Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Savior Pulse
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Pocket Tamer.
No one could have predicted that a game from this small Japanese studio would rise to become the world's number one IP twenty years later.
'The insane Game Boy title from 1989 that kept selling right into the 2000s.'
There was a time when the entire world, Japan aside, was obsessed with ramping up the power of computers and consoles.
Yet, mocking that trend, Pocket Tamer conquered the globe with its low-quality graphics and lack of evolution.
A monster that sold tens of millions of copies every time, regardless of polish.
Any company claiming they didn't covet it would be lying.
'But no one's ever succeeded in grabbing it.'
Pocket Tamer had incredibly tangled contractual ties.
Game Freak handled development, while Nendo owned the IP and distribution in a bizarre setup.
In the future, they'd even have to spin up another company just to co-manage Pocket Tamer.
And since Nendo held the lion's share of the Pocket Tamer equity, no other firm could pry it away, no matter how badly they wanted it.
Especially not Nendo's president, Yamaguchi—he had zero warm feelings toward me.
-You filthy traitors! You ingrates who only survived thanks to Nendo, and now you jump ship to Uni?!
Word was Yamaguchi's rage at the third-party devs who'd ditched Nendo after the Nendo 64's massive flop knew no bounds.
Ignoring how his own bullying of devs was the real culprit, he dumped the entire failure on them. Classic money-grubbing Yamaguchi.
But with his massive ego, no amount of cash I waved in his face would make him sell Pocket Tamer rights.
So, I switched tactics entirely.
'No acquisition. We'll just take the profits instead.'
If full rights were off the table, I'd snag whatever gains I could.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Kazuo, president of Game Freak."
"Likewise. I'm Seon Woo-hyuk, CEO of Savior."
"Hahaha. Who hasn't heard of the world's most famous man these days?"
As I mentally ran through today's negotiations, Game Freak's president, Kazuo, entered the reception room and greeted me warmly.
"Thanks for making time."
"No, no! I've been dying to meet you, Mr. Seon Woo-hyuk."
"Really?"
Kazuo nodded with an obvious of course look.
"Anyone in the industry who saw Savior's Soul Hunter last year wants to meet you."
"That's high praise. Truth be told, I've been eager to meet Kazuo, the man behind Pocket Tamer at Game Freak."
"Pardon? You... really?"
His eyes widened in disbelief at my words.
'This is sincere.'
Pocket Tamer was one game I couldn't replicate.
I could crank out something with better graphics or systems, sure.
But its true strength was a timeless, revolutionary design that transcended eras.
No genius—not even mine—could match that.
"We're very interested in Game Freak."
"Uh... does that mean...?"
"Yes. That's why I requested this meeting—for a deal."
For the first time, Kazuo looked troubled.
"You might not know this, but Game Freak is essentially bound to Nendo. We can't touch equity without their approval."
He politely refused, mentioning how other Japanese devs had come knocking but been turned away.
"I'm aware."
"Then what deal...?"
What I wanted from Game Freak was simple.
"We want the distribution rights for Pocket Tamer."
Specifically, overseas distribution outside Japan.
-You're really offering this massive contract fee just for Pocket Tamer's overseas distribution rights outside Japan?
I pictured Kazuo's stunned face when I handed over the $10 million signing bonus.
'Cheap compared to the future profits. Almost feel bad.'
I'd targeted overseas distribution from the start—not the IP itself.
Nendo had Japan locked down, but everywhere else was fair game.
'They underestimated it as just another Game Boy title.'
With Pocket Tamer sweeping Japan and Nendo finally eyeing global sales, this was our only shot.
A little later, and Nendo would've sewn it up—but I beat them to it.
And this deal was the final piece for Savior Pulse.
Ring ring.
"Hello?"
"Huck, it's Rogers. Just wrapped with Broderbund."
"You snagged Prince of the Desert, right?"
"Of course. It's their flagship."
"Great. Jump straight into porting. Time's tight—can you hit two months?"
"Hmm... If the HQ team's crunching, yeah."
I hung up after tasking Rogers with the rest.
He'd been jetting around US and European studios in my stead, locking down deals.
Thanks to him, we were ready to launch century-defining masterpieces on Savior Pulse.
Id Software's gems: Deadzone Survival 3D and the Demon Slayer series.
AE's sports lineup across genres, plus up-and-comer Yuki Soft's Racegirl from Europe.
And now Broderbund's Prince of the Desert.
'As always, games trump specs. Hardware lives or dies by software.'
Savior's own titles rounded it out—more than enough.
Now with history-making Pocket Tamer added? Unlosable lineup.
All that remained: produce Savior Pulse.
Time to head back to Korea.
"Whew... you have no idea the hell it took to prototype this."
Greg handed Seon Woo-hyuk Savior's first handheld: Savior Pulse.
"Knew I could count on you. With custom memory and chips in production, we can shrink it more, right?"
"Probably 170mm wide, 80mm tall. Thickness under 30mm? Current tech says no."
Greg was baffled by Seon Woo-hyuk's dissatisfied frown.
'A handheld with this insane power is already a miracle, and he wants it smaller?'
Since joining Savior, Greg had led Savior Pulse development under Seon Woo-hyuk's direction.
-Here's the custom CPU and GPU schematics for Savior Pulse. Work with NexGen and 3Dfx to mass-produce them, Greg.
The designs he'd shoved at him on day one.
How he'd learned chip design was a mystery, but the specs? Monster.
Dubbed Savior RISC-32 and Savior Graphics Core: 66MHz clock, 2D/3D acceleration, 1M polygons/sec.
Shrunk for handheld with heat managed? Console or PC material, really.
-Did the boss plant spies at Intel or Nvidia or what?
NexGen and 3Dfx devs had freaked, suspecting industrial espionage.
"Surf's already producing displays. Oseong confirmed—they're retooling lines for Savior Pulse memory, as requested."
"Sambo Computer sorted?"
"Yes. Guaranteed 100% hiring transfers, so no pushback. No announcement yet, but internal wrap-up by week's end."
Greg felt a twinge of regret there.
'Korea's labor's cheap-ish, but for mass production, China or Southeast Asia's way more efficient.'
Still, snagging factories dirt-cheap was a win.
China was opening up—long-term goldmine.
But,
-No China. All Savior tech is state-secret level security. Korea's iffy; China's like rolling out the red carpet for thieves.
CEO Seon Woo-hyuk had vetoed China hard for some reason.
Southeast Asia's high defect rates and theft made sense, but China? Advanced nations were flocking there. Shame.
'Even if they peek, it'd take decades to catch up...'
Questions aside, Greg trusted Seon Woo-hyuk's calls.
No one he knew was sharper.
"Schedule launch for two months out. Key is volume—buy more factories if needed. Max initial stock."
"Got it. Leaving already?"
With Savior Pulse talks wrapped, Seon Woo-hyuk grabbed his coat.
Greg offered coffee, but,
"Sorry, got a uni lecture today."
"Lecture?"
"Time to plant some roots in Korea."
Greg watched him leave with a cryptic smile.
'That grin's always so devious.'
Something big was brewing—Greg could feel it.