Japan, Managing Director Nishikawa periodically reports on the status of release preparations.

“Fortunately, the conversation went well and it ended up being featured on the cover of the November issue. However, since the release date is at the end of November, a detailed analysis of the game will be included in the December issue.”

“That’s great news. Did you get a lot of ads in other magazines?”

“Except for places where it is difficult due to deadlines, we plan to execute as much as possible. We are also preparing a few outdoor advertisements, mainly in Akihabara.”

“Outdoor advertising too? That would be really cool. I definitely have to go see it.”

“Of course. You should come. Isn’t this a historic moment?”

“Yes, sir. I will definitely go.”

I couldn’t miss the advertisement for my game being displayed in the mecca of Japanese electronics and gaming.

However, I felt it would be a shame to see such a wonderful sight all by myself.

Yeah, we should all look at these things together.

I called everyone working at the company together and announced the Japan workshop I had just decided to hold for all employees.

“So I’m planning to go back to Japan at the end of November. But this time, I’m going with you all. If you don’t have a passport yet, please hurry up and get one.”

“Yes? All of them?”

Everyone was shocked by my surprise announcement.

“I feel a bit bad that only the captains and I went to Japan. Since starting the company, we’ve been busy with work, so we haven’t been able to go on a company outing yet. This time, let’s all go to Akihabara together to see Japanese game culture, broaden our perspectives, and do some sightseeing in Japan while we’re at it.”

“Oh, my senior from school works at a Japanese travel agency. Then I’ll ask him to give me a discount.”

The company’s best dot craftsman, Kim Han-sol, raised his hand.

Manager Song of Accounting and Manager Park of HR were a little flustered because they had a lot to prepare for the company-wide business trip, but they were equally excited because it was a chance to travel to Japan with company money.

“While working at Myeongseong Electronics, I got to go on business trips abroad that I had never been able to go on before.”

“So. Just because a company is big doesn’t mean it’s always good?”

The trio, whose dispatch period was almost over, seemed excited about their first overseas business trip.

I don’t know what will happen yet, but if there is anyone who returns to Myeongseong Electronics after completing their assignment, this business trip to Japan will be a good memory.

Fortunately, this year was the first year of liberalization of overseas travel, so there was no need for complicated permission procedures for the Japanese workshop.

It was a bit of an impulsive decision, but if not now, then when else would I go out with all my coworkers?

I’m going to the US for CES next year, but it’s a business event so I can’t bring a lot of people.

Seeing everyone’s faces happy at the thought of going to Japan made me feel proud too.

“Well, the 8-bit team needs to finish the transplant work perfectly before going to Japan, right? Let’s work hard and finish it quickly.”

I could transplant it by myself in a month, so it’s a piece of gum for 4 people to finish it in a month.

I worked on the unsystematic 8-bit team’s work by structuring it through code reviews and making modifications.

“If you don’t do this, even if it seems to work fine at first, it will continue to cause bugs as it collides with each other due to unknown problems later on. If you don’t want to have a headache later, you need to eliminate potential problems in advance.”

“That’s right. In fact, when I was making games at Gemini, almost half of the work period was spent fixing bugs. Every time I did it, I thought I had to do it right this time, but I didn’t know what to do or how to do it.”

This was perhaps to be expected, since none of the 8-bit team had any formal training in programming.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been like that since the first time I met you, CEO. In Bupyeong. You taught me how to fix bugs back then. I never dreamed it would turn out like this. The world is really so amazing.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Actually, I had been thinking about starting a company back then, but I didn’t know that I would end up hiring these people.

Even though I’m living a second life, going back in time, I have no idea how human relationships will continue or end.

All I know are my memories of the game and the skills I learned along the way.

The new relationships I make while making games give me inspiration for new games, and sometimes they develop on their own, like Dark Moon.

Capital, technology, and people.

I am realizing once again through this life that you need to have these three things in order to make a proper game.

That’s why I want to share more processes and more moments with these people.

While the company was busy with the Japanese workshop, the November issue was released in Japan and delivered to Korea as well.

Kim Do-kwon, New York, Suji, Isamu.

The cover, which featured four characters posing together, had this copy written in large letters:

“Chaos! Urgent cover change! suddenly appeared in Korea, putting the editorial department in crisis!”

I shook the cover and read the main copy out loud.

People turned the magazine over with dreamy faces.

“Wow~!”

“What’s wrong? What does it say?”

“I don’t understand a single word of it, but I’m still so touched.”

“I’ll read it to you. Um… the Sega marketing manager suddenly showed up with a game a few days before the deadline and said, “What if we change the cover?” I swore at him inwardly, “He’s crazy.” But after playing the game, he said he thought he’d be crazy if he didn’t change it, so he hurriedly changed it.”

I summarized the article for those who don’t know Japanese.

“At the end, there is this saying. If you knew how much Korean game companies have developed the fun of hitting, kicking, and breaking action games that showed, you would be surprised. This amazing game shows what real action is. Each character has unique movements and exquisitely placed abilities, so no matter who you choose, it is fun.”

“ will be a new milestone for action games. It almost seems like it has ‘completed’ this genre. Isn’t it too hasty to use the word ‘complete’ for a Korean game? Maybe. After all, we are the kind of people who are so hasty that we even changed our magazine to specialize in Mega Drive as soon as the Mega Drive came out.”

“But I have no regrets, and when I saw this game, I thought it was a good thing I rushed. We, the Mega Drive crazy ones, guarantee it. This is a must-buy title for Mega Drive fans. It is scheduled to be released on November 25th.”

When I read the article, applause broke out without anyone saying anything first.

A new milestone in action games. The perfection of the genre.

It could not be anything but rave reviews.

It may be a bit excessive since they are a magazine that is very Mega Drive friendly and they only buy if the Mega Drive survives, but it still feels strange to hear this level of praise from a Japanese magazine.

“I think I should tear out this page, laminate it, and preserve it permanently.”

I laminated the pages covering and made enlarged copies of the magazine covers and main pages and pasted them on the walls and partitions of the conference room.

The 8-bit team and I worked hard to achieve the feat of simultaneously releasing arcade ports in Japan and Korea, and for the Gemix Mega V has finally entered production.

And the box was delivered by international express from Sega.

I carefully opened the box and inside was a Japanese package full of the Mega Drive version of .

The package was neatly organized, including a black ROM pack and a short color manual in a size that fits perfectly in one hand.

This package will probably be delivered to game shops across Japan now.

After receiving the package, I had a long conversation with Managing Director Nishikawa, discussing the promotions we would be running in Akihabara.

Before we knew it, the release date was just around the corner.

***

Capcom headquarters located in Osaka, Japan.

Development Manager Hashimoto was doing his final checks on a game called .

There were many difficulties while developing this game.

In the early 1980s, Capcom, which entered the market relatively late compared to other video game companies, was not doing so well financially.

Although they created several popular games, including , , and , their business situation never seemed to improve. The company was struggling to stay afloat, even creating a dirty mahjong game.

“A masterpiece? You have to make money to make that. A masterpiece is never born in a poor trash can. Survival is the priority.”

Compared to powerhouses like Nintendo, Sega, and Taito, Capcom was clearly a company still a step behind.

But Capcom had something that other companies didn’t have: tenacity.

No matter how difficult times the company faced, the employees stuck together and somehow overcame the crisis.

Survival has always been a priority over things like honor and pride.

As a result, there were side effects.

Rather than sticking to one game, the plan often changed depending on the situation.

, which he is currently working on, was originally intended to be a sequel to the fighting action game .

However, since the development team was not properly organized and we couldn’t just wait, we changed our plans to first try making a game like the popular .

Since the action skills had already been developed a lot through , the plan was to study a bit and make a game where you fight enemies while holding out until could be made.

“ was made after watching . Let’s take a look at the movie as well.”

Hashimoto watched a number of different action movies at the same time and collected some information.

And the story is structured around a classic plot where a girlfriend is kidnapped in a crime-ridden city.

During the development process, the thing that Hashimoto placed the most importance on was the characters.

In his view, had two characters, but they were essentially one. There was no significant difference in their skills or abilities, and they looked similar from the start.

So Hashimoto took pains to increase the number of characters to three and give each of them their own unique characteristics.

The three characters are Speed ​​Guy, Balance Cody, and Power Hager, and the enemies are also made into unique characters like Andre and Poison.

Although it was made as a stopgap game to create , Hashimoto was quite satisfied with the game. It was a great improvement over or .

“Hey boss, have you seen this? It looks like Sega is releasing a new action game.”

“Sega? Is there already a sequel to coming out?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s some kind of Korean game. It overlaps with the genre of .”

“Korean game? What do you mean?”

Hashimoto opened the magazine his subordinate had handed him. It was the November issue.

It’s a pretty lively issue even for a video game magazine, and the story behind the sudden cover change was written in detail.

Looking at the game description and screenshots, it really is the exact same genre as Final Fight.

“But there are four characters here? There’s a female character?”

Hashimoto looked at the article in detail, surprised. He thought they had made a fun game that would make up for the shortcomings of Double Dragon, but on the same day, a game with a similar feel was released by Sega.

“What? How can an action game be complete? These people are hyping it up too much, calling it a Mega Drive game.”

Hashimoto, who was reading the article with some nervousness, laughed at the evaluation and felt relieved instead.

When Sega brought in Korean games, the fact that they were making such a fuss about it was just a self-confession that the Mega Drive was in a crisis.

“It’s all a lie that they changed the cover in a hurry. They planned to do it this way from the beginning and are just acting it out. They’re just trying to make it look a little more dramatic.”

“I guess that’s what it is?”

“Of course. Would a company as big as Sega work in such a rut? Unlike us, they probably have a very strict game lineup and schedule. This is just a show to attract a little attention.”

Manager Hashimoto covered it and handed it back to his subordinate.

“And even if the game is fun, it’s for the Mega Drive, and we’re an arcade game for game centers, so there’s no competition in the first place. No matter how 16-bit the Mega Drive is, it can’t be compared to the arcade.”

“Of course. They are on different levels.”

“That’s too bad. That Korean company too. It seems like they prepared hard for something. Why did they release their game on the same day as us?”

“That’s right. If you play once at the arcade, people will quickly realize who is the real king of action games.”

“I think it was called ? If you look at the screenshots, it looks pretty good. I don’t know how Sega got it, but it seems like it was buried by us as soon as it came out. They probably didn’t even realize it and were really excited. I feel a little sorry about that.”

Manager Hashimoto smiled and turned his head back to the monitor.

Hashimoto believed that , as the title suggests, was a game that was worthy of being the ultimate belt-scrolling action game.

“That sounds fun.”

He muttered to himself as he pounded his enemies with his large hammer. He was confident that he could handle any game that came his way.